As a whole, walls have been mentioned quite a lot recently in my day to day life. Aside from visiting what remains of the Berlin Wall the other week, it’s either Donald Trump saying something on the news or a BDC-themed Facebook argument that brings the topic round to that of walls and how to use them effectively.
It’s been no secret that the BDC has followed hot on the IDC’s heels by introducing more immovable concrete walls (often with clipping points on them) into its track layouts. On the one hand, it demands a more precise style of driving and leaves absolutely no room for error, forcing drivers to up their game. On the other, in the eyes of some they present an unnecessary risk, punishing small mistakes way too harshly and causing heavy damage to cars that would otherwise be avoidable.
So why am I talking about this now, halfway into the new season? Well, while Rounds 1 and 2 (at Rockingham and Teesside, respectively) featured small sections of wall on key clipping points, the most important parts of the track at the Birmingham NEC were constructed entirely of walls. Once the first turn had been negotiated (initiating against a wall), the drivers would need to transition and slow their cars down massively in order to avoid putting their cars into the first part of the wall lining the second corner. Of course, they also had an outer clipping point to aim for, so they couldn’t stamp on the brakes too hard.
After negotiating this section the drivers would then have to transition their cars across the track at high speed towards the final corner, a long sweeping left hander that would lead to the finishing line. Of course, this corner also featured a concrete wall along the entire outer edge, ready and waiting to catch anyone out as a result of an over ambitious transition.
As you can probably guess from my description above, the track was difficult to get right. When the top drivers nailed a perfect run it was nothing short of a spectacle (check out the above video of Jack Shanahan securing the top qualifying spot) but, on the other hand, this came at the cost of quite a few heavily damaged cars.
Personally, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about the situation. My favourite form of competition drifting (as regular readers will probably be aware of) is the likes of D1 Street Legal in Japan, where similarly powered cars with super aggressive drivers go toe to toe on relatively low to medium speed courses. The action is usually the closest you’ll find in the world and, while there are no concrete barriers to contend with on the majority of corners, the tracks are dangerous enough in their own right to warrant the need for caution (think the likes of Ebisu Minami and Bihoku Highland circuits).
However, this style of drifting just doesn’t tend to exist at a professional level in the UK, Europe or the USA. Like it or not, big sticky tyres, huge horsepower and high speed track layouts have become the norm. And, while I am totally uninterested in watching this sort of drifting on large, flowing and relatively low risk circuits, watching the drivers of these high powered cars with huge amounts of traction tackle a circuit such as the one that was seen at the NEC is hugely exciting.
A by-product of these high risk track layouts is, of course, the high probability of damage. Some drivers are (understandably) too nervous to throw their cars towards the immovable concrete and, as such, play it safe and keep their distance. They might come away with an undamaged car but they will likely suffer from a poor qualifying result, along with a disappointed crowd of spectators demanding more exciting driving from them.
Then there are other drivers who have no qualms with giving it their all and throwing their car towards the walls with the speed, angle and proximity demanded from the judges. Unfortunately, some of these drivers might not have the consistency or familiarity with their cars to do this lap after lap which, more often than not, results in some pretty hefty crashes. Some drivers saw themselves involved in a number of fairly serious collisions during the event (often on the same corner) and, while I admire their bravery and commitment no end, it was the images and videos of some of these cars leaving the event looking fit for the scrap yard that has drawn some negative responses.
Combined, these two issues would usually warrant enough criticism to cause a change in how the championship is being run. However, there are drivers who are the exceptions to these cases. These are the drivers who can do exactly what the judges ask for, lap after lap, without fail and with plenty of style to boot. The likes of Jack Shanahan, Duane McKeever (who eventually won the round) and Martin Richards (to name a few that immediately spring to mind) would happily put in lap after lap of high speed, super aggressive and extremely accurate runs that had the crowd on their feet every single time. And, so long as these drivers who are completely on top of their game continue to impress in the way that they do, the crowds will keep demanding more. Should the tracks become safer and less challenging, these drivers wouldn’t impress the general public in the same way that they do now.
As I posted the evening after the event, you wouldn’t catch me out there on track layouts like these in my own car. Personally, it just doesn’t excite me from a driver’s perspective and I am more than content with driving as close to my friends as possible on relatively slow to medium speed layouts with considerably slower cars than you would find in the BDC. At no point during the event did I find myself saying “I’d love to be out there doing that, I reckon I could do a better job than some of these drivers”. At some BDC events in the past, I have found myself thinking this on more than one occasion. Nowadays, the thought doesn’t even cross my mind. To me, I feel that this is a great thing.
For example, I am yet to meet a die-hard fan of Premiership football fan who, despite frequently yelling abusive phrases at the players on TV when they make mistakes, has any intention of getting out there himself and giving it a go at any level beyond playing the occasional game of five aside with their mates. Likewise, I have never come across a super-keen Formula 1 fan who has been heard to say “I could definitely do that better than (insert driver name here)”. They might enjoy the odd track day or spirited country lane drive here and there but, crucially, they have no desire to pursue an entry into professional racing.
While drifting has always been viewed as an accessible form of motorsport at all levels from grassroots to competition, I’m really glad that the competition sector is starting to move further and further away from the somewhat amateur and low budget image that it has previously held in the UK. So what if you can’t afford to repair your car after hitting a concrete barrier? Likewise, I don’t care if you can’t justify fitting super sticky and expensive 265-wide tyres just to keep up with the competition, even though you’ll burn through them within a couple of laps. This is the game now and, if you can’t afford to play it, you probably shouldn’t bother.
For the British Drift Championship and other professional drift series to be taken seriously and attract the attention (and money) of everyday punters who wouldn’t be able to point out an S14 in a car park even if they tried, they need to distance themselves from any form of easy attainability. You almost used to be able to walk into the BDC (put together a handful of decent laps at a licensing day and your license would arrive shortly after in the post) but now, if you want to compete and make a name for yourself, you’d better be prepared to work for it and dedicate every ounce of your time and money towards the cause.
Whether you like it or not, Formula Drift has been spearheading this upper echelon of championship drifting that has really come into its own over the last few years. It’s now time for everyone else to get on that sort of level and, when they do, you’ll still find me in the grandstands, cheering on the drivers before heading home to prepare my own drift car for some totally fun, relaxed and comparably cheap grassroots drifting.