I have been waiting for Grid Life South for a long time. Seeing the videos on YouTube not knowing if I will ever be able to make it to one of these events was bitter-sweet. At one end I was excited and happy for the automotive world. An event like this is truly unique blending Drift, Time Attack, HPDE (track day), a vehicle showcase, and to end the night, live performances from different artists. The headliners this year for south were Andrew W.K. and Waka Flocka Flame. And at the other end of the spectrum I was furious that this piece of gold was not in the south! I figured it would eventually make its way here, but only after reaching the heights of other events like Formula Drift. Which by all means, I only wish Grid Life growth and prosperity but things change at those heights and i wanted to experience what i had been seeing online for so long.
This event had a lot of meaning going into it. Not only were we going to the first Grid Life South, but we were just finishing up change-speed.com and had applied for media coverage. Being we had no coverage up on our website we figured it was a long shot but we were shined upon and actually approved! What came next was an experience I will never forget.
THE SHOWCASE
The showcase was small, being Grid Life’s first year in the south that was to be expected, but it was not disappointing. High dollar builds mixed with the more creative types is what I love to see. Most shows these days are feeling more like you are walking through the SEMA showroom floor then seeing actual build creativity. End rant. On a serious note, the showcase was a breath of fresh air. Below are all our favorites.
Vehicle spotlight coming soon on this Ford Cortina!
THE PADDOCK
The paddock was by far my favorite place to be the entire event. I love being able to walk right up to these purpose-built machines, talk to their owners about what went into building them and literally just inspect them from top to bottom getting ideas for our own current project. No attitudes from anyone, just friendly conversations and everyone ready to lend a helping hand if needed. Magical really. Sounds corny, but it was magical.
Vehicle spotlight coming soon on this Datsun 510!
Free water!
THE TRACK
The real reason why Grid Life even exists, motorsports. HPDE, Drift, and my favorite Time Attack all sharing the track for their respective time in perfect harmony. What I mean is, the HPDE cars would be on track and for the last minutes of their session the Time Attack group would be called and staged ready to go. As soon as the last of the HPDE cars were cleared the Time Attack group would take off. It seemed effortless really. The same going from Time Attack to Drift and then back to HPDE, ALL DAY!
