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This is why you don't drive across Canada in the winter:
They don't call these "whiteouts" for nothing. Hurts the eyes, doesn't it?
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Fear not, boys and girls, for I am still here! Not much to write right now, but I'll leave you with this:
"Hey Farva, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy shit on the walls and the mozzarella sticks?"
"You mean Shenanigans?"
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Well, I've been doing a thoroughly shitty job of updating this thing, and summer's almost over. BUT, I finally got a Saturday off, and made good use of it. I had vowed to do absolutely nothing bike-related. I needed a complete break from chains, spokes, and pedals. So what's could be better than watching cars get sideways?
FORMULA D ROUND 5, EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY, SEATTLE.
G and I left the house around 10 in the new Golf, and along the way I dubbed this little guy his "Fast":
"My fast likes burgers and rings!! My fast likes the windows DOWN!!"
So after an hour at the border, and a short jaunt down to the ridiculously huge REI in Seattle proper, we got down to the track!
Yes, I've lost some weight.
Cars, cars, everywhere! This wasn't some silly car show with glass-breaking audio video crap; these machines were all built for flogging. Lots of battle damage, and zip-tie body stitching. Fortunately, this R34 GTR was still intact when we got to it:
It wasn't later.
On a sidenote, if I could have any car to augment my grocery getter, this would be it. She ain't just any Skyline, either. I won't get into any details, cuz if you know, you know, and if you don't, you don't care. mmm...single turbo RB26 2.7L stroker...
In other Nissan insanity, here's Chris Forsberg's 350Z roadster, with a hole in the hood.
Oh, that hole? What's it for? That's a VK56DE poking out of it. In other words, it's the 5.6L V8 from a Titan pickup. Hee hee.
Ahh, a fellow grocery getter!
Who says 4 doors can't be silly? And why didn't Toyota bring the Chaser to North America? This thing pwns Camrys, and apparently just about everything else (Seigo Yamamoto placed 2nd in this thing). And not only does it have 4 door goodness, it's also got a far-from-stock 2JZ-GTE stuffed under the hood. It's like a responsible Supra MKIV.
Anyone recognize this?
Of course the only person who regularly reads this and would know is Jon. Yes, yes, it's not just a front clip on an S13 (like mine will be), here she is in all her glory:
Silvia's so sexy.
Okay, enough car pr0n. Time for highlights, and some action shots! The race was in tandem format (one car leads, the other chases, scored by 3 judges; way more complicated but I'll explain more if asked) All drivers are from left to right.
Yukinobu Okubo in the Signal Auto R34 vs. Rhys Millen's Pontiac GTO:
Millen may be the best American drifter there is, but Saturday was all JDM.
Tanner Foust in AEM's 350Z vs. Vaughn Gittin Jr in the Falken Mustang:
Speed and smoke in the first turn.
This was one of the best matchups of the entire race; these guys were ON each other! Some of the most incredible, and cleanest drifting I've ever seen, but ultimately, the pony car won.
Samuel "the Crazy Swede" Hubinette's SRT Viper vs. Okubo's Signal Auto R34:
Holy God the Viper was loud. No problems with laying rubber at speed, either. I'm not sure if the Viper had a power advantage over the Skyline, but regardless, Godzilla won again. Okubo and the R34 proved to be pretty much unstoppable that day.
FINAL ROUND: Yamamoto's Toyota Chaser vs. Okubo's Skyline GTR:
Great drifting. Okubo pretty much led the whole time, but these guys were putting on a killer show. Lots of smoke, speed, and just balls-out driving:
The two drivers put on such a great performance the judges had to call a "One more time". That was when we got our first good crash of the day:
Yamamoto hits the wall in the Chaser, corrects into a drift, but by then it was too late. The Skyline was already mid-drift and carrying a shitload of speed, and slammed its passenger door into the Toyota's front driver's quarter (remember right hand drive in Japan). They came to rest in the sand. And then:
With the Toyota pretty much FUBAR'd, Okubo tears off in the Skyline and finishes his run, sans front bumper, and maybe some other stuff. Crowd was on its feet. I was going nuts. Booyah!
And that was my day off.
Props to G for most of these photos. Schnell!!
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Anybody remember "Tarzan Boy"?
Hint: The eighth word in the song is "oh".
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| I've been trying to think of something to write these past few months, but honestly, my life has been pretty boring. Here's an idea of my daily routine:
8:00am: Hit the snooze button
8:09am: again
8:18am: again
8:27am: and again
8:36am: turn off alarm; stare at ceiling
8:45am: shower
9:00am: sit at my desk; check e-mail and weather report
9:05am: lie down; stare at ceiling
9:15am: get dressed
9:20am: lie down; stare at ceiling
9:30am: pick a bike to ride
9:35am: out the door
9:55am: get coffee up the street
9:57am: open the shop
10:00am-6:00pm: work, work, work
6:00pm-6:30pm: close shop; then some more work
6:35pm: lock up; ride home
7:00pm: get home, grab a drink
7:10pm: lie down; stare at ceiling
7:30pm-8:30pm: make dinner; eat; do nothing in particular
8::45pm: dishes
9:00pm: more nothing in particular
12:00am: sleep
See what I mean? I'll write something more thoughtful later.
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