When it comes to drifting, there is definitely something in the water in north Cork.
While Ireland punches above its weight in that category of motorsport, the upper reaches of the Rebel county are the driving force right now.
Mallow native Conor Shanahan is among a Corkonian trio, alongside his brother Jack and three-time Formula D champion James Deane of Castletownroche, who have made waves in Europe and beyond over recent seasons.
"We're driving around fields, driving around yards and stuff. That’s the way we were brought up and it’s standing to us now with driving control," 17-year-old Shanahan tells RTÉ Sport by way of explanation for Cork’s golden generation, in addition to the trio supporting each other’s careers.
For those not acquainted with drifting, it’s a discipline that highlights car control under the watchful eye of judges.
Participants take part in two solo qualifying runs on track where they attempt to exhibit their car control around corners with high angled drifts at as high as speed as possible while also trying to be stylish enough to catch the judges’ eyes.
They are then paired off into head-to-head duels where they are split into the roles of lead car and chase car while attempting to avoid making contact, with the lead car setting the tone and the chaser’s role being to try to match and out-do his or her opponent.
"Drifting is a unique sport that I’m lucky to be a part of," says Shanahan.
"A lot of people don’t realise how much thought has to go into the sport. This sport is as serious as any sport in my eyes.
"It’s quite unique in its way and quite challenging to understand at times but when you get your head around this sport, from my point of view, there aren’t many sports to watch like it."
He started drifting at the age of nine and made a splash straight away when he defeated Deane during his Drift Masters European Championship debut in Poland two years ago, a highlight that remains the "best moment in my career to date".
This year is likely to be another step up in Shanahan’s development but the coronavirus pandemic has had an effect on his sport.
The European Championship had been due to start later this month in Austria before the six-round competition closed here in Ireland at Mondello Park in September.
But that opening round in Austria has now been pushed back to September with proceedings now to begin in Poland in June, with the Irish round remaining in place as is for now.
"The plan was to do a full European Championship again this year," says Shanahan.
"I was hungry to get back on track for sure and we were looking forward to the year again. But there is loads of time that we can compete in and this is a difficult time that we’re going through for everybody."
While he has been able to make use of his racing simulator at home to hone his skills, he has already been well used to balancing his burgeoning career behind the wheel with other commitments like schoolwork in recent years, albeit with the benefit that the drifting season is at its busiest during the summer holidays.
"Right now, it’s not so much of a stretch because I’m in transition year in school," says Shanahan, who intends to continue his education and make sure to get his Leaving Cert, while simultaneously developing as a driver.
"So I can take this as a bit of a break to put more time into what I’m doing. I want to finish school so I have to find a balance."
While he has been making a name for himself on track, Shanahan gained early attention when he was aged just 13 after making an appearance on The Grand Tour, the show fronted by the former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The segment saw Shanahan showing Hammond exactly what he could do behind the wheel of a car, while the latter jokingly exclaimed "he’s five years off voting!"
Shanahan’s jocular riposte in the car after schooling the presenter was; "Richard Hammond, three times older but still the same size".
Four years on, he looks back on that unique experience with evident fondness.
"I was over the moon that I got that opportunity and of course with Richard Hammond, it was awesome to be fair," he says.
"I was there for three days filming and it was the first media project that I dealt with and it definitely taught me a lot to jump into something that big.
"I couldn’t fault it. Everything was just perfect and Richard was a great guy, I had a lot of fun doing it and it was great to see that we got an opportunity like that and we were doing something right."
He added that the "media side of things is quite important" to him and that it is something he has worked on with the aid of those around him given the importance of the sponsorship aspect in motorsport.
"I just worked on it a lot with my family supporting me and picking up some sponsors with Jack along the way, picking up the Red Bull sponsorship, it’s just been a proud moment for me."
While drifting is the here and now, rallying and rally cross is something he has an eye on down the road.
And although putting his foot to the pedal is the dream, it turns out he was also handy when it came to kicking a ball.
"Still to this day I kick a ball every now and again," says Shanahan.
"I was massive into GAA and I was also involved in a lot of soccer, playing a lot with my cousin and we got on to the county team and I got onto the county team for a season and that was quite enjoyable and that was kind of my break between racing and drifting."
