In a spin

Fancy sliding around in a powerful, rear-wheel-drive car and drawing pictures with the black lines your tyres leave behind?

It’s called skid art, and it’s the newest car craze to catch extreme motorists’ attention. This precision driving skill is even included in the latest video game for the Microsoft Xbox 360: Project Gotham Racing 4. So when the US computer giant invited us to try our hand at writing in rubber, we decided we should give it a whirl.

The only tools we needed to get started, it seemed, were a large expanse of tarmac, a Caterham Seven and some tips in the art of vehicle control. Our tutor was the king of stunt driving, Russ Swift.

But first, Russ took the opportunity to show us a few party tricks. These included parallel parking in the tightest space possible, for which he holds the world record.

Russ approached the gap head-on at 35mph, tugged the handbrake, slid neatly between two parked cars and stopped perfectly in line, with six inches to spare at each end. The precision was breathtaking!

Then it was my chance. The first and most basic move was a handbrake turn – gather some speed in a straight line, steer sharply either left or right and yank the handbrake while dipping the clutch.

The back wheels locked up and slid around smoothly – then I lifted the clutch and hit the throttle once I was pointing in the right direction.

The next lesson taught me how to doughnut, which involves spinning the rear wheels and circling on the spot. It really is surprisingly easy. And, as Russ explained, the technique forms the basis for all power slides. “Drifting is basically a continuation of doughnuts, but instead of going round in a tight circle you’re sliding in a much wider arc,” he said. The method was effortless – put on full lock, lift the handbrake briefly to get the back end sliding, and keep my foot pinned to the floor.

A reverse spin or J-turn completed our lessons, and it was the most challenging of all. Starting in reverse, I gathered pace, applied a quarter-turn of the wheel and hit the clutch and foot brake simultaneously.

The front wheels locked and as the bonnet whipped around, I straightened the steering wheel, slipped into first gear and carried on in the direction we were facing. Talk about multi-tasking!

Now it was time to create a masterpiece using rubber for paint and the tarmac as a canvas. Dave Coates holds the world record for riding a motorbike backwards at over 150mph, and had already paid tribute to Lewis Hamilton on the asphalt (left). But now, he would ‘write’ the Auto of Auto Express.

Once he had completed the first three letters, it was left to me to draw the final ‘O’ with a doughnut in the Caterham. That was the plan, although
it’s much harder than it looks – so Russ had to tidy up my amateur efforts.

Of course, these stunts should not be attempted on public roads. Yet there is a way to try them yourself. Although today was a skid art session, the skills originate from the sport of auto testing. This uses many of the techniques demonstrated, pushing an individual’s precision driving skills to the limit.

Rather than write words with their wheels, though, competitors pay between £8 and £25 to tackle a series of timed trials, with penalties for knocking over cones.

There are more auto test events held around than the UK than any other form of motorsport,” Russ said. “And to get involved, you don’t need lots of expensive gear. You can build your own kit car for around five grand.”

The sport can even contribute to road safety, because as Russ pointed out
at the end of the day: “I bet the last thing you feel you want to do now is go out and drive like a maniac on the road.”

He was right. Driving legally like a lunatic is extremely therapeutic. Think of it as a crash course in not crashing and a great way of letting off some steam... or rather smoke!