JAKE NOAKES OCEANS ATE ALASKA

WTF is drifting and is it as dangerous as it looks? OAA frontman Jake reveals all

What’s drifting, then?

“Drifting is kinda like racing, except you team up, and it’s about oversteering so the car looks like it’s sliding out of control.”

When did you discover your love of cars?

“I had always played with toy cars growing up, plus my dad’s in the motor industry, so I’ve been interested in cars from a very young age, going out with radio-controlled cars and go-karts. I grew up on racing and car-modifying videogames, too; even now I spend a lot of my downtime on racing games and I’ve wasted a lot of hours on Forza. Problem is, it’s difficult to explain to my parents that I’m actually being social and talking with friends while gaming – I’m not sitting in my room on my own!”

What attracted you to drifting in particular?

“The Fast And The Furious films were my introduction to real-life drifting, so one of the hardest years of my life was when I passed my test and I had to drive carefully in my crappy little Peugeot 206 to keep my insurance no-claims bonus! Drifting’s not just a massive adrenaline rush – it’s also a really social motorsport compared to racing competitively. I have a group of friends I’ve made through drifting and we go to drift days and go out on the tracks together, which we call ‘twinning’. It’s beautiful that a lot of people want to help each other on the track: nobody’s mean or snide so if you see someone struggling, you go over and suggest some tips or jump in

the car and help.”

is drifting a big scene in the uk?

“Drifting started in Japan with young lads rebelling as teenagers, having fun and looking cool. In America it’s a very high-end sport and companies invest a lot of money into racing teams. However, it’s not an official sport in the UK; there’s only a few hundred of us drifters and we all know each other, so the community is small. If Top Gear need a new Stig though, I’ll slide into their DMs.”

can you remember your first drift? how old Were you?

“I pulled off my first when I was 19 years old on an abandoned airfield, but I hit a tyre with my front bumper and that’s when I accepted that drifting is an expensive hobby. It’s a never-ending cycle – you’ll bump something at one drift event and you’ll find a new rattling noise on your car, you’ll fix it then something else will go the next time. People underestimate the damage you get from drifting – my car is exceptionally low and I’m always bumping and scraping things on roads and it makes a lot of funny sounds now.”

What car do you drive?

“I drive a Toyota JZX100, which is so big I call it the HMS Chaser. People take spare tyres to drift days and while others carry two, my car can fit six tyres in the back. I have never had any serious crashes while drifting, but I had a little accident recently when a car I was following span out so I crashed into them. It wasn’t too bad.”

on a scale of 1-10, how metal is your love of drifting?

“I’d give it a low three because I don’t know many people who are into both metal and cars. I spend so much time on tour with people who have the same interests because once someone gets me talking about cars, it’s hard to stop me. At first I’ll start mentioning the odd simple detail and within minutes I’m explaining how a catalytic converter works and a lot of people don’t expect it from me.”

HIKARI IS OUT NOW VIA FEARLESS

“NOT MANY METALHEADS ARE INTO CARS”