Here’s the coverage of the track at Gingerman during Gridlife, the most exciting part of the event. I wasn’t on the track, but I hope to start tracking the Mazda soon. First up, it’s the time attack cars.

The starting lineup. I’m not sure which class this was.

It’s great to see a Civic hatchback in the same category as a turbo Corvette.

Some Subies making fast laps.

Gingerman is a world-class track, but everything around it feels like the Michigan I’ve always known. The breeze coming off the lake could not have been more welcome.

Here’s one RX7.

Here’s another RX7 two generations younger. I’m taking some cues from this car for my own Mazda.

I’ve seen this car at a lot of events around Chicago.

S2000 out on turn 7.

This was one of 3 or 4 S14’s set up for grip. It seems like they’re almost always set up for drift.

BMW on turn 1.

I’ve never seen a more built up Civic with this chassis.

The Ecotec motor in the Datsun 510 is significantly more reliable than the old L-motor that used to motivate this classic.

The driver of this car had a great beard.

There aren’t many FF cars in the upper echelons of time attack. This EK hatch was running a big turbo and two wastegates.

One of my favorites.

The last round of photos are from the drift sessions on the course. There was a good mix of amateurs, longstanding local talent, and pro drivers.

Nothing drew the masses to the side of the track like the drift sessions.

The Corvolla. I’m not crazy about LS swaps in every rear drive import you see, but I have to admit that a Corvette engine in a Corolla from the 80’s makes for a pretty good power to weight ratio.

This E30 comes with an SR20.

Ryan Tuerck flying sideways through a light fog of tire smoke. There were a few times that cars would have to slow down after the one leading left so much tire smoke, there was no visibility.

Chairslayer

Team Proceed

Risky Devil

Team Breaking out of Fort Wayne

There more than a few cars off the track at turn 2.

This guy lost his rear bumper.

This guy picked up the bumper.

I’ve never seen such a large drift car. I think it’s powered by a 5.6L Nissan V8.

Hardly anybody in the US sticks with the rotary in their RX7 drift car. This one is powered by a 2JZ.

Here’s one powered by a turbo LS motor.

I’ll admit that I’ve never been a fan of domestic drift cars, but this guy knew how to do it. That angle is so much, the rear might be entering the turn ahead of the front.

All in all, it was a great time. It was hot, my face got sunburnt, I didn’t win any award in the show, but it was still fun. I talked to some cool people about our cars. I got to see a lot of great builds in the show, in the paddock, and on the track. Tyler came up and we hung out for a while. Good times! Now to get ready for the next show at Offset Kings in Joliet!

I took one last photo before the drive up to South Haven. This is the shiniest this car has been in a long time thanks to Tyler. He stayed over late into the morning hours doing a real professional quality wash and wax job. I helped. In the morning, the trunk was loaded with products to finish some details before the show officially started around noon. There were also tools in case of a breakdown and a cooler full of cold drinks.

Here are some photos from the show. There were around 200 cars entered. I saw some great builds.

Fortunately, the line to get in was not too long.

I spent a lot of time sitting on a shaded hill looking over the show. It was a hot day.

The car is parked.

I popped the hood. I didn’t notice that I had popped off an intercooler coupler until I got home.

The new tires were mounted on the new wheels at Garage Oneway.

Nice, quality build in this S14 engine bay.

I’ve always liked the S13’s set up for drift.

This was such a clean car. It’s great to see attention paid to non-Impreza Subaru’s.

Street drift style on a Forester; not something you see everyday.

I’d really like a wagon like this someday. Maybe on air suspension.

It seems like any VW is a classic once it reaches a certain age.

This might be a real Silvia, not sold in North America.

This should’ve been out on the track.

Here’s the guy who took the win for the Mazda category.

Straight across from my Mazda was this VIP-styled Lexus. Great build.

This is my kind of minivan.

Unique, VIP-styled Honda Fit.

The show was good, but what I really like to see are the cars that go out on the track. Here are some photos from the paddock and around the grounds.

Here’s how you make a top mount intercooler more effective.

This is probably the cleanest track car that was out there.

I love FD3S track cars.

This diffuser is serious business. Really, the whole car is serious business.

How about a Cummins diesel-powered Miata? I think it was built by a high school auto shop class.

Here’s a Honda K-powered Miata. Tyler and I talked with the guy. Reliable power, aftermarket support, use of factory transmission. The only downside is that there is now a Honda V6 swap with the same pro’s and similar cost.

I’ve never seen a Honda Street anywhere. Compare it’s size to the golf cart next to it.

KP Starlets are not easy to come by in decent shape.

This is one of my favorite cars out on the track. I’ve seen it before, but the mega front splitter is a new addition.

There were at least 3 S15 Silvia’s at the event. They’re awesome cars, but not yet legal to import for road use. Great build here.

Another S15, but with a Toyota 2JZ turbo motor on the hood. I like the purple valve cover inside a black engine bay.

This tire swap station was in full operation for the drifters out there.

The Proceed drift team has the coolest drift cars. They’re all quality builds with graphics that look straight out of Japan. I’m wondering where the Lexus Aristo/GS and Toyota Cressida are.

If there was a hood for the Miata with this design, I would search the world to find it.

Drift damage. In all reality, this is just a flesh wound. There were several bumpers lost by other cars over the course of the weekend.

Inside Rob “Chairslayer” Parsons’s drift S14.

Ryan Tuerck had some trouble with the differential in his 2JZ-powered Scion FR-S. Understandable with upwards of 600hp pushed through it. Here he is talking with the Chairslayer.

This is all fairly peaceful. Check out some photos of the action in the next post!

There was supposed to be more fanfare. There’s been a turbocharger on a shelf in the basement for the last two years. Every time a friend would ask about how the progress, I felt a little embarrassment about how little progress was being made. But, it’s working out. Thanks to a lot of late nights in the garage, the help of friends, and the wide availability of parts and information on the internet, it’s finally together.

I’ll try to keep a reserved attitude about it. The standalone ECU needs tuning. The engine runs hot. There are some electrical bugs that need to be worked out. However, the car was done just in time for my first show at the Gridlife Midwest event! A photo-heavy blog post is forthcoming!