I was already into drifting, but most of my attention had gone towards the bigger championships and higher-budget events. This summer gave me a reason to look a bit closer to home. Between Unlimited Super at Bishopscourt and Tanoshidori, I came away wanting to spend a lot more time around this side of it.
At Bishopscourt, Team LemonStyleDrift brought their S13s and S14s. Yassir was there in his 1UZ-powered FC RX7, Dave with his 1JZ Z20 Soarer, and Kai with his S13. RetroautosIreland were keeping the AE86s and the Twincam name alive, alongside plenty of other individuals worth pointing a camera at.
You didn’t have to look particularly hard to find variety. And there’s nothing wrong with an IS200 either. It was the suggestion that there was nothing worth going to see that I wanted to challenge.
I’d come along with Kai and spent the day moving between the track and the pits with the camera. I also got out for passenger laps with him and Yassir, which is always going to be a highlight for me.
The feeling of being thrown around in a drift car is unmatched. Watching from the side gives you an appreciation for how close the driving is, but sitting in the passenger seat and seeing the following car’s front wheel right beside your door is something else. You get out wanting another go.
It also puts a different perspective on the photos you take afterwards. You’ve had a small taste of what’s happening inside the car, and you’re looking for the moments that felt so good from the passenger seat.
Tanoshidori gave us another reason to pack the cameras and head away. Hosted by Juiceboxforyou with TS Drift Days, it had been described as an Irish take on Final Bout. The appeal was in the teams, the style and getting out on track together. There was a team competition for style, but the day felt relaxed, with people there to get seat time and enjoy themselves.
With a media pass, I was able to cover it from trackside, through the pits and around the car show. There was plenty to move between, although certain runs made it difficult to leave the track.
Team Fool running a six-deep JZX train was one of them. Seeing that many cars following each other around the track is the sort of thing I’d happily watch all day. Josh Greene in his S15 and John Hickey in his 3UZ-powered KE70 were throwing backies into the first corner, giving us plenty more to keep the cameras up for.
The cars looked the part, too. I loved the liveries and the return of some of that "hotboi" drift style. Team Cutloose stood out for me: low cars, deep-dish chrome wheels and an overall look I’ve always liked. Seeing them being driven properly made it even better.
There were cars at both events that you’d happily spend time looking around parked up. Some were rare, some clearly had a lot of money in them, and their owners were still out there putting them to use.
The time in the pits was just as much a part of Tanoshidori. Drivers and spectators were hanging around together, chatting about cars and watching what was going on. It felt like a close community, but one you could walk into and get talking.
As an LS400 owner, I ended up speaking to John Hickey about the ITB-equipped 3UZ in his KE70. Having a 1UZ of my own gave me plenty of interest in what he’d done with it. Conversations like that are a good reason to take a break from shooting. You get to learn a bit about the car from the person who knows it, then watch them head back out and drive it.
That’s probably what stayed with me most from these days: how easy it was to get involved. Go with a mate, walk around, ask someone about their car, watch a few runs. Before long, you’ve got drivers you’re looking out for and cars you want to see go out again.
I still enjoy the bigger championship events. But I’d been giving them most of my attention while overlooking days that offered so much of what I like about drifting. I left these wanting to come back, spend more time around it and, eventually, try driving myself.
If you’ve been putting off going because someone’s told you there’s nothing worth seeing, give it a day. Go to one of the events that doesn’t make the headlines. Have a look around and make your own mind up.
I’m glad I did. Now I’m trying to work out how to get into the driver’s seat.
— SR
