Here’s a pro drifter’s tips on how to improve your sideways skills

Few things in life as as satisfying as a well-timed drift. It requires an immense understanding of how to simultaneously use your handbrake, steering wheel and pedals; the margin for error is huge, and the window for success is small. But when it works, it really works.

Ken Gushi is a chap who knows all about that, having become the youngest-ever driver to compete in both America and Japan’s official drift championships at the tender age of just sixteen. The ideal person, then, to talk us through going sideways.

TopGear.com: How old were you when you started drifting?

KG: I started competing in local drift events in Southern California at 13, but before that, my father already had me behind the wheel. He is a former racing driver himself who competed in a lot of grassroots events back home in Japan.

He loves rally driving and getting cars to go sideways in tight spaces. So I kind of just followed in his footsteps. I wasn’t even considering going into drifting at that point, I just wanted to be as cool as my dad was. But drifting started to become popular when I was at that age and, as such, my interest was piqued.

I thought it was cool, and asked my dad if I could try it, to which he responded by taking me to El Mirage (a dry lake bed) every weekend for almost two years to keep practising. And the best part? Nobody could tell us we weren’t allowed to, and this is super important when you’re still in your learning phase!

Did you find it difficult to learn how to drift?

Not really, no. The only reason I say that is because of the location where I got to learn. El Mirage is a common hotspot for automotive content filming because it’s publicly usable. And, of course, the car is very loose on top of surfaces like that.

Even at that age, it took no effort to get the car pitched sideways, even at low speeds. And since you’re in the open, you have all the space and time in the world to make mistakes, learn corrections and see what changes you need to make to accomplish what it is you’re trying to do.

Not everyone has that level of freedom, so what are the best ways around this?

There are a lot of restrictions and limitations to where you can go drifting. Many racetracks don’t even allow intentional sliding. But nowadays, there are a ton of grassroots organisations that run drift-specific events. For example, here in California, we have a dedicated racetrack called Apple Valley Speedway that allows enthusiasts and local drivers to go almost every day for a low cost.

So where do the real costs lie?

With car maintenance - particularly in tyre and fuel costs, or even just getting the car to the track itself. The only real solution is through securing sponsorship, which means you become a professional driver.

Ohh, the pro leagues. How do we get in with a shot?

There are a few different ways to get into competitive drifting. One, you have a lot of money. It’s very expensive nowadays compared to when I first started because the cars are purpose-built. We use a lot of very expensive parts that don’t necessarily last, so having spares is essential when you’re racing competitively. For some perspective, we tend to burn through a set of brand-new tyres in under 45 seconds sometimes - and they can cost up to 300 dollars apiece. Gone in barely two runs.

Secondly, you have really good networking skills, and you’re a great driver who’s able to just put themselves out there. It used to be easy because there weren’t that many professional drivers back when I started - and this was also a time when a lot of companies wanted to join in on the drifting hype, around 25 years ago when drifting was becoming the boom. But nowadays, there are so many drivers and so few companies that want to provide support, it’s difficult for unestablished drivers.

Let’s rewind to the whole skill thing. What’s your best advice for improvement?

The biggest mistake people make when they first start to drift is looking at the wrong place. Before focusing on your steering control or throttle input, you have to always remember your car is going to go where your eyes are looking. 

If I place a cone down and tell someone to keep a tight circle around the cone, as soon as their eyes come off it, they head in completely the wrong direction. In contrast, if there’s a wall, and I tell them to not look at the wall, but they do, the car will naturally head towards it. There’s a connection between where your eyes are and your body inputs.

Once you understand and learn this, your body will just naturally start to adapt to where you’re looking, and then we can focus on involving more throttle or decreasing steering so we can find ways to naturally get the car to slide.

Otherwise, and with many things in life, the main thing is consistency. Going out and practising, trying doughnuts until you master them, and then moving on to figure eights, and then playing with the handbrake to see what the car does. As you clutch in and pull the handbrake, or kick the clutch, you upset the drivetrain a bit - add some more power at this moment and see how the car reacts.

All these small learnings will eventually translate into consistency, and more importantly, a consistent run. Just to understand the handbrake and clutch, or how to throttle kick and input faint steering; these basic skills translate into what we do in competitive drifting very well.

And what are some of the things you don't do?

I used to pull the handbrake without getting on the clutch. If you’re off the clutch and in gear while you pull the handbrake, you’re locking the wheels, and that’s directly connected to the transmission. Result? You stall. Other times you could lose power or power steering, and it just turns into a big mess. So always remember: if you’re going to pull on the handbrake, keep your foot on the clutch.

Suppose it’s time we talk about some cars. What have been some of your favourites for drifting over the years?

When I first started learning how to drift, it was, ironically, in a 1986 Toyota Corolla GTS - otherwise known as the ‘AE86’. I’m sure a lot of car enthusiasts know the anime series that features this car, involving a young kid that delivers tofu in the middle of the mountains at night. It’s funny because my father used to do his rally driving in a Subaru Impreza - the same car the father in the anime series drove. It feels like there were so many parallels between my story and Initial D, so the AE86 remains a favourite of mine.

Next up is the Lexus IS300, it’s one of my absolute favourite four-door cars ever. I own one myself, and after completing an engine swap and installing a racing transmission, I threw on a bigger turbo, bigger wheels and a much bigger body kit. This isn’t necessarily a great car to practice with, but I think it looks so damn cool.

My third choice would be my current competition car: the Toyota GR86. They’re so nimble and easy to drive. Mine has a Greddy Performance-tuned 2JZ engine with over 1,000bhp, but it steers incredibly well. Nowadays, cars can go almost backwards into a corner with the tail-end going first and still make it through, and that’s exactly what my GR86 was built to do.

We hear you’re a big Pokémon fanatic. Reckon you could power slide a Charizard if you had the chance?

I don’t know about power sliding, but I’d love to get my hands on one to take to the skies. Who needs power sliding when you can fly, anyway?