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COVERAGE> Evergreen Drift Season Opener

Evergreen Drift Evergreen Speedway drifting Serial Nine Yoshi Shindo

A familiar roar pierced the air. Throttles stressed to their maximums; tires screaming for their very lives, as if their torturers were cold and heartless killers. A battle was taking place; a fight between practicality and the absurd. Some chariots were wrecked in the process, but none were left behind. In the end, after the smoke cleared, we were all blessed. Friends reunited in a common bond, new and old alike. Make no mistake; the 2010 drifting season has begun! Hell yeah.

March 14th marked the triumphant return of some of the Northwest’s most seasoned veterans. An invite-only drift event was held last Sunday to start off the 2010 season with a bang. It was a great mix of old school friends, with up and coming drivers all the way from Canada to Oregon. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, with a steady 70 degrees all day with almost no clouds in the sky. It was as if God himself found favor in the boys from Evergreen Drift.

Evergreen Drift Evergreen Speedway drifting Serial Nine Yoshi Shindo

Thirty drivers came out to beat their cars into submission. Some came out from the shadows and onto the track after a year or more away from the sport, either due to long overdue projects or the inevitable life priorities that get in the way of drifting. Many just finished their projects, which were being shaken down for the very first time, allowing for some much needed testing, tuning or just plain repairs. In the off season, most drift cars either sit in storage or are being rebuilt, so it wasn’t unexpected that there were lots of cars dropping out of the lineup. Roland Gallagher’s S13 had just come from being repaired after hitting the wall at the Pro-Am finals, and he spent most of the day changing his entire brake system. Rob Primo’s Natalie Portman-clad S14 blew a front main seal after just three laps, and Erich Hagen’s BMW E30 was out part of the day for some tuning up, just to name a few. Most just ran out of tires with as much track time that was available.

Up above, this S13 Silvia from Seattle shows what Sugoi Style is all about.

Ian Fournier Drift Safari Nissan Skyline R32 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

For those that don’t know the track at Evergreen Speedway, it’s a 5/8 oval with a smaller 3/8 oval inside. They both share a straight. The 3/8 course was used all day, but in a modified, experimental layout than previously used. The biggest change was the ability to hot lap, where two cars were allowed to run three laps without stopping. This sort of format was only possible due to the experience of the drivers involved, because of their skill and advanced knowledge of the course rules. There were a couple of wrecks, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed, and most important of all – no one was hurt.

All of the drivers present have been through at least one season, making it more of a family affair. High fives were everywhere! As a reunion of sorts, it’s great to see friends again after the off season. It’s kinda weird to think we all have our own private lives outside of drifting, and if it weren’t for drifting, we probably wouldn’t know many of these people.

Ian Fournier Drift Safari Nissan Skyline R32 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

2009 FD Pro-Am winner Ian Fournier was rockin the bank with ease; I look forward to seeing him tear up Long Beach in April. His RB25DET powered R32 Skyline was smoking up the whole track most of the day, until he ran out of tires. I even let him drive my own R32 Skyline for a few laps. It’s a sad sight when you watch someone drive your own car better than you can!

Toyota Cressida Corolla AE86 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

This JZX73 Toyota Cressida (yes, that’s right… it’s JZ-powered, although I’m not sure if it’s a 1JZ, 2JZ, or 1.5JZ engine inside) was killing it all day! This Cress is owned by a Canadian named Kevin Petersen, who used to own a bright pink AE86 coupe with flares and super wide Work wheels.

Also in the background, you can see the little AE86 that could. That is Kelly Thorpe rockin the bright green 86 with a blacktop 20v 4AG.

Serial Nine MX83 Gerard de Peralta Toyota Cressida Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

This famous gold MX83 Cressida was piloted by Gerard de Peralta from Serial Nine. It was unbelievable how much smoke was pouring out of the back of both of these Cressidas, and the sound of the JZ motors at full throttle is like the angels singing on high. Make sure to check out Serial Nine‘s website as they make some absolutely amazing parts for Cressidas. Support a real OG!

Lucas Perez Nissan R32 Skyline Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

Here is yours truly, in rare form. Its been almost a year since I was on the track. I’d like to say it was like riding a bike, but I had to shake off the rust a bit. My R32 Skyline GTS-T is a huge departure from the AE86 I’m used to driving; it also goes through more tires than I’m used to!!!

Mike Lukomskiy Mazda Miata Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

Mike “MiataMike” Lukomskiy is back in his turbo Miata after an extended hiatus. His engine had to be rebuilt by Garage Autohero after having the oil pump go out at the track last year. Glad to see him back out there throwing that go-kart around.

Erich Hagen E-Rich BMW E30 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

Erich Hagen just finished his project E30 BMW the day before the event. You wouldn’t guess at all what’s under the hood, so I’ll spare you the time; he yanked out the Bimmer motor and swapped in a Nissan CA18DET. A peculiar choice according to most, but as you can see, he was doing just fine. This drift styled E30 is definitely one of my favorites. I’m hoping we can do a feature on this car sometime, because its a head turner for sure!

Nik Jimenez Nissan 240sx S13 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

This Nissan 240sx S13 was getting tossed around by relative new comer Nik Jimenez. Last year Nik competed in the regional Pro-Am event, but unfortunately wrecked the s13 hatch he had. This year he is back and better than ever in this coupe, it’s even painted the same color as his previous car! Let’s hope he has better luck this year – his goal to be a licensed FD driver.

