Rad Times at Queensland Raceway
When it comes to drifting events in Australia, the way I see it is there are two types of events. The first type of event is usually in the form of a competition where conservative and practical cars are built to compete against each other. The drivers, while highly skilled, will drive in a way that ensures their victory but will not put their car into jeopardy for the next event. The other type of event that is seen will be smaller level private days where there is less to lose, and often more reason to push your car to the limits. Events like these will see a larger variety of modified cars, and the extremities of the modifications pushed to the boundary. While these events are much more relaxed, this mix of variety, skill and zero stress about pushing the car to the limits makes for some unbelievable drifting. The latter event is without a doubt my favorite, alas they are often far less popular for people to watch; there is no advertising for these events nor are there many or any big name drivers for spectators to be excited about.
Midnight Mechanics – 2012 Season
The last twelve months has absolutely blown by, but for us Midnight Mechanics it has been a year of unforgettable drift events. Our 2012 saw more track time together than any other year, and as such we have been getting quite the collection of footage from each of our events. I thought it would be suitable to do a compilation of all of our events from this year into one video. I’m looking forward to bringing you guys even more footage for the 2013 season. With both Jasons now running high strung 4agte setups, Cass’s ae86 coupe build and his current 20v Ae86 hatch along with my Sr20 ae71 build, we are really looking forward to ripping up the track even more so this year! E!CM
Changing of the Guard
What do you desire most in a car? Performance? Style? Pedigree? Perhaps, like many automotive enthusiasts, the want for a reliable and comfortable car throws the possibility for these options out the window. For my good friend Cassian Finnerty, and many other passionate AE86 owners like himself, the chance for all of this and more has become a reality with the arrival of the new Toyota 86.
ETS 180
This has to be one of my favorite images from the 2012 Tectaloy International Drift Challenge. Nigel Petrie, a driver who I am privileged to say I have driven with this year, put on a phenomenal show up against some of the big names in the game and managed to push out near flawless runs all weekend.
Not Quite Summer Morning Session
I love Morning Sessions. I’ve said it plenty of times before, and I will happily say it again. Honestly some of the best cars and drifting action can be seen at these laid back events. What started out as overcast and potentially rainy November 28th, quickly turned into a scorcher that would remind us all that summer is here. Normally for an event like this I would be out amongst the action with my own car, however being knee deep in turning my Corolla into the Nissan powered abomination it will soon become I had no choice but to sit back and watch. For something Different I decided it would be interesting to leave the Digital SLR at home and come to the track armed with nothing but my EOS-1 film SLR and a couple of rolls of color slide film.
Missing the Morning Sesh
I’m thoroughly missing those winter morning session shenanigans. I honestly cannot wait to get the camera out again and get covered in tire smoke!
The 2012 Queensland Raceway Matsuri
Many of you may be thinking that Matsuri is purely about drifting. Well, you would be wrong.
The Queensland Raceway Matsuri, for many, is an escape from every day reality. It is about the struggle between that boring life you live week in week out and the one thing that rips you away from it all. It is about the culture that we all live in, and most of all it is about spending time with your closest of friends.
For myself, and my close friends and fellow members of the Midnight Mechanics Jason Murray and Cassian Finnerty Matsuri was all of these things and more. Across both the 6th and 7th of October, 2012 there was no one thing that concerned us more than the smooth bitumen that we call Queensland Raceway. E!CM
Our Obession With Drift – The Queensland Raceway Matsuri
Matsuri was bright and intense, it was fun and exciting with old friends and new. It was chaotic and still calm with people everywhere doing many different things yet an attitude of cool soaking over the QR paddocks. There was so much going on and despite the 2 day schedule there was so little time. Everywhere you looked there was something happening, mates peeling out of sheds in groups to hit a track in trains, newer drivers easing into things on the skid pan, pro level cars flicking toward short track wall at unfathomable angles and speed. All of this, all the time. We didn’t need 24hrs, we needed 2 weeks to take all this in.
Words: Jason Murray Pictures: Grant Scott Edited: Grant Scott
The Tectaloy International Drift Challenge
Imagine standing in front of a cheering crowd, in a country entirely different from your own, holding a trophy high in the air after having just competed against some of the world’s best drifters. The cool night air chills the sweat running down your face, every limb is exhausted from a night of fierce competition, but you couldn’t care less because you just won the Tectaloy International Drift Challenge.
I would imagine for Naoto Suenaga, feelings similar to this may have been rushing through him on Saturday the 11th of August, 2012.
