Chill Vibes, Serious Skill: The All-Girls Track Days Built for Confidence, Not Chaos
|
In the male-dominated sport of drifting, a powerful movement is taking root: all-girls events like Girls Gone Drifting (GGD) are proving to be the most effective, least intimidating gateway into the sport. These events, which focus on safety, support, and seat time, are intentionally designed to remove the high-pressure environment of larger, co-ed competitions. These events are run by ladies, for ladies. They provide a relaxed and encouraging environment that contrasts with the intensity of larger events or competitions.
"I wish when I was learning how to drive that there was something like this because I feel like it would have made me so much more confident and so much better of a driver a lot faster," reflects organizer Deidra Drake. After their first full year of events, Deidra noted that each one ran smoother than the last, providing attendees with "so much seat time" and fostering a growing community that spans from North Carolina to Canada.
Photo Credit: Allie Distler
Living somewhere between a clinic and a full blown event, once you see it in action it all makes sense. The focus is on maximizing seat time and making the sport accessible to all skill levels. As one participant, Amanda noted "The atmosphere at Girls Gone Drifting is much more relaxed than the intimidating scene at full drift events." The willingness of everyone to help out makes it way more friendly to get into for new drivers.
This sentiment isn’t exclusive to Girls Gone Drifting events as the camaraderie and everyone lending help to see the new guy shred has been a drifting staple since the beginning. To hear it from Deidra, the format takes it one step further. “Basically, it's like a passion project and the whole mission of it is just to provide a safe, encouraging place for ladies to drive and be able to learn, all skill levels are welcome. It's just to make ladies comfortable, to feel empowered and just know that they can do this and that it's fun. They don't have to worry about what other people think.”
Photo Credit: Allie Distler
Beyond the relaxed atmosphere, the drivers are united by their deep personal commitment to their cars and the technical challenge of the sport.
Elizabeth demonstrated her commitment to individuality by sticking with the Mk II Supra chassis. Despite forums unanimously warning “They make horrible drift cars. Just get a 240." Elizabeth still pursued it because she wanted to drive the MK2 Supra for its "individuality, uniqueness, and classic JDM status.” She values the girls' event because it offers "cheap seat time with a chill vibe" and avoids the "chaos of a larger, more open event.”
Another driver, Bella, explained that she traveled a long distance for the event because she loves doing new tracks and finds doing the same track over and over boring. She specifically enjoys tracks with a lot of elevation changes, noting that the track at the event seemed wider than the courses at Rockingham Speedway but still offered plenty of challenge to focus on not messing up.
Photo Credit: Allie Distler
The growth of the female drifting community is undeniable. Deidra shared that when she started, there were only about three women driving. Today GGD hosts 15 to 25 ladies at events. Their most recent GGD event had 18 drivers, a number she calculated was approximately 15% of the total drivers at the follow-on Drift Indy event.
This community extends to the grassroots organizations reviving historic tracks. Elizabeth and Bella solidified their friendship at Foothills Drift in Hickory, North Carolina. Their passion for the sport drove Elizabeth to attend events in Bella's native state after searching "Drift events near Lexington, North Carolina" while in the area, exemplifies the dedication fueling the scene.
Photo Credit: Allie Distler
The collective spirit of these women's drift events suggests that a focused, encouraging environment is not only a fantastic way for beginners to start but also a great way for experienced drivers to enjoy the sport.
For more information on Girls Gone Drifting events, visit their website at https://girlsgonedrifting.com/
