Pictures of Cars with engineerd™: Sno*Drift Edition
While the LongRoofian was enjoying the sun and mild temperatures of Daytona Beach, about 2,000 people decided that we were tougher than that. Instead, we would stand outside in the middle of winter in Northern Michigan facing wind and snow and ice to watch cars drive by. Some may call that insane, I call it fun.
I got a message a while back from SeanKHotay wondering if I would be interested in going to watch Rally America’s Sno*Drift rally up near Atlanta, MI. I said yes. In the weeks leading up to the race, as my excitement grew, so did the pile of work on my desk. This was one of those times where I just had to say screw it all, worked my 40 hours in 3 days, then took a few days off.
I loaded up the Jeep, picked SeanKHotay up at the airport and MiketheDog up at his house then hit the highways north. We didn’t have any snow down here by Detroit, but as we approached the 45th Parallel it was becoming more and more apparent that we would be dealing with the white stuff. We stopped by the tech inspections going on at the high school in Atlanta, and grabbed our spectator guides at rally HQ before heading to our “cabin” and meeting the rest of the crew we would be getting drunk with spending the weekend with.
Friday and Saturday we headed out to watch some racing, and were greeted with ice-covered back roads. I’m a SoCal boy, and despite having lived in Michigan for 12 years I still haven’t spent much time driving on ice. I got better as the weekend went on. Luckily for us, the drivers were slightly better at driving on ice than I was. Well, for the most part.
Sno*Drift is both a national and regional event. That means there wasn’t just the umpteen million Subies, Evos and Fiestae running the course. There was a 1980 Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste (known here as the Plymouth Arrow), a GMC Sonoma, a Chevy Cavalier, some Neons, Golfs and Jettas, a Dodge Shadow and a couple Honda Civics. It was a mix of FWD, RWD and AWD. It was a mix of former national champs and local guys having fun. All of them running the same stages.
We avoided the main spectator areas and instead found our way out to other corners. With cowbells ringing and cameras snapping, we watched as the competitors worked there way around tight corners on snow and ice, without the benefit of studded tires (they’re illegal in Michigan). We watched as some showed their mastery of the Scandinavian flick, while others showed their mastery of getting their car out of a snow bank. We watched as a car from 1980 worked its way up the start order. We froze our asses off while watching the competitors not only have to deal with ice, but also darkness.
Mrs. engineerd™ thinks I am nuts for standing out in the freezing cold to do this. I think I’m nuts for making this my first year. I’ll be back next year and the next. I’ll just keep a fresh supply of foot warmers handy.
I’m still trying to figure out how to embed a Flickr slideshow, so until then go to my Flickr (here) to see some of the action. I’ll be loading more photos as I have time.
Below is a short video shot by Citroen67. You’ll see that the first few cars have it a bit easier than the later cars. The little bit of snow on the road gives just enough traction to work the car around the corner. Once that snow is swept away the carnage begins.
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Ol' Shel' 
Mike_the_Dog 
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I wanted to go to this very badly, but I couldn't get away from work on Friday, and I didn't want to drive 6+ hours to see the end of the festivities on Saturday. Next year!
"We watched as some showed their mastery of the Scandinavian flick"
Hey, I know that guy!
Dude, engineerd™, that looks like all kinds of funstuffs.
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Major kudos to Steve Nowicki for keeping it real with the old RWD Fire Arrow.
Good stuff. Surprised more drivers didn't take an inside line there.
Also good to see some snow, somewhere. I spent the afternoon washing the cars in my t-shirt, then cruising around in the convertible. Almost unheard of in my 16 years of Januarys in KC.
Beautiful weather here too… 70's. Last year we were under ice for better than a week.
You may recall that as "SuperBowl Week 2011"
After the first few cars, "inside line" really wasn't on the menu. I was right in the same spot this was filmed from, and I can attest that it's a bloody miracle nobody took out that tree or ended up in the "parking spot" right in front of the camera.
Always meant to get up to that event when I lived in Toledo. Unfortunately, I never made it
Thanks for the pics and I look forward to next years.
It looks far too cold for my old blood. What there is of it, anyway.
Well Sir: This olelongrooffan will concede that racing action looked fun and would be fun for me, if said action was on TV and could be seen from a heated trackside motorhome.
Further, I will also concede members of the feminine persuasion in snowsuits are cute, I think sun and warm temps provide for more delightful off track viewing for this wandering olelongrooffan.
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Possibly northern Michigan in late January 2013? Highly doubtful my fellow Hoon but, speaking for all of we Hoons, glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing.
And if further rationalization is necessary.
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Meee-yow.
I'm volunteering at the next event on the Rally America schedule, the 100 Acre Wood in southeast Missouri. I've missed the last couple years, but when I last went down it started icing up heavily on the middle of the second day. They had to cancel the last stage because the sweep cars were going in, but they weren't coming back out. Not that snow hadn't already claimed a victim or two…
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The Talon in the back slid into a drainage culvert and tore out its front suspension, and the MR2 went in the ditch on the other side of the road trying to avoid it. He was able to get out, but crumpled up a fender against an obstacle later in the day.
Awesome time! I can't wait to go again next year! Many apologies for the short(and very blue-ish tinted) video. Next year will bring with it more memory stick, more beer, and lots more photo/video. I can't thank you and the crew enough for having me along! Next year I might actually be able to get there when it starts, as opposed to the next day, when it's half over!
Group B sure has been tamed down a lot. I don't know why they banned it entirely…
Plymouth Arrow? Sweet.
There was the Arrow, a '90's Cavalier and a Subie Legacy of indeterminate vintage that I was paying particular attention to. I'm pretty sure they all finished.
From the results, they claim the Subie Legacy was a '94, Mike.
Thanks for sparing me the hassle of looking it up. '94 must have been just about the last year of that body style, though. (or maybe not).
We can't forget about the circa 80's S-10!
M.J. on the left. Long live the King!
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