Drift Academy Melbourne

Drift Academy Melbourne is a drift school, not a passenger ride. You drive a Toyota GR86 at the Thunder Dome inside Calder Park Raceway with a professional instructor in the seat beside you, and no more than six drivers share a car for the day. Nobody brings their own car: the academy supplies the GR86s, the helmets and the Motorsport Australia licence you need to be on the track.

The courses are a ladder. Drift 101 is the entry level and takes a first timer from a donut without countersteer to linking donuts with handbrake entries. Drift Master is a six hour day that starts with the 101 morning and adds reverse linking, reverse hard parks and the Big O. Drift Elite runs the same length with five drivers per car and both directions, and Drift Supreme is a private one to one day by waitlist.

Calder Park is on the Calder Freeway north west of Melbourne, inside the raceway complex that also hosts race meetings and drift events. Drivers start from 12 years of age with basic driving or go kart experience, and groups of eight or more can book their own session on a weekday or weekend.

• Toyota GR86s with a professional instructor onboard, one to one, and a maximum of six drivers per car on Drift 101 and Drift Master, five on Drift Elite.
• The day alternates short theory sessions with time in the car: four and four on Drift 101, seven and seven on Drift Master.
• Drift 101 takes you from donuts without countersteer to countersteer control, then a handbrake drift into a hard park, then linking donuts with handbrake entries.
• Drift Master and Drift Elite add reverse linking donuts, the reverse hard park and the Big O into a reverse hard park. Elite runs everything clockwise and anticlockwise and adds figure 8 transitions.
• Drift Supreme is a private day, usually one driver and at most two, built around your own drills from throttle control and weight transfer to linking corners.
• You are handed a helmet and the day's safety gear, and the instructors push for progress without promising a set milestone, because it depends on how fast you take the feedback.
• Bringing friends or family? They get in free and watch from the designated spectator areas at Calder Park.
• Best way to experience it: Drift 101 is the course every other package is built on, so it is the anchor for a first timer. Drift Master is the full six hour version for anyone who wants to leave linking reverse entries. Companions watch for free either way.

• Drift 101 is AU$699. Drift Master is AU$1,199 for six hours. Drift Elite is AU$1,499 for six hours. Drift Supreme is AU$4,000 and is booked through a waitlist form.
• Every course includes the helmet, a certificate of completion and a AU$35 Motorsport Australia Introductory Speed Licence that covers you for the day only. Drift Master and Drift Elite include lunch.
• Add ons: none are sold. No in car video, photos or passenger seats are offered.
• No driver's licence is needed. Drift 101, Master and Elite ask for basic driving or go kart experience.
• Drivers must be 12 years of age or over and able to see over the steering wheel with their feet on the pedals.
• Two digital waivers, one for Calder Park Raceway and one for Motorsport Australia, are completed online before the session.
• Wear long pants, a long sleeved top or jacket and closed toe shoes. Own cars cannot be used on the track.
• Drifting runs rain or shine. Only extreme weather postpones a session, with notice and a new date.
• Cancellations more than 14 days out are refunded less a 15 percent fee. Between 7 and 14 days out there is no refund and a gift card may be offered at the academy's discretion. Inside 7 days nothing is refunded or transferred, and a no show forfeits the booking. One reschedule per booking, subject to availability and possibly a fee.
• Gift vouchers are valid for 3 years and are not refundable.
• Groups of eight or more book a private session of three to six hours on a weekday or weekend by quote, with catering as an option.
• Pay online when you book. Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Afterpay are accepted.
• The school runs from the Thunder Dome at Calder Park Raceway, 377 Calder Fwy. Enter at the gate, take the first left through the tunnel, keep straight, then bend right to the building at the end of the road.
• Phone 0455 129 302 or info@driftacademy.com.au for dates and group bookings.

• Last verified: 19 October 2026
• Official link: https://driftacademy.com.au