Anyone who is passionate about motorsports knows what a “drift” is. It is the maneuver in which the driver of a car intentionally steers excessively, causing the rear tires of the car – or sometimes all four tires – to lose grip or slip on the road or “drift”. in a bend.

Some deep cut car enthusiasts might describe it as a way to get a little more excitement out of your driving. But for BMW rider Amanda Sorensen, drifting is not just a thrill but a way of life. And she says if you’re not tuned in to the Formula Drift series, you’re missing out.

“There’s a lot of action, a lot of movement, a lot of smoke,” Sorensen said of the Formula Drift series. She adds, “It’s also a mind game, and precision is important. Most of the time, we only drive for 30-45 seconds.

Sorensen, 19, is one of two women in Formula Drift core of conductors, and with her brother Branden, she forms the racing team called Sorensen Motorsports. She says the racing side and the promotional side of Formula Drift keep her very busy, while attending the University of Utah Valley.

“I’ve been driving for 14 years which seems like a lot since I’m only 19,” Sorensen said. “But in Formula Drift, social media has become more dominant, and it’s something that besides having their name on the side of a car that sponsors look for in a driver.”

Through his social media efforts as well as his driving, Sorensen started to cause a stir. Her 140,000 Instagram followers and 11 million views on TikTok have helped her grow her fan base steadily.

Growing motorsport, unique crowd

An exciting aspect of the Formula Drift series is the variety of cars that race in the two levels of the series, called Pro and ProSpec.

Every Sunday, NASCAR fans see just three types of cars in the race, currently limited to Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota. But Formula Drift features at least a dozen different brands, including Ford and Chevy, as well as other American manufacturers like Dodge and Cadillac. There are also many European and Japanese import cars from BMW and Ferrari to Infiniti.

VIDEO: A look at Sorensen and Formula Drift 2021

In the Formula Drift ProSpec class, Sorensen currently drives the # 12 BMW LS3 M4 Whipple Supercharged.

But before entering Formula Drift ProSpec, Sorensen was no stranger to the race track. Not only did she graduate from high school just over two years ago – with advanced accolades, nothing less – just to focus on racing, but she’s also won her share of accolades since she started BMX racing in 2008.

In 2016 Sorensen made his mark in the offroad industry by winning the Lucas Oil Unlimited UTV class championship, and a year later, she became the female class champion of the SXS World Finals. She has also been on the podium several times in various UTV and go-kart racing series.

Apart from racing, Sorensen also competed in figure skating, wakesurfing and volleyball.

In December, I spoke to the rising driver to get information on Formula Drift and why she chose it over other styles and formats of racing. During our video call, she also spoke about some of the more exciting aspects of the sport.

Andy Frye: You have competitive motorcycles and off-road vehicles, so why Formula Drift now?

Amanda Sorensen: I started out in karting and off-roading, so I’m a bit of an off-road person. But I got the opportunity to drift and at first I wasn’t in love with it, but then I started to like it. Drifting is different because it’s not always the first person to cross the finish line.

It is a judge-based sport with three judges: line, angle and style. Judges use interior and exterior “clipping points” to judge how a pilot drifts through the exterior and interior areas. With bracket style competition and a chance to qualify for the bracket, there is no room for error.

Related Story: Lindsay Brewer Wants To Run Hailie Deegan

Drift also has its own crowd. It is the number one millennial motorsport, just behind NASCAR. We have a unique demographics in that 82% of Formula Drift fans don’t closely follow NASCAR or Formula 1, or attend other motorsport races.

AF: NASCAR races usually have three stages and room to compensate for bad laps. Looks like Formula Drift is more about precision.

Sorensen: In drifting, the more you make it logical and the more you break it down, the easier it is. But there are many that are brought to the fore. I’m also in college right now and the drift is like my communication class. You can practice your speech multiple times, but when you have to deliver that speech, you risk choking yourself.

The drift is the same. You can get ready and in your training runs, hit every clipping point perfectly, but as soon as you’re in front of everyone, that’s when some people choke.

AF: You live in Las Vegas. Does its dry terrain and your dirt experience prepare you for Formula Drift? Or did you have to adapt differently to this type of driving?

Sorensen: In Vegas we have a popular series called Las Vegas Drift. However, I don’t really train there in person most of the time because my cars travel with the Formula Drift circuit either on the east coast or on the west coast.

Where I train is on a simulator, with the VR goggles along with the electric brake, shifter and steering wheel, plus the clutch – the whole setup, like you’re driving a car. Most of the time I’m in VR with other drifters, and that’s where we do most of our tandem training.

But we set it up to fit different courses. So for example, if I have a race in Orlando, I can tackle towing and how it’s going to affect me in real life.

AF: Some racing drivers I spoke to like Samantha tan and The Lindsay Brewer talk about proving themselves on the track.

How does it feel to you to be one of the only two women in Formula Drift?

Sorensen: I don’t know if I would say I’m never taken seriously as a racing driver out of costume. Being one of two women – I feel like I’m in the drift industry, being the number one motorsport of the millennium, a lot of people recognize me.

But in the fire suit versus the fire suit — I understand what you’re saying — there’s a difference. Out of there, when you’re in the stands, I would say no one is getting out of your way. But there is an intensity there, being a woman in the motorsport industry that makes you a very dominant person. I think people find me intimidating from there.

In fact, I am a very sweet person. There is nothing scary about me. But I think with drifting as a motorsport there’s a lot of mind games being played. So I find that while driving and when I run into someone they are more intimidated by me than driving against another opponent who would be a man.

Read Andy Fryeinterviews with Michele Abbate and The Lindsay Brewer.

*****