Coffs Coast’s Brendan Bennett in the drift car racing fast lane

A Coffs Coast tradie is making waves in drift car racing – a niche sport in Australia which is huge overseas. See what it’s about, and why competitors basically need to own shares in a tyre company.

Drift car racing star Brendan Bennett from Macksville in action.

Macksville man Brendan Bennett gets to do on the racetrack what is frowned about on the public roads – mad skids.

The 28-year-old spray painter is fast making a name for himself in the drift racing world, being crowned season winner in the Revolution Motorsport Championship at Ipswich, Queensland.

Drift car racing is a niche sport in Australia, but it’s massive overseas, and burst into the public mainstream through the 2006 cult movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Drift racing involves just two cars on a track, with the lead car ‘drifting’ through the corners almost sideways.

“The chase car tries to emulate the lead car and get as close as possible without hitting the lead car,” Mr Bennett said.

To complete the event the cars swap over – as the chase car becomes the lead car.

“You get judged on your (race) line, speed and angle,” he said.

Drift car racing star Brendan Bennett from Macksville (left) with his major sponsor Matthew Taylor from Swale Industries.

Mr Bennett said drift car racing is surprisingly one of the cheaper forms of motorsport.

“But you do go through the tyres – for me it’s probably 80 or so this year and it’s nothing to go through 18 on a weekend,” he said.

Drift car racing star Brendan Bennett (left) from Macksville in action.

In some respects drift racing is a controlled and professional progression from the illegal skids favoured by some young men and women on public roads.

“It’s heaps of fun,” Mr Bennett said, whose campaign is backed by Macksville firm Swale Industries.

“Next year I’d like to have a crack at the national series and to have a go overseas at some stage.”