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At our Club4AG Drift Day Events, we incorporate the autocross for skills in setting up cars for reducing radius oversteer sweepers, as well as gymkahna skills such as accurate 360's around set paths and side-braking maneuvers to induce oversteer when vehicle speed isn't nearly enough to make a sharp turn around.
Gymkahna - In a global (rest of the world) sense is a slightly different sport. The Autocross is more laid out in manner to make it a smooth flowing test course. A gymkahna is much fewer pylons (usually only 10 or 20) and the set path is a very constricted and technical path, repeating circles, e-brake 360's and 180's, and is more defined by "acrobatic" than a test course.
While both take very skilled talent and cars, the autocross is a much closer skill to race car driving, and it's counterpart, the gymkahna is more a stunt driving technique. Actually the basic skills needed for stunt drivers are all found in the gymkahna, it's only short of getting the car on 2 wheels or jumping them off ramps.
Drifting in essence rquired both of these types of skills to complete well.
Inducing drifts from speed and weight transfer, maintaining cornering speed and sensing delicate tire contact patch and physical forces are gained in autocrossing.
Meanwhile, handling massive oversteer angles, adjusting the oversteer velocity and angles, and ability to 'slide' a car into intended path with use of non-traditional methods, are gained in gymkhana course.
Since both autocross and gymkahana are competition against the clock, the E.T., once who has the ability to do both events well are naturally very proficient drifters.
So when one says grip vs. drift... It's not really valid comparison...because best drifters and best lap attackers are actually both.
one who can "manage" grip to maintain the highest amount of friction while inducing controlled slides where necessary, efficiently and predictably, proficient and effectively...
These are the fastest drivers, and also the BEST drifters.
(For basic example... Please don't attack me if you are fans of other drivers or for other reasons... I'm just sketching a picture for people to understand this better)
Michael Schumacher (arguably top F-1 driver at the moment, and in a sport ususally known as 'grip' style sport...) drives and sets up his car "loose" in a sense to sometimes use tires slightly past the highest adhesion levels. He uses it quite often in a race to pitch his car left and right to compensate for uneven tires, fuel loads and for other reason... That is drifting skill at work... and is effective when the car is no longer perfectly set up. Skills are there to compensate.
on the other hand, in drift events... Top drivers like Taniguchi and orido, Imamura and Ueo uses highly developed skills in contact patch management to make less abrupt movements, smoother turn-ins, and can still maintain very high oversteer angles and most of all SPEED. These are top drifters because they know how to use the tires at maximum grip, breaking them only enought to make approach angles deep without sacrificing much speed. Again a display of BOTH racing and drifting tactics.
This is why I say track events, autocross, gymkahana, and seat time are all important to making great drifters out of all of you. Because "THAT" is a trait of not only drifting...but of a true performance driver!
Moto-P
Webmaster at Club4AG
Magnus Thomé
