For a long time, I haven`t written here the experiences I had on weekends, and what I had the opportunity to experience on Saturday, halfway through the month of May, left the strongest weekend impression on me in the whole month, maybe even longer.
I had a light and simple plan:
Take the car to the mechanic to change the oil and filter, and then stop by the market and buy the necessary groceries to prepare the dinner that our friends are coming to.
It was necessary to finish the car service as soon as possible, so that they would have enough time to tidy up the house and prepare dinner.
I took the car to the mechanic, but he told me that he was not supplied with the right oil for my engine. Since I wanted to solve the oil change issue that day, I got in my car and headed to one of the stores that I know sells Eneos motor oils.
When I was passing by the area where there used to be a large open-air bazaar, today a huge plateau that is still waiting for its purpose, I heard a loud revving sound of an engine and screeching tires.
"Probably some racing, I'll stop by on the way back to take a look."
I bought oil and parked near the area where I heard the interesting sound of the car.
When I approached the fence where the banners were spread, I saw something that I had never seen before.
The drifting championship was held.
Drift Belgrade, Serbian Drift Championship SDC.
I've only seen drifting in some movies, so I thought why not get up close and see what it's all about.
At the entrance, I was greeted by a girl who listed the prices: 8$ entrance to the fence, 18$ entrance to the stands, 40$ entrance to the pits.
Since I didn't have time for a long stay, I took this cheapest ticket and started to tour the complex.
I saw where the stands were and how almost nothing could be seen from them, I went to one side towards the center of the event.
I didn't get far. The warden looked at the bracelet on my arm and said, "For the most basic one, this is the end of the road, you can do it on the other side."
The sponsor of the event is Monster, and this black Isuzu jeep really looks like it, a big monster.
When I saw the first car in action, I knew I was in trouble 😀
I will be criticized first by the mechanic, who was waiting for me to change the oil, and I am yet to be criticized for coming home late, but...
Tis is an opportunity that appeared so suddenly, and you know when something happens suddenly and unexpectedly, the impression you can have is even stronger...
And so, I resigned myself to the impending criticism, I took out my phone, turned on the camera and turned around at the training ground where the rear wheel drive vehicles were leaving behind black tire marks when cornering.
The position I found myself in, one final corner, was good, but I was a little further away from the fence and not elevated, so I could only see their drift in that corner.
And that's why I decided to walk to the other end of the training ground, because it seemed to me that something more serious was happening there.
And at the other end I reached the fence where the guard stopped me, but that position was very close to the place where the drivers were warming up the tires of their cars and where the start of the race was.
BMW`s were mostly vehicles used in the race, because only rear-wheel drive cars can be used for drifting. Interesting decorated cars, with a lot less parts than a normal car has (so that they are as light as possible), but with modified gears and wheels, to withstand the efforts of drifting in curves.
One model of all these, the BMW 3 Series (E 30), was my youthful dream.
When I watched a few warm-ups and laps that the cars did, I moved a little further, to the elevation above the first corner, where I could immortalize myself, and from where there was a wonderful view of the start of the race entering and drifting into the first corner.
What I saw, the sound of the engines of these revved-up cars, the crackling of unburned gasoline in their sports exhausts, the screeching and the smell of burnt rubber, left me stunned. If I stayed a lot longer than I should have, not to mention the plan, where this event had no place, I was not fooled by the call to my cell phone, but by its turning off due to a dead battery.
No wonder my battery ran out, I made too many recordings and clips. At some point the camera went into a darker mode, probably due to an almost completely empty battery 🙂
I stayed a little longer with my phone turned off, now absorbing with my eyes every moment of running into the curves - I had an even stronger impression when I reviewed the slow-motion shots I made.
And with great difficulty, after more than two hours spent on this sudden experience, I decided to continue with my regular activities. Weekend-experiences completely filled me with excitement.
I love racing and everything related to cars.
Here I posted a few pictures that I liked the most, because I don't have a professional camera, so that the pictures are like from a visit to the rally event in Split, when the Hive Fest was held, which I was sorry for not attending, considering the pictures I saw from that event, it was interesting there.
And I also made a movie, a selection of all the interesting clips of that day.
I didn't do any sound editing, I think the engine and tire music is the only real thing to listen to while watching the cars dance around the curves.
If you have time to watch it, I hope you like it. I did. So much so that it was not at all difficult for me to endure the questions of the master and the partner who were waiting for me and tried to reach me on my cell phone which was switched off. To the question: "So are you normal?" I answered simply: "I'm normal, but a little crazy 🙂 and completely satisfied with my #weekend-experience".
Thank you for stopping by my post and I hope you enjoyed the photos, movie and the story I shared with you
All photos are my property, taken with a mobile phone
