FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup 2018 in Odaiba

The highlight of my photo life for 2018 was the FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup. I hadn’t photographed any type of motorsport until that point. My only experience with photographing cars was at the Tokyo Motor Show, which I attended the previous year. Things were about to change in my life.

Drift racing was a complete unknown for me. Wikipedia told me it started in Japan in the 1970s. Since then, it has grown in popularity. I missed out on forty years of fun and I needed to make up for lost photo opportunities. I had a blast with my camera.

What is drifting? The art of sideways racing

The sport isn’t about the fastest or who crosses the line first. Points decide it. Two drivers slide their cars side-by-side through short courses in the elimination rounds. Judges award points on various criteria, including speed and the distance between vehicles. The winner moves to the next round. It is a different type of motorcar racing.

Drivers drove like madmen (and madwomen) to earn points! I mean that in the best possible way, though! The skill levels were terrific. Cars came within centimeters of the walls. Once away, they threw the steering wheel around to make it through the next corner. Spectators held their breath. This was real drifting in Japan.

Capturing the action at the Odaiba drifting circuit

The atmosphere of drifting in Japan

When I visited the Odaiba event on Saturday morning, the weather was good. But it degraded in the afternoon. We had patches of rain for the next two days. That didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, though.

Everyone looked like they had a great time. Car fans must have gone nuts. They looked over the cars in the Odaiba Aomi Area P exhibit area and got signatures from the drivers. Some lucky people even sat in passenger seats and flew around the circuit. There were many things to do and see.

High-speed action: Thrills and spills on the track

The races were exhilarating. Several cars clipped the walls, but I saw only one that required a forklift ride back to the garage. The cleanup crew dealt with delays on the track decisively. They sprinted to get debris and clean everything up. While that was going on, a van ran around the circuit entertaining the crowd with stunts. It hit the brakes and flipped the vehicle’s rear up high. That brought huge cheers.

I shot through a safety fence, which my autofocus kept trying to lock onto instead of the action. A switch to manual focus, pre-focusing on a spot by the wall, and firing off a burst the second a car screamed into the frame yielded better results. It was a challenge, but worth the effort.

Photography challenges: The corrupted SD card

The event was terrific, and I enjoyed it. But my camera gave me a scare. An SD card got corrupted. That stopped my heart from beating for a short while. Luckily, the X-T2 takes two, so I didn’t lose files.

SD cards are usually reliable, but they can fail. The moral of the story is keep one or more in your bag to avoid disaster. Currently, I have nine.

3 essential motorsport photography tips for drifting

Gear and positioning: Stay safe with long lenses

Use the longest lens you can. That will keep you safe. Stay away from the track, as it can be dangerous.

Mastering the panning shot to capture motion

• Shoot in burst mode to get as many pictures as possible.
• Don’t freeze the action–use panning. Track the car with your camera as you shoot while using a slower shutter speed and burst mode. The body should be sharp, while the blurred wheels give the illusion of movement. This technique requires practice, though.

Using manual focus to shoot through safety fences

Be careful with autofocus when behind safety fences. Cameras might lock onto the mesh or poles. Using manual focus might be the best idea.

Why you should experience drift racing

The 2018 Drifting Cup taught me something. What appeared to be just chaos and smoking rubber on the track, was far from it. The skilled drivers revelled in guiding their cars within inches of each other around the tight winding course. It really is top-level motorsport.

I haven’t been back since, but the roar of those engines is a sound I won’t forget. If you ever get the chance to witness drifting, go. And if you’re a photographer, take a long lens, several memory cards, and skills. You’ll need all three.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (official website) ran a great event. Hopefully, I will photograph one of their races again.