DEFINITION
Initiation is the moment the car transitions from grip into a controlled slide — the start of every drift. Methods include clutch-kick, handbrake pull, scandinavian flick, shift-lock and brake-induced rotation.
The choice of initiation method depends on speed, surface, car layout and the corner geometry. Initiation quality almost entirely determines the rest of the run.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Touge driving in 1980s Japan produced the first systematic catalogue of initiation methods. Modern series have inherited and refined it.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
Driver picks an initiation point on the entry, sets the steering, executes the chosen trigger (kick, pull, flick) and immediately matches throttle to set the angle.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Decide your initiation point before you leave the staging area. Improvising at 100 km/h fails more often than it works.
• Common mistake: late initiation. A late initiation costs angle for the entire run.
His initiation was textbook — full angle by the entry cone, throttle planted by the first clip.