Summer Slide 2011 @ CFRC!

After returning from SWD #4, I had some things that needed work. We had a broken bracket that was welded in the wrong spot, both fenders broken, and the front bumper cracked; the car looked depressed. I owed some overtime at work for the time off to go to Charlotte, and it took me until Wednesday to get energy back. In 2 weeks was a scheduled Stunt Wars Demo, so I was planning to fix the car come Saturday.

However, Thursday I get a request to work for NOS Energy on Saturday. I was already set to work Sunday at the 2^nd Annual Summer Slide Tandem Competition event at Central Florida Racing Complex’s drift park. But I often opt to make money and figure I’ll fix the car Monday. Saturday, at the Ultra Evolution car show, some fellow drifters see me working and chat about the next day’s Summer Slide. I tell them how I can’t make it because of the car, and work. Soon, a few photographer friends are talking about how they are going to be there shooting. Apparently, OMGDrift.com and WreckedMagazine.com were going to be having coverage of the event. Then I learn we are overstaffed for the drift event so I can drive if I wanted. So I start contemplating driving this, just for the exposure… but my car is still in shambles and I’m stuck 2 hours from home working. I get home, and had unbreakable (furry of a woman scorned?) dinner plans.

Working the UltraEvolution Car show Saturday before the event. DJ's turntable photo op!

Home at midnight, I decide to post on FaceBook my dilemma, and Michael Ihns (owner of ImprovedRacing.com) comments that he would come out if I decided to drift. That pretty much sealed it- I want to show him in person what I do and hopefully put him in the passenger seat! At six in the morning I get up and go to look at the car. Prioritizing what I can get done before heading out and what can wait. Without taking the car off the trailer, putting her up in the air, I couldn’t fix the tension bracket… so that’s out. Alignment… meh what are those… that’s out. Body work… well damn, I can’t really fiberglass repair it in an hour and have it dry, not to mention to get off the fenders the car must be on the ground due to my trailer’s fenders. I can’t put the bumper on without the front corners of the fenders…or can I?  I pulled out the magic zipties, and got her on securely. I know that image matters, and there is an obvious hole on the passenger side, but I really think the coverage is well worth the one spot of noticeable damage. I’m pretty excited to attend an event at CFRC- I haven’t been back for a typical drift event since we blew the motor in October!

Not perfect, but much better that I anticipated. And yes, that's a waterslide behind me.

A lot of friendly faces are coming up and seem pretty pumped that I’m driving today. Many haven’t seen me drive in person in many months, and I’m always there working or helping out. We get the car off the trailer and prepped to do some runs. Michael arrives and we get him strapped in and off to the start line. After a few passes out session is over and except one bobble, I really had pretty solid runs. The heat was something awful, mixed with the little sleep I got- I already felt out of it. I resign to watching and asking if there is a need for another judge. Bill Sherman gave me the “Get out of here and go drive!” pep talk and I head back out for qualifying. I make my 2 passes and head back to pit.

I felt pretty happy with my runs and the judges felt the same, placing me in the #1 qualifying spot. As we rolled back out to start I notice my rear driver’s side wheel seems to wobble… I rush back to pit and jack it up, sure enough, 3 of the 4 lugs are barely on!! Jeeeeeez that would have been bad news to go in hot versus CFRC’s big wall. Whatever, I lock her down and get back to grid.

He was a bit inside on the entry, I held my ground and won this battle!

 First battle is Taylor Ray. I lead, with a great run and then wooosh, the rear end comes around like I’m on ice! I spun… I really can’t tell you what went wrong, I don’t remember- I’m just so tired I feel like I blinked and the car got away. Next run, we line up and over the radio we hear “911! 911! 911!” to which we soon learn a spectator passed out and began to have seizures from the heat! It was insanely hot, but that’s pretty scary. As we stand under the starter’s tent, I realize that everytime I stop walking, the little bit of breeze stops and I get dizzy. I think I was really close to dehydration, we all were.

Kurt Durjan let us overload his rhd Miata and we got drinks. Two bottles of water in me and a third over my head brought me to a better state than I had been all day. Spectator was taken to hospital, track was clear, and I was ready to rumble. 2^nd run of out set I was at a major disadvantage having spun, but as I closed the gap in the sweeper Taylor’s car swerved and lost drift and wiggled and he shut it down. Something was off in his powersteering and we would go OMT! No problems this time, my mind clear as ever, I make really solid passes and move on to final 4.

This brought me against Jonathan “Chino” Heisen. My lead run was great, but Chino spun behind me.  When following he had some wayyyy outside/offline run in the middle of the course and it sealed the win for me.

In the finals I had to face the Miata of Kurt Durjan. I had never seen him drive before so it’s hard to know what I need to do, but leading first I just drove the car hard. Kurt ended up spinning out trying to keep up, later telling me “I saw your angle and was like no way! I tried to follow and my car couldn’t do it.”  All I had to do was follow without any major hiccups. Kurt made it real easy on me, spinning in the same spot, right after the first clipping zone, early in the run.

Pretty stoked that I won I did a big sweeping exit for the crowd. We return and pull up in front of the judges towers for awards and pictures. There was some great shots from this event (below is a lot more from this event), but this one from Brice over at OMGDrift.com is one of the best:

2nd and 1st places taking part in a hearty jump for joy.

There are articles written on this event and visible here:
WreckedMagazine -   Article 1   Article 2  Gallery
OMGDrift -                   Article   Gallery  (not yet released)
DriftHappens-             Gallery

Summer Slide Fest 8/14/11 CFRC.

Other practice classes were able to drive more for the remainder of the day. That’s when I got some fun in on the waterslide with friends SteveO (CFRC Drift Event Coordinator) and Rob Fleming. It was a great way to end the day before heading home.