DEFINITION
A Briefing is a mandatory meeting held before practice, qualifying, or competition starts. The chief judge walks competitors through the course layout, points out every clipping point, outer zone and judged section, and explains any event-specific rules (weather adjustments, CTO procedures, podium time).
Skipping a briefing in most championships means automatic disqualification from the session that follows.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Borrowed directly from circuit motorsport — Formula 1 and rally drivers' briefings have the same format. As drift competitions formalized in the 2000s, the briefing became a standard part of every event timetable.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
Bring a notebook and a copy of the track map. Note any judge-emphasized clipping point (some are scored more heavily than others), the OMT criteria, and the time budget for CTOs. Ask questions — anything unclear at briefing is much harder to clarify mid-event.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Arrive 10 minutes early — late arrivals are sometimes barred from competing.
• Bring your team principal so the same instructions reach the crew.
• Photograph the track map presented at briefing; you will refer to it later.
At briefing the chief judge moved the second clipping point three metres further out.