The Kinematic Subject

The Vehicular Experience of Speed and Automobility in Virtuality/Reality

For the kinematic subject who has mastered the art of drifting, the ability to launch a vehicle into the possibility of danger and to then escape in safety is an enjoyable experience. Enjoyment is most likely to be experienced during the exit phase of cornering, rather than before or during. With drifting, the driver is perceptually out of control, yet is still in control of speed and direction. Drifting is an automobility enabling escape from the confines of grip driving. While getting the car sideways results in a different perspective of driving through space, the act of beginning a drift signals an escape from the aporia of racing lines and traditional corner turn-in procedures. Again, once the technique of drifting is mastered and is repeatable, the experience of entering a corner (or series of corners) in a non-orthodox manner and successfully and safely exiting the corner becomes enjoyable. The activity of drifting requires a high level of skill to perform, with various techniques utilised in order to break free from the traditional grip interface. The activity of drifting then poses additional insights into the subject’s automobility, particularly of the subject-vehicle control dynamic between safety and danger.