What is Donut?
A driving maneuver where the car spins in a tight circle around its front or rear wheels, leaving a ring of tire marks.
A donut, or doughnut, is a sustained, intentional oversteer maneuver in which the car rotates its rear or front end around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous circle. It leaves a circular pattern of rubber on the pavement and usually a lot of tire smoke. In Australia, the same thing done in dust or mud is called "circle work."
Automotive historians note it could be done even in a Ford Model T, and spinning donuts in an empty parking lot has long been described as a rite of passage for young drivers. Donuts became a racing victory celebration in the mid-1990s. Ron Hornaday Jr. did one in the 1995 SuperTruck Series, but Jeff Gordon's celebration after winning the 1995 NASCAR Cup Series championship popularized it, and Alex Zanardi spun donuts after the 1997 Long Beach Grand Prix. In Formula racing, rules on engine and gearbox life mostly limit them to the last race of the season.
Loose or slippery surfaces like dirt, gravel, wet pavement, snow, and ice make donuts easier, which is why rally drivers practice car control on frozen ground. The Guinness World Record for most consecutive donuts is 280, set by Jamie Morrow in a Westfield Sport on September 4, 2011. On public roads, donuts are usually treated as reckless driving or exhibition of speed, and they put heavy stress on the drivetrain, differential, suspension, and tires.