Clues and Cookie Crumbs: Connecting the Dots in Drifting.

A while back some of you may remember that I took some photos of a crisp old Toyota Corolla in a parking lot in Waldport Oregon.. I found this tattered and beaten corolla in the parking lot of the local market parked next to the recycling shed. I had recently got a new camera, which I was eager to use and couldn't resist the urge to take some photos of this iconic drift car. It turns out there is more of a story to the missile I found that day then I initially thought..

 This here corolla, I thought was just some lovingly neglected corolla never given the time of day to have a spirited drive. I thought this little feller was simply a leftover from a once well used and enjoyed driver who liked to slap some stickers on his car, and play drift slut with his battered and under powered little import. But boy was I wrong.

Some of you readers may know of a quaint little place in Oregon just south of Portland called Pat Acres Racing Complex, better known as "PARC." Now this place called PARC is much more than just a run of the mill racing complex. This has recently become the holy mecca of Northwestern American drift. This place is the off season.. and on-season training, tuning, and stomping grounds of greats like Ryan Tuerck Matt Powers and other Formula Drift greats, not to mention the home track for a little known drift team ShaDynasty.

But back to the topic at hand, as you more attentive viewers hopefully noticed, the photo above is of a picture of the corolla that I found on vacation in Waldport, and the photo was taken on turn six of the track called PARC. What a thing! This neglected little blue coupe is no neglected has been, but a well used and enjoyed, and daily driven corolla. That not only could have a good time on a world class drift track but also could be daily'd by some fine well refined and dignified gentleman.

As can be seen in this fine photo taken by a Mr. C Campbell, this corolla and the corolla seen in Waldport are one and the same! I found this and other photos I will post below while doing some deep internet searches of early PARC drifting, a time when drifting in the states was at its purest, when people came to a track to have some fun with their buddies and slide around their under powed Japanese gems.

I found these particular ones on flicker, way at the bottom of a photo group called "PARC Drift" taken way back in the 2013's. When PARC wasn't overpopulated and people there always wore a smile.

These pictures capture a time when the heavenly dream of drifting was fully lived and undoubtedly realized by the owner of this corolla and gentlemen like him.

In retrospect it is pretty incredible that I found this little feller that day in Waldport. I mean what are the odds that the interest of the man behind this camera would echo those of a once known Chris Campbell at a magical place called Pat's Acres. A place I would never fully appreciate until a much later date.

This has been the first in hopefully more "Clues and Cookie Crumbs" where I take you, the reader, on a mystical journey back into the yore olden days of drift and connect those to a more recent and tangible time, showing that the past isn't dead... in fact, it isn't even past at all...

Joshua Sewell
Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

Stateline Drift Day

 Stateline is a town in norther Idaho between Spokane and Coure d'alene. This little town happens to have a pretty cool speedway in it... among other entertainment outlets. This past weekend I headed up to the speedway to shoot some photos of the locals shredding the track at an open drift hosted by Stateline Drift.

 This was the second open drift and third event on their events calendar. If it wasn't for a busy first half of the year I would have been at more of their events but life happens... even to the best of them.

 My main goal in going up was to get some guys stoked on pictures of their cars and as always stretch myself as a photographer. Both of these goals I think I accomplished. One because most of the photos turned out, or at least enough of them and second, I finally got a shutter speed slower than an eighth of a second to be in focus. This one above was shot at 1/5th. If your any kind of a photography buff I hope you know those aren't easy to pull off. I was more than pleased with how this one turned out.

 I was absolutely loving the looks of this old corolla. He had a lot of understeer at some times, but when he did get some oversteer you could count on my camera capturing all it could of it. 

 One thing I think is so awesome about Statline Speedway is how beginner friendly it is. As long as you follow the basic safety spec rules for your car and have a full faced helmet you are set to take any rear wheel drive car out there you like. Aside from the stock Corolla there was this lightly modified 240sx along with some other pretty low budget pumps out there and they were having just as much fun as the rest of them.

 Some of the cars that show up at Stateline are pretty mint too.. This 240sx is now far from stock and was, in my opinion the best looking at the event. Consequently, I took the most photos of this red beauty... I mean when a photographer has an eye for pretty things he takes more pictures of those pretty things. In this case the pretty thing was this red 240..

 This is another slow shutter speed shot. 1/8th. The funny thing about this one is it was almost an accident. I just kinda shot from the hip and followed the car.. the three or four shots surrounding this shot were extremely blurry though, sometimes it works.. most times it doesn't.

 This was another pretty good looking Pumper of Air out on track that day. Unfortunately it didn't have front fenders or a hood... or a front bumper, so I kindly framed this photo to leave out that fact. I mean I understand not having a hood on if you need to keep the engine cooler, but side skirts, fenders, and a bumper kinda go without saying. And at this track there is very little to bust up your kit besides another car or like.. a wall. And if your car looks mint it will get more pictures taken of it.

This last shot gets me pretty excited. This is a shot of one of the locals who has been with Stateline for a while now. The reason I'm stoked is that not only does this guy know how to drift but he also just set up this car for this season after retiring (I hope) his old 240... The first three photos of the post in that link are of his old car.. Its great to see someone with the talent to slide a car go from something which looks that munched to something that looks pretty awesome in comparison. I wonder if he is planning to paint this one.. Austin are you there? Either way I'm hoping to see it at the Independence Matsuri and I'm banking on some other rad rides to show up there too.

