Slide Rules

A day at school where you’ll want to do homework

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THE BRZ IS THE black sheep of the Subaru family. For a brand built on the virtues of symmetrical all-wheel drive, a rear-wheel-drive sports car is like having a hamburger on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. This unusual scenario is the result of Subaru’s tie-up with Toyota to develop and build the 86, a car built in 10 times the numbers.

Toyota’s AE86 Sprinter, the car that inspired the Toybaru twins, became a cult classic thanks to its affinity to drifting. Carmakers aren’t usually too keen to associate their products with such underground activities but Toyota Australia didn’t hesitate to leverage the appeal of the ‘Hachi Roku’ (eight-six in Japanese), creating an ad with the ‘Godfather of Drift’ Keiichi Tsuchiya.

As such, it seemed only appropriate that the final installment in our grassroots motorsport series should examine this often-misunderstood sport. Getting involved in drifting isn’t easy. Skid pans are sadly extremely scarce (in Victoria at least) and even starting at a practice day level is difficult as it requires a decent investment in a suitable car and a reasonable level of proficiency to avoid embarrassment or accidents. Events like the motorkhanas or auto crosses we’ve tackled previously are a step in the right direction but still very different disciplines.