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Drift day 5 and its cultural roots Published: to the articles magazine April 29, 2018

On a sunny morning in early March, we got the chance to cover Drift STL’s Drift Day 5 event at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.

 Here, I got the opportunity to talk the current owner of Drift STL and founder of Drift Day, Scotch McDonald, who told me the interesting story behind the event.

 Drift Day has roots that takes us over 6,400 miles to Japan, where the now popular motorsport was originated. Before I tell this story, let me talk about what Drift Day is.

 Drift Day is an event that has been put on by a group of drifters local to St. Louis, Missouri, called Drift STL.

 At this event, new drivers, professional drivers, and every skill level in between can pay $160 to $180 (depending on if they pay at the door or not) to get sideways all day on two different courses.

 The whole idea is basically for drivers to have fun and hone in their driving skills. If you don’t know what drifting is, Heiichi Tsuchiya’s (the real “Drift King”) tutorial “The Drift Bible” on YouTube will give you all the information you will need to know.

 The event includes a large car show hosted by Filthy Fitment, one of the larger automotive groups in St. Louis. Filthy Fitment, who has a primary focus on stance builds, calls this portion of the event Hardpark.

 Awards are handed out for the best-looking cars in the show and other contests take place, as well.

 Concessions, track set-up, response vehicles, and security are provided by Gateway, while the front gate, starting line, car show and everything else is taken care of by volunteers from both groups.

 Now that you have an understanding of what Drift Day is, let’s talk about where it comes from.

 Drift STL was formed in 2005. In the same year, McDonald, who is now the owner, had graduated high school and joined the Marine Core.

 He was stationed in Japan at the same time the sport of drifting was becoming noticed across the world.

 “I was interested in the 240 (Nissan sports car) chassis before I was stationed in Japan, but I was interested in drag racing,” McDonald said. “I wanted to put a GTR (also a Nissan sports car) engine in a 240 and make a drag car, so I hung out with all the car guys in Japan and quickly realized there wasn't a drag strip anywhere.”

 McDonald had the opportunity to visit drift tracks in Japan and saw first-hand the s-chassis’ popularity in the sport.

 He had discovered a sport that nobody in the states, other than a select few, really even knew existed.

 “I thought ‘this is so cool,’” McDonald said. “I got to ride in a bunch of Japanese guys’ cars. We couldn't even communicate. I would just point at the seat and they let me ride with them.”

 He fell in love with the sport and found a whole new love for the s-chassis.

 When McDonald returned to the states, he moved to California before returning St. Louis, where he would purchase Drift STL.

 McDonald was working as a mechanic with the owner at the time and eventually convinced him to sell company.

 Drift STL had been doing drift events at Gateway, such as Midnight Madness, since its origination, but McDonald wanted to incorporate a full day dedicated to grassroots drifters shredding tires and a place for people to show off their cars.

 Drift Day was born March 15, 2016. According to McDonald, it was a decent success and his first event as the owner of Drift STL.

 Filthy Fitment was brought into the event for Drift Day 2, which was a huge success.

 Since then, Drift Day has continued to grow tremendously. McDonald and the Filthy Fitment staff use money made from the event to make the next events better.

 According to McDonald and Zach Schlichting, the co-owner of Filthy Fitment, the whole attitude behind the event is to have a fun, with a goal to make enough money to keep the event going. 

 “All I ever wanted to do was make enough money to keep it going,” McDonald said. “More than that is great, but as long as I break even, that's all I want.”

 Drift Day 5 had 1,500 people in attendance and 76 drivers.

 We look forward to seeing what is in store for this grassroots drift event.

Bee’s Badass vert Published: to the articles magazine April 29, 2018

What do you get when you get when you take the power and reliability of a 90’s Toyota, the timeless style of a Nissan 240sx, and the ability to cruise with the top down like a man in a mid-life crisis?

 I’ll tell you; one badass S13 convertible.

 While at Drift Day 5, I got the opportunity to meet Bee Davis, a man that eats and sleeps JDM (Japanese Domesticated Market). He kindly showed me around his ’94 240sx coupe drift car.

 Davis bought the car in April of 2015 and has been building the car into his version of the perfect drift machine since.

 The 90’s Nissan is powered by a 1JZ VVTi Toyota engine that puts out around 325 HP and 325 lb-ft of torque on a fairly conservative 16 lbs of boost from a stock turbo.

 If the iconic 1J isn’t enough to get you interested, don’t worry. There’s not a spot on this car that hasn’t been blessed with something cool.

 With that being said, here’s a list of modifications provided by Davis:

Color: Red/Black iridescent vinyl wrap by KPMF done by Cool Touch Graphics

Body/Chassis: GP Sports aero kit, +30mm rear over fenders (doesn’t remember the brand), custom eight-point roll cage, front and rear bash bars, and ceramic coating done by Detail 360.

Engine: Toyota 1JZ VVTi with a stock ct15b turbo, Hallman manual boost controller, Apexi AFC Neo piggy-back programmer, custom intercooler and intercooler piping, stainless steel braided lines, TRD slave cylinder, custom engine mounts, SPAL electric fans, Koyo radiator, and a custom exhaust designed by Nocturnal Motorworks.

