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  We have been very critical of the reaction of local residents to the events held at Lydden Circuit and in most cases I believe that their arguments should be ignored for the reasons stated previously. They do however, have a very good point when it comes to 'Drifting' and specifically Drifting Track days, where the local hoons bring their BMW's to the circuit and do their best to destroy their rear valances and bumper mouldings with the remains of their rear tyres. Drifting is a fairly recent development in this country.
  
  Drifting championships involve the use of 2 cars at a time. Skill is assessed by judging the driver's ability to negotiate each bend at an extreme angle by balancing the throttle position with reverse steering lock, creating a lot of over-steer and wheel-spin. This in turn generates a lot of smoke and I am sure that any of us would be unhappy if one of our neighbours started burning tyres next to our houses. The fumes must be very toxic and the smell is very unpleasant. The degree of the problem does of course depend upon the number of cars running at any time and the direction of the wind. It's a bit like Strictly Come Dancing for petrol heads.
  
  For Drifting competitions the problem is minimal to non-existent, but track days are another matter entirely. There are a great many cars running for most of the day and their throttles are wide open for much of the time. Add to this the tyre smoke and I would agree that the track operators are being less than considerate.
  
  All they need to do is restrict the number of cars running at any time. It is simply a question of being sensible about things and I suspect that it is the Drifting Track Day events that have made the circuit less acceptable in the eyes of those who live nearby. Unfortunately there is a tendency within human nature to exaggerate and lump everything together without looking at all aspects of the subject in question. With sensible self-regulation, even a drifting event should not cause reasonable people living next to what they knew to be a racetrack when they moved in, to have justifiable grounds for complaint.

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