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

A few from Final Bout

Memorial day weekend I had the opportunity to attend Final Bout Special Stage West (SSW). I played the role of spectator but still brought along a camera to document a bit of what went on that day. Here's some of the better shots I got.

The day after Final Bout I got the opportunity to shoot out on track and had a blast especially since some of the hoonigan guys showed up. Post on that coming.

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo

A Walk In Yokohama+Rocketbunny Cafe!

Going To the rocket bunny cafe.. A dream for many car enthusiasts a reality for few... This was my main goal for the day I had in Yokohama. Aside from going to an Up garage and generally taking in the frivolities of Yokohama. After getting off the train at its closest stop to the Bunny Cafe I took out my camera and started documenting some Japan.

 Fist thing that caught my eye was a pretty looking FD Rx7. These cars look really good in stock form in my opinion. Stock wheels, front lip spoiler. Just enough to catch some attention but not to much to be obnoxious.

Just your average private tire shop in Japan.. with a mean looking 370z Fairlady getting some fresh kicks. The shop was just getting a new shipment of tires or I might have stopped in and tried some broken Japanese conversation with them.

Further down the road and after a lengthy stop at a seven eleven (Conbini (convince store)) It started to get a bit dark and I noticed the unmistakable DX headlights of a civic. Turned out it was a Type R. Picture taken.

 Another everyday shop, much like the tire shop. This was a filling station with gas around $5.21 US. I take for granted the gas I get, and complain about, in the states at $2.50. Notice the overhead pull down fillers and attendants waiting to assist you much like the service. Just like in the movie Wangan Midnight.

Embarrassingly I felt a little less homesick after seeing this McDonald's. I didn't get anything because I wanted to save my appetite for the Cafe so dont judge to hard. I personally cant get over the classical theme to this picture the Rx8 in the drive through the delivery scooters out front (yes McDonald's delivers in Japan), and on these cool three wheeled scooters with attendants in full uniform and a cool helmet. Classic Japan.

Spotted the 12th R34 I've ever seen in real life 8 of which happened in Japan. These things are literally everywhere over here.

While walking down a back road and a shortcut I found a security guard guarding a public park.. Id never seen that before.

As I came closer to the cafe I walked past so many of these vending machines.. I had to resist the temptation to buy though... had to get the full experience at the Bunny Cafe.

 The common view of a seven eleven. These much like the vending machines are everywhere in Japan, and they have free Wifi. This one with a AE111 Levin out front. One of those cars with a Blacktop 4ag engine that every AE86 owner wants in their car.

 Option! Very Exciting Car Magazine indeed..

 Little did I know that just past the Seven Eleven was what I was looking for. You can just barely see it in the first picture with the AE111. I spent some time across the street just taking in the fact that I had reached what I would like to consider one of the meccas of modern Japanese automotive culture. I snapped a few more shots and headed over.

 Throughout the month/year they switch out the pro car on display. This one is driven by Arkadiy Tsaregradtsev and in D1GP Special stage Odaiba Round 6 Tsaregradtsev made it to Ultimate 8 but got eliminated by Yoich Imamura In his LFA.. yeah a Lexus LFA... Drifting. Love it.

 It's crazy to think that less than two weeks earlier this car was competing in the world premiere drifting series.. and I could spend some intimate time with it. This cafe is next level.

 The Russian's office. What a job.

 Moving into the Cafe there was cool gizmos and gadgets of drifting goodness and craft beer everywhere. Notice the Drift Alliance Sticker on the helmet visor. Japanese must think Americans are at least kinda cool.

 Further on in there was swag and magazines and other dope items up for grabs. I ended up getting the "Four 6" hat on the right. along with some other stuff.

 One of the rad Australians I met and befriended at the cafe bought the middle right skateboard deck. I had a bit of a budget to stick to unfortunately so the hat was good for me.

 During the meal I had called the "Loca Moco" one of the Australians pointed out the wheels on the wall and bickered with his "mates" about how much money was hanging up there. I think they agreed on something like $1600.00 I didn't want to argue. I couldn't name all the wheels let alone estimate a price on them, and if  I argued they might have loosed their Kangaroo on me or something! I don't know what Aussies do when they're pissed and the last thing I wanted to do after eating the Loca Moco (which was delicious and filling) was to box a Kangaroo, so I kept my mouth shut.

After finishing the Loco Moco buying the swag and finding out that our server was a pro driver himself I walked over to the the Australian's Rental AE86 car with them to check it out and headed back home.

Over all I give this Cafe a "would defiantly recommend to a friend" kind of rating. I mean this place was just so cool. The ultimate destination for drifting and tuner car enthusiasts. I can't say enough good about this place. The driver, I mean server, was nice and treated us like a group of good friends. The overall atmosphere was chill and relaxed but had this energetic feel about it with all the automotive stuff going on. I could have stated another three hours and still felt like I could take in more of the experience. So If you do ever get a chance to go to the Bunny Cafe. My simple recommendation is to go. You wont regret it.

Thanks for sticking around!

Joshua Sewell

Instagram: josh_sewell_photo