Do you enjoy hard driving? Do you support safe sex? Well if you’re here for sex, you’ll be quite disappointed, because there’s nothing but hard driving here! March 10 of 2018 was the day the Jimmy Up event was held on the Balcony Skidpad at Willow Springs International Raceway. Drivers from all around took time out of their week to prepare their cars for this specific event, and I wished to capture it from start to finish so a friend and I embarked on a two hour drive to WSIR to witness all the great drivers show off their talent. We even spotted Rodney towing his car out there!
Upon our early morning arrival, there were already many people there prepping their vehicles for the day. The morning media gathering highlighted where photographers could and couldn’t go, but that did not stop me from doing my best to capture everything I could that day.
The day began with meeting up with my friend Derek; I’ve been eager to see him again since the recent Vertex event at Grange, as his car has since undergone a complete transformation.
I then met up with my good friend Jay Kubota after he arrived and watched him help John from Auto Factory Realize unload his car off the trailer. It still amazes me that he was able to back out with his bumper still on!
Soon after unloading John’s car, Jay walked over to Jason from Animal Style. This special guest (and special car) is one I’ve been dreaming of seeing in person. I felt quite lucky to watch it annihilate the track!
The first few runs of the day saw Jose’s car giving him some major issues. Of course, you aren’t maxing out your cars full potential unless something breaks or goes wrong, right? No worries though, as he gets to wrenching and ends up fixing the issue. (As you’ll see later on when he is having a blast on the track!)
A few last minute checks to ensure everything goes swell.
Now for the man of the hour: Mike, and his Jimmy Up, DBZ inspired Zenki. Its unfortunate what will become of this car (as you will soon see) but one of the most “I built it for myself” cars I’ve seen in a while!
Now for some drifting! First half of the day seemed as if everyone was gradually getting a feel for the layout of the track. The layout was what looked to be a modified mini Bihoku or Meihan; long straight, to flicking the car, getting close to the wall, and continuing on a long hairpin to victory. Interesting seeing the different level of drivers and driving styles within their tier group.
Of course all of the fun isn’t just on the track; a big part of the fun is always seeing what everybody is up to off the track!
It soon than began to rain. The cloudy skies were already making this one of the coldest events I’ve been to, and it certainly did not help being on a hillside. The rain stopped some from driving, and some even went home, but that did not stop a dedicated handful of people from continuing to drive hard. Sadly though, the rain did have its consequences for some of the drivers who stayed on track.
Despite the bad weather, unfortunate incidents, and no taco truck, there was still tons of joy and laughter: from my camera being nearly destroyed, getting soaking wet just to get that last shot; Teddy showing Jason’s car a little too much love in the rear; Mike showing his friends and fans up by driving the absolute hardest; and of, course Jason Kim’s one week creation, by far the slowest thing that still kept up with the fastest of cars, having had at least 7 different drivers piloting it, being mashed on all day. I’d say this event was definitely one of my favorites thus far! We really hope to see everyone again soon!
Up next: Super D.
Hi! Thanks for reading and/or just scrolling down here! If you would like the full resolution photos of your favorite pictures, DM @C10Hakosuka. I can provide you with the max quality photo for all your wallpaper needs, as well as throw you all the good pictures I have of your car that did not make it onto the page!
Once again, thank you for reading. From all of us at Exciting Hero.
Great blog post! Looking forward to the next one 😬
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