It was another hot one in Utah, but despite the heat, and traffic, and a massive fire that billowed smoke into the area, round four of the Salt City Drift season carried on.
There was, of course, a competition. I’m not sure how tandem turned out, but I can say that it did pull some of the drag racing spectators over to the bowl. That was pretty cool to see. On the solo side, we had Blaize Potts and his Scoundrel mobile in third.
Crowd pleaser Hayden Campbell in second.
And Nick Nengas & Teddy took home another win. Next event is back at RMR on August 5th. Come spend an evening in the oval with us! Here’s a big ass gallery to tide you over
After months of waiting there was finally organized drifting happening again in Utah. This past weekend the Salt City Drift weekend opened up at Miller Motorsports Park, specifically in the Midway. Yes, that strip of pavement between the East Course and the big dirt patch played home to the season opener.
I ran across this Volvo coupe as I was wandering through the paddock before getting to the course. I dig older Volvos, especially when they’re rocking the Prancing Moose, but this one was making weird noises. It didn’t sound like ANY Volvo mill I’ve ever heard, so with Tyler Brown (formerly of Innovative Garage) in tow we went to investigate.
There’s usually a good reason when a car doesn’t make a sound that’s usually heard coming from that particular kind of vehicle, and the Volvo as no different. The Swedish mill was ditched for one of the two liter four cylinder out of an S2000. This F20C wasn’t doing to well unfortunately, VTEC wasn’t kicking in yo engaging. This was most likely due to an oil pressure issue, but aside from that it ran.
The cabin was business like. The S2000’s digital gauge cluster sat under the cowl instead of the old one, and a home made switch panel sat just under the dash. The old moose is a work in progress, and I’m hoping the bugs get worked out so it can slide about in the traditional Scandinavian fashion.
Out on the course something interesting was happening. As you may or may not know, Nick Stucky left the world of Miata world behind and bought an S13 240SX with a Ford 302 cubic inch V8 swap. Last week he earned a sponsor in the form of D-Spare Garage, making his friend (and Formula D driver and noted opposition of V8 swaps) Brandon Wicknick his boss, if you choose to think of sponsorship like that. On Saturday morning, Mr. Wicknick hopped into Nick’s car and took it for some laps. He took it for a few more laps throughout the day, seemingly trying to figure out what sort of ancient magic was at work under the hood. He’s probably not going to go twin turbo V8 for this upcoming Formula D season, but there’s a chance (insanely slim, but still) he could do that down the road.
Meanwhile, on the course people were getting after it, as is the style currently. There’s a gallery of more people sliding through the key hole, along with more shots from the paddock and grid.
The sun rose over a chilly Miller Motorsports Park. The rain had stopped, but the already slick surface of the west paddock was puddle ridden. The drivers arrived and unloaded their cars, and prepared them for a full day of drifting.
Nick and Brandon gathered the drivers for a meeting and a rundown of the course. Some showers had returned, which made it feel even colder than it did earlier. After fielding few questions and introducing the DJ (Joey Harrington, aka G-Type, aka The Hair, aka Trueno the Panda), the drivers went out for a parade lap. And then the fun began
The guys took the first few cuts somewhat conservatively. I say somewhat, because the slick track was a bit of a trick to get used to with the water.
The cones at the entry of the first big right hander took a beating from a few of the drivers, but then OP went on course…
DERP! By the way, the E36 M3 is apparently built like a tank. His car showed no signs of damage, and he gave ride alongs the rest of the day.
Turbo and N/A S chassis were taking cuts, mustaches not required.
Your favorite Pro/Am drivers and the resident Formula D driver were out giving ride alongs, and showing off some tandem skills.
Then this showed up. Things were getting wild, crazy even.
Thankfully a contest broke out, which calmed things down. David Curtis took the win, and whatever prize came with the respect and adulation. All was calm.
Well, at least it wasn’t weird.
What the hell?
The last and final event of the Drift Utah season is tomorrow, September 21, in the Midway at Miller Motorsports Park. $6 to watch, $5 for a single ride along, $20 for an all day Ride Alone Pass, $90 to come take some solo cuts, $140 to dance with a partner. Register here, and make sure to come spectate by 4pm. Thats when the contest starts!
And as always:
Words and photos by Michael Chandler
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMAutoMag.Com and their respective owners.
Last night I went over to Jordan Collier’s frigid garage and watched him put together an engine hoist and then test fit his shiny new 1UZ V8. Did it actually go in?
Jordan decided to bolt up a few things before dropping it into the bay. First was this spacer. Gotta have it so the whole transmission and shifting thing work. Looks odd, but it works.
Then this beefy QuarterMaster clutch went on. They use it in NASCAR, and that’s good enough for Jordan!
With the clutch set up on, and the exhaust manifolds bolted up she began her journey down…
Well whataya know?!? She fits!!! Not without a few minor issues, but nothing a cutting torch and a welder can’t fix. Next time you see this thing out in the wild you’re gonna be seeing these under the hood:
Words and photos by Michael Chandler.
*Article, photos and video are copyright of CAMautoMag.com and their respective owners. Images and words may not be re-posted, re-distributed, modified or copied without expressed written consent from CAMautoMag.com
It’s hard not to reference the classic ‘Back to the Future’ series when you see a DeLorean. Unfortunately for Ham, the owner of this one, it’s all too common. Getting to that elusive 88mph is quite the burden in a standard DeLorean with it’s anemic V6, but Ham used a modified Twin Turbo Lotus V8 he had lying around to help give it a push. Needless to say, going beyond that 88mph limit is a slight press of the right pedal away.
The 1985 ASC McLaren Capri is a 1985 Mercury Capri with some modifications: a McLaren massaged suspension, different exterior pieces, and a different camshaft for the 5.0L V-8. In 1985 it also had a set of 15 inch, neon colored mesh wheels that looked more at home on a VW or BMW of the era. Thankfully the 1980’s mercifully ended, and this Capri has changed with the times. (more…)
