Show host Parker Nirenstein heads to Irwindale Speedway to learn how to get sideways in a souped-up Mustang.
If you ask us, drifting is pretty damn cool. And if you’re going to ruin a set of tires, you might as well look badass while you’re doing it. Anybody can burn rubber in a straight line, but doing it with precision and control and choreography takes skill. How do you develop that skill, though?
As Vehicle Virgins‘ host Parker Nirenstein points out, you can’t exactly work on your drifting in public. It leaves ugly black streaks on pavement, churns out a ton of stinky smoke, and draws the immediate attention of neighbors and then the police. So, he heads to where sideways burnouts are legal and encouraged: a drifting school at the Irwindale Speedway in Southern California.
Any rear-wheel drive car could theoretically work as an instruction vehicle, but the school Nirenstein attends has a fleet of 700-horsepower supercharged Roush Mustangs. Seems as if Nirenstein’s education gets off to a great start. Over the course of three 20-minute sessions, he learns that it takes more than rear-wheel drive and a ton of horsepower to be able to drift well, whether that’s in a donut or in a figure eight.
One instructor tells Nirenstein not to overthink what he’s doing. Easier said than done. There’s a lot to keep track of, such as keeping the revs between 2,500 and 3,500 rpm and inputting small steering changes smoothly. On top of that, it’s important for Nirenstein to learn which steering method works for him, whether that’s hand-over-hand or catch-and-release. Oh, and he has to manage the gearshift and e-brake. No big deal.
Judging by the footage in the video above, it seems as if Nirenstein learns quickly. He also learns something else: Using his Mercedes-AMG E63 S and its $1,600 tires to perfect his drifting can get very expensive very quickly.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
