By now, the average person with any interest at all in automotive culture is familiar with what drifting is, or at least the basic idea of what it’s supposed to be. Undoubtedly, you’ve seen videos or clips of RWD cars generating impossibly thick plumes of smoke while attacking a corner at opposite lock on their steering wheel.

What you may not know is, is that there is a grassroots, open-to-all drift series that takes place at Shannonville Motorsports Park, just two hours east of Toronto and three hours west of Montreal. In the early to mid 2000s, drift enthusiasts like the guys at Drift Ops, took drifting off the streets and gave drifters in Ontario a chance to pursue their passion in a safe and controlled environment by hosting a handful of sanctioned events on the track – and several years ago, Topp Drift took up the mantle to take drifting to the next level of popularity in Ontario.

Topp Drift, Shannonville Motorsports Park - August 23rd, 2015

With a low entry cost of roughly $100 for the day, drifting became affordable to many. Paying $100 plus fuel and tires is still a lot cheaper than a single ticket for dangerous driving, not to mention, there is no risk of injuring an innocent bystander on the public roads. With the low cost and regular events, interest and participation drifting is at an all-time in Ontario, and there is a Topp Drift event held every month during the spring to autumn seasons.

Topp Drift, Shannonville Motorsports Park - August 23rd, 2015

If you’re curious about how one would go about getting started in drifting, a good place to start would be at a Topp Drift event.

In order to drift, you need to purchase yourself a rear-wheel-drive vehicle – preferably with a limited-slip-differential or locking diff of some sort. A manual transmission is also preferable. As far as what kind of car you need to buy, it’s all up to you. If you take a look through the massive gallery posted above, you’ll see the field ranges anywhere from old fox body Mustangs and early 80s Toyota Cressidas, all the way up to late model Nissans and BMWs, I myself, drifted a Hyundai Genesis Coupe up until last month.

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