Losing traction isn’t always a bad thing: just ask the folks over at Salt City Drift. For the last 15 years, the organization has been providing events for the car guys and thrill-seekers of the Salt Lake Valley. The sport of competitive drifting has grown in popularity over time, but is largely inaccessible to those who want to participate due to the inherently dangerous nature of the sport. More often than not, street races are shut down and competitors are charged with reckless driving. There remains a necessity for locals to be able to take their Nissan 350Zs and BMW 3 Series somewhere and slide them to their heart’s content. The place is Utah Motorsports Campus, where competitors, spectators and anyone with a need for speed is welcome.
“It’s kind of a dance.”
Salt City Drift emphasizes safety and community in competitive drifting. Photo: Jess Gruneisen.
Ryan Dye has been Salt City Drift’s director of operations and safety coordination for the last two years and Jessica West has been the director of media coverage and scheduling for the last year. We sat down with the pair to learn more about the world of organized motorsport drifting. Dye first became interested in the sport after attending Formula Drift in 2014 and was inspired by how the drivers were able to dance with death: “I thought, ‘I could do that,’” he says. West wasn’t initially involved with the car community until she met her partner. She began attending competitions alongside him and would take pictures, as she was passionate about photography. The group’s need for marketing combined with her talent led to West’s high level of involvement in Salt City Drift, eventually running their social media. The two give me an eye into what the competitive sport consists of, from scoring and safety precautions to selfie sticks.
“It’s kind of a dance,” says Dye. If you’re anything like me, you’d forget that these competitions end with winners and losers and are not just an excuse to see cars do donuts. However, there are rules to this game: It begins with two vehicles on the track—a lead car and a chase car. On the track, there are designated areas that the cars are required to be in for a specific amount of time. These painted zones are what decides the designated route that the drivers must follow. While driving ‘round the track, the cars are drifting the whole time, indefinitely. That’s right. The rounds are untimed, which means the main criteria that competitors are judged on is speed and fluidity, drift angle, line selection and style—in other words, the proximity between the door of the car and the tires. Each round, the drivers are awarded points based on how well they are able to drift—and no, the amount of smoke emitted is not counted. After each round the lead and chase switch positions and they are graded again. Whoever is able to gain the majority sum of points is deemed the victor.
“The community is unmatched.”
Salt City Drift creates space for anyone interested in watching or participating in competitive drifting. Photo: Jess Gruneisen.
A large motivation behind organizing a sport that often results in accidents is that the group is able to look out for one another. If all goes well, the event rarely leads to injury. This is because both on a larger level of organization and in grassroots competition, there are tech requirements that the cars are obligated to pass before they can hit the track. The cars can’t have a cracked windshield and they must be a roll cage, meaning that they contain bash bars in the case of a crash, so that the driver won’t be slammed into the pavement. These rules are updated every year and vary depending on the given competition. In huge news for selfie-takers, Salt City Drift does allow selfie sticks. In fact, the reasoning behind it is because drivers and passenger riders are more likely to keep their hands inside the vehicle if they are permitted to bring something that can help them take a photo. I’d certainly snap a few in the Joker mobile.
It’s heartwarming to see diehard fans of an extreme sport come together for a shared purpose of keeping each other safe while participating in a high risk activity. “The community is unmatched,” says West. For those interested in competing or simply spectating (and maybe even copping a ride-along), visit saltcitydrift.shop or follow them on Instagram at @saltcitydrift.
