J.A. Ackley said:"This reminds me of the old days, back in the ’60s, [when] the cars would come over here and hang out."
I love this. I imagine there was that feeling of "the kids are going to be alright."
Photography Courtesy Drift Appalachia
Drift Appalachia has not only introduced a new form of motorsport to the U.S.–touge–but also brought it to areas quite unfamiliar with drifting as a whole.
Nevertheless, Drift Appalachia draws crowds when it rolls into the small Appalachian towns that host them. That was especially evident during the party at the Mountain View Drive-In in Stanford, Kentucky, preceding the June event.
[Drift Appalachia brings Touge-style drifting to America]
Stanton, population 3000 or so, is best known for its Powell County Corn Festival in August which attracts more than 8000 to it. The area is far removed from the biggest drift events. However, the locals’ curiosity brought them out in droves.
“It was the first time we got to this area,” says Edgar Sarmiento, who runs Drift Appalachia with Brian Eggert. “Talking with the locals, they were like this was the biggest thing they’ve seen in a long time. The owner of the drive-in, he’s an old-timer, and he’s like, ‘This reminds me of the old days, back in the ’60s, [when] the cars would come over here and hang out.’ The community outreaches are definitely catching on.”
The Stanton, Kentucky, touge was Drift Appalachia’s fourth event. Edgar says they feel they’ve got the operations part down pat. He adds that Backroads of Appalachia has been extremely helpful in getting them access to roads in Kentucky and West Virginia as well.
Edgar says that maybe the biggest win of them all is the community support they have received. Part of that buy-in results from a group of affable drivers with a roster of cars that has something for everyone.
“Kiely Mackey, he has that Plymouth Satellite–it catches a lot of eyes,” Edgar says. “I saw a family–a grandfather, a father, and a grandson–hanging out with Kiely. Kiely turns it on and starts revving it. The smiles on their faces were just amazing.”
For those wondering when the next Drift Appalachia event will be, keep an eye toward fall, with the exact time and location to be determined. Soon after, they’d like to announce a complete 2025 schedule.
For those looking to participate, Edgar advises you to keep drifting. The Drift Appalachia events are invite-only, but he says they’re watching, and they put out applications twice a year.
To keep up on the latest from Drift Appalachia, visit driftappalachia.com.
J.A. Ackley said:"This reminds me of the old days, back in the ’60s, [when] the cars would come over here and hang out."
I love this. I imagine there was that feeling of "the kids are going to be alright."
In reply to Colin Wood :
The drift crowd overall has a younger vibe - and they are indeed car people. Love the scene.
I'll say this, in terms of professional motorsports spectating, there's no better deal than a Formula Drift round. $60 gets you in the doors for a full three-day weekend, qualifying and eliminations for Pro and ProSpec (basically the minor leagues). No pit passes or any of that. You can just go anywhere. Want to walk into the pits and likely talk your favorite driver and get a photo with them? Go ahead. Want to stand by the burnout box and watch cars warm up? Knock yourself out. Autograph session? That's included too. And the cars, ohhhhh, the cars. 1000hp twin-turbo LS Cadillac XLR? Check. RHD Mustang with bored and stroked NASCAR motors huffing nitrous? Check. Turbo three-rotor RX-8? Check. S15 with a screaming RB26? Check. I dragged one of my non-car friends to a round a number of years ago, and he was instantly hooked. He's been going back with me ever since.
In reply to NickD :
I'll admit that I didn't pay for the tickets at the time because I was still a teenager living with my parents, I recall the Red Bull GRC at Daytona having a similar vibe. There were more places you could go than couldn't.
Good memories.
The access is incredible in Formula Drift. The drivers encourage interaction. While other forms of motorsport advertise their accessibility, Formula Drift actually walks the talk.
In reply to Colin Wood :
GRC was awesome for access. It was so much fun the couple rounds that I worked. Sat in on the driver meetings. It was pretty cool to meet the deegan's and tanner foust.
I would love to see a touge run style drift event. Too bad as a spectator, the vision is bad.
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