Drifting 101 with Pro Drifter Jonathan Nerren & CJ Pony Parts
Modified Ford Mustang GT and a professional drifter teacher make learning a breeze.
The Ford Mustang has played a critical role in the growth of drifting in the United States. The motorsport was once dominated by Japanese vehicles, having been introduced in Japan. As more Americans have gotten involved with the sport, more American vehicles have become common in the world of professional drift. This includes models like the Corvette, the Camaro and the long-dead Pontiac GTO, but the most successful American drift machine has been the mighty Mustang.
The folks at CJ Pony Parts support the professional drift team of Jonathan Nerren Racing, which relies on a Ford Mustang. Recently, Nerren has been touring the United States with the CJ Pony Parts project car named “Smoke Show”. While on the road, Nerren has shown off the abilities of the modified street car alongside some of the best purpose-built drift cars in the world.
In the video above from the CJ Pony Parts YouTube channel, Nerren uses the unique project car to teach host Bill Tumas how to drift. It looks surprisingly easy, but keep in mind that this was filmed on private property.
If this video inspires you to go out and try drifting in your Mustang, don’t do it on the street.
First Drift in the Mustang
The video begins with a brief introduction of Jonathan Nerren, but we move right into the modified Ford Mustang GT with Tumas at the wheel. The first challenge is to perform a controlled donut at low speed. This begins by rolling the car forward slowly, turning to the left and performing a clutch kick to get the engine speed up to 4,500 rpm. This gets the back tires spinning hard while the weight transfer of the turn causes the rear end to slide out. Once the back end is sliding towards the outside of the turn, the driver uses the steering wheel and the throttle to keep the Mustang were he wants it.
On his first attempt, Tumas rides the clutch of the Mustang, power levels drop and the car slides to a stop. On his second attempt, he gets out of the clutch, but engine speed drops and the tires don’t stay spinning. The third attempt goes similarly to the second, but he manages to do a small donut. The fourth try is better yet, but on after that, Tumas gets the hang of the controlled donut.
Once Tumas is able to repeatedly perform controlled donuts, along with making bigger circles, he moves onto the next stage of the process.
Handbrake Fun
The next drift skill taught to Tumas by Nerren was to spin the Mustang around with the handbrake. As you can see in the video, this Mustang has a unique handbrake system rather than a traditional parking brake. This system uses the rear brakes, but rather than a locking actuator like the traditional parking brake level, this custom handle releases the rear brakes as soon as the driver lets go.
This handbrake system allows the driver to lock the rear wheels to perform a quick spin. Nerren explains that Tumas needs to depress the clutch, pull the handbrake and cut the wheel hard. This will kick the back end out hard. When the Mustang is pointed in the right direction, Tumas is to drop the clutch and head in the other direction. He gets the hang of this maneuver quickly, tossing in a few donuts on his first attempt.
Tumas continues to practice the handbrake spin and when light rain wets-down the parking lot, drifting becomes even easier for the Mustang GT. The rain is hard enough that the car will drift simply with hard throttle, but it is light enough that the driver can control the vehicle. As time goes on, Tumas moves onto practicing the same move in the other direction, which takes some time, but he proves to be a fast learner.
Drift Transitions
The last step of the introduction to drifting by Jonathon Nerren is transitions in the Mustang GT. This is when you go from drifting in one direction to drifting in the other, and linking drifts together is key for success. Nerren explains that the best way to practice drift transitions is by doing a figure-eight. The idea is to start by doing a controlled donut, but at the point where the driver is ready to go the other direction, he lifts off the throttle. That causes the car to snap straight while momentum carries it forward. The driver then does a clutch kick and begins doing a donut while turning the opposite direction.
Bill Tumas does a pretty solid job of making figure-eight transitions in the CJ Pony Parts Ford Mustang GT, but he quickly hands the driving duties over to the pro.
Nerren drifts around the narrow parking lot as effortlessly as you would expect. He gets the Mustang GT dangerously close to the grass and some random palates, but never stops sliding and smoking the tires. Once he is done providing a ride to Bill Tumas, the rest of the CJ Pony Parts staff comes outside for rides in both the Smoke Show project car and the professional Mustang drift car.
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