Words: Grant Scott Pictures: Grant Scott & Cooper Macmillan Edited: Courtney McColgan
Jake ‘DRIFTSQUID’ Jones leading up to the Tectaloy International Drift Challenge 2012
It’s that time of year again! The Tectaloy International Drift Challenge is coming to Sydney Motorsport Park this Friday and Saturday the 10th – 11th of August.
Our managing editor, Courtney McColgan, caught up with Jake Jones this week to discuss the talented field of drivers he is about to face , and his preparation for this year’s event.
For further information on the Yokohama World Time Attack Challenge, please visit www.worldtimeattack.com
For further information on Jake ‘Driftsquid’ Jones, please visist www.driftsquid.com E!CM
The Morning Session Experience
Filmed and Edited: Grant Scott Edited: Courtney McColgan
Ever thought about heading to a Queensland Raceway morning session, but struggling to find motivation for the early start? Well, having just come back from last week’s session, I can tell you that it’s so much fun, I’m already planning my next one.
Putting my GoPro to good use, I have created a video of myself and my good buddies Mereki Dawson (Blue ke70), Jason Murray (Red R31), and Nick Rombouts (Green S13) from our most recent track day. Watch it, and you’ll see for yourself what I mean when I say it truly defines the word FUN! Oh, and make sure you click the HD button to get the best viewing quality.
Remember, if you are thinking about getting out there and having a crack at drifting, a Queensland Raceway morning session is an ideal place to start. Now, stop thinking about it and get yourself out there!
E!CM
Tandems!
Filmed and Edited: Cooper Macmillan Edited: Courtney McColgan
I know this post is slightly overdue, but the short track series ended with some spectacular driving that can’t go unmentioned. The drivers were out in full force with plenty of amazing entries and extremely close tandems. This series has been one of the best so far in Queensland for the drifting scene, and I definitely hope for it to pick up again. The atmosphere at these events is super friendly and of course with Mez M.C.ing, the night was even better. Flynn Dowling didn’t participate in the tandems as he had, somewhat unwillingly, entered the competition side, rendering him unable to join in on the tandem fun, but he did very well in the comp…
Queensland Raceway Winter Morning Session | Grant Scott
I say it time and time again, but there is something magical about a Queensland Raceway morning session. Without a doubt it is my favorite drifting event in Australia. From the minute I arrive, the perfect mix of crisp winter morning air, with the smell of burnt tire gets my heart racing.
Behind the Smoke Season 2 | Episode 8 | Palm Beach
Some more great coverage from Behind The Smoke of Dai Yoshihara competing in Formula D. This time coming from Palm Beach in Florida. It never ceases to amaze me the efforts that the teams put into the cars in Formula D; through this episode we see Dai Yoshihara receive something of a solid love tap from fellow driver Chris Ward. Despite only slight scratching of the wheel and a little bit of cracked fibreglass the team still gave a thorough check of all suspension components as well as replaced both rear wheels before the next run against Ward.
Morgan Dowling | Short Track Series | Round 3
On May 18th we battled the freezing cold to watch some of the tightest battles and wall running action Brisbane had to offer at round 3 of the Queensland Raceway Short Track Series. This 3 part series organized by Wreck ‘Em and Sponsored by Etnies Australia saw some of the coolest looking drift cars in South-East Queensland hit the tarmac; one such car being a very low S14 driven by none other than Morgan Dowling.
Excitement! Car Magazine | Some BIG Changes!
As many of you guys will know, our goal here at Excitement! Car Magazine has been to bring you interesting daily content from automotive scenes around Australia and the World. Considering what we have is a very small team I am proud to say since we officially opened on October 7, 2011 we have succeeded in that.
While we would love to continue doing this we feel that the more interesting articles that we post (for example car features, track days & events) are being diluted by filler posts throughout the week that may not be as captivating.
We have decided that from now on we will regularly post every Friday at 7pm.
We will be reducing how often we post in an effort to ensure that every article will be of the highest quality!
Last time we received feedback from you guys we heard many more grassroots car features, builds and events.
We definitely plan to keep doing that, but we need your feedback again this time!
If you see only one post from us each week, what do you want to see?
We definitely want your constructive criticism as well! We need to know what works for you guys and what doesn’t.
So let us know whether you like the changes over the next few weeks, as well as what we can be doing to improve in the future!
Thanks everyone!
Grant Scott
E!CM
MotorFIX
I honestly cannot wait to get another opportunity to go meet up with these guys again. If you have been privileged enough to experience drifting in Japan it feels like nothing else; everything is much simpler. There is no ego, there is no “This car looks better because…” or “This car looks shit because…” it is simply guys out to have fun. It should mean nothing more than that.
