I often take a little heat for trying to capture everything on camera, instead of just living in the moment. If you see me at an event, I’ll usually have my camera in hand accompanied by a dopey look on my face. The truth is quite deceiving, as sometimes I miss the big moments because I get caught up in what’s going on. This past weekend at the Drift Union Invitational (DUI) in Penticton, BC was no exception. It was a weekend full of amazing experiences – and a guy only has so many memory cards.
As early as 7:30 PM on Friday evening, I knew it would be a weekend to remember. That was when Sonny Nagy decided to kick off the weekend by doing a massive burn-out. I don’t know if I didn’t just have time to get to my camera, or maybe I felt that some things don’t need to be on the internet to be awesome. Regardless, the smell of burnt rubber reminded me of how much I missed drifting and served as an appetizer for what the weekend had in store.
In the past, attending DUI meant 16 hours of driving there and back again. Since I’ve re-located myself to the west coast, the commute is now only 4 hours and the drive itself is filled with some pretty great scenery and twisty roads. And being part of a convoy of RWD Toyota sedans going through the mountains is something else.
After some spirited driving, we caught up with the Deadbeats in Princeton, BC. After a 20-minute pit stop, our original 3-car convoy turned into a 9-car convoy. If the weekend would have ended there, I would have still been happy. There was nothing but good vibes in the air as we moved towards our final destination.
After a few hours of sleep and delightful breakfast with some kind drift folks from Grand Prairie, it was time to hit the track. Last time I covered this event I compared it to a family reunion of the western Canadian drift community. This statement still holds true.
For those of you who don’t know, this is the 5th annual DUI event and the mastermind behind the event is the same guy who is usually found behind the wheel of the now-infamous “durple” FC. This wasn’t his first rodeo and the event is pretty laid back. Once some simple ground rules were laid out, everyone made their way to the track for two days of drifting in sweltering heat.
Allow me to digress for a moment here: you’re going to hear a lot of things about this weekend. First, it was hot – like really hot. This is a true statement. In fact, all the Gatorade in Penticton couldn’t have quenched my thirst. Second, you’re going to hear how amazing this event was. That will also be true. I try to stay away from sugar coating things, but when it comes DUI I’m at a loss. The event is just as good as everyone says it is.
Here’s the kicker though – you or someone you know might hear how unreal this event is and decide it’s time to drive in next year’s DUI event. Now before you get your team name and possible colour all picked out, remember this is an invitational and not a free-for-all. In no way is this meant to sound elitist, but part of attending DUI is about earning your stripes. It’s something to work for or towards; it’s not a place to cut your teeth or test the waters as far as your skills go. If you’re new to drifting and want to drive in the event, I recommend waiting a few years before you make the leap. Otherwise you might find yourself sandwiched in a drift train that you’re just not ready for.
Keep in mind that existing teams are grandfathered into the event. This means if they’ve been there before, they get invited back first –so the line forms behind them. This might seem unjust, but to put it simply this event is made up of the who’s who of drifting western Canada. I can’t think of any influential drift team in western Canada who has made a name for themselves and never participated in a DUI event.
If someone wants to grumble about this, remember that Drift Union plans numerous events for all different types of drivers. Each of them serves their purpose and involves a bunch of seat time. But the invitational is something special. And I’m sure if you asked anyone who attended – be it driver, media or even spectator, they would want to keep it that way.
At the end of the day, I missed a lot of the big memorable moments. I didn’t see the Corolla flip and I didn’t capture the massive pile-up of cool cars. But the nice thing about the internet is you know somebody else got it and you can see it there. You can expect everything from high-end video to aerial drone shots to smartphone video clips to fill you in on what you missed. In fact, you could probably piece most of the weekend together through several different sources – but it’s not the same as being there.
Part of what makes DUI so amazing is just how often you get caught up in a moment. And no amount of internet coverage can compensate for that.
This is spot on!