MICHAEL BANOVSKY
SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO STAR

Kids, don't try this at home: Our GTA roads aren't twisty enough.

In 2001, The Fast and the Furious brought street racing to masses of expectant youth across North America. Its dramatization of underground racing, critics claim, contributed to a rise in illegal street racing.

Now there's a new one, this time all about drifting — and already saddled with a PG-13 rating in the U.S. for: "Reckless and Illegal Behaviour Involving Teens."

But how did drifting slide from touring car race in Japan into a big-screen Hollywood tire screecher?

Vancouvers Hideki Nishimura of the Toyo Drift Team flies sideways into a corner at a track, showing one of techniques of the new competitive racing format called drifting.

During the 1970s, a Japanese racer named Kunimitsu Takahashi perfected a technique for driving on the low-grip racing tires used in the All-Japan Touring Car Championship (in those days, every tire was low grip by modern standards). His style involved inertial drift — lightly turning away from a corner before turning in, causing a sudden weight transfer that allowed the car to slide, tires smoking, through the corner — not unlike rally technique on loose surfaces. Takahashi must have been good; he even raced once in Formula 1.

That was before the "kids, don't try this at home" warnings, and soon, street racers were perfecting the technique on public roads. And the perfect roads in Japan are the narrow, winding mountain passes — the touge (pronounced approximately toe-ga-e). One of the first men to take an interest in and perfect Takahashi's techniques was Keiichi Tsuchiya, now known as the Drift King.

Tsuchiya came from the people — not from a wealthy Japanese family. As such, when a video displaying his skills on the touge was released in 1977, his popularity skyrocketed. He earned a professional racing drive, moving through the ranks to compete in everything from Japanese Formula 3 to NASCAR (the Suzuka Thunder exhibition races in Japan), to nearly winning Le Mans in 1999 (driving the Toyota GT-One).

In 1988, he teamed up with Daijiro Inada (founder of Option magazine) to organize one of the first track events specifically for drifting.

But if the roots of drifting reach back into the 1970s, why hasn't it yet reached North America?

For starters, North Americans, at the time, didn't know how good certain imports were for drifting. As a result, finding a straight, late-model Toyota Corolla GT-S, Nissan 240SX, Toyota Supra, or Mazda RX-7 can be difficult.

Second, once you've got the car, how the heck do you get it to slide? Books, videos and professional instruction abound on the topic, but there are a few basic techniques.

These are the techniques professional drifters use and should never be attempted in public.

First, they may yank the handbrake, which creates a loss of traction in the rear tires. It's not the prettiest, but it's the easiest for inexperienced drivers to pull off. Second, like all good American police movies, there's the powerslide: they turn into a corner, step on the gas, and watch tires worth hundreds of dollars vaporize into smoke. Third, the lift-off drift — in the middle of a corner, lifting off the accelerator induces a slide caused by engine braking.

Downshifting without braking very quickly causes the rear tires to momentarily lock (called "shift lock") — but even pros sometimes blow their engines using this technique. Drifters can kick the clutch in the middle of the corner, sometimes in quick succession, producing a drivetrain shock that upsets the car's balance, inducing a slide.

The final, and most impressive drift — popularized way back in the '70s by Takahashi — is the good old feint drift. Rally drivers, sprint car drivers and drifters use this technique. For a right-hander, drifters turn left, then right in quick succession to send their car into the mother of all slides. Or into a tire wall, if done wrong.

For spectators, seeing a gracefully sliding, high-horsepower drift car lose control and plow into a barrier or into another competitor is all part of the thrill. But where can you get a drifting fix?

In Canada, go see a Drift Mania event. Based in Quebec, the five-round championship travels to the Toronto Motorsports Park in August.

There are two rounds in Quebec during July — expect to pay $20 at the gate to see Canadians like Ryan Tuerck (current points leader) and Marco Santos.

For the thrill of top-level drifting in North America, however, take a trip to see a Formula Drift competition. Stars like Rhys Millen, Tanner Foust, Ken Gushi, and Samuel Hubinette have the manufacturer and sponsorship support to put on a great show. You'll even see Mustangs, Vipers and a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro mixing it up with Japanese metal.

Competitors at the first round of the Drift Mania national drifting series battle into a corner at St-Eustache, Que., earlier this month. Car control and style are everything at a drift match.

If you can't make it out to a race, events are televised on ESPN2.

Oh, and during elimination rounds in competition, they put two drifters on track at once for tandem runs. Judges determine a winner based on how cool everything looks. In a tie, fans can yell, "One more time!" for a sudden-death shootout.

But how to get started? First, grab a late-model, rear wheel drive car with a manual transmission. Ensure you've got a good budget for tires, a limited-slip differential and repairs.

Second, read Drift Mania's rules and bring your car's safety equipment to the required level.

Third, every Sunday there's a practice session at Autodrome St. Eustache, in St-Eustache, Que. (near Montreal). Go there, and if you're good enough, you'll be licensed to compete in Canadian drifting events.

You should have a good level of car control before attempting any form of drifting — for that, there are various outlets across the GTA that will enhance your skills for a nominal fee.

No matter how old you are, once you see footage of a high-speed, controlled drift with smoke billowing from the rear tires, you'll be hooked. From there, how far you go depends on how much you're willing to slide.