Whipped Up: Drift Junkies vs DriftkanaX

View fullsize

 

I’ve been heading along to grass-roots days for the last five years or so, trying to keep an eye out for what/who the next big car/driver to come up in the scene will be. And while I aim to approach each event prepared for the unexpected, when I turned up to Drift Junkies vs DriftkanaX one thing I certainly wasn’t prepared for was the extremely large number of people in attendance. This grass-roots day was huge. We’re talking 2000 people chilling and watching guys crash, spin, and mow the lawns all day, while track manager Gary Stirling kept an eye on the kids. The action was rampant, with every type of vehicle out on the Hampton Downs hill, all vying to make an impression.

View fullsize

 

Various drift gangs were out in force. The Team Cream boys had a couple of cars out drifting, with one subsequently being knocked out with a radiator fault.

View fullsize

 

Team Tally-Ho had their R32 out with an RB20DET under the hood. I’m loving the classic Advan styling on the car with the red striping.

View fullsize

 

Troy Griffin’s JZX110 Mark II was seen floating around. I’d say that it’s one of the nicest-looking drift cars out on the track today. With a few sets of Work Meisters, and various Japanese add-ons, the car makes good use of the 1JZGTE under the hood.

View fullsize

 

There has always been the joke that R33 GT-R wheels look best on everything but R33 GT-Rs.  This S14 was a perfect example of that theory.

View fullsize

 

The line for the skidpan must’ve reached 20 cars long at some points, with drivers choosing to roll their gear around, rather than drive due to the traffic.

View fullsize

 

It’s worthwhile checking out the spectators’ cars in the carpark too. Finding this super-clean Evo 3 was a highlight for me. Chilling on a set of Wolf wheels, the car came together well, and looked tough at the same time.

View fullsize

 

We also spotted the Onshow Customs STI-14 on display. The car still looks as good as the day it was unveiled. Yes, that’s an STI front on a Nissan S14 Silvia.

View fullsize

 

The RB gang was out with a variety of Nissans and their RB engines. This Laurel looked ready to hit the track with the owner waiting to go out.

View fullsize

 

This guy wasn’t looking too crash hot though and was probably best left in the tray rather than out on track …

View fullsize

 

Heck, if it works right?

View fullsize

 

Out on track was a varied mix of skill levels. With some mowing the lawns for Gary and others spinning out, this Laurel managed consistent clean runs over the hill.

View fullsize

 

Finding a comfy spot to watch seemed to come naturally for these two, chilling on a bonnet.

View fullsize

 

I’ll leave you with Alex’s rad S15 sitting immaculately on BBS LM wheels.