Drifting isn't nearly as easy as it looks. It takes keen hand-eye coordination and an almost spiritual connection with one's vehicle. One payoff for drifting is that it looks really cool, especially when it's seen in a slow motion video.

A bunch of guys with access to some beautiful twisting roads and a few Big Wheels set out to see if drifting looks as cool with a toddler's bike as it does with a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. You know what? It doesn't, but it's still quite entertaining. Hit the jump to see it for yourself. We're pretty sure Rhys Millen shouldn't be worried about this new competition, but we would be surprised if any one of us didn't have an absolute ball trying this ourselves.

[Source: YouTube]

While many forms of motorsports are cutting back with less sponsorship money and fewer teams, Formula Drift actually grew this year with a bigger list of entrants and plenty of brand new cars. For the opening event in Long Beach, CA, Rhys Millen brought out his Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Tanner Foust traded in his 350Z for a NASCAR-powered Scion tC, and Vaughn Gittin Jr. upgraded his Mustang to a 2010 model. In the end, though, a pair of older cars landed a spot in the finals with Sam Hubinette in his NuFormz Racing / Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 challenging Ryan Tuerck in his Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice for the top spot. It was Tuerck who was victorious in the drifting duel, who captured his first ever Formula D win and took the initial points lead in the 2009 season. We've put together two high-res galleries, one for practice and qualifying and another for the main day of competition. Hit the jump for more details on the opening race of the 2009 Formula Drift season.




Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc

A few years ago, drifting took the motorsports world by storm... and while its momentum seems to have cooled a bit, virtually everyone can appreciate the knife-edged balance of throttle and steering needed to execute a yawning slide. That appreciation has extended all the way to China, where a young man has converted his knock-kneed, skinny-tired Chang'an delivery truck into a purpose-built machine.

And why not? It's rear-drive, light weight, cheap, and reasonably robust. We dig the owner's enthusiasm, as well as his ingenuity and driving skill on China's slick mountain roads and in-town roundabouts. Check out the video after the jump (complete with a nod to Japan's Initial D anime series in the soundtrack), but remember: Kids, don't try this at home with Dad's new F-150.

[Chinasmack via China Car Times]

We love the undulating flume of asphalt that is Road Atlanta, and any excuse to lay rubber on its storied curves is usually good enough for us. But Hyundai is going at least one better with its forthcoming Super Bowl ad featuring the new Genesis Coupe.

The Korean automaker enlisted the help of top drifting, truck almost-flipping, former rallyist Rhys Millen to showcase the rear-drive coupe. The Kiwi ran around Road Atlanta around 50 times with tires blazing to nail down footage for Hyundai's "Epic Lap" spot.

Even more interesting is that Hyundai will make footage clips available to consumers on their website so that they can edit together their own Genesis commercials.

While the final commercial won't be released until February 1 during the big game, the folks at Motor Trend were on hand for a behind-the-scenes sneak peak at the commercial. It's worth a look - and not just because of the comely yellow Hyundais. Watch closely and you'll spot a pair of killer blacked-out camera cars: A Porsche Cayenne and a Mitsubishi Evo. Check out the high-res Hyundai Genesis Coupe gallery below and video footage after the jump.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Red Bull Drifting World Championship

Like Ferrari winning the Italian Grand Prix or a Mazda atop the podium at Laguna Seca, Rhys Millen scored a fitting victory in his Red Bull Pontiac Solstice GXP at the very first Red Bull Drifting World Championship over the weekend. The event featured the top thirty-two drifters from around the world at a purpose-built track at the ports of Long Beach, CA. Formula Drift drivers dominated the event, taking six of the eight spots in the quarter finals and all four places in the semi finals. Millen survived five knockout rounds, defeating the likes of Ken Gushi, Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust and Vaughn Gitten, and eventually beat out teammate Daijiro Yoshihara in the all-Pontiac finals. More details on the event are in the press release following the jump, and we weathered the tire smoke and flying bits of rubber to bring you plenty of fantastic high resolution photos in the gallery below.

All photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Formula Drift Series at Irwindale

Our never-ending interest in the upcoming U.S. Top Gear has us usually thinking of Tanner Foust as a television host, so we often forget that he has another day job sliding a Nissan 350Z around racetracks in the Formula Drift series. Tanner came into the final round this weekend at Irwindale Speedway at the top of the points race, and he needed to stay ahead of Sam Hubinette in his Dodge Viper and Rhys Millen in his Pontiac Solstice to capture his second straight championship. He did just that, finishing in second place behind Vaughn Gitten Jr., who captured his first win in the series in his Falken Tire Ford Mustang. The top 16 drivers from the event also qualified for the upcoming Red Bull Drifting World Championship next month in Long Beach. We braved the flying chunks of rubber (no, really - there's a reason Formula Drift has more tire sponsors than any other motorsports series) to bring you a gallery of high resolution photographs from the event, which can be seen in the gallery below. Full details of the event can also be found in the press release after the jump.

All photos Copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

It won't do anything to bolster her "green" credentials, but the fact that Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, can hold her 240SX in a glorious sideways slide as long as you please strikes us not only as surprising, but, well, a little off the hook. It seems the McCain clan likes high-horsepower pastimes, be it trains, planes or automobiles, though the trains part might only be for whistlestop campaigns. A few years back, Cindy and son Jack were intrigued by drifting after catching television coverage of the sport. Rather than just look it up on Wikipedia, Cindy McCain -- who is an avowed lifelong gearhead -- headed to Japan, birthplace of drifting, to learn the practice from a sensei.

Mom and son Jack dove wholeheartedly into drifting, building a 240SX drift car and competing as a team in amateur competition. Motorsports and high-performance driving also played a restorative role when McCain was temporarily felled by a stroke. In an odd choice of physical therapy facilities, McCain was at Bob Bondurant's Executive Protection course a mere six weeks after the health event, rebuilding her skill. While the plot sounds like a treatment for "The Drifting Kid" or some other kind of Hollywood dreck, it's exciting to think that a first lady might be able to out-drive her Secret Service detail. Thanks for all the tips!

[Source: ESPN]

Click above to witness Hubinette's drifting skills

We know Sam Hubinette has incredible drifting skills. The Crazy Swede is a two-time champion in Formula Drift and makes a living doing stunt driving, but that still doesn't mean we would put our life in his hands. Streetfire.net's Creative Director Alexis Godschalk, however, seems to have more of either faith or bravery than we do. While filming a video intro StreetFire, Hubinette sends his Viper hurtling towards Godschalk and doesn't even flinch. Follow the jump to watch the video and see just how close Hubinette gets. (Hint: very)

[Source: StreetFire.net]

It always seems a bit presumptuous when a "world champion" is declared for a sporting event played in America. After all, other countries have leagues for baseball, basketball, football, etc. Formula Drift, the most well known drifting association in the United States, isn't about to declare world superiority in the art of maneuvering a car sideways through a course, but it does want to find out who's the best. Partnering with Red Bull Energy Drink, Formula Drift will be bringing together the best drifters from around the world to compete head to head in one single event. The competition will be held in November on the docks in Long Beach, CA and will feature a purpose-built course that will test the limits of each driver's skills. With a few of us located in Los Angeles, you can be sure that Autoblog will be bringing you live coverage of the event. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Formula Drift]

As Autoblog's resident kei car fanboy, I like to share news and links about the diminutive forbidden-fruit rides whenever something interesting pops on the radar, like yesterday. Today, it's just a photo, courtesy of the gang at Speedhunters. The tiny kei pickup is a Suzuki Carry, which, in the hands of a normal business owner, does precisely that. This one's obviously a wee bit more specialized though, as the rear wing and roll bar suggest. This little work truck's job is drifting. It might look wrong, but there's something so right about it. Who says you need triple-digit horsepower to have fun?

[Source: Speedhunters]