David Karey 
Drifting has gotten serious over the past couple of years. With the majority of drivers wanting to make it big and podium with stars like Forsberg and the like, the drift world seems to have forgotten a core group of drifters that simply arent looking for the fame and fortune, and want an educational experience that the fast paced Pro-Am world does not offer these days.
If Formula Drift Round 1 – Streets of Long Beach could be summed up in one word, that word would simply be “crazy”. Over the off-season, several teams went to work adding more power to their current chassis, and even building entirely new cars for 2015. The results of drivers piloting such unfamiliar setups are what gave Long Beach its exciting vibe, with several unexpected drivers rising to the top and taking out heavily favored veterans of the series.
The 2015 Top Drift season is officially underway! Just Drift wrapped up Round 1 of their Formula Drift licensing series this past weekend at Willow Springs International Raceway. 63 drivers registered for the controlled mayhem, accompanied by friends, family, and a whole lot of spectators. The tiny Balcony circuit just above the “Omega” of Big Willow, was absolutely jam packed, common for the first competition event of the Just Drift season. With every passing year, the event keeps growing and growing.
We knew a couple of our drift buddies would be unveiling some new looks at the 2015 Formula Drift “Tech Day”, and even some new cars, so we took a ride down to the Source Interlink/Super Street Magazine headquarters in Irvine, CA to check them out. We aren’t the type of outlet that digs cars shows, but the turnout was massive, and there were some awesome cars in attendance in addition to the drift cars we were looking for.
With a vision of expanding their Formula Drift Pro Am licensing program, Vegas Drift has created the Southwest Drift Series, which gives many inspiring grassroots drivers across the Southwest the opportunity experience what competition is all about. With future events scheduled in Colorado, Vegas, and New Mexico, Round 1 of the Southwest Drift Series came to a successful conclusion this past Valentine’s Day at Wild Horse Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona.
Drift Buffet was created by Terry Henderson and Brian Rielly. In its prime, Drift Buffet attracted popular drivers such as Pat Mordaunt, Jeff Jones, Ryan Litteral, Matt Powers, Tommy Roberts, Cody Parkhouse, and Cyrus Martinez…just to name a few. Forrest Wang even came to one of the events. So what killed such a great organization that provided a safe place for drivers to have a lot of fun? Support started lacking, spectator count was down, and driver count started dropping too low to have competitions at the time. August 2007 was the last competition.