Posts Tagged ‘drift safari’

“Sir, get back in your vehicle!” The U.S. Border Patrol Officer scowled at me, and I scurried back to my car and frantically seated myself. The motor that powers my passenger window died last year and my car is right-hand drive, and since I didn’t have Ryan Benoit to assist me this year, I was a ‘one-camera band.’ After being scolded, I was allowed to carry on through scot-free. So I hightailed it out of there with the biggest grin on my face — probably because I felt like I was inches away from being detained. Welcome to America, indeed.

I was on my way to Monroe, Washington: home to Evergreen Speedway, the track that sees regular amateur drift events and of course, holds one of the rounds of the Formula Drift series.

It was raining; this is the Pacific Northwest so it’s often raining. I was feeling optimistic about how the day was going to go. But when I arrived at the track I met up with a fellow media friend, Wes Barber, who came down from B.C.’s interior to take photos. It was good to be around ‘car friends’ once again, and regardless of the rain I knew it was going to be a great day.

I won’t dive into the nitty, gritty details; now it’s your turn to investigate what went on. I hope you get a feel for what it was like to be there and remember, this video was made possible by good ol’ fashioned American freedom.

Here’s a fun fact: Don’t put a Pedo Bear decal on your window. An Border Official had never questioned me about that decal until that day, so maybe the time has finally come to take it down.

This is the one time of year when, for a few brief moments, I can stop thinking of what I need to do and look back at what I’ve done. I was really lucky this year because I got to see and do a lot of cool things. So here’s a simple list of the things I saw through my lens this year.

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I would have preferred to call it the Big Bird Media project but Gaelen beat me to naming rights. Anyway Gaelen from Big Boy media put up a teaser for a project that we started working on while I was in Vancouver. I could tell you about it or I could just let Gaelen fill you in. Go over to Big Boy Media and find out what Gaelen, Devan and myself  are working on.

After two weeks away I’ve finally come home to Saskatchewan. Apparently it has snowed a lot since I’ve been away and my car needed a boost. The scenery here is in stark opposition to what I found in Vancouver. For example, just a few weekends ago Trent from Drift Safari was able to bring out his AE86 on Work Meisters.

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I got tired of there not being a Monday Morning Rundown. It’s Monday morning and people want an escape from doing real work. Old man Dave has been too busy being a grown up to come through for you guys, but don’t worry, I will never be a real grown up.

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Sleep deprivation, Red Robin and Subway is how I would describe my weekend to most people. However, to the people who get me and what I am about I could break it down into one word – Awesome. That is just what it means to be at one of these events.
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It has been almost a year since the last event, I guess that is what you call “annual.” Anyway, last year we drove out West saw some drifting and made some friends. One of those friends was my media brother from another mother, Devan Francis. I was unable to make this year, but Devan who has since joined the ranks of DODO is out on the mountain again this year. So until we get a new vid, here is what he did last year.

Drift Union Invitational 2011| Pure Insanity from DF Films on Vimeo.

I won’t write a lot because I mostly just want you to watch the video, and maybe share it on Facebook or something. There are two things you need to know about this video. The first is that it was shot by Devan Francis and myself (Ryan Benoit). The second thing, is that the music used has bad ass lyrics that some may find it offensive. Enjoy!

Every Canadian knows that Vancouver has a reputation for its breathtaking scenery, ocean side living and of course…more then average rainy weather. When I heard about the first CellBlock D drift event of the year, I wasn’t even thinking about the chances of it raining or snowing. Unfortunately, since I had forgotten about the chances of this happening it of course happened. Generally people who live within Vancouver or the surrounding area know how to dress and know exactly what to expect, but since I hail from the prairies and bluebird skies, I was quite ill-prepared. Needless to say it was a great opportunity to meet some members of the Western Canadian drift team, Drift Safari. The raceway echoed at the raw power that their cars produced and despite all the moisture, their driving skills were exemplified even more so. The video captures how miserable the weather was but I hope that it puts a smile on your face!

Water-logged | DF Films | DODOlogic from DF Films on Vimeo.

The sounds of engines revving, tires squealing and the aroma of fresh rubber being burned filled the air of Evergreen Speedway.  To quote Kermit the Frog, “Is this the sweet sound that called the young sailors?” No this isn’t the Rainbow Connection; this is drifting in the Pacific Northwest at Nissan Fest. Read the rest of this entry »