A template for sporting regulations has been developed by the FIA Drifting Commission for use by event organisers ranging from grassroots competition to national and regional levels.
For the FIA, drifting is still a relatively new discipline and one that is growing steadily, with events being held in a multitude of countries, featuring drivers with varying levels of skill. Due to the sport currently being the only FIA discipline scored by judges, the FIA Drift Commission was conscious of setting up a template for sporting regulations for drifting events. Over a two-year period, the Drift Commission called upon drifting professionals to aid in drawing up the regulations.
The introduction of new sporting regulations is aimed primarily at grassroots drifting events, with the FIA taking into consideration the limited resources organizers at this level of the sport face. Instead of having to know the new discipline inside out, event organizers will be allowed to adapt the regulation template to suit individual needs, having already followed previous guidelines set by the FIA for drifting.
Alongside amateur competitions, the FIA will implement the revised regulations for use in an array of international events including the FIA’s own Intercontinental Drifting Cup and the FIA Motorsport Games: Drifting Cup.
The FIA says its aim in developing a template of sporting regulations is to standardize drifting, enabling it to be adopted by ASNs (National Sports Authority) globally. Alongside the new rulings, in early 2020, the FIA released the first-ever technical regulations for drift cars, aptly named DC1, which were added to the International Sporting Code. An international training program for drifting judges is also currently under development. In the future, and working alongside ASNs, the FIA Drifting Commission aims to develop the safety standards of drifting facilities to safely grow the sport.
David Kalas, judge’s representative on the FIA Drifting Commission, commented, “The need for such a template became apparent in recent years when we learned that the existing structure of FIA regulations didn’t naturally fit such a unique sport like drifting, so we knew it was best to start from scratch and create something truly fit for its purpose.
“The fact that in drifting the winner is determined by the judges rather than a stopwatch, this has been often quoted as one of the elements preventing the growth of the sport. Organizers and ASNs would happily embrace such a discipline with a growing, youthful fan base, but they don’t have the experience or expertise. Common template of regulations will solve this problem for many organizers at grassroots level.
“Having also received many requests to support ASNs in the efforts to start such competitions, we also realized that this was an opportunity to create something that can be used by all and help create a pathway from club to national to international competition,” he concluded.
