Drifting is one of the most exciting forms of motorsports, but the excitement doesn’t have to stay at the track. Lucky for us, many professional drifters have entered the world of YouTube vlogging. And while some drivers have been documenting their high horsepower cars sliding sideways for some time, others are just getting started. If you’re looking for some exceptionally entertaining videos, here are 5 drifters you should be watching.
“Rad” Dan Burkett
Dan Burkett, or “Rad Dan” as he is known in the drift world, is one of the pro drifters who has quite an online following. He pilots a 2JZ powered Mk4 Toyota Supra in Formula Drift’s PRO series. When he isn’t drifting, he runs his race shop — RAD Industries — where he puts out a continuous stream of vlog content about maintaining his racecar, working on customer cars, and, of course, shredding tires when he makes it to the track.
James Deane
Depending on who you ask, James Deane is considered the best drifter in the world. He nabbed the Formula Drift Championship three years straight in 2017, 2018, and 2019. He also grabbed three straight championships in the Drift Masters European Championship (DMEC) and was crowned the 2020 Drift Masters King of Riga. He piloted a Nissan S15 in Formula Drift and an HGK built E92 Eurofighter in DMEC. Deane is relatively new to the YouTube world as he began creating video content after being trapped in his native Ireland during the pandemic. His content usually features him maintaining his cars at his home shop. Recent videos show him creating his new drift weapon, a new Nissan S-chassis build.
Jake “DriftSquid” Jones
Jake Jones, or “DriftSquid” as he is known in the drifting world, has been documenting his drift life on the Internet for over 15 years. Jones has competed in events all over the Pacific region. He competed in D1GP in Tokyo, the D1NZ, and the Red Bull China Drift Series claiming the championship in 2017. He may be most well known in the world of drifting thanks to his unique build — the “RBM3,” a 1,000 horsepower Nissan RB-powered BMW E92 M3.
Chris Forsberg
Chris Forsberg is a three-time Formula Drift Champion who has ping-ponged a bit across YouTube. Along with his friend and fellow professional drifter, Ryan Tuerck, they have a lot of drift-related content on the YouTube channel Network A. Forsberg can also be found in a Donut Media feature or two as well as Gumout and Black Magic’s online series BlackOut. He has since started vlogging on his own channel where he can be found prepping his competition Nissan 370Z for Formula Drift as well as creating his new full tube frame Nissan Altima build called the “Altimaniac.”
Ryan Tuerck
Ryan Tuerck, much like Forsberg, has also ping-ponged across YouTube. On Network A, Turek starred in a few Donut features of his own, and he also co-hosted the BlackOut series featuring Forsberg. Besides competing in the Formula Drift series, Tuerck might be best known for throwing a Ferrari 458 V8 engine in the engine bay of a Toyota GT-86 for his GT-4586 build. On his channel you can find him creating his newest internet-breaking monster — a Judd V10 powered A90 Toyota Supra.
Get Hooked on Drifting
There are plenty of other drivers out there trying their hand at vlogging to support their racing budget. These are just a few of the best drift YouTube vloggers out there. Check them out, and remember your click might in some way help them get to the track!
