Drifting


Interior details for race and drift cars


Going sideways. Sipping champagne.

2015-Rolls-Royce-Drift-by-Paddy-McGrath-1-1200x800

I don’t understand the rules of competitive drifting, but I do love the spectacle of it*. I also appreciate the humour an No-Fucks-Given attitude of many of the participants. Particularly when the result is something like this stealth black Rolls Royce drift car, built for a pro drifter as part of a TV documentary.

What I always wanted to see was a chopped, sectioned and channelled Roller, kustom style. The nearest I’m going to get to that is building one as a kit. I started one based upon one of these Minicraft Silver Cloud IIs, but butchered it. I need to buy another and have a go again.

*Motorsport could be considered a guilty pleasure for a Green. I don’t care.


Drifting at the Trafford Centre

Drifting at the Trafford Centre

It may be wrong for an eco-worrier such as I to enjoy motorsport, but I do. I’ve been fascinated by drifting for a while. I blame Need For Speed and Initial D. The rules of drifting must make it the only motorsport which is scored on style. Mostly I was happy to see cars going sideways and I didn’t mind who won.

Drifting at the Trafford Centre

Drifting at the Trafford Centre

Drifting at the Trafford Centre

Motorsport doesn’t often come this close to the centre of Manchester. That the course could be laid out with mini cones on the Trafford Centre’s overflow carpark must have helped. Practice was on the Saturday, but I went for the racing on the Sunday. There was other entertainment laid on- a monster truck and motocross stunts- and a number of interesting cars in the car park. By the end of the day I was covered in flecks of tyre rubber, a side effect of standing on the apex of the corners. There are more pictures in the Drifting at the Trafford Centre set.