Having dabbled in free-style motocross, touring the world and performing his artistic driving skills for crowds in Las Vegas, Dubai and other sell-out event destinations, Red Bull Car Park Drift champion Jim McFarlane is ready to get behind the wheel again in Durban.
On April 13, the smell of burnt rubber will once again permeate the halls of Suncoast Hotel and Casino as the best amateur and professional drifters in South Africa battle it out for the Red Bull Car Park Drift 2024 title.
The winner will go on to represent South Africa at the world finals in Oman later this year.
The POST spoke to the 2023 champion about his chances of claiming the title, which may not be easy, as the field of competitors has improved since the last event, McFarlane explained.
When McFarlane, 49, opted to leave a motorcycle for a car, he had no idea that around a decade later, he would be one of the most influential drivers in the country, if not the world, in the drifting discipline.
Drifting is a form of motorsport that focuses on a particular driving technique of the same name. In drifting the driver uses the throttle, brakes, clutch, gear shifting, and steering input to keep the car in a state of oversteer, while manoeuvring from turn to turn. This must happen at high speed and while the driver remains in full control of the car.
The sport is separated in a number of disciplines, mainly Formula Drift and Car Park Drift, which was founded by Red Bull Motorsport Athlete Rally and Hill Climb Champion, and Guinness World Record holder, Abdo Feghali.
Having spent his life chasing adrenaline-fueled experiences, piloting a jet ski and superbikes, McFarlane was first introduced to the drift world in Las Vegas and has been in the sport since 2009.
“While we were in America doing a show in LA (Los Angeles) we were asked to do an event for ESPN. We got close to this one commentator and he told us not to go back home but to go to Vegas and watch this new competition. So we went to Vegas and saw our first ever Formula Drift event. We loved it. We came back and bought two 350Zs. It's the same car I use to compete to this day,” he said.
“I knew this was the sport for me. I’ve done most of the extreme sports, so I saw it and felt this was for me. It was love at first sight. We love the smoke, the whole culture,” McFarlane said.
“I’ve done TV, movies, and commercials for drifting. I cannot count how many sets of tyres I have gone through but I have literally gone through thousands of tyres."
A Chevrolet LS-swapped Nissan 350Z powered by a naturally-aspirated 6 litre V8 engine is McFarlane’s weapon of choice and has been the car that has helped him lift trophies in the past.
“Our gearbox has quite a bit of work on it, so does our suspension, but it's pretty much a standard 350Z set up with a V8 engine in it,” McFarlane said.
“We have done a lot of RnD over the years and we have built the car to what it is today. Both cars have been swapped with the LS engine,” he added.
Besides being found behind the wheel, McFarlane believes the sport is likely to grow in South Africa because it is a different experience than most events, as it stimulates most of the senses.
“A sport like this is truly unique. You can taste the ethanol, you can smell the rubber, hear these engines on full tilt and you can even feel the vibrations of these cars. It touches every point, that's the beauty of motorsport,” he said.
With an adrenaline-chasing personality, drifting offers McFarlane an equal amount of dopamine and thrill by awarding him the chance to enter corners at high speeds and insane angles.
Coming back to his hunting ground of Durban, McFarlane’s record is one to boast about over the past few years, as he won the 2021 Car Park Drift title, came 2nd in 2022 and won again in 2023.
But 2024 brings a new wave of challengers.
“There's a whole contingent coming in from Joburg, from Cape Town. We’ve seen a lot of guys put the work in, put in the seat time. There are some real top notch drivers coming in, so it's going to be a strong field for 2024,” McFarlane said.
“No doubt I am going to have a fight on my hands.”
The POST