This weekend, a motorsport collective from Gurugram will introduce Mumbai’s motorheads to the art of drifting
A car customised car drifts at a previous session in Mumbai. PICS COURTESY/BAD BOI DRIFTS
For an entire generation, the first visual experience of the sport of drifting came courtesy of the film, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). Han, the suave street-racing professional, gives the young protagonist Sean a lesson in the wide winding roads and vast, empty parking lots of Japan. While Mumbai has neither — you’d be lucky if you find a road that has not been dug up — a brother-sister duo from Gurugram are playing Han in a hope to unearth new motorsport talent in the city.
“I grew up in Gurugram learning how to drive surrounded by racing enthusiasts. I attempted time trials, circuits, and races, but felt out of place. Then I discovered drifting. Something instantly clicked,” shares Mugdha Grover, co-founder, Bad Boi Drifts. For the uninitiated, drifting refers to a technique where the driver oversteers, causing the car to slide along a turn sideways while maintaining control. This creates a visually striking, controlled skid.
The drivers in action at a competition in Bangkok
Mudit Grover, Mugdha’s brother and co-founder, has recently returned from the South East Asia Drift Series in Thailand with a podium finish in the amateur category. At the upcoming beginner-level course in Mumbai, the duo will be joined by their team of instructors in assisting absolute beginners behind the wheel. “The beginner sessions cover everything from fundamentals like steering, timing the drift and controlling the vehicle. As we progress, the course grows more challenging, threading together multiple drifts, putting on a show, and drifting with a partner car in tandem,” Mugdha reveals.
Practising this sport comes with its own price tag, Mugdha agrees. From getting your cars tuned by experts to finding the right place to practice, networking is a skill that will take you places, she suggests. “Much like any other motorsport, drifting is best enjoyed in the company of other enthusiasts. The community is slowly gathering steam here in Gurugram, but Mumbai is not far behind,” she assures us.
Mugdha performs a donut stunt in her drift car
With their proximity to the renowned Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida and a workshop where the duo spends days customising their rides to perfection, we cannot contest the fact that Mumbai has some catching up to do. “There are a handful of racing tracks in Mumbai that allow drifting from time to time. But that only means we have to make the most of our time in the city,” Grover remarks.
Where does someone who grew up daydreaming of pulling off drifts like Han go after these day-long sessions, we ask the athlete. The natural progression, we learn, is to become a part of the community, learn how to tune your car, and finally find private open spaces to practise. If you have a thing for the podium, the duo is open to mentoring new talent.
Mugdha Grover
“It’s a long drive with all our vehicles and equipment from Gurugram to Mumbai. It’s almost like moving a whole garage between cities,” Grover points out. After
their pitstop in Thane this weekend, the duo hopes to return to Mumbai once every month to keep tabs on the growing scene. Will they be drifting into the city in style? You wish. They’d be lucky if they find a road that has not been dug up.
ON May 10 and 11; 9 am and 4 pm
AT Raymond Ground, Pokhran Road, Thane West.
LOG ON TO district.in
ENTRY Rs 1,50,000 (includes access to a drift car, instructor and refreshments)
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