Flux renews sponsorship of champion drifter

Adrian Flux Insurance has agreed to extend its sponsorship of champion ‘drifter’ Phil Morrison and the Driftworks team car. Drifting – basically getting cars to go round corners sideways – is a fast growing sport in the UK and Phil expects it to go into overdrive as it gets the TV coverage it deserves.

“Drifting is a fantastic spectator sport with a massive following in Japan and the USA," says Phil. The scene in the UK has grown exponentially since 2003, and there was an 18,000 strong crowd at the final round of the 2006 season where Phil took the championship. "We have already seen some fantastic TV coverage of the UK drifting scene, with Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needel entering the first two rounds of the professional championship," he adds. "But coverage is increasing this year, with shows on Sky and Men and Motors."

Drifting is a combination of speed, skill and style. But going door to door with your competitor into a corner at 100 mph plus makes it an extreme sport that pushes the car beyond its limits, so at most events there’ll be plenty of spills as well as thrills. However, the car Phil won the championship in is street legal – and needs insuring for driving on the road.

“Last year’s car was based on a ’98 Nissan 200sx, but to handle the action it needed huge modifications throughout,” he says. “Flux agreed a like-for-like insurance deal to cover both the car and the mods, valuing the package at £30,000. I doubt many insurers would even have looked at it.”

Phil set up Driftworks (www.driftworks.com) in 2005, as a cross between a forum for the drifting community, a news hub and a source of drift components. Within six months he had 750 members, now the total is approaching 10,000. Part of the reason drifting is growing is that it’s so easy to take part in. “People can bring along their car to a track day, learn how to do it and then have a go – as long as it’s a rear wheel drive” explains Phil. “It’ll cost around £90 for the day, which is peanuts compared to other motoring sports.”

Despite appearances, drifting is actually very safe. “We may be nutters going round corners sideways, but in the years I’ve been doing it, I’ve never seen anyone get hurt. Plenty of ruined paint jobs and scratched wings, but not so much as a broken fingernail,” says Phil.

As for Flux, the company is big in the modified car world so the sponsorship is a natural fit. “Most serious drifters are going to be modifying their car, so they’ll need a specialist policy,” says Craig Darwin of Flux. “We’re the biggest insurer of modified cars in the UK. We have loads of schemes and options to give cheaper insurance, however mad your motor.”

If you want even cheaper insurance, Flux is offering up to 15% discount for members of the Driftworks club. Check out www.driftworks.com or www.adrianflux.co.uk for information.

Adrian Flux has a huge range of policies for the motoring enthusiast. For details contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk, or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk