Event: Drift West Round 2

It’s a very rare experience to sleep in my own bed the day before a Pro Drift event. Usually I have to get in a car or plane and travel a few hours. This past weekend Regina played host to DriftWest’s Round 2 Pro Competition and it was as if the world I adore so much had finally showed up at my doorstep, like the morning paper

This privilege didn’t come without a hitch, though. In fact, it was accompanied by one very big hiccup: the weather. Wind blew across the prairie fields that surround Kings Park Speedway. Rain poured from the sky. It reminded us just how inhospitable Saskatchewan can be, while the opposite is often said about its people.

But the weather didn’t stop the hardcore enthusiasts and the Pro drivers still made the trek to the Land of the Living Skies, picking up some extra points in the series while they were at it.

The inconsistent weather offered up varying conditions for the drivers to tackle. It also made the infield nearly impossible to stand in. After spending a few minutes out there in the mud, I decided it best to save myself the frustration of ruining another pair of shoes and retreated to the outskirts of the track.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little concerned about how the drivers would feel drifting an oval. I’m not sure what everyone’s expectation was, but I do know some of the out-of-towners were surprised to learn Regina actually had some tall-ish buildings. Much to my surprise, my initially worries about the track were soon laid to rest after some high entry speeds and tire smoke.

Louren Sansregret spent part of his Saturday touring the Queen City looking for a banjo bolt. It was a brilliant exercise that demonstrated just how hard it can be to keep on top of your car game in Regina. Louren ended up getting some parts delivered from Alberta and circumnavigated the true Saskatchewan experience of waiting on parts.

It would appear that Norman Burwash’s car was like a magnet for my lens this passed weekend. I suppose finishing fourth increases your odds of getting pictures taken.

Norman was edged out for thirds place by Shawn Hawley and his JZX.

Andrew Moschuk was super fast all day, and I think he may have even snagged the fastest entry time. In the end it put him second place in the standings.

In the end, the day went to Mr. Aaron Day of  Team ACC Drift.   Aaron went out and put down the nicest run I’ve ever seen at Kings Park Speedway. Seeing that Big Boy media sticker with the outline of Gaelen Norman reminds me that Aaron will probably have a driver write-up on Big Boy sometime soon.

Chad Sager gets points for scaring the crap out of me. Chad had a run-in with the wall that resulted in him spinning out in my general direction. My life flashed before my eyes, but oddly enough all I saw were images of cars and I wasn’t in any of them.

We couldn’t find any humble pie for Round 1 winner Devin Horsley, so instead he “Mellow’ed” out and ate some melting ice cream cake. All joking aside, Devin was one of the few Calgary drivers who made the trip out to Regina and any day I can shoot his car in action is a good day. If I’m not mistaken he is still first in the standings.

Devin wasn’t the only person to indulge in the melting treat. Chris “the Wizard” Screamin appeared out of nowhere to devour some cake and then immediately disappeared to continue with his judging duties.

Not to be out done, Andrew Haggard stepped up and defeated that cake like Thor would a Frost giant.

Regina Mobile Tire deserves a special shout-out as they held it down all weekend. Instead of taking a day off, they headed out to the track to lend a hand whenever they could.

I’ll leave you with a picture from the podium.