Getting the drift

HEADING into a skid or power-slide at 90 mph isn't a manoeuvre that most motorists would be able to get out of, let alone be something they'd look forward to.

At first glance, it might seem that this is what drift drivers are doing – skidding on purpose. But the uninitiated can learn quite a lot in a short amount of time and while I'm quite a bit away from accepting an invitation to be the passenger for one of their spectacular driving displays, spending some time with two of North Galway's upcoming drifting sports stars certainly quelled a lot of my preconceptions about motorsport.
The ‘skidding' might be all part of the show but the drifting enjoyed by drivers Darragh McElroy and Alan O'Loghlen is far removed from the menacing drivers doing doughnuts, who rev engines and think their tar art is some sort of signature. That sort of late-night driving is just “lunacy†according to Alan.
Darragh and Alan are drifting enthusiasts; well perhaps fanatics might be a more definitive description. For those of you who might not be aware of the sport (like myself) drifting is the fastest growing motorsport in Ireland and has its origins in Japan. It has been described by some participants as the figure skating of motorsports.

Read the full feature in this week's digital edition of The Tuam Herald