I wrote this article three weeks ago, but then life got in the way. I was away on a work trip, then me and the family went to Disneyland (don’t worry, we left the day before it closed) and now we’re living in very strange times. I guess it’s not that strange – I just don’t go outside and spend all my time with my family. It’s sort of weird working from home while being a parent, but that’s not what you’re here for. You’re probably here for a bit of escapism.
So close your eyes for one second, imagine that it’s weeks ago and your life is normal. You’ve never even heard of social distancing and people weren’t being dumb about toilet paper. All you care about is seeing some sedans go sideways at a track in the good ol’ U.S. of A. And that’s exactly what happened when SerialNine rented Evergreen Speedway for a private drift event on February 20.
I guess when you think about it, with less than 15 people in attendance – and four of them in cars – it was the perfect drift event for the current climate of isolation. Hope you enjoy the article and stay safe, everyone.
Ten years ago, my now-wife dropped our Nikon DSLR and broke it on a trip to Toronto’s International Auto Show. This loss resulted in me finally buying my own camera – a Canon 60D – and I have been lugging that thing around for nearly a decade.
It was also around 10 years ago when Gerard and Kevin of SerialNine attended Bigfoot Bash at Evergreen Speedway in Munroe, Washington. This would be their last time drifting the track for a decade.
A lot can happen over a decade, and a lot has. In fact, this whole blog is pretty much a testament to everything I’ve done that is remotely interesting in the car world. If you went back far enough (if it would even let you), you could probably track down the first time I heard of SerialNine.
You could probably also find the first time I met the guys behind the brand, and you’d definitely find the first time I photographed them drifting and subsequently decided to dedicate more energy to photographing them.
Over the years, I’ve slowly been refining what I shoot. Actually, that’s a dumb way to say it. What I really do is shoot less, so I have fewer photos to go through after the event. This means I only really take photos of things I like, opposed to taking photos of everything, all the time.
I think maybe the day I spent at Evergreen with the SerialNine guys is the epitome of this. If you have trouble understanding, let me ask you the same questions I asked myself before I shot this event.
Do you like drifting? Yes! Do you like Toyotas? Yes! Do you enjoy Toyota sedans, powered by JZ engine? Yes!
With all those boxes checked, it was clear that SerialNine had been reading my dream journal when they decided to rent the track for a private function.
As I said, a lot has happened in the last 10 years: I shot my first formula D event, then I shot it a bunch more times, and then I stopped. SerialNine flourished into an impressive business. We all collectively fell in love with Final Bout. DODOlogic grew a bunch and then in some ways, it fell off.
I’ve watched friends adult themselves right out of the drift scene. But two things have stayed the same: I’ve always tried to keep shooting the things I care about and SerialNine has kept doing the things that make them great (especially since they really got back into driving)
Of most of the drift teams I’ve known, it actually makes sense for them to keep drifting. It must serve as some type of hybrid between product R&D and marketing. Regardless, I’m glad they do it and hopefully my photos can serve an actual purpose – instead of contributing to a make-believe shrine to my past exploits.
When I was invited to attend SerialNine’s private drift event on February 20, it was the first time in a decade I didn’t use my Canon 60D. And it seemed fitting that while I said farewell to my trusty old camera and hello to a new one (borrowed from work), SerialNine was reacquainting themselves with Evergreen Speedway after 10 long years. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope this continues.
