RESPECT THE SLIDE?

PRETTY much anyone with a bit of petrol running through their veins loves a cheeky sideways kick of the back end, but it seems that when it comes to proper motorsport, the notion of spending the entire time sideways and being judged a winner based on opinion is frowned upon by many. So we decided to ask the question to our Facebook followers: Do you think drifting should be taken as seriously as any other form of motorsport? Here’s what you had to say.

Glenn Whittingham – I think the D1 championship and stadium truck championship should overtake Supercars as the country’s premier racing events. It’s far more interesting to watch.

Nick Silva – I like watching it and so do my kids. They love seeing the cars sideways at full revs with smoke.

Stu Magoo – Get a grip, guys.

Simon Hemi Binkhorst – I would rather watch paint dry than drifting.

Daniel Higgins – It already gets all the respect it deserves.

Liam Whelan – Destroying tyres for lap times, outright speed or endurance I get. But doing it for style points, following someone else doing exactly the same? Yeah nah.

Steven Crisp – Drifting and surfing are all about style points, and both are boring to watch.

Scott A Turner – I’d rather watch surfing – especially the women’s.

James Blanchard – It’s the synchronised swimming of motorsport. Bless their little hearts.

Johnny Wombat – Even synchronised swimming is an Olympic sport. I like and respect drifting; it’s just another form of motorsport. The more people involved, the more we can justify more tracks. It’s a win-win in my book.

Pete Tant – It’s weird that people love burnouts but hate drifting, even if it’s something V8-powered. Essentially it’s a long burnout around a track instead of a pad.

Blake Taramiz – Any motorsport where you just destroy your tyres (burnouts, drifting) seems pretty stupid to me.

Trev Clark – Two issues for me: it’s very repetitive – same lines and angles every time – and motorsport shouldn’t be won by a judge’s opinion.

Andrew Teesdale – It’s pretty much a combination of speedway and burnouts – what’s not to like?

Patrick Bathurst Armstrong – I’m not a massive fan of drifting. However, I have much respect for the drivers; they’re completely in control when completely out of control.

Joel Maddick – The scoring system of drifting is what lets it down; it’s like ballet. Normal racing is clear – whoever is fastest wins.

Giovanni Dionori – Drifting – just like farting in the shower – is entertaining primarily for the person doing it. I’m not saying it doesn’t need skill, but it’s boring.

Dave Coe – It’s the most free sort of motorsport out there, meaning not so many rules and a wide range of vehicles and powerplants (reaching up to 1000hp in some corners of the sport down to stock-ish cars in the grassroots corner). It has very different competitions worldwide that are really worth following, which I have been doing for over 10 years.

Hayden Wallis – Drifting is good when it’s done by the pros, yet gets a bad rap thanks to hoodrats in single-cam Nissans with cut springs and welded diffs.