TDDA's TP: First drift lessons

"You can pick her up at our station", the police officer said, and hung up the old, green dial-up telephone. On the other side of the room, a dis-encouraged young women, was staring on her hands, looking at the remains of the black ink on her finger tips.

Her boyfriend already was let go hours before and she'll never forget the look, his mother gave him. "My boy never get's into trouble, it's all her fault and idea! She's a do-not-good to the bones", the mother said. Burying her face in her hands, leaning forward she knew this time, she went too far.

"Where is she, what did she do?!"
"She was caught using fast-food trays from the McDonalds nearby, to put them under the rear tires and made a mess on the industrial roads"
"You must be joking!"
"No, she did that multiple times in a row, then we picked her and her boyfriend up. The owner might sue, you better hit that place in the interest of her. You can pick up the car tomorrow, now get her out of here."..."And (censored)... don't be to hard on her, she got the full package already."
.....
"What in the devils name! Are you out of your mind??? he shouted as soon as the car doors closed.
"The street was empty and I just wanted to learn how to drift!"
"In a front wheel powered car, for god's sake!"
"That's what I needed the trays for, duh!"
She wasn't sure if she saw the trace of a smile on his face.

For the next few weeks, she worked cleaning tables at the McDonalds, to the delight of her classmates. The owner didn't sue but agree to some "voluntary" work around the "restaurant". So she spent her free time, cleaning up the mess others left.

Until one Saturday morning, during breakfast, he asked "Do you still want to learn how to drift?". She wasn't sure if it was a ruse, a trick question but she flat out said yes. A few hours later both passed the gates of a local, small airport, inside an old BMW E30.

"That penguin* we placed in the middle of the airstrip. I want you to speed up to it and then brake as hard as you can. Stop a bit to the right before it. Do that until you are confident on the brake point and pressure. Don't kill it. Don't stall the engine."

That poor, poor penguin... It's one thing to do an emergency brake maneuver in a new car with anti tire blockade brake system, it's a different thing in a 200hp RWD rally car with no electronics or ABS. Screaming at you like a pack of bees.

"Okay this time, you brake, clutch, pull the fly-off brake. See what happens, go for it!"
And she spun the car several times, stalled the engine, overran the penguin.
..
"Okay now I get into the car with you and we do the rest together", he anounced. "This time, I want you to break, clutch, handbrake and as we go around the penguin you kick the trottle, stay there and let the clutch snap back. Don't forget to steer.

And she did. And she stalled the engine, spun the car and overran the penguin several times. But try after try, she felt more confident. At first it was just half a circle, car lengths away from the penguin. But the more she practiced, the better she got. A few minutes and lot's of smoke later, she got it. She could circle the penguin without harming it, creeping closer to it. She could not see it either, she had to feel the distance.

And she felt joy and freedom until a tire popped, they called it a day.

*A penguin is a white/black cone made out of rubber. We call them penguins here because they sort of look like one. No animals were harmed.