lifestyle

In the preliminary hours of a drift event, burnt rubber, race fuel, and the chatter among drivers, are all sights, sounds, and smells familiar to a seasoned grassroots drifter. Pair that with the sound of wrenching through their last-minute prep on their low, loud, and heavily-stickered Japanese rides with mountainous terrain and cramped paddocks, you'd think you were at a race track in Japan. However, last week, I was nowhere near Japan. In fact, I was over 6,700 miles away in the mountains of Shenandoah, Virginia. But for many, myself included, it would've been tough to tell the difference.

The entire team laid out. Courtesy of Stancenation!

If you dabble in the grassroots drift car culture in Japan, you probably know that teams are a pretty big thing over there. At the paddocks, teams are easy to spot. You'll see a line of cars, usually three or more and they all have the same color, team name and livery, sometimes even the same car. One of the most famous and longest running teams call

Preparation - something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.

Following the success of the first sanctioned drift event, both for the FSD crew and for the state of Delaware, I, and a lot of people, were eager to attend the next one. Despite my poor preparation skills, I arrived at the track, located in north Dover, around 9am. It was one of the smoothest run mornings I've seen for a drifting organization. Driver registration and admittance, technical inspections, and the driver's meeting were all tightly controlled and relatively on time - which, honestly, rarely happens. Keep in mind that the organization only has two events under their belt.

A lot of Mishimoto product was scattered around the track

Everything went off without a hitch. Everyone was respectful of the space and did not take advantage of the generosity that permeated from the core FSD crew, which consists of Matt, Justin, and AJ. There was plenty of space, a lot of spectators, and even an on-site tire machine, that

To those of us who call drifting a passion, we know that there is something familiar about the hours before a drift event. It's a feeling that we know all too well. The last-minute push to get your car ready and load everything. Floor jack, tire pressure gauge, tires; everything. Most importantly, making sure your car is actually in the right condition to pass the track's technical inspection (tighten your lug nuts!). Once you're over the feeling of rushing to get yourself and the car ready, excitement overcomes you from then on. All that's left is to get to the track.

If you know the track that you're about to shred, you know exactly what you're in for. The layout, the paddock area, the people, the rules; all are familiar ground for you. You feel a sense of ease wash over you as you arrive. All of the long hours of preparation and traveling. The lack of sleep and the dwindling number that is your bank account. It all leads up to this. Every moment that has brought you here to this one,