Camarillo revisited

It’s been a few years since I’ve been at Camarillo airport for a drift event. The last time I was here was probably around 2002 maybe 2001. Memory is fuzzy, but I guess that’s what tire smoke does to a brain. During that time, not many really knew what drifting was all about. Mainly enthusiasts who drove RWD vehicles from Japan could relate to you, more so if you were an AE86 driver. Now it’s 2008 and I had an opportunity to once again drive at one of the birthplaces of drifting in mainland U.S.A.
Photo courtesy of Wes H.

An early photo of me and Moto (Club4AG) gridding for some tsuiso practice at the first Camarillo Drift Day. Not really, at the time the art of tsuiso wasn’t utilized at the Drift Day events.

Not much has changed, this plane still sit in the same spot.

Drift Day staff checking on surface condition.

The surface itself has changed. It’s been repaved to be much smoother. Hence more tire friendly. If you’ve been here back then, you’ll know that the surface was really rough and consumed tires with a vengeance. To give you an idea, in my mild na corolla I had at the time, went through 4 tires with time to spare. Usually I’d go through 1 pair in a whole day at the old Irwindale parking lot.

Unfortunately my day was pretty much cut short, due to a blown engine. The gods have spoken with an iron fist. So it’s time to bust out the camera again and take some random shots.

No they didn't drift the Hertz Mustang. Though it would have been cool to see.



Many of the flying bill boards come from this airport. It's actually cool to watch how they actually attach the bill boards to the planes.

I even brought out the same helmet I used at the first event.

Even with my engine mishap, it turned out to be a great event. The low number or drivers, provided lots of seat time I wish my car ran right so I could have utilized the time. Thanks to Steve for letting borrow his car for a couple runs. Naoki and Drift Association staff for putting together another awesome event. If you're interested in drifting or even learning how to drift please visit the Drift Day website for more information.

For more pics, click here.