The Auto Shop program had the opportunity to go on a field trip to Formula Drift. Formula Drift is like a combination of NASCAR racing and drifting. This year’s event was hosted in Long Beach, California. It was a championship event featuring two drivers: a lead driver and a chase driver. The lead driver’s job is to stay drifting throughout the entire course without stopping. They can be stopped if they spin out of control or hit the wall. The chase driver also has to stay drifting, but their goal is to stay as close to the lead driver as possible.
Each matchup has three rounds, and whoever wins the most rounds is the winner. If the drivers tie, they go for an extra round. The winner is decided by three judges who give points based on performance. The competition follows a bracket format—each time a driver wins, they move on to the next round. If a driver loses, they are out of the competition.
When the students arrived at Formula Drift, the first stop was a big room filled with students from other schools who also came for the field trip. At the front was a stage. The first person to speak was the event host. He gave a speech and introduced several speakers who
talked about the Formula Drift program and job opportunities in the field. Among the speakers were the owner of Formula Drift, the first female drifter, and an Air Force pilot. After the speeches, the students were released to explore the stadium area.
As soon as you enter the stadium area, you see lots of food trucks and Auto Shop-related stores selling items like rims, steering wheels, and tools. We walked around and saw many things that caught our attention. There were lots of amazing cars on display, including the exact models used by the competitors. Many car companies had booths showing off their latest models, some of which were also being used in the event. Companies like Ford and Lamborghini were there. Ford even had an area where they promoted their newest Mustang by letting visitors ride inside while a professional drifting driver performed stunts.
Near the other side of the vendor area were the driver tents and workspaces. There, the drivers and their mechanics were working on the cars. Many students got to meet the drivers and have them sign autographs.
Finally, the main event took place in the stadium. There were many seating areas offering different viewing angles, along with a giant TV screen connected to a drone that followed the cars as they drifted. The competition was great—there weren’t many accidents on the track, just one spin-out and a popped tire. Overall, the drivers did an amazing job.
At the end of the event, students got to take pictures of all the cars. Overall, the event was a fun and memorable experience for students.
