tommytwo40hands

From the very start when you drive across gateway racetrack you can smell the smoke..then you pull in farther and as you're filling out the waver you see a red s14 clutch kick turn one and connect turn two, and then he's outta sight. From that very moment everything in my life started to feel very surreal.

This was my first real event I have attended, and from the time we showed up at the hotel in Illinois, seeing a yellow s13 that drove down from Ohio, to the time we left Gateway it was all excitement. As were making our way to the track we found our exit was in crumbles, ROAD CLOSED! Eventually 20 minutes later we found a detour route and we were on our way to the track. When we showed up and started walking down to where we could see the runs it was almost too much to take in. First you see the sponsors tent, then all the drivers working on their cars, and drivers pulling out of the pits to make a run, and on top of all that you turn around an notice a SR swapped hatchi come screaming past you. It was all the beginning to a great day.

Now it would take me forever to tell everything that I saw that day but I'll let you in on some of the crazy things i saw.

After seeing a couple runs we all started to calm down a bit, and then the unseen happens. The fully caged, fully built, yellow S13 that drove down from Ohio just stops at the end of turn four. The driver jumps out, and like a mad man, starts tearing his carbon fiber hood off. In the process he rips his fender off, ruins his brand new 65 dollar pair of race gloves, but manages to put the fire. Later in the pits we found out his harness caught fire and he didn't know how he was getting his hood, fender, and bumper back, along with the set of wheels he brought with him. By far the craziest thing I saw all day.

Now the second most craziest thing I saw was a "lunch box." Whats a lunch box look like, it looks like a baby blue S14 with no front fenders or front bumper, and absolutely no ass end. It was chopped off with a sawzall right behind the rear window! This dude was bouncing it off the rev limiter all day long. . .just driving for the crowd..thanks man!

Third place goes to the sickest sounding car. A tie between the LS1 swapped S14 that was just a mad machine, and the supercharged 350Z. Both of these guys were killing it all day. Bouncing third off the rev limiter, past the crowd, to connect turn two and three. You knew, just from the sound of their cars when they were coming off the line to start their runs, it was going to be a good run.

Now to tandem...totally off the MF chains. First off i gotta give a big shout out to the guy in the maroon s13 hatch that took second against Mikes sick ass FC. This guy was tearing it up in his S13 all day long! Even with a blow out shattering his window, glass in the floor of his car, and some stiff competition he came out pretty good. Congrats man... But Mikes RX-7 just had a mad power house backing his skill, and to prove he and his car were worthy of first place, Mike passes the LS1 swapped S14 on the big horse shoe(turn 4). The sickest run I saw all day. That moved him into the finals with Adam Ozuiel. Both drivers and both cars were definitely worthy of of first place. It all came down to the final two runs and how good they drove with someone closing in on their rear bumper.

They came into the first corner side by side. Exiting corner 2 just as close as when they started, and now on to turn three. They both connect the long straight stretch between 2&3, as the s13 tries to adjust to keep his speed, distance, and angle on the imaginary line of good and bad, the inevitable happens. He slides out right before turn four and the FC takes the victory.

All in all this was a great first drift event with the drivers being so "welcoming" and willing to talk, and just getting to smell that much tire smoke legally. I will definitely be back next year and years after. If you want to see some pics of the cars, like the lunch box, just ask me. Thanks for reading and show up next year, or check out Round 5 in Indianapolis.

domi

Not entirely sure you'll be coming back next year, or the years after that, as rumor has it GIR is shutting down for good. Barring a repurchase and reopening under new management [which would be welcome in more ways than one], chances are slim for comebacks.

tommytwo40hands

WTF! no fuck that...i hope it doesn't, but i just read the article online at stltoday.com and it doesn't look promising. There has to be something we can do to keep it open to the drifters.