Grassroots drifting is alive and well, even in the middle of nowhere in Southeast Idaho. The guys at BoiseDrift put on a few rounds every season at Magic Valley Speedway in TwinFalls Idaho. Now I know what you're thinking, /Boise/drift in TwinFalls? I thought the same but as I came to learn there is nowhere around the Canyon/Ada county area to hold a drift event. Too many snooty track owners and an endless sea of paperwork to try and get approved makes for a tough time to hold a noisy, tire shredding, skidmark leaving event. But still the love for the sport creates a necessity for a venue.
First we have to mention the TogueKnights and Throttleworks crew that is a major part in hosting these events. They provide plenty of safety with barriers, cones, tires to protect the cars from some of the walls while still allowing cageless tandems and plenty of hotlapping so that learners and the more advanced drivers can run together and play off of eachother. There's a team of people with walkies that dictate spacing on the track and allow for quick reactions to spinouts and the occasional wall tap (but not the fun kind)
The boys also provide a tire machine you can rent for the day, and at lunch time get the grill going and have burgers you can buy so you don't have to go into town to get food. However the best thing about these events is that everyone is helping eachother out. No matter if it's advice on your drift, changing tires, borrowing tools, or fixing your car, everyone is quick to jump in. It's like having a big family around with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help improve and progress the sport.
My favorite part about the event is that as a spectator, you pay $5 and bring a helmet and then you're able to hop in with any of the drivers for a ride-along. Coming back to the aspect of everyone being very accepting and kind, as long as you're polite you could hop in with someone you've barely met and make a friend for a long time to come. The best thing about the whole event besides ride-alongs is the heart and creativity in the sport.
Of course there's the 240's, 350'z, and E36/46's but through innovation and necessity at grassroots events you see things like a Toyota Previa (or in this case two) chucking tandems and shredding tires. You also get to see builds like a GTST and although in abundance, all kinds of 240's with different swaps and styles. The blood, sweat, and tears that one person and the occasional mate pour into their cars is what makes them (in my opinion) much more special than any big money team build. Don't get me wrong, they're still awesome and the work/people behind them are very respectable but nothing beats the entry level stuff because that's where the passion truly lies.
Last but not least, thank you to everyone who helps progress the sport. All the drivers, event hosts, safety crew, spectators, and the people reading this. I'll be covering each event this year and going a bit more in depth into the drivers and event itself. Plenty of shredding and some carnage in the extras below, enjoy!
Josh Brown - Luckyclub.us
