When some of us think of Edmonton, our thoughts immediately go to its giant mall, its zoo, or the hip shopping district that is Whyte Ave. But car enthusiasts know there’s something equally exciting just around the bend: Spec D. Usually Spec D events are left to Tony K., but since I happened to be in the neighborhood, I decided to join him for a drift practice at Castrol Raceway.
Despite some evasive maneuvers courtesy of a sluggish Google map, I managed to arrive at the track just after the scheduled start time of 5 PM. It looked like a ghost town. I thought I’d gone to the wrong track, but then I recognized some of the scenery from Tony K.’s pictures.
After a brisk walk around the grounds, I found a familiar face — a.k.a. Tony — and the cars soon began to trickle in. For those who’ve never been to Castrol Raceway, located outside of Edmonton near the International Airport, it’s a bit of a drive to get there, but it’s well worth the trip.
The practice took place on a Thursday night, so the number of drivers increased as the night went on.
Lined up to drive the generous tarmac were the usual suspects. However, I did see a few more FC’s than one would usually see at a prairie drift event. The locals assured me this was slightly out of the ordinary for them, but it is always nice to see some Mazda love.
This old pig nose is about to be retired, so no more days of sideways for the S chassis you see before you.
It was my first time at a Spec D event, and I was pretty impressed. Events like this give beginners a chance to learn car control in a safe, controlled environment. They also give more seasoned drivers, like DMCC pro driver Aaron Day, a chance to fine-tune their skills.
DMCC AM driver Colton Burns has traded in his old Toyota for another old Toyota.
My trip to Castrol Raceway was a fitting end to an already great visit to E-Town (the mall, zoo and Whyte Ave. aside), and this post will end in the same exciting way; with some pictures of a pretty unreal R32.
Stay tuned for my next post… The drifting!
I spy an rb in that shitass white s13. respect