Red Bull Drift Brothers - Drifting in a double pack
Red Bull Drift Brothers - Drifting in a double pack
by Sonja Schütter on May 06, 2020
Adrenalin, speed, danger - that's how the Red Bull Driftbrothers describe their passion. And they know what they are talking about. Because hardly anyone currently slides through curves as slickly as brothers Elias and Joe Hountondji.
It all began with a hobby: as teenagers, the Hountondji brothers bought a cheap car on the Internet. They tinkered with it in their spare time, only to push it to the limit at local car meetings. Since then, the enthusiasm for motor sports has never let go of Elias and Joe Hountondji. So eleven years ago they turned their hobby into a profession. Meanwhile, under the name "Red Bull Driftbrothers" they belong to Europe's elite in drifting.
When drifting, the perfect interplay between accelerator, brake and steering wheel decides between victory and defeat. When the engines roar, thoughts switch to controlled oversteer. The drivers have to drive through tight corners as fast and as sideways as possible. The line on which the cars must drift through a curve is precisely defined. And unlike in car races or rallies, the winner in drifting is not automatically the fastest, but the one with the best vehicle control and tactics.
Because after the qualification for a competition, the winner is determined in the knockout system, man against man. There will be two heats per battle, one as leader (in front) and one as chaser (behind). In the Battles it is the task of the chaser to stay as close as possible to the one in front and to copy his line, the leader tries along the four criteria: Speed, line, angle and individual style to deliver the best possible run and at best to "escape" the chaser.
The Driftbrothers have competed in more than 100 races in this discipline. They have been on the podium over 90 times. They have won five championships. The cars with which they drift so successfully through corners all over Europe were built by them and their team over many years. Joe drives a Nissan 200SX S13, his younger brother a BMW E30 with about 700 hp each. As a graduate aerospace engineer, Elias is the mind behind everything that has to do with construction, design and improvement of the cars - according to the motto "anything is possible as long as it performs". Joe is responsible for planning and strategic decisions. But it's not just the brothers who share a passion for drifting; their parents and sister Deborah also support them and regularly take part in races.
Precision, speed, style - this describes not only the sport of drifting, but also the credo behind the development of the Red Bull SPECT Eyewear Speed Collection. The Drift model was created in collaboration with Elias and Joe: Thanks to polarized lenses and the sporty, curved frame, the sunglasses provide optimum vision at all times and everywhere. Rubberized nosepads and temples offer maximum wearing comfort. A semi-transparent frame and sunglasses lenses in the colours of Elias' and Joe's helmet visors provide the necessary style factor. The designers have focused on details without losing sight of the big picture. And that's what Elias and Joe Hountondji do when they drift over the tarmac with red-hot tyres and top speed.
The Red Bull Drift Brothers Signature sunglasses are now available hereavailable.
