DEFINITION
Practice is an unjudged on-track session held before qualifying. It is the first opportunity to learn the prescribed line, find clipping points and zones, and set the car up for the surface, weather and tyre allocation.
Most series allow two or three practice sessions per event. There is no scoring, but judges may use practice to flag drivers who appear unsafe.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Standard at every motorsport event since the early days of organised racing; carried directly into drift competition.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
Drivers cycle through the course in single-car runs, building from a slow exploratory lap up to full-pace qualifying simulations. Crew uses practice to dial tyre pressures, alignment and damping.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Don't burn your last tyres in practice — qualifying is what counts.
• Common mistake: chasing a maximum-attack practice run and crashing before the session that actually scores.
The team used practice to test two compounds before committing to the qualifying tyre.