DEFINITION
A Collision is contact between two cars in a tandem battle that is hard enough to push one of them off-line, cause visible damage, or end the run early. It is distinct from Contact, which is a light, incidental brush.
Judges identify the at-fault driver — usually the chase car if they ran into the lead, or the lead car if they made an unexpected line change. The at-fault driver loses the battle and may be penalized further for the next round.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Drift judging used to penalize all contact, but the rules now distinguish between incidental contact (often left unpunished as a sign of good chasing) and collision (faulted). The shift was driven by Formula Drift judges and adopted globally.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
If you sense contact about to happen as a chaser, lift gently and back off rather than ramming the lead — judges reward the avoidance. As a lead, never make a sudden line change to 'punish' a close chaser; if the chaser hits you because of it, you'll be the one judged at fault.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Avoid contact on the entry — that's where most collisions happen.
• If you damage the lead car's bodywork, expect a financial bill in addition to the battle loss.
• Helmet on, harness tight every run — even 'minor' tandem collisions can be hard impacts.
The collision in the second run damaged both bumpers and ended the battle there.