Rob Primo Natalie Portman Nissan 240sx S14 2jz-gte evergreen drift Yoshi Shindo

Rob “Primo” Primozich took his s14, aka Natalie, out for its maiden voyage. A lot of time and effort was put into making this 2JZ powered Nissan ready for its debut. Unfortunately, his front main seal blew after only three laps. Although he only got a short amount of seat time, he did say he got a feel for how to tailor this revived beast to his liking. Look out for this car as a full feature in the near future.

Rob Primo Natalie Portman Nissan 240sx S14 2jz-gte evergreen drift Yoshi Shindo

Talking to Antonio on the phone, I kept laughing because he wouldn’t shut up about how he loves the fact that Rob’s car is so clean, with a 2J in it… but wishes Rob didn’t put green stickers all over his gorgeous white S14.

Take a close look at this photo. It looks like the car is driving itself! Yeah, well Rob Primo is so tall, he has to sit super far back. I wonder if his helmet touches the rear window sometimes, haha!

Nissan 240sx RPS13 Evergreen Drift Yoshi Shindo

The Evergreen Drift program has been organizing the events at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington for the last few years, slowly putting together a strong lineup of drivers already familiar with one of Formula D’s more exciting tracks. Four drivers from the program have already secured their licenses for the 2010 Formula D season. This year is set to have even more join their ranks with the new four-round Pro-Am series that Evergreen Drift is holding in partnership with Formula D. The 1st place award is an FD license, with 2nd to 5th place getting an invite to the Pro-Am finals in Irwindale. There will still be open drift days available to all skill levels as well.

If you are around the North Seattle area and want to watch, support, or participate in the Evergreen drift program, now is the time to do it!

:: Lucas Perez
Photos by Yoshi Shindo

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29 Responses

  1. Awesome photos! i love how you can see both sides of the rim-edge on the gold serielnine car…

    very well written stuff here lucas, 1st paragraph sets a neat tone that really fit the event. and there was a family reunion sorta feel to this event, it was a greatway to start the year and catchup with the evergreen oldboys…

  2. Very cool. I’m hoping to visit Evergreen Speedway for the May 7th event when I’m out in Seattle for a quick work trip. Can’t wait to see all these cars going for it.

  3. patrick

    damn i missed possibly the best event in evergreen history. congrats to all who went out and made the track their bitch, this season is going to be off the hook

  4. beto

    aww drift season….missed you.to bad my s13 isnt anywhere being ready:-(…too bad their isnt anywhere to go down in the PDX area in SW Wash….ive been hearing about UP Garage quite i bit since i moved back from California…gonna have to scope them out

    !!!!!!!!!!BRING DRIFTING BACK TO P.I.R.,PORTLAND OREGON!!!!!!!!!!

  5. beto

    aww drift season….missed you.to bad my s13 isnt anywhere being ready:-(…too bad their isnt anywhere to go down in the PDX area in SW Wash….ive been hearing about UP Garage quite i bit since i moved back from California…gonna have to scope them out

    !!!!!!!!!!BRING DRIFTING BACK TO P.I.R.,PORTLAND OREGON!!!!!!!!!!

  6. Great write-up and pics, as always! :)

    I was so excited to see that Evergreen has their 2010 schedule up. Only a few more months and I’ll be settling into life in Spokane, and this summer I *am* making the trip (or three!) to Evergreen to get into the drift life. 😀 (I’m super super super excited about it, haha.)

  7. BudgetVIP

    Great write up Lucus and awesome pictures Yoshi! Could we not get any pictures of Rolands car, it’s so fresh looking now. Nikolay’s car would be nice to see as well, even with the pink bumper. This was an awesome event with some good driving all around.

  8. miatamike

    Great write-up Mr. Lucas and legit pics Yosha!

    Event was awesome, good times were had, even though most people had car troubles. But it’s all about having a good time with good people

  9. deadpirate

    YAY!!!!!!!!!!! Im so glad the 2010 season has started!!!!! i cant wait to see more yoshi shindo photos!!!!

    TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE TIRE SMOKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  11. Great job, guys! I’m so glad that Yoshi’s pics show us some of the other competitors out there that we might not normally see.

    Ross is right. TIRESMOKE TIRESMOKE!

    Unfortunately, for Yoshi, it’s still CIGARETTE SMOKE CIGARETTE SMOKE CIGARETTE SMOKE CIGARETTE SMOKE CIGARETTE SMOKE CIGARETTE SMOKE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

  12. I wished my engine was back in my car to drive. It was fun hanging out with my bro’s though. I should have driven your R32 Lucas. :) Next time, I will let you try my new setup, going for 370hp in the corolla. :)

    Antonio, Ian and I will be arriving in LA for Long Beach on Wed the 7th. Know of anywhere we can crash. Message me on Facebook.

  13. Edward Uche

    Lucas, your writing is awesome…I love the chariot reference. I so need to go up north and enjoy one of these events. Great pics Yoshi. Wow…serial nine pumps out some dope cressida builds as well.

  14. I have to agree with everyone else, Lucas your writing is amazing!

    Thanks everyone for the comments, I cannot wait to show everyone what the NW has in store for the 2010 season!

  15. Steve

    The dude with the E30 should be punched in the nuts,why the hell would you swap the 30’s engine with a nissan?????????????????

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