Q&A with 2023 Red Bull Car Park drift champion Jim McFarlane

This week sees the return of the Red Bull Car Park Drift competition which takes place in Durban at the Suncoast casino. This is South Africa’s only amateur drifting competition and the qualifiers take place on 14 and 15 April 2023.

Contestants’ skills will be challenged on a unique course with five obstacles which test their ability to get the tyres screeching and their car sideways while completing these obstacles.

Last year, Hisham Al-Khatib was crowned the international winner in Jeddah where our very own Jim McFarlane competed against the world’s best drifters.

We had a chat with Jim, who won the 2021 South African Red Bull Car Park Drift qualifiers to make it to the finals where he competed against 23 drifters from 18 different countries.

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You have been a veteran drifter for years and we have seen you compete and win many drift series in South Africa. Which win was the most memorable for you and why?

Over my career I’ve won the SupaDrift National Championship (2017), Drift City competition (2018), Red Bull Car Park Drift championship (2021), and Drift Masters Championship (2022), and each has brought a special memory because of the competition.

The people I have competed against and the crowds who have supported the events. I am proud of the fact that I am the only person in South Africa to have won every major championship (local and international) that has been hosted in South Africa.

That said, my most memorable championship win would be the SupaDrift National Championship – it was the first major championship of its kind in South Africa and is what put international quality on the map in South Africa.

You had the opportunity to compete in Cairo against some of the world’s best drifters, how would you compare the level of international drifting compared to that of South African competitors?

I won the first Red Bull Car Park Drift in 2021, the debut of this international competition in South Africa, and went on to compete later in the year at the Red Bull Car Park Drift World Finals, held in Cairo, Egypt.

South African level of drifting is exceptionally high, we have had numerous international drivers come to South Africa and we have held our own exceptionally well. The passion, tenacity, technical skill, and overall camaraderie of the local South African drifters is special and something we should be proud of.

Logistically, what kind of work goes on behind the scenes to get your car and your crew to the finals of the Car Park drift? I can imagine that you would need to take spare parts and tools to make sure your car is in tip-top condition for the finals.

As every good racer knows, the quality of their race is largely determined by the skill of the crew that works tirelessly to ensure they are able to get into a finely tuned machine and give it their all.

It is a team sport as much as it is an individual sport. Yes, you’re spot on – to ensure we perform at our peak, we do need to have spares of everything you can imagine, but the secret weapons in every crew toolbox are duct tape and cable ties – 90% of your race car is held together with duct tape and cable ties!

In the last couple of years we have seen a trend where spinners who compete in Red Bull Shay I’moto compete in Red Bull Car Park Drift as amateur drifters, what advice can you give these aspiring competitors?

Keep at it – the more seat time you have behind the wheel will inevitably hone your skills. It’s great to see the cross-over between the two genres and that skill of sliding a car is of joy to both disciplines.

The joy of controlling an out-of-control sliding vehicle for the entertainment of others takes skill, patience, and practice.

It is great to see that Red Bull Car Park Drift is attracting all forms of motorsport enthusiasts, which includes young grassroots drivers, and most importantly, women into this amazing and colourful motorsport.

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Do you have a car and a favourite engine that you prefer to use on your drift cars?

Yes, I prefer naturally aspirated, V8 power over turbo or supercharged engines. The immediate power I find perfect for my driving style. I find the Nissan 350Z to be a perfectly balanced drift vehicle that I feel I can put anywhere I want sideways in a controlled manner. 

What was your most memorable experience at the world finals?

The opportunity to meet, and learn, from my international peers and realise how big this motorsport has become across the world, and see that it is enjoyed by every culture and country across the world.

Through being at the World Finals, I have made even more friends in the sport of drifting internationally. It was a great honour to represent my country at the highest level of my sport.

WATCH DRIFTFARI HERE

Featuring Jim McFarlane, Mikey Skelton, Stacey-Lee May and Fat Guy Drift.

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