if you want to understand drifting,
you have to understand tyres,
and this place is a tyre temple.
Third, and most important,
if you want to know about tyres,
you have to know how to drift,
and that is where this chap comes in.
His name is Jérôme Haslin,
and he is Michelin's chief tyre tester
for BMW, Porsche, Ferrari and Bugatti.
Rubber compound runs through his veins.
He is a Zen master of grip,
a Kung Fu Panda of drifting,
and I am to be his new pupil.
This is what he means by "over the limit".
He uses power to kick the back of the car out of line...
and then a delicate balance of throttle and steering
to keep it there.
Your steering-wheel technique is amazing.
JÉRÔME: I play a lot with the gas pedal.
And if you work a lot with the gas,
you have nothing to do with the steering.
You can do all with one hand, like this.
- So you're steering the car with your right foot? - Yes.
Jérôme, this is brilliant that I learn how to do this
because you read those lists on the Internet
of things that women appreciate in a man, don't you?
And there's always honesty, integrity,
loyalty, fidelity, drifting.
It's always there.
On that note, it was time for me to begin my lesson.
You can pull up the seat more.
- More what? - More close to the steering wheel.
What are you trying to say?
OK. So, here we go.
Provoking oversteer, coming off, and then feeding...
No, and then going round in a small circle.
My challenge was to drift the car for one complete lap.
Gas, oversteer.
- Release gas, counter-steer. - Release gas, counter-steer.
- Oh, I've spun! - OK.
JÉRÔME: Gas, gas, gas, gas!
RICHARD: Oh, bugger!
Soon, the constant spinning
started to have an effect on my teacher.
A little bit more power. No.
Yeah, off the gas.
This is weird. I thought this would be so easy.
- OK, is it possible to take air? Fresh air? - Yeah.
Because I will be ill in two minutes.
RICHARD: Is this going badly?
While Jérôme went off to say hello to his breakfast...
I continued plugging away.
Begin power and begin counter-steer immediately.
Now hold it.
And soon, it started to click.
What I am doing is drifting. There's no denying that.
Oh, yes! Yes!
I've connected the steering wheel to my feet.
This is a whole new feeling.
This is not reacting to a slide,
this is deliberately provoking it
and keeping it right on the point.
(IN FRENCH ACCENT) Ha-ha, Jérôme, you French...
drift-and-ski-instructing dude, you.
He'll be impressed with this.