---
title: "Watch a Nissan S13 Nail a 138-MPH Drift Entry Into Laguna Seca’s Hairpin"
description: "A professional Formula D drifter blew the crowd away in his classic Nissan S13 at Gridlife Laguna Seca with this spectacular slide."
date: "2023-10-30"
modified: "2023-10-30"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/watch-a-nissan-s13-nail-a-138-mph-drift-entry-into-laguna-secas-hairpin"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
---

# Watch a Nissan S13 Nail a 138-MPH Drift Entry Into Laguna Seca’s Hairpin

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/30/MG_6103.jpg>)
*\<em\>Peter Nelson\</em\>*

There are some of us who can only manage a drift half the time, when it's wet, and nobody's looking. Then there are people like [Formula D](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/t-pain-tells-us-why-he-started-his-own-drift-team-and-how-he-wants-to-get-to-formula-d>) driver Matt Coffman, who can huck it sideways at 138 mph through a blind corner an eternity before the next hairpin—and keep it on track. All in front of a crowd, in case the pressure wasn't overwhelming enough.

Coffman achieved the mother of all look-at-mes just over a week ago, at Gridlife Laguna Seca. He was driving his Formula D car, a post-facelift first-gen [Nissan 240SX](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/39001/before-it-was-a-drift-missile-the-1995-nissan-240sx-was-aimed-at-single-professional-women>) (a *kouki* S13 if you're in the know) that [*MotorTrend*](<https://www.motortrend.com/news/pro-formula-d-driver-matt-coffman-pilots-last-240sx-hatchback-pro-category/>) reports is powered by a dirt modified's V8. Specifically, a 6.7-liter Roush Yates 410. It's an engine literally designed for spinning tires at length, which it'd have to be to survive what Coffman put it through at Laguna Seca.

> [View this post on Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyuUt1rLFyF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading>)

> [A post shared by Matt Coffman (@coffmanracing)](<https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyuUt1rLFyF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading>)

Going through the Turn 1 kink on the pit straight, Coffman yanks his hydraulic handbrake to initiate a drift from what he says is 138 mph. This sets him up to enter Turn 2—the double-apex Andretti Hairpin—sideways, a risky high-speed entry that could pitch the car into the gravel if mishandled. An ugly rollover was on the table, but Coffman's a pro drifter. This is his job, and he judged his entry to perfection.

Not only was the perfection filmed from the stands by an appreciative crowd, but it was recorded onboard by one lucky passenger. How they didn't choke to death on [tire smoke](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/39041/important-burnout-safety-psa-dont-drive-your-corvette-c8-r-into-the-smoke-cloud-before-it-clears>), we may never know, but it'd be the experience of a lifetime to ride along on such a drift—never mind the rest of the brilliant lap that followed. Maybe Coffman should sell tickets to ride shotgun, no?

> [View this post on Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy_9Dc5vlo5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading>)

> [A post shared by Matt Coffman (@coffmanracing)](<https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy_9Dc5vlo5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading>)

*Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach them here: james@thedrive.com*

## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)