Confirmed Crazy: TLP Goes to Winter Jam
As we reported in early December, we finally tiptoed into the world of drifting by experiencing a great event in our own backyard called Sonoma Drift. It was very scrappy, firmly grassroots and indicative of the larger world of drifting. Upon leaving that event, our new friends Faruk Kugay and Heather Taylor told us that if we liked what we’d just seen, we should plan on coming back in late December for a bigger event, Winter Jam.
Well, we had a helluva good time at Sonoma Drift, so naturally, we wanted to get another fix. Fortunately, as the event was only an hour’s drive for us, we didn’t have to wake up at zero-dark-thirty. Another bonus was Winter Jam occurred the weekend before Christmas, a time that is pretty much dead air for any sort of automotive event.
We made decent time and came in on Highway 37 as per usual and also per normal, we hit a bit of fog as we got closer to Sonoma Raceway and the San Pablo Bay. The real fog cleared a little and then there was a little more “fog” on the hillside where Sonoma Raceway lies. As we got closer to the main gate, we both realized that it wasn’t actually fog covering the hill, but actually tire smoke. Literally clouds of tire smoke so thick and vast that it appeared to be legit fog. All it took was rolling down the windows to confirm that many perfectly innocent tires were being massacred just inside. (Truth told, at this same moment, we were reminded how disconcerting the particular sound of squealing tires heard in drifting really is. These cars aren’t running with racing slicks, they’re harder compound conventional road tires. They’re pretty loud, and time after time our brains were triggered to expect the sound of a car on car or car on K-wall impact. Though there were a good number of actual car on car and car on barrier incidents, the banshee howl of tires being flogged is the heartbeat of the event.)
Just outside the donut box…tire dust…
We’re pretty seasoned when it comes to automotive events, meaning that rarely are we caught off guard or feel like noobs when sniffing gasoline and shredded tires. When we attended Wednesday Night Sonoma Drift it was, for lack of superlatives, a lot! We had been told that Winter Jam was a Sonoma drift event on steroids. Hundreds of participants from across Northern California and the world getting sideways on multiple drifting tracks set up around (and some actually on) parts of Sonoma Raceway. There were so many courses in fact that, that we didn’t even get to see them all. Their existence was confirmed the varied smoke signals emanating from the farthest corners of Sonoma Raceway. It was non-stop action in every corner with participants and spectators in constant motion moving from paddock to drifting course to the (in)infamous donut box. It was perhaps the most chaotic motorsport event we’ve witnessed, with something to see and hear without any discernible break or cold track period.
As with our first-time witnesses drifting we still don’t know how (or if these) events or scored or even how winners are determined, though it seems to matter very little. Most of the time, when a driver doesn’t quite achieve the intended entry angle, speed or slide, the driver usually converts the failed attempt into a world-class hooning demo. It’s like looking at art in that you know it works for you, but you’re not sure why. If you are reading this and you haven’t attended a drift event previously we strongly recommend you start with an event like Winter Jam, Wednesday night drifting or even Summer Jam in 2020. It’s the best place to be with a big wide dumb grin your face followed by giggles and comments you haven’t made since you were a teenager. It reveals your inner child without judgment or criticism. If the stress of work or life got you down go watch someone else destroy some tires and you may find it to be the best therapy program available.
We pinkie swear that, as 2020 unfolds, we’ll nail down more about the the structure of this thing called drifting. There are undoubtedly a lot of “adulty” details, rules, regulations and other stuff that forms the backbone of the sport, and were frankly a little embarrassed that we haven’t delivered any of these details after reports of two events now. For that we apologize, but on the other hand we reflect that this stuff is such comprehensive sensory overload that we must be forgiven for our less than comprehensive reporting. We also challenge you, if you haven’t already, to try a drifting event and keep your perspective and objective as you drink from the proverbial fire-hose that is drifting. You won’t be able to do it.
-The Loud Pedal