I was incredibly lucky to go meet Nozomu Sakai and the rest of the guys from MotorFIX last year, and I couldn’t have done it without help from Shane Bingham and Ewan Paterson who run K-Tours Osaka.
Hopefully I will get the opportunity to again go over there next year!
E!CM
Midnight Mechanics Morning Session
A bit of a Midnight Mechanics video for you guys today. I finally edited my GoPro footage from the March 9th Queensland Raceway Morning Session. I seriously love these events for the people that turn up and the time we get on track. I’m really happy with some of the tandems Jason and I go on the day, I can’t wait for us to get back out there asap!
E!CM
Behind the Smoke | Episode 5
Some more Behind the Smoke for you guys, this time coming from Atlanta. The tight corners of Long Beach are always interesting to watch, but I love the long downhill entry of Atlanta. Looks like Dai clips the corner pretty bad in his first run, but he gets back up. Check it out guys!
Hollywood CA, – May 21, 2012 In this episode of GTChannel’s “Behind the Smoke” Dai’s Formula D Discount Tire/Falken Tire S13 rolls into Atlanta for Round 2. This episode follows Dai through Day 1 of qualifying at the newly designed Atlanta track.
Atlanta is always one of the more popular stops on the Formula D tour and this year was no different. Dai’s qualifying runs did not go as planned, but the action was fast and furious and the crowd support was great as usual.
“Dai has won two years in row at Atlanta and it’s one of his favorite tracks. This event was his chance to get back on top of the podium again,” said Taro Koki, director of “Behind the Smoke”.
“Behind the Smoke” gives a look into the real life of 2011 Formula Drift champion, Daijiro Yoshihara. GTChannel’s cameras follow Dai throughout the 2012 Formula Drift season both on and off the track. This gives drifting fans an exclusive look into what it takes to compete in the top professional drifting series. Behind the Smoke is produced by GTChannel in association with Discount Tire/America’s Tire and supported by Falken Tire, GoPro and Netflix.
E!CM
Luke Fink Takes Another Round | ADGP round 1
What a weekend at the first round of ADGP at Symmons Plains Raceway 2012. What seemed to be a horrible morning with all the rain, turned out to be an exciting and intense day with Luke Fink taking another round win. Even with engine troubles Luke still managed to pull though with some wild angles, including a reverse entry in his solo qualifying lap.
Behind the Smoke | Season 2 | Episode 1
The guys over at GT Channel have passed me through their first Episode of their second season of “Behind the Smoke” – A documentary that follows the efforts of Formula D driver Daijiro Yoshihara. The series covers much more than what you see at the events and goes a bit more in depth as to what it takes to be a Formula D drifter.
“2012 is off to a great start and we hope to duplicate the success enjoyed with “Behind the Smoke” last year; while expanding the show’s distribution and promoting the sport of drifting worldwide”, says Taro Koki, Executive Producer of “Behind the Smoke.”
Season one focused on the struggle to win Dai’s first title, season two will document the rigors to stay at the top of the podium. With more in-depth coverage the viewers are drawn to the drama and hard work required to field a competitive Formula D car. More action, more pressure, and more smoke…
“Last year was the best of my career and hopefully GTChannel can be my good luck charm again in 2012. After eight years on the Formula Drift tour it felt great to finally win a title. I would like to thank all the drift fans out there for their support especially last year” said Dai Yoshihara.
2012 looks to be even a more highly contested season with more experienced drivers and expanded fields for the Formula Drift series. In addition to new tire specs and suspension requirements there are a number of challenges to be faced for the upcoming season. The Formula Drift drivers in 2012 are more experienced and more importantly the expanded driver field will pose a formidable challenge for 2012. Dai and crew have added horsepower to his Nissan S13 to keep up with the competition and if last week was any indication, 2012 should be a fun ride.
Here at Excitement! Car Magazine we will be bringing you guys each episode as they keep churning them out, so be sure to check them out!
E!CM
4AGTE Friday Night Drift
Despite abundance of drifting events that we have floating around these days, sometimes you just can’t beat a good old fashioned Friday night drift event. Just this Friday past I got a very unexpected text from fellow Midnight Mechanic, Jason Sherring, asking me to come up to Queensland Raceway to watch him drift his 4agte AE86. Considering he has been trying to sell it for the past year, and hadn’t taken it to the track in what we worked out was more than two years, I was both very surprised and excited to hear he would be hitting the track.
I only took a few photos of Jason driving on the night and a few others, but I thought I would share them with you all. I also have some GoPro footage from the night coming up too.
Stadium Drift Round 2 at Carnell Raceway
Time for another Stadium drift Round! This time at my personal favorite track to shoot; Carnell Raceway (better known as Stanthorpe).