Transmission/Driveshaft: R154 5-speed transmission, Driveshaft Shop R154 driveshaft.

Suspension: Stance GR coilovers, Voodoo adjustable rear upper control arms, Voodoo adjustable traction arms, Voodoo toe arms, PBM inner tie rods, SPL outer tie rods, custom knuckles and lower control arms created by Nocturnal Motorworks, Megan rear sway bar, and end links.

Wheels: Cosmis S1 Black Chrome wheels (18 by 9.5 inch with a +5 offset in the front and 18 by 10.5 inch with a +15 offset in the rear).

Brakes: Nissan Z32 300zx brake calipers, Hawk Performance pads, R1 Concepts rotors, and a hydraulic handbrake.

Interior: Bride Low Max seats, harnesses, Grip Royal steering wheel, and a NRG quick release hub.

A grassroots drift build that The Articles likes to see.

 “This car was built to drive,” said Davis. “It’s not a show car.”

 Davis is one of the first drivers in Drift STL, a group that puts on Drift Day and other drift events in St. Louis. He has been drifting S13 convertibles since 2005.

 “I’ve had three convertibles,” Davis said. “This one is by far the most built.”

 You may be thinking “Wow, that is an expensive build for just having fun.” With Davis’ experience behind the wheel of an S13, more power and reliable parts is fun. To top that off, all of the work done to the car has been done over the last three years by himself, with friends, and with the help of his sponsors.

 “I did a lot of double purchases to get the car to where it is today,” Davis said. “The sponsors really made it all possible.”

 Davis pushes his car to the limit each track day and can still drive it home at the end of it all (but he tows it). That is some real reliability.

 And yes, he does drive this racecar on the street, legally, but let’s get back on track (see what I did there?).

 With the nimble 240’s suspension offering 65 to 70 degrees of angle at full lock and a large hydraulic handbrake, it can nail almost any corner.

 The S13’s custom exhaust lets out that unforgettable growl of a boosted 1JZ as it comes ripping passed cement barriers at the track.

 The eight-point chassis mounted roll cage allows the car to compete in tandems, assures Davis more safety if the car was to flip, and prevents body roll. The bride low max seat and harnesses also hold him in place as the car jerks him side-to-side during transitions (when a drift goes from one sharp angle directly into an opposite sharp angle).

 If you ask a drifter if a drifting is about performance or style, they will tell you that the answer is both.

 Davis’ S13 is a prime example of what they mean. The shimmering iridescent red/black vinyl wrap covers the aggressive aero kit, along with the metallic gold roll cage and shiny black concave wheels make the car tough and sleek, like a soldier in uniform.

 The sheer aggressive stance of the car shows you that it’s ready to party.

 Davis tells us that there is more in store for this drift machine, but he is over the visual modifications.

 We look forward to seeing the further progress of this hand-built 240sx.

ozark z club and youngblood nissan annual car show Published: to the articles magazine april 29, 2018

On a chilly morning at the end of the second week in April, we got to visit the annual Ozark Z Club and Youngblood Nissan Car Show.

 This year marks Youngbood Auto Group and the Z Club’s third year hosting the event. The show only lasted between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. but brought together some smiling car enthusiasts and a few of the sickest Nissans in Springfield, Missouri.

 I got the chance to talk to Josh Lyman, president of the Ozark Z Club and co-organizer of the show, for a brief interview.

 “It got started on a single email from me reaching out to Youngblood Nissan three years ago,” Lyman said. “It went from a small email to car shows, monthly rallies, and they even let us host our monthly meetings here.”

 The event was coordinated between Lyman and three of the Youngblood staff, including Mark Sherrow, Shawn Hamilton, and Joe Griffin.

 According to Lyman, the show has come a long way from the first show, where around ten cars showed up. This year more than thirty cars showed up to the show, and the Z Club and Youngblood have formed a tight relationship.

 “Youngblood fronts the food, fronts the trophies, and pays for all of it,” Lyman said. “We all roll in and we post up with Z’s to Mustangs and LS swapped Datsuns; everyone meets, we have lunch, do awards, and then cruise out of here.”

 Youngblood had trophies made for the car show to give to the show’s best 200 series, 300 series, and “Best-in-Show” Nissans, chosen by the people.

 Show-goers got to get warm with some coffee and cookies, as well as the opportunity the fill their appetites with some barbecue, provided by Youngblood staff.

 Live PD (a live filmed police television show) showed up to hang out at the event with some very well-behaved dogs... Although, I almost ended up on the show when I tried to pet one.

 Not everyone was a Nissan owner (including myself and Colin), but the club was nice enough to let me park my old Honda with the show.

 “That’s kind of what the Z Club is known for in town,” Lyman said. “We are Nissan based, but it is well-known that we open our doors for anyone that is into cars, wants to come out and have good time, is respectful and wants to do good for the community.”