Let me ask you a straight ahead query: What’s your favorite a part of a automotive present? Bar catching up with my pals, I believe watching the vehicles roll out and in of the venue needs to be a spotlight. Our challenge vehicles are meant for use and pushed, so naturally there’s one thing tremendous satisfying about seeing them on the transfer.
Now, what if mentioned there’s a present the place challenge vehicles spend two full days transferring. However they’re not merely driving about; they’re coming into a chicane at 80mph, backwards, in entrance of an viewers of about 2,000 individuals… beneath 1,400 present vehicles parked up round a stadium. Ultrace actually is the reward that retains on giving.
Simply once you start to marvel how this occasion may probably get any higher, the organisers present a big chunk of the overall automotive park subsequent to the stadium to a gaggle of pals. This group of pals goes by the title Subsequent Stage Drift, and so they’ve been on the forefront of grassroots road drifting lately.
Subsequent Stage Drift’s job at Ultrace is, on paper, an easy one. The group get to placed on a present beneath the principle present. Right here, they entertain the occasion attendees while placing Poland’s road drifting group within the highlight of the digital world that tunes into Ultrace yearly.
However why can we tune in? And, why are these the fellows and ladies that get given the job to entertain us?
Over the past twenty years, Poland has slowly however absolutely paved the way in which for on-line road drifting content material exterior of Japan. The geography of the nation means it has entry to plenty of mountainous, twisty roads straight harking back to true Japanese touge footage. Turning into a part of the EU made it awfully straightforward to seek out and import low cost, rear-wheel drive German vehicles into Poland, and a thriving, partaking method to web use has seen like-minded communities flourish and develop at lightning pace.
Anybody can add a video onto the web of an E36 drifting some quiet backstreets, however the factor that made the Polish movies stand out was the styling and high quality of the vehicles. They seemed unreal within the movies – low with huge wheels well-fitted into the arches. And not one of the drivers had been holding again.
It didn’t take lengthy for the remainder of the world to begin clocking onto what was taking place on the streets of Poland. Earlier than everybody knew it, these vehicles and their homeowners had been getting extra consideration than skilled drivers competing in aggressive occasions on the time.
With a buzz concerning the sport, teams of pals started to kind and occasions began to creep up. Occasions which celebrated low, well-styled vehicles extra so than ridiculous tech and driving kinds.
Quietly, the aim turned to construct a one thing that seemed prefer it shouldn’t drift, after which ship it round a monitor in entrance of all of your mates. Wheels turned shinier and wider; paint turned extra flamboyant; fitment turned tighter.
Subsequent Stage Drift celebrates all of this by a number of occasions a 12 months. The aim on the occasions is to look good, and in terms of this Poland is solely forward of the curve in comparison with the remainder of Europe. Right now’s 15-year-old, car-obsessed teenager is taking part in Want for Pace constructing vehicles impressed by what they’ve seen on Subsequent Stage’s Instagram feed.
That’s the reason Subsequent Stage Drift is the group tasked with organising and executing a tremendous show of road drift vehicles at Ultrace. The followers wish to see it, and boy did they profit from it final weekend.
All through the whole weekend, the obstacles overhanging the monitor had been chock-a-block with spectators. Even as soon as the monitor opened as much as the general public within the night so everybody may take a nearer take a look at the parked vehicles, there have been nonetheless individuals hanging over the railing above.
So naturally, you wish to know extra. Who’re these people who helped pioneer and orchestrate the entire thing?
Properly, there are plenty of faces concerned, and the factor concerning the Ultrace show is that it’s in the end a trailer, or quite a prologue to Subsequent Stage Drift’s most important summer time occasion, which takes place subsequent month. The excellent news for you is that Speedhunters shall be there, and we’ll get a more in-depth take a look at the people who make this celebration come to life.
On that notice, it’s time to lastly wrap up my Ultrace protection (Vladimir has some extra on the way in which, although). I had a loopy couple of days in Wrocław, making pals and experiencing a brand new layer of automotive tradition. I discovered so much and shall be taking these experiences onwards with me for certain.
I’ll depart you with a present within the type of the rest of the gallery. Think about this a taster of what’s to come back later within the 12 months.
Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candyshowroom
