Slide Rules

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Aussie drifting champ Beau Yates gets his thrills by driving sideways.

Tell us about drifting, mate.
It’s an extreme form of motorsport. You’ve got to compare it to motocross and those extreme concepts, but it’s on four wheels and you do it on bitumen. The winner is chosen by judges, rather than a speed or timed race. There are only two cars involved in a battle at a time.

What do you dig most about it?
It’s freestyling in a car. I like the smoke, the excitement, driving a car on the edge of control. It’s just full-on action. It’s so exciting. I’ve been drifting for about five years now. I did some basic local club days, then worked my way up the ladder to the Drift Australia series.

Have you ever stacked?
I’ve avoided many accidents and grazed walls a couple of times. I put her nose-first into a soft-tyre wall in Tasmania once. I was through the judged section of the track and I was pretty excited about the run I’d just pulled off. I was punching the wheel and hitting the roof and I lost control of the car and put it into the wall. Thankfully, there was only minor damage.

How fast do you drift?
The speeds are getting up there now. I’m entering the fastest corner for drifting at Oran Park in Sydney at anywhere between 150km/h and 180km/h. Sideways, in fourth gear, on the rev limiter.

Watch a mental video of Beau Yates drifting

Do you think drifting separates the boys from the men? Leave your comment below.