This time last week, me and two pals went further north, on a bit of a whim, to Teeside to watch UK’s top drawer drift acts. The kickstarting round was held up at Teeside Autodrome, buried in an industrial estate this outdoor karting track was an adequate opening venue for the competitors to get into the fighting spirit.
It was my first time attending any British Drift Championship event, so I looked forward to seeing some very serious cars out there. Who knows, some of these might go onto competing on a global scale in series such as Forumla D in the USA, or D1 Grand Prix in Japan. Remember where you saw them first!
The variety of cars on track was pleasant. I felt it was a healthy balance and not the typical S-chassis fest (not at all disliking Nissan’s Silvias, but it can go stale). In my eyes, the ratio between Japanese and non-Japanese was optimum aswell, so happy days. Except, there were no rotaries where there should have been, so that was a letdown. Nevertheless, the liveries on some of the machines surprisingly impressed, as I have been disappointed with the lack of creativity in the UK when it comes to decal and vinyl design. I digress, please sample some of the drifters in action yourself…
Practice and qualifying stages over, it was time for a break and then we spectated the battlers going bumper to boot as they duelled two laps of the course. No mishaps to mention (except one spinout, nothing major) which goes to show the amount of skill these drivers have; following a car in front whilst its sliding whilst you are mid-drift and then synchronizing speed and angle in order to maintain the closest gap possible all takes great deal of calculation in rapid progress.
It was cool to get up close views of the cars that day, but as you can imagine hundreds of others doing the same doesn’t allow for the “best” photos, yet some shots came out well with there being life in them.
Upon exit, I spotted some fancy metal, namely that blue-grey 180SX.
Parked up outside the gate was this big-timer. The E60 5-series still looks modern and less dated than the Mercedes-Benz and Audi rivals of its time. And the M5 version of this chassis is something out of this world with its V10 beating heart. Unfortunately this bold blue example sporting Work’s 2-piece T7R wheels was not a ‘M’ car, but it had a ridiculously wide set of arches which the photos do no justice for.
Luke’s thoughts on the car are seen in his facial expression. Caterham/Merc owners I guess…
We pass this nice looking, OEM+ NB/Mk2 Mazda MX-5 on the way out. Lowered on Euphonic wheels and the small details make for great effect on this Titanium Grey NB, such as the rare Mazdaspeed front bumper mask and rear adjustable spoiler, along with tinted headlamp cluster and blanked side reflectors.
I hope my ex-roadster is being looked after and well driven.
Well, that’s that for this years first British drifting series event. Watching those who are dedicated to the sport is enjoyable, and it is analogous to boxing/MMA in some sense without the brutal contact (most of the time).
I hope you were motivated to go out and experience the sights and sounds for yourself. Until next time…
志向 