Formula DRIFT and Fatlace’s Offset Kings showcase are synonymous with each other. They’re a combination best served together – like cookies and milk, tomato soup and grilled cheese, or any other clichéd pairing you can think of. It’s surprising to me how many track photographers pride themselves on missing the show or put off shooting it until it’s too late.
Don’t get me wrong – I really like drifting and shooting it is one of my favourite things. The spectacle of drifting is amazing and trying to capture that in photos can prove somewhat difficult at times, whereas shooting a car in parking lot generally only requires finding the proper setting on your camera and clicking away. Sure, the ever-changing weather in Washington state means adjusting that setting a few times, but nothing that requires too much effort.
That being said, I still enjoy shooting car meets/shows. I especially enjoy the Offset Kings shows. I literally couldn’t take two steps without finding something to shoot (and when I say “literally,” I mean it in the truest sense of the word). The parking lot was a little tight, but the good people at Fatlace made it all work.
Contrary to popular belief, putting on a proper car show isn’t just parking cars and handing out trophies. These events can quickly turn into logistical nightmares between all those late registrations, limited parking and dealing with the egos attached to cars when it’s time to hand out the trophies. That’s not to say that every person who enters a car show is like that, but a few bad apples can definitely spoil the whole damn bunch.
As far as I could tell, the team at Fatlace delivered a pretty solid show devoid of drama. The judging was pretty on point and the things that usually annoy me about car shows were absent.
If I were the wagering type, I would guess it had something to do with Fatlace and the people behind the scenes. Think of it this way: Fatlace is internationally known for their meets and shows. It’s hard to think of anyone else who does as many events as them in as many places as they do. It seems as if running a show has become second nature to them.
I think it’s fair to say that some people make their way to Formula D just for the Offset Kings showcase. I would even go so far as to say people treat the drift event as something that’s tacked onto Offset Kings. At least that was the impression I got when scrolling through the event page for the Monroe/Seattle show.
I feel like lately everything I discuss takes a pretty hard line – or maybe it’s just me flat-out complaining. The nice thing about Offset Kings is it didn’t really leave any room for that. All I can really do is give credit where credit is due.
Want more photos from the show? Check out Fatlace’s coverage here.