DEFINITION
A transition is the act of swapping the car from sliding one way to sliding the other — typically through an S-curve or chicane. The car loads weight onto the opposite side, the driver flicks the steering through centre, and the rear breaks loose in the new direction.
Clean, snappy transitions are one of the highest-skill markers a driver can show. Judges weight them heavily.
HISTORY & ORIGIN
Transitions became central to drift judging when courses moved from single-corner layouts to multi-section configurations in the mid-2000s.
TECHNIQUE BREAKDOWN
Driver carries the existing slide to the apex, lifts off briefly, flicks the steering through centre, then planted throttle on the new lock to set the new angle. The whole sequence takes under a second.
PRO TIPS & COMMON MISTAKES
• Look at the next clipping point during the transition, not at the bonnet.
• Common mistake: too much steering input through centre, which over-rotates the car and breaks the angle on the other side.
Her transition through the chicane was a snap of steering and full throttle the moment the rear hooked.