Get the drift: Motorsport gains popularity in US, but don't call it racing

Drifting requires sharp skills in braking, steering and shifting to go around the track in style. (Griffin Ross)

Spectators check out the cars used for drifting, which are usually modified Japanese makes. (Griffin Ross)

In the '90s, a freestyle motorsport that originated in Japan hopped the Pacific to North America, largely through curious drivers seeing Japanese videos and magazines of the sport. Since then, drifting has gone from underground to mainstream, complete with its own competitive circuit.

Drifting is a driving technique that requires controlling a car in a sideways angle at high speeds around a marked course. It's often called "drift racing," but insiders don't like the term because drifting isn't a race. Spectators often compare it to skateboarding, motocross and freestyle skating.

"Drifting is a judged sport," says Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula Drift, North America's foremost drift championship series. "It's not about crossing a finish line, as in drag racing, but about performance, style and technique."

In competition, drivers -- aka drifters -- are judged on speed, line and angle, and more subjectively on overall impression. Drifters need keen steering, braking, shifting and accelerating skills to control the car as it "drifts" around turns.

"Drifting is really growing in popularity," says Liaw, who has played a role in shaping the sport in the West. "People from 21 into their 30s are drawn to the sport. Some drifters are in their 50s, and the sport has begun to attract female drivers as well."

Nikolay Konstantinov, 27, a Formula Drift pro from Lynnwood, says mastering drifting takes years, practice and money. He still drifts the car he bought when he was 16, a 1991 Nissan 240SX, which he began drifting in empty parking lots.

His advice for those who want to get into the sport: "Don't spend too much modifying your car at first -- you can go bankrupt. If you drift, start out at a grassroots level, go slowly and stick to it. Progressing up to a pro level can take its toll, but it's definitely a lot of fun."

Drifter Walker Wilkerson's interest ignited when he discovered the sport in videos and began saving money for modifications to his car, a 1992 Nissan 240SX.

"There are places now, such as Evergreen Drift in Monroe, where you can watch, learn and practice," says Wilkerson, 21. "There, you can really push yourself, and it's safer than starting out in the streets or in a parking lot." Now, three years later, he has progressed to Formula Drift rookie.

Russell O'Connell, Evergreen Drift's program director, is a drifter, too. He's watched many young drivers come up through the ranks and end up on the podium.

"I believe in providing a safe and structured environment for drivers to progress in the sport," he says. "Drifters with qualifying vehicles can begin in Open Drift for fundamental practice; advance to a Grassroots Series that allows practice on a small course; then to the ProAm series, [which] requires more modifications and gear and allows drifters to drive in tandem; and finally to the Formula Drift series."

Drifter Roland Gallagher, of Bothell, says novice drifters need two things to advance: polished performance-driving skills and a vehicle with the engine and body modifications that drifting demands. Most cars used for drifting are modified Japanese makes.

Like many other drifters, Gallagher began began drifting a 1991 Nissan 240SX at age 16 in a parking lot and recently graduated to the Formula Drift series. "I rebuilt my car this year," says Gallagher, now 22. "And I'm focused on pushing it to the limits in competition."