Ford's New Drift Stick for Focus RS Steps Up

Ford's New Drift Stick for Focus RS Steps Up

Ford must really like the word ďdrift,Ē as well as the vehicular sliding it describes, a lot. The all-wheel-drive, turbocharged Ford Focus RS hot hatch has a Drift mode, in which more power is sent to the rear axle than typical and apportioned between the left and right rear wheels to enable silly, smoky oversteer. Now, RS owners can add more drifticality in the form of Ford Performanceís all-new ďDrift Stick,Ē introduced during the 2017 SEMA show. Essentially an electronically controlled, quick-releasing parking brake, the widget enables Focus RS drivers to pull a lever and lock up the rear wheels to initiate a drift. If youíve ever seen one of Ken Blockís Gymkhana videos, the concept should be familiar, only Blockís cars utilize a heavier-duty hydraulically actuated rear-axle brake. Since installing a similar setup in a normal car is arduous, Ford came up with a different, easier-to-implement solution.