When tires squeal and the asphalt glows, drift athletes are not far away. One of them is the Swiss Marco Grilli. In his everyday life he is CEO of the BMW branch Peter Winter GmbH in Zwillikon, in his spare time he goes crazy - literally.
He has tuned the 4.0-liter V8 engine of his drift monster to 600 hp with the help of G-Power components and other modifications. In addition, he has reinforced all chassis components and designed them for maximum lean angle - from the steering with extreme camber to the suspension, damping and suspension. Every drifter has their own tricks up their sleeve.
Always at the limit
Grilli explains what happens to the engine during a drive: "On the race track, the load on our engines is very high and they have to withstand a lot. We demand an enormous amount of power from the engines in a very short space of time. As a result, we have high thermal and mechanical loads.". Drifters therefore need a high-performance oil.
Marco Grilli uses MOTOREX XPERIENCE FS-X SAE 10W/60 for his drifter. "It's a very good oil that is thermally very stable. We never have to worry about the lubricating film wearing off, oil pressure problems or deposits," explains Grilli. Drifting also requires additional cooling because there is hardly any airstream. After all, none of the drifters wants to crash or overstress their drift car. After all, such a souped-up horsepower monster should be able to withstand a few drift challenges - unlike the tires. A set of tires hardly survives more than one drift pass.
"The challenge in drifting is to always keep the vehicle at the limit, i.e. always just before you take off," explains Grilli. "If you drive straight ahead, you lose points. That's why the driver can't rest for a moment. He is constantly under power. The maximum possible power must always be on the rear wheels and they must always be spinning."
Drifting to the championship title
Grilli regularly takes part in drifting events and championships with his BMW M3 E92 - and with great success. He took part in a drift challenge for the first time in 2017 and quickly made a name for himself. He has finished on the podium in the German Drift Series at the Hockenheimring each of the last three years.
The German Drift Series is divided into four classes. "Street" stands for near-series or series-production vehicles. In a total of three qualifying heats, the judges assess the drift talent in the categories of line, angle, speed and style. In "Open" there are more modifications to the vehicle, while in "Club" two drifters drive through a course as close together as possible. You need to know your opponent well. The top class, "Drift Limbo", demands maximum precision from both driver and vehicle. You drive your car through a narrow gate with the aim of not knocking over any pylons.
Those who push themselves to their limits need a partner they can rely on. MOTOREX supplies car enthusiasts with fluids for brakes, steering, transmissions and engines.
