The experience liberated a thousand petrol-head fantasies and gave everyone - at all levels of driving ability - a fantastic, all-action day of speed, skidding and sliding to remember. Colour Sound's Haydn Cruickshank, himself a bit of a drift exponent, illustrated first-hand the potential adrenaline rush and sense of achievement to be gained from this exciting motorsport.
Over 50 guests joined team Colour Sound eager to learn from the expertise and audacity of instructors from Learn2Drift (L2D), who taught everyone the basics of how to control an out-of-control car!
"It was another excellent day out and a great chance for everyone to relax, catch up and have fun as well as gaining new driving skills that they never knew existed ... in a completely different environment," says Haydn.
Burning rubber and screeching tyres kicked-in as they learnt the fundamentals of figure eights and donuts to start, followed by refinements like nano-second gear changes and the more psychological elements like the sheer nerve required and handling the adrenaline fix of 'the burn' constructively ... as well as the reverse antitheses of gravity and car mechanics.
While those yet to take their regular driving tests and new drivers appeared to adapt quickest to this completely different approach to speed and manoeuvring, by the end of the day everyone was also well aware that drifting is a state-of-the-art technique needing time and practice to perfect.
L2D - whose drivers compete at top level drifting competitions - provided five cars and a team of skilled instructors.
By the afternoon the Colour Sound crew were all settled into the zone, so a short track run competition was set up, where the 'new' drivers were judged - just like pro competitions - on the speed, angle, showmanship and style.
The winner was freelance technician Nick Thomas who assures Haydn that despite this accolade, he's not about to desert Colour Sound in the quest for Formula D stardom - Yet.
Haydn concludes, "It's simply the best company day out - everyone learns something new and gets the buzz. It was a big collective thank-you to all for another fantastic year of hard work, dedication and commitment to the company and our projects. I really appreciate the teamwork and all the diverse personalities, talents, imagination and spirit we have on-board."
(Jim Evans)
