Champions make difficult things look simple… A golf swing, a cracking cover drive, a complex sequence of notes on a keyboard – performed at their very best they look like child's play.
In a cabin rapidly filling with acrid smoke, ears being assaulted by a mix of screeching tyres and a screaming boxer four on its 9000rpm rev limiter, I'm watching a champion make light work of an equally precise series of actions and reactions.
Handbrake, foot brake, clutch and accelerator are rapidly applied and unloaded and applied again in a sequence that's ever varying, yet incredibly precise. At the same time, the steering wheel is accurately jinked one way and then the other, then let free to spin through a pair of steady stationary hands before being caught just so.
And all of this is performed in what seems like a fraction of a second.
From the outside, all of this in-cabin action translates to the fluid transfer from rapid forward motion to an on-the-lock-stops slide. Far from being out of control, the car gracefully arcs around the tightening right-hander, smoke belching from rear tyres as the late apex is clipped, the car's attitude reversed and the whole process set in motion again...
Welcome to drifting, Beau Yates style.
A mechanical engineer by day, Yates’ stock-in-trade is precision. Indeed, if you reckoned drifting is for hooligans, think again. Up close it’s ballet with tyre smoke and Yates is a principal par excellence.
After cutting his competitive teeth on freestyle motocross, Yates was early to the local drifting craze. His weapon of choice was one of the spiritual ‘fathers’ of the sport, the original AE86 Corolla Sprinter.
He parlayed success in amateur entry-level competitions into an entry in the privateer ranks of the then-fledgling Australian drifting scene. A PRO licence followed and after a runner-up result in 2005, he went on to win the first CAMS-sanctioned Australian Drift Championship in 2006. His car -- you guessed it, a modified AE86.
Politics and the global financial crisis hamstrung the growth of drift in Australia in the later half of the Noughties, thus it wasn’t until the re-emergence of some high-profile events and the promise of a revitalized national title at the start of the new decade that Beau felt confident to re-invest in his sport.
And the confirmation of a top-level Aussie-wide series wasn’t the only impetus; that Toyota was on the way to launching a new generation 86 also got his attention.
Cut a long story short: after a six month build that saw Yates literally sleeping in a swag alongside the under-construction new racer, it was more than a year after the local June 2012 launch of the new joint-venture Subaru/Toyota 86 that Beau’s beast officially saw the light of day.
When it emerged, what was once a production line Toyota 86 wore a Japanese-market wide-body kit, sat on front and rear tracks more than 100mm wider than standard, pumped out over 350kW and was, for all intents and purposes, a hand built racer.
That passion extended to an intention to keep his new 86 as true to its donor street model as possible. Thus unlike most other drift racing 86s around the world, the heart of Beau’s beast is not a Lexus V8 or shoehorned Supra twin-turbo inline six. Rather, in building the new car, Yates retained not only the original car’s boxer four, but the stock block and its 2.0-litre capacity.
The engine’s mounting position was unchanged. Indeed, much of the car’s original equipment was retained – not only in keeping with drift racing regulations, but as a nod to the balance and abilities of the standard 86.
For example, consider Yates’ approach to lowering the rear suspension. To retain standard geometry and driveshaft angles and so on, in conjunction with the fabrication team at GD Racecars, he relieved the rear floor pan and body structure to raise the whole rear suspension sub-assembly into the body of the car.
At the front, new lower control arms and a modified steering rack deliver increased lock but the standard electric power assisted steering system remains. CAD-CAM designed and machined top strut mount brackets conform to competition rules and use the standard pick-up points but deliver the massive track width increase and near-to-standard king-pin angles for more consistent and controllable response in full-lock drift battle transitions.
Much of this work escapes the casual observer. But if you need a clue to the quality of the work then one look into the boot is enough. There you can admire the beautifully hand-rolled and welded fuel and dry-sump oil fillers, not to mention the laser cut 86-graphic roll-cage fillets and delicately curved damper supports, all of which speak volumes for the workmanship.
The stock 86 wins praise for its balance but not when possessed of excess power and torque. And while Yates may be a purist, he's not stupid: to win drift battles you need not only handling but explosive acceleration and enough torque to simply overwhelm what are now racecar levels of lateral grip.
The racer’s engine was developed in conjunction with Ingleburn (NSW) high-performance house, Hypertune. Dry-sumped, it features modified internals (bore and stroke is unchanged, however) and an oversized front-mounted Garrett fixed-geometry turbocharger that is fed via custom exhaust and inlet manifolds. Motec takes over the engine management duties from the factory Toyota computer and a simpler, single-injector per cylinder port injection system is used in place of the stock car’s D-4S direct injection.
It’s not the 350kW-plus output of the engine that’s most surprising but rather its civility. Fuelled on E85, it starts and idles like a (albeit noisy) road car and thanks to the attention to detail Yates and the Hypertune team have lavished on it, needs little in the way of special cooling. The standard radiator is retained, although moved forward to free space for the blower.
The design of the ceramic-coated titanium wrap exhaust system helps minimize turbo lag but also sees the engine build maximum boost at remarkably low revs. Yates says the engine has 24psi of boost at just 4000rpm which, given the engine’s 9000rpm redline, provides an effective sweet ‘spot’ 5000rpm wide!
It’s surprising then that Yates has chosen a close-ratio cluster for the Swedish-built Tractive sequential manual gearbox. His explanation is that the recipe gives him plenty of choice in regard to gear selection; important given the 86 gives away a fair chunk of torque compared to the atmo and blown V8s and twin-turbo sixes against which he usually competes.
While long circuit drift battles require hard braking from 180km/h-plus, multiple stops are not necessary. Thus stock road-car brakes all around are a measure not only of the (short) length of drift battles but also to Yates’ attention to detail. While he could easily fit dinner-plate sized front discs inside the 18-inch Koya wheels, this would only add to reciprocating and rotating mass – slowing acceleration and also steering response.
Therefore, aside from race compound brake pads and removal of antilock hardware, the only major modification to the 86’s standard braking system is the addition of another set of standard calipers on the rear. These are rigged to a standalone hydraulic handbrake circuit which gifts Yates an added level of precision, in that he can operate foot and handbrake on the rear axle independently.
This is imperative given the handbrake is often used to initiate and modify the angle of the car when entering and drifting through a corner. After seeing Yates use it to fine-tune a lock-stock third gear drift, you'll want one.
The Wynns-sponsored racer looks remarkably standard at a distance, without the massive rear wing most drift racers seem to love. Even the wide-body kit is relatively sedate, the paint job sombre and, no doubt thanks to corporate lawyers and product liability nannies, there's not a Toyota sign to be seen.
Buckled into the four-point harness and, despite the surprisingly comfortable Bride seats, it’s clear you’re in a proper racer. The only glazing that remains glass is the windscreen and the tiny rear three-quarter lights; there’s not an ounce of sound deadening material and only vestigial remains of the standard dash and the like.
Lightweight panels replace the door cards and the latches are short levers on the door tops. Despite its size and lack of leverage it’s easy to open and close the stripped out standard door, such is the amount of weight that’s been trimmed.
The car starts readily and idles surprisingly smoothly, with a touch of Subaru WRC rally car to its timbre.
Start moving and the sequential gearbox makes the most racket initially; a familiar whine to anyone who has raced a straight cut box. Surprisingly, Yates admits the differential is a lightly modified unit from the 86 road car.
On Sydney Motorsport Park’s compact Figure Eight drift track the speeds are low but it’s immediately clear how much lateral grip is available from the combination of well sorted chassis, super wide track and Nitto NT05 tyres.
There’s a common misconception drift cars are ‘loose’ and go sideways at drop of a hat. But to generate the corner speed and drive demanded at the pointy end of drift racing, the opposite’s the case. Warming the car up on the tight mini-circuit, Yates is able to accelerate hard and generate serious G without the rear breaking traction.
Then after about three laps he’s into the throttle seriously, the boxer four bellows up to the limiter in second and third gears, and the car drives forward -- hard. Convinced we’ve overcooked the right-hander and heading for the clay wall and concrete barrier, Yates lifts slightly, brakes hard and grabs handbrake, and we’re at near 90-degrees to the 'normal' car position and powering through the corner.
Even in the left-hand seat I crack an instant grin that gets wider and wider despite the noxious tyre smoke that fills the cabin. After three circuits, every one of them with lock wound on for the full lap, I struggle to see Beau next to me let alone out the side door to see where we’re going!
There seems barely room for the single sideways 86 on the tight concrete track, but the multi-round Hi-Tech Oils Figure Eight series features panel-to-panel two-car battles – and collisions are rare. This fact alone should dispel any notion these drivers are somehow less skilled than their circuit or rally racing counterparts.
Yates slows the car and we roll around for a lap or two as the tyre smoke clears. We repeat – faster and more sideways. Slow down, ventilate the cabin and go for another three laps – in total not much more than a single lap of the full SMSP road circuit and yet the outside rear tyre is dangerously bald.
Our videographer, John, gives us a thumbs up – he's got what he needs – but Beau's having fun. The next set of Nittos don't stand a chance…
Drifting unlike most motorsport is not based on outright speed or the fastest lap but rather is scored freestyle MX or ice-skating style for a combination of style, pace, line and "impact".
Under the Australia Drifting Grand Prix rules, each round's 32 competitors are first judged (out of 100 points) on solo runs to determine their seeding before battling in the two-car runs.
Solo runs are judged for Speed (up to a maximum of 20 points), Line (max 30), Angle (max 30) and Overall Impact (max 20). Three judges preside and the score given is an average of the three. Penalties are applied for a straighten (not maintaining a drift), excessive use of the handbrake or spinning.
Once the two-car 'elimination' battles commence, emphasis is placed on the chase car’s "emulation and proximity". Quoting from the rules: "The amount of proximity expected will be based on the speed and layout of the track..."
So how is it determined who wins or loses? Again from the rule book...
Here are the easiest ways to explain who will win:
>> If the chase car drifts EXACTLY the same as the lead car and is able to move onto the inside line of the lead car and apply pressure throughout the run, they will win. They DO NOT have to drift any better than the lead car, just emulate, even if it’s shallow or slow.
>> If the chase car has close proximity but with LESS angle, it shows the chase car can't keep up so the lead car will win.
>> If the lead car pulls away, regardless of angle, the lead car wins. Why? Because if the lead car drifts fast and shallow, the chase car must do the same.
>> Once again, it’s not about who drifts with better line, speed and angle, but about proximity and emulation... Be aware that if the lead car is deemed to be drifting with shallow angle intentionally, they will lose the battle.
>> If the lead car is slow and the chase car has more angle while applying pressure with good proximity, then clearly the chase car wins.