While we may not have cool cars and fast tracks, there truly is drifting in Southern Oregon. Medford, to be exact. This story tells Joe’s and my journey through Drift Evolution 2011 Round 1. Huge thanks to Melinda at NFS for the rad Fredric Awesomebro T-shirt. <3
This is how happy I am to be damaging my car to get it as low as Joe Ayala’s. He recently got PBM coils, so I’m using highly questionable techniques to achieve the same stance.
Keep Chewing Gum. If you didn’t know, Joe is ALWAYS chewing gum and popping it loudly in my ears. He even compromises the audio of his clips with this god-awful noise. Next time you see him, slap him in the mouth for me. K?
This is my dog, Fuzz. He is scared of air compressors to the point of trying to run away from home when one is turned on. Thankfully, while shooting this photo he had nowhere to run, as the garage door was closed.
Whilst Tumblng, Joe came across a photo very similar to this one, so we decided to copy it once we finished working on our cars.
Fairly happy with our respective stances, we decided to take some generic fitment shots to piss Zilvia members off with.
The title of this photo is “Bokey Blasters”, since the focus is all the pretty lights and not the fitment. Also, This is not my final ride height, so shut your face with that “Joe’s lower” bullsh!t. Can anyone guess what the brown thingy in the middle is?
I’m really glad I shot this photo of my scuffed taillight, as it would be the last chance I had. The following day, this taillight (and the other) would be forcefully removed by a barrier with a vendetta.
This photo displays Joe’s inability to play by the rules. Do you see how far over the center line he is?! Dick.
The following morning, we loaded up the trucks with a few wheels and tires. I wonder how many there actually were…
You may recognize this particular L.ight U.tility V.ehicle, belonging to my old man, from a previous Wife Smashers post.
My extremely helpful and eager little brother, Shane, was not about to be left behind. At the age of eleven (I think, haha) he is a HUGE asset to the TANDEM OF DIE operation, helping mount and dismount tires/wheels at almost every event I’ve ever driven in. The phantom arm belongs to my head mechanic, Scotty Bigelow. This dude hates Nissans, but will replace a tie rod in seconds flat.
Once we got to the track (parking lot), Joe and I got straight to driving. Having never drifted on 17s or at such a low stance, we both needed a minute to get used to the new setup. Within a lap and a half, I bent my first tie rod ever. 🙁
Luckily, I had a spare steering rack at home, so my dad ran back to get it. Never having had swapped one of these before, it was a learning experience for myself. This is why EVERYONE should work on their own cars. You learn so much. That being said, I still let Scotty do most the heavy labor, as my back is permanently effed.
While Scotty tackled my busted suspension, Joe and I tried on our new driving suits. We realized that the only way to rock a fire suit is with nothing on underneath. Of course, an impromptu photoshoot ensued.
TANLINE OF DIE.
Once we got a second busted tie rod replaced, this one having snapped in half, Joe and I got back to tandeming of dying. We had some pretty close runs and some super fun wall scrapings.
My buddy Josh Welch was out in his SR’d S14. Coming from a stock-ass Corolla, he’s been smashing pretty hard in his S-chassis.
This jungle-gym on wheels belongs to the event organizer, Corey Harris. Even though it’s setup for autocross, Corey shmangs fairly well in the little Miata.
The great thing about the Drift Evolution events, is the INSANE amount of seat time. Literally non-stop driving from 7am until about 3pm, when we start competition. The mood is so relaxed, that I forgot to wear my helmet on this competition run against my buddy, Maners. Racing suit with no brain bucket. Oops!
A man of many names, ManerzWayz is a killer husband and incredible father. Such a good dude. You’ll know him when you see him, since he’s ALWAYS pumped and ready for action. A little scary to drive with sometimes, he makes for the most exciting tandem runs. After getting the wild card back into competition, Manny took me out and went on to battle with Joe for first.
In the end, the wagon burner took home the crown with his super consistent, smoke pouring runs. It totally went to his head.
This photo has absolutely nothing to do with anything, except that Joe’s new 85mm f/1.2 II is amazing. That is all.
– Shreeve
TANDEM OF DIE!
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