The Story Behind Subsequent Degree Drift

We’ve all been there, staring down a tiny little cellphone display screen (normally while on the bathroom) watching a modified automotive video on YouTube.

These movies have been, and nonetheless are to this present day, a few of the most fascinating methods to get sucked into our automotive neighborhood. I beloved the extra cinematic, movie-esque stuff most. Mike Koziel’s 2014 H2Oi film immediately springs to thoughts as one thing that helped me get hooked on the better world of low, modified vehicles.

Inside this area of interest style of automotive content material sat the drifting movies. A style inside a style, once more taking a cinematic, arty perspective on the drift automotive or occasion it was specializing in. Once I was 15 years previous, I keep in mind discovering Norbefilm’s The Ugly Duckling, which centred on the barely redundant wanting, but infinitely cool on the time E36 that Norbertas Daunoravičius realized to float in.

Right here’s a man that turned his pastime of studying to drift in his previous BMW into a movie – wonderful. There have been many, many movies like the 2 talked about on the market and, naturally, the extra I dug round YouTube the extra I’d discover.

Someday in 2018, I discovered considered one of my all-time favourites. Nevertheless, this wasn’t a movie, however a trailer for a movie.

Once you clicked the thumbnail you have been greeted by the timeless, iconic excessive synths of Mannie Contemporary’s ‘Actual Large’. I immediately discovered myself singing “Home actual huge, vehicles actual huge…” because the nostalgia of mid-’00s PlayStation 2 video games struck my coronary heart like a thunderbolt thrown by Zeus himself.

And on the display screen? A busy, overloaded montage of what was to return, opening up with the textual content ‘NEXT LEVEL’ actually on fireplace. A online game turned actual life was taking place proper in entrance of my eyes.

A large-body, pink E46 M3 carrying the widest Weds Kranze Cerberus II wheels the world has ever seen, evening observe antics, and the bottom drift vehicles on observe, all of which fitted with quantity plates. These weren’t race vehicles constructed for the observe; these have been road vehicles constructed for the observe, styled with a mixture of influences stretching from archival ’90s footage of Japanese touge motion to the ‘Actual Large’ music video itself.

The 42-second-long visible overdose – which you’ll be able to watch above – captured my creativeness. I wanted to be taught extra about this occasion, and about Subsequent Degree Drift. Most significantly although, I wanted to become involved myself. I wished to be a part of no matter was happening right here.

The Subsequent Degree Drift title emerged in 2016, with the group’s first huge occasion, merely titled ‘Worldwide’, taking place in 2018. It took me 5 years to finish my aim, however a few weekends again I lastly made the journey to Poland for a Subsequent Degree Drift Worldwide occasion.

On arrival I used to be welcomed with open arms by the organisers. I used to be fast to clock onto the truth that everybody right here is aware of one another, and what’s a big drift occasion internet hosting drivers from throughout Europe (and additional afield) can also be naturally an in depth group of nice mates working an occasion for his or her mates. A possibility to get collectively and share a likeminded tackle drifting, which I’ll get into just a little later.

Filip Fiji is the principle helmsman behind the Subsequent Degree group. He’s the one you see right here on the mic doing the motive force briefing.

This 12 months’s occasion passed off at Autodrom Jastrzab, a big race observe situated within the Polish midlands with one relatively distinctive function – a hill going straight right into a hairpin. I might quickly be taught that this a part of the observe would see 70, 80 even 90mph reverse entries over a blind crest from vehicles hovering actually millimetres above the floor.

On Filip’s proper (your left) is Jacek, who owns the Lexus IS the fellows are leaning in opposition to. Being one of many gents answerable for the occasion, I personally see his IS as one of many poster vehicles of Subsequent Degree Drift. Jacek was that man with the walkie-talkie and a pickup truck, managing the automotive movement of the entire day.

The one draw back of proudly owning the roles Filip and Jacek do, is that they’re too busy being managers to get any seat time themselves. Filip’s E36 and Jacek’s IS have been subsequently lacking from the observe enjoyable, however that is the place the opposite pair answerable for the occasion are available. Jakub and Arek Tatara are two brothers additionally concerned with the day-to-day organisation and working of Subsequent Degree Drift, however they bought the prospect to get out on observe themselves.

Arek’s pink S14 appears like one thing straight out of a Japanese automotive journal, and may typically be seen being trailered by Jakub’s E38 BMW 740i. Yup, that E38, seen right here shredding it out on observe, is definitely a tow rig.

Jakub, generally often known as Don Musk, towed considered one of his drift vehicles to the occasion with the 7 Sequence. His yellow E36 has been with him by way of thick and skinny now for what appears like 15 years, and has seen quite a few appears over that point. Sadly, proper in the beginning of the Saturday, the M54 engine that powers the E36 kicked up a traditional M54 downside and determined to delete its oil pump, alas, retiring the automotive for the entire weekend earlier than it even began. When the drift automotive breaks, naturally you get the tow rig out on observe, proper?

It’s this type of decided drive, perspective and pretty laid again resolution making that helped the Subsequent Degree Drift group earn their fame. It went hand in hand with their collective ethos for constructing and styling drift vehicles.

“We began Subsequent Degree Drift type of underneath the Raceism (now Ultrace) wing,” Filip explains to me. “We beloved drifting low vehicles, and we wished to take the usual of present vehicles you’d see on the present and apply it to float vehicles. We wished to take it to the following stage, which is the place the title got here from.”

“The stanced-out present vehicles are cool, certain, however merely parking them is just a little boring for us. We wished to indicate the plenty right here in Europe that drift vehicles can look good with wonderful wheel fitment in addition to the purposeful modifications.”

“In fact, we’re influenced by the large drift scene in Japan, their approach of styling and neighborhood, and we combined that with our personal road drifting scene right here in Poland. For me, it’s the proper mixture. It helped us to provide you with Subsequent Degree Drift, and make it an occasion that we might love to look at as spectators as a lot as we might like to drive at.” 

The world seen, and worldwide company began to have a presence on the Subsequent Degree Drift occasions. This 12 months, Components D drivers joined to drive alongside the acquainted faces who attended the occasion in 2018, who have been now additionally