Sideways Always says Gautam Singhania at the Will it Drift? event

It was about a year ago that we heard about Raymond MD, Gautam Singhania, entering the AllStars European Drifting Championship and though new to the sport, he killed the competition and emerged a winner. This win meant that he got the  international pro drift license and with that access to other drifting championships around the world.

Singhania wanted to bring this sport to India and he got serious about his intentions to do that by unveiling India's first drifting car - a BMW. But today was all about promoting the sport and introducing the younger generation to this fun and serious sport.

Enthusiasts from all over the city of Mumbai, crowded the Raymond facility in Thane to go around a drift track laid out there. But before they could take to the track, they were taught how to get their 'regular' cars to drift. Shawn Spiteri, leading drifting champion came all the way down from Malta to train this amateurs.

20 participants took to the track in their cars which ranged from the Honda Accord, Maruti Suzuki Swift to the Maruti 800. Most of the cars came with stock engines and no modifications so technically none were drift ready, but Shawns training saw these machines twist around the circuit like a belly dancer. There was no charge levied on the participants whatsoever and the participants got a chance to showcase their talent as they went around the track.

Safety was always a priority and there was no compromise on that front. The crowd roared when Singhania took to the track as they knew he would definitely smoke the tyres.

The Will it Drift? event was all about creating a platform for this motorsport which is all about controlling the car while going sideways. So, you are maneuvering the car in a condition of oversteer from turn to turn while controlling your throttle input, clutch, gearshifts and brakes.

The initiative has certainly struck a chord with the enthusiasts and even Gautam Singhania said, "It's all about promoting Drifting as a motorsport. People love the smoke, the sound of tyres and the dramatics, but they need to know how difficult it truly is maintaining that kind of balance throughout the lap."