What Does Pro Drifter Chris Forsberg Think of the New Toyota Supra?

How well can the A90 drift?

We invited Chris Forsberg, Formula Drift champion and co-host of MotorTrend's Drift This, to our annual Best Driver's Car competition for a special event you won't want to miss, but we can't tell you about that just yet. While he was there, though, we put Forsberg behind the wheel of the new 2020 Toyota Supra and turned him loose on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for a few laps on the condition he give us his unfettered thoughts. Keep reading to find out what he had to say.


MotorTrend: As a multiple-time Formula Drift champion, what are your thoughts on the new Supra after driving it on WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca?

Chris: The new Supra was incredibly fun to drive. It is very neutral. It's got good power, so that you can control the balance of the car with the throttle, and great steering input. Almost zero understeer as I was racing it around the track. And if you get into the pedal just a little bit too much, it'll step out and hold a slide very nicely.

Is there any trick to drifting this one that's different than other cars?

Chris: Absolutely not. It could use a little bit more angle, but as could any car from the factory. But aside from that, like I said, the balance was incredible. It had great turn-in, very neutral, good power delivery, and yeah, it's a perfect starting point.


Ignoring the price tag on a brand new car, would you build a drift car out of the new Supra?

Chris: Yeah, I would absolutely consider the Supra as a great starting platform to build a drift car out of. Obviously it's brand new, so the price tag is high, but I definitely see it becoming a very popular chassis to hit the drift tracks. Very soon.


Chris: First thing I'd probably do is [put an] aftermarket suspension on it. The only thing that I disliked about the car was that it just rolled in the corners a little more than I would prefer, but most factory cars do, so it's to be expected. But yeah, that's usually the first mod that I do on any car, for that matter.

Do you think you'll see a lot of them in the parking lots of your races soon?

Chris: Yeah, definitely think that it's an enthusiast's car, and as more aftermarket parts get built for it, you're going to see those filling up the car shows, filling up the parking lots of drift events or racing events. It's definitely the enthusiast's car. Like, there'll still be the guys out there buying their Hellcats and Corvettes and whatnot, but you know, a purist's a purist. If they want a Toyota, they are going to go buy that Supra.

How do you feel when people say it's really a BMW?

Chris: I mean basically, it's got BMW logos all over it, like on the inside of wheel wells and stuff and on some parts. It's funny, you can see some, but I mean, hey, it's not the first time there's been a collab between corporations, so I don't see what the fuss is all about. Let's all just be happy that there is another rear-wheel-drive sports car on the market.

What do you think of the looks?

Chris: I like the look of it. Once again, most cars, they'll get a little bit of, how would you put it? I like the look of it, and most cars get a lot of criticism when they come out with a brand new model. You know, everyone's got something to say, but in about a year or two it's going to become the new norm, the way the front end is designed and the headlights and everything else. But obviously it's going to look drastically different than the MK4, it's 10, 20 years later. 20 years later? Yeah, I was doing the math, I'm like, that's not right. No, that's right. It's 20. It's 20 years after the last model. So of course it's going to look drastically different, and yeah, I think it's good. I think it falls in line with the rest of the cars that Toyota's putting out and I really like the look of it.


How do you feel about the really tight cockpit? Were you able to see out of it?

Chris: Yeah, actually, that was one of the things I noticed was the viewing on that. The viewing out of the cockpit was actually better than I expected because most new cars have such a high hood line, like Mustangs and Challengers and all of that, it's very difficult to see the edge of the car. But the Supra, it felt like I was in a small sports car, which is what I prefer.

If money was no object and you were thinking of buying yourself a car, would you buy one?

Chris: Yeah. I've always loved the Supra. It's a cult classic and we all know that it will be able to make a lot of power and it all starts with the chassis. You need a good handling chassis, and that's exactly what it has. I feel like it was one of the best handling cars here of the six, and yeah. Perfect starting point.

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