It's been 13 years since the word 'drifting' was etched into the everyday day lexicon of the masses with the release of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and the art of sliding sideways while smiling is more popular than ever.

While drifting has been around for decades, it's only in recent years when it has exploded in popularity thanks to the aforementioned film, video games, and numerous competitive drifting events at circuits across the country.

The driving experience day experts at www.trackdays.co.uk are now saying that drifting experience days are the fastest growing driving experience in the country, even more so than supercar driving experiences.

Bookings for drifting experiences have gone up by 59 percent, leading to TrackDays.co.uk to add more drifting days to keep up with demand. TrackDays.co.uk drifting experiences teach power slides, drift control, and drift braking techniques.

Car drifting on race track

"We teach all levels of drivers how to drift, where driving by looking out of the side window is just as crucial as looking out of the front windscreen," said Imran Malek, operations manager at TrackDays.co.uk. "Importantly, though, learning how to drift in a safe environment, such as a race circuit, can boost the confidence of drivers and can give them better overall car handling skills, so it’s not just about burning rubber."

When it comes to the most popular TrackDays.co.uk to practice drifting in, the usual suspects crop up – the Nissan 200SX, The Skyline and The 350Z, plus the BMW M3. Tracks where TrackDays.co.uk offers drifting experiences include Brands Hatch, Elvington, Goodwood, and Three Sisters.

Aerial view of drifting car on asphalt track

"The popularity of learning to drift shows no sign of slowing down," added Malek. "While we provide many driving experiences where straight-line speed is the order of the day, it is interesting to see that the skilful art of drifting is the fastest growing driving experience, actually just nudging ahead of the supercar sector for growth by three percent."