How UDC Solved Drifting’s Biggest Problem
Drivers are raving about the format that puts skill development first.
HAPPY RACE DAY! especially to everyone we met during the public debut of Life At Shutter Speed by Larry Chen, our newest coffee table book on enthusiast culture.
The book made its appearance at an enormous meet in Riverside, CA sponsored by 7-Eleven to celebrate the launch of its custom Hot Wheels diecast Toyota Supra. Now that’s how you do a corporate-backed car meet right.
You can preorder Life At Shutter Speed right here to receive it ahead of the release date on September 29th.
In this issue:
🏁 Catching up with an innovative drifting league
📍 Where to find high-level drifting near you
📺 A new style of motorsports coverage
Keeping Sideways Spirit Alive
Here’s the good news: Drifting is the fastest-growing motorsport in the country.
The bad news is that reaching the major leagues of Formula Drift is increasingly out of reach. It takes a wealth of sponsor money, travel time and horsepower to get a foot in the door. Minor leagues come with their own set of challenges, too.
Over the weekend I trekked to the Mojave Desert to visit Apple Valley Speedway and see one of the leagues that could reinject drifting with its original spirit. That’s where the Ultimate Drifting Challenge held the final round of its Southern Division season.
UDC is nothing fancy. Founded by a group of friends largely based in Utah and Idaho, it’s a loosely-organized but highly competitive series attracting semipro drivers, ex-rockstars and action sports goofballs to racetracks across the American west.
But in speaking with drivers, organizers and sponsors, there was unanimous agreement that UDC has several key elements working in its favor:
Time on track. Rather than a “knockout” style format, where you’re often eliminated from competition after your first loss, UDC guarantees each driver competes in at least five battles of two runs each. That means you’ll do a ton of driving to sharpen your skills.
Great competition. The promise of extra practice brings talent from all over. Friday’s Street 215 class boasted drivers from Colorado as well as locals who practically live at Apple Valley. Saturday’s Pro Light 235 class attracted semi-professional drifters who have competed in FD before, or are nearing the qualifications for a pro license.
Focus on building young drivers. UDC is full of big personalities, and among them are a group of teenagers who gain the most from extra seat time. Competing in this series can supercharge your growth, and if the UDC can produce the next big Formula Drift star, it only increases the league’s profile.
“UDC is where it’s at,” one person who sponsors the series told me. “When they told me about the format that emphasizes as much driving time as possible, it was a no-brainer. I knew we wanted to support.”
Young drivers are already thriving. On Friday I watched thirteen-year old Chester Wasiel floor the gas on his Nissan 350Z and whip it tail-end first into a sweeping left turn fast enough to break your neck. Even as temperatures soared into the high-90s, Wasiel continued hitting his marks and impressing the judges. In one duel he nearly defeated a regular on the FD tour.
“That kid is going to be an absolute terror,” said one judge.
“He already is!” echoed the other two.
A soft-spoken teenager who grew up racing online in an at-home simulation rig, Wasiel is now a cunning “IRL” driver with ambitions of going pro. On Friday in the Street 215 class he scored enough points to secure second place in the season championship, and on Saturday in the Pro Light 235 class he finished third overall.
“I’ve been wanting to do this for as long as I can remember,” he told me.
Not only does UDC emphasize driving time, it also scores the runs differently. Drivers compete against each other with cumulative points earned over the course of a round where they might battle five times, with the highest overall scorers moving on to the finals.
That means one mistake, or running into one experienced rival, isn’t going to ruin your day. The system rewards consistency, and even showing up in the first place – losers still earn two points per loss.
“I come here and I can do 36 laps.” — Professional drifter Margaritis Katsanidis.
Erick Kegney, an Apple Valley local who claims he’s driven more than 8,000 laps of the track, said it’s one of his favorite things about UDC. “I can lose two or three battles,” Kegney said, “and still get enough points to advance into the finals and sweep it.”
Kegney is one of the series’ biggest personalities. His white BMW E30 carries a massive American flag suctioned to the rear window, making it impossible to miss as the back end swings around in a plume of smoke.
He’s also one of its biggest advocates. Early on, he recognized the talent in Wasiel and offered him garage space so his family wouldn’t have to trailer the Z back and forth. Last weekend Kegney could be found walking the pits to encourage his own competition, or even lend them a hand on repairs.
“I want to win, but it’s more fun if we’re all helping bring the best in of each other,” he said.
That approach is clearly attracting competitors from all over. Jeff Coonrod trailered his Toyota 86 all the way from Colorado for the event, and our author Larry Chen ripped a few laps in his own 350Z before suffering an untimely blown belt that ended the weekend. Terik Steele, a retired metal drummer and motorcycle drag racer is working toward earning his pro drift license, but praised the skill level and spirit of his competitors.
I also caught up with Margaritis Katsanidis, an experienced Formula DRIFT driver known as “The Greek Doctor.” He said the UDC will stay a minor league as long as it sticks to its current formula, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“I’m here because I do a lot of driving,” Katsanidis said. “It costs $10,000 just to show up at FD, and you might do three laps, maybe twelve laps or 20 laps – but that’s IF you win. I come here and I can do 36 laps.”
Seat time matters. UDC organizers said that some drivers learn so much over the course of a season that their skills are barely recognizable by the end. For someone with professional aspirations, like 13-year old Wasiel, that could mean all the difference.
Wanna Find a Drift Event?
It can be hard to keep track of drift events and schedules. Below are some upcoming events to watch from the world of drift.
Ultimate Drifting Challenge (tickets here)
Villains Sportland in Walla Walla, WA: August 15-16th
Utah Touge in Cedar City, UT: September 5-7th
Redding Drift City in Redding, CA: September 26-27th
HotPit Autofest (tickets here)
Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, CA: September 13th
Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV: November 1st
Formula Drift (tickets here)
Evergreen Speedway in Seattle, WA: August 8-9th
Utah Motorsports Campus in Grantsville, UT: August 28-30th
Shoreline Showdown in Long Beach, CA: October 17-18th
And Finally…
I had the pleasure of meeting Will Poussant at UDC over the weekend. In addition to being a maniac on the track, Poussant pulls double duty as a series announcer and hosts a YouTube show about drifting news. Bring back talk shows!
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