How do I drift a car?

Let's learn how to do donuts, figure-8's, handbrake entries and handbrake adjustments. 

The first skill to learn in drifting is a donut! This is our beginning step that will help with throttle control and getting the feel for losing traction in the rear or the car. Best learnt on either a wet or dry skid pan. Either way is fine, wet makes it easier as you'll be in a lower rpm range, with the wet making it easier for the rear tyres to lose traction - a bonus is you won't use as much of the tyres! In the dry you will need to be a bit harder on the thrott le to get the rear to kick out, which can be trickier for some drivers.

Beginner Drift Skills

1. Donut 
2. Figure-8

How to do a donut

Performed from either a stationary start or rolling start, you will start by turning your steering wheel all the way to full lock, then back around half to one turn of the steering wheel. From there you will let off the clutch and start accelerating (the RPM range will vary depending on the car but for our 350s you would sit at the 3500-4000rpm range). You want the steering wheel to slide through your fingers for a moment until you feel the back wheels spin. From there you will hold the steering wheel providing small inputs to the left or right to maintain the drift (make sure your foot is steady on the accelerator! This is all about throttle control and maintaining the RPMs). 

To make the donut smaller you will close the steering wheel and to make the donut bigger you will open the steering wheel up (turning the wheel back towards having less angle in your front tyres). 

Don't forget to try it on the other side! We want to be controlled on both sides.

What we want to see in a donut

A donut should be controlled circle work with drivers able to move from a smaller circle out to a larger circle. This is important for the next step of learning to do a figure-8. 

You can either use a cone as a reference point or without. Some people find it hard to have a cone there as they can fixate on that point rather than trying to gain the feel for losing the traction and controlling it. Others enjoy having a focal point to know where the car is placed and what their next steps are. 

Common mistakes in performing a donut

1. Holding onto the steering too tight or not releasing the wheel. This is a common mistake for those from a grip racing background. We are so used to controlling the cars every movement and not letting go it can be a foreign feeling to switch to having relaxed hands. It's important to have light hands in drifting, you want to let the cars natural movements also assist in drifting! 
2. Not keeping the revs up is a common mistake for beginners. It's important to not be too heavy on the accelerator (this can cause you to whip around) and not be too light (causing you to not lose traction or your tyres to grip up again). Keeping a steady foot on the throttle will ensure the car maintains the drift, and all further inputs for a donut are then from the steering. 

Once we have conquered the donut we move along to the Figure-8! 

How to do a Figure-8

For a figure-8 it can be beneficial to have the cones out so you have a point to aim to. They should be about a 3 car lengths away from each other but can be adjusted depending on the cars steering and your comfortability when learning. 

We want to take what we have learnt in the donuts and now alternate from one cone to another making a Figure-8 movement. This is crucial in learning as it imitates transitioning from one corner to another on the track! 

Figure-8 Break Down

1. Do a controlled donut
2. When you're between the cones reduce throttle (acceleration), as you're straightening out, quickly change the steering to the opposite direction and increase throttle back to original state. 
3. Continue donut and repeat on the other side. 

We are going to start in a donut and when we are between the centre of the cones we want to let off the accelerator a small amount (don't come off it completely) and as we feel the car straightening we want to steer in the new direction to make a donut. (If you're coming into donuts on the right side you will pull the steering wheel down to the right and vice versa). You will need to let the steering wheel slide through your fingers and once in the new position add a little throttle, then continue your steering inputs with steady throttle. It is now time to repeat the process on the other side! The same theory is involved, but when it's time to give the steering wheel a flick it's to the other side to create a donut again. 

What we want to see in a Figure-8

Nice smooth transitions are important, with steady throttle. The figure-8's should be even and as your skill improves you should be able to alternate between larger and smaller Figure-8's. Try it on wet to make it easier before moving to the dry! 

Common Mistakes in Figure 8's

1. Coming off the accelerator too much or using too much when you get back on. As mentioned earlier, this causes the car to straighten and lose the drift or whip you around. 
2. Focusing on where you currently are and not where you need to be. It's important to look ahead so you can steer to where you want to be. Whilst drifting is about losing traction, we still maintain vehicle control. 
3. Not using the weight of the vehicle to propel the car. 

Intermediate Drift Skills 

1. Handbrake Entries
2. Transitioning and linking

How to use the handbrake in drifting

Using the handbrake is one of the most important skills as it has many uses in drifting! The handbrake can be used for:

• Initiating a drift
• to push the car wider (whilst mid-corner to ensure you're hitting those outer ones!)
• Slowing the car down
• Stabilising the vehicle
  

How you use the handbrake depends on what you are trying to achieve! 

Handbrake Entries (Initiation)

Using the handbrake to initiate a drift is considered a more beginner-friendly technique. This involves pulling on the handbrake to break rear traction and start the slide.

• Faster entry = longer pull

• Slower entry = shorter pull

It's important to remember the handbrake does not turn the car, it only locks the rear wheels. The steering input Is what creates the direction change. This means when initiating a handbrake entry you must still steer the car to break traction and initiate a drift. 

Because of that, it’s really important that:

• You pull the handbrake hard enough to fully lock the rear wheels

• Your steering input is controlled separately from the handbrake pull

Even at high speed, you don’t need much steering input — small inputs will have a big effect.

Using the handbrake after initiation (Advanced Use)

You've mastered using the handbrake for initiations, now you are looking to fine-tune your drifting! Once you are in a drift, the handbrake becomes an important function in controlling the vehicle. 

For example, after a Scandinavian flick:

• The first movement might come from a clutch kick or weight transfer

• The second movement can be stabilised using a short handbrake pull

These pulls are usually:

• Shorter and more controlled

• Sometimes combined with light foot brake 

Mid-Corner Adjustment (Pushing the Car Wider)

If you’re mid-corner and need to push the car out wider, a quick handbrake input can adjust the vehicle placement. 

This is usually:

• A short, momentary pull

• Used to adjust line without fully killing momentum

This is helpful especially in competition, if you're a bit shallow you can push the car out wider to ensure you're reaching the outer zones and fulfilling the judging requirements. 

Speed Control & Tandem Driving

At a more advanced level, the handbrake is used to control speed and positioning — especially in tandem.

This often looks like:

• Quick “jabs” on the handbrake

• Settling the car without relying on throttle lift

This helps prevent the car from driving forward too much while maintaining drift stability.

When drifting in tandem (2 or more cars), it's important to maintain speed as a lead car and position/drift in a way that a chase car can follow and replicate the lead line (a critical judging point in competition). The more controlled and consistent the lead car is, the better the chase car can trust the lead cars movements and adjust as necessary to avoid touching and gain as much proximity as possible. 

Common Mistakes using the handbrake

1. Don't pull handbrake hard enough 
2. Not warming the handbrake up before use 
3. Not holding the handbrake long enough for a fast entry (faster the entry the longer the pull)
4. Not adjusting steering to complement the corner while doing a handbrake pull

Final notes for handbrake entries:

Small, controlled inputs are key — lots of little adjustments will make the handbrake far more effective than one big movement.

There’s been a lot of talk about overusing the handbrake or it being “uncool,” but the reality is the opposite — it’s a vital tool in drifting.

Learning how to use it properly is essential at every level.