Drifting a car is almost like dancing with it and we had Mudit Grover from Bad Boi Drifts teach us the steps.
Story: Joshua Varghese
Photography: Vaishnav R Nair
There is a lot of fun that one can have with a car. To make the most of it, one has to be behind the wheel or at least a passenger. Enthusiast or not, drifting is an exciting activity. Not just to do, but to experience or even just to watch. Everyone is excited to see a car slide across tarmac with the front wheels on full opposite lock, while the rears spin and spew a heady mix of smoke and the smell of burning rubber. It is not easy to learn and to be more relevant, it is not cheap either.
Mudit Grover’s Bad Boi Drifts aims to make drifting more accessible to enthusiasts. He also currently holds the national record for the longest drift at 19 minutes and 20 seconds. Just the right guy to teach us a thing or two about getting a car sideways. We got a chance to sample their Rookie programme, which, as the very name suggests, is meant for people who have no experience in drifting. Three hours of seat time split into multiple sessions, unlimited tyres, unlimited fuel, and all damage to the car covered—that is what the package includes. Essentially, you pay the fee, arrive, and drive. Simple, is it not?
Mudit began the day by testing his modified BMW E46 on the drift track and that was a spectacle to behold. The car snaked through the course with its front wheels cocked and rears spinning away. The man did the course with ease and returned to have the tyres changed. At which time, he jumped into the Mercedes-Benz C200 W203 in which he had set the record and drove me to the far end of the track to the skid pad. While a water tanker doused the area generously, Mudit carefully explained to me everything that could go wrong and what needed to be done at such times to prevent injury to self or damage to the car. That done, the first order of business was to get the vision right.
As I drove around the skid pad in first gear, Mudit asked me to focus on the cone in the middle. I was expected to drift around it in circles. The Mercedes I was driving was modified specifically for drifting. Stripped to the bare minimum, the car was equipped with a small-pulley supercharger, welded differential, custom handbrake, and camber-optimized front wheels, among others. To initiate any drift, the car has to be made unstable and in this modified car, the throttle and the wet tarmac were enough to break traction. Under Mudit’s able instruction, I went from spinning the car in the opposite direction to initiating a drift, modulating throttle and feeding in opposite lock all at once. Soon, yours truly was able to get the car around the cone comfortably.
It is addictive. That much I assure you because I kept going until the rear tyre blew out. As fun as it is, there is also a significant amount of danger involved if one intends to do this on a public road. At Bad Boi Drifts, you get a safe space, qualified instructors, and specially tuned cars to convert your interest in drifting into an actual skill.
The Rookie package is restricted to the skid pad and teaches a new driver the basics, including initiating and maintaining a drift, donuts, and balancing finesse of steering wheel and throttle inputs. It ends with a high-speed taxi lap of the track with a pro driver. It costs Rs 1.5 lakh (excluding GST), which is not bad when you consider the amount of money needed to pursue such a sport by oneself. Graduates of the Rookie programme or somewhat experienced drifters can move straight to the Semi Pro package (Rs 2.25 lakh before GST) which offers twice as much seat time and the whole drift track. Someday, we will return to try our hand at that one too.
In the meantime, those interested may get in touch with Bad Boi Drifts through the following channels:
Mobile Phone: +91-9354629727
Instagram: @badboidrifts
Website: www.badboidrifts.com
