Exhibition drifting is all about extreme oversteer, and the drivers at #GRIDLIFE 2017 brought the most edge-of-your-seat action in the Midwest to the Gingerman Raceway. This year’s drifting lineup is one of the many things that raised the bar for the ever-growing annual #GRIDLIFE Motorsports Festival event series.
Drifters lined up for both solo runs and multiple car tandems to put on smoke-billowing, tire-shredding shows for 8,000-plus spectators throughout the weekend. While in the hot seat, drivers were cool and collected, and from the stands, the action was raw, yet oddly peaceful, like synchronized dancing with a twist of burning pavement, beastly machines and adrenaline. Drifts were solidly held through each of the 11 turns with fully-locked steering and wide-opened throttles. The longer the walls of smoke trailed behind the drift cars, the louder the cries of pure joy erupting from the stands, but the cheering was soon drowned out by the roaring engines and screaming tires.
Without further ado, here are some of our favorite cars that shredded it up at #GRIDLIFE Midwest:
1. VAUGHN GITTIN JR.'S NITTO TIRE MUSTANG RTR
Ready to rock and Gittin' it.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. is always Ready To Rock (RTR, get it?); but how could he not be, seeing as how he has this 900-hp pony car that’s rarin’ to go. Eat your hearts out: the Ford Mustang RTR’s power is pumped out by a Roush Yates RY25 V8 engine, which has an insanely wide torque curve, redlining at 9,000 rpm. Sticky Nitto NT05s put the power to the ground, and the S550’s MacPherson strut-based suspension teamed with BC Racing coilovers encourage aggressive but controlled drifts around every turn.
2. RYAN TUERCK'S FERRARI-POWERED TOYOTA
Sideways supercar.
Building a supercar setup for drift was a dream come true for Ryan Tuerck and drift fans alike. This Ferrari 458-powered Toyota GT4586 is a screaming, smoke-spewing tire serial killer, and its explosive exotic snarl drowned out every competitor’s menacing revs. To date, the fantasy mash-up build barks out 500-plus horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Tuerck was still getting acquainted with the build during #GRIDLIFE Midwest and is looking forward to making subtle upgrades that will make it perfect for any track.
3. RYAN LITTERAL'S RB25DET-POWERED 240SX
And the crowd goes wild!
Ryan Litteral has quickly gained recognition for being a consistent, entertaining driver that balances on the line between chaos and control. His extensively built RB25DET-powered Nissan 240SX aptly matches his skill level. Running with 800 horsepower, 600 ft-lbs of torque and 30 psi of boost, the energy extruding from this car caused an eruption of excitement to reverberate through the crowd with his every pass. A full BN Sports Type IV body kit ensured that he looked good doing it. A driver in Formula Drift’s Pro2 division, Litteral is on the fast track to compete with the crème de la crème in Pro.
4. ROB PARSON'S HAND-CONTROLLED S13
Drifting by hand.
At first glance, the supercharged 5.7L LS-powered Nissan looks similar to any other S13 drift car, but taking a deeper look inside of the cockpit revealed the most unique drift car we have ever seen. You see, Rob Parsons "Chairslayer" has an unstoppable passion for drifting, and even after his spine was severed from a dirt bike accident in 2001, he determinedly built his way back into the driver’s seat.
Using a 1991 Nissan 180SX as a base, Chairslayer engineered the car to fit his specifications. The throttle and brakes are operated by motorcycle-style hand controls, a hand lever hydraulically engages the clutch in a seamless fashion, and an electronic paddle shifter allows for quick gear changes. With all of the controls in the cockpit, a drift car can be a chaotic place, and the turbulent g-forces increase the challenge tenfold. Operating a drift car is one of the more physically demanding forms of motorsport out there, and Rob Chairslayer has beaten all odds with this very special Nissan.
5. DIRK STRATTON'S 'DRIFTVETTE' C6
When in doubt, smoke 'em out.
The skies were clear through the entire event at #GRIDLIFE Midwest, but Dirk Stratton was making clouds of his own in his Pro2 Formula Drift Corvette. A naturally aspirated Lingenfelter-built LS7, equipped with a Haltech Elite 2500 ECU, powered the impressive smoke show. The Elite 2500 has a flat shift feature that allows the sequential Pfitzner Performance gearbox to shift seamlessly. With enough power to spin the tires against the stickiest of pavement on Stratton’s every whim, the Corvette left a trail of smoke so long that Stratton seemingly drifted around the 11-turn, 2.21-mile raceway and back into the tail of his own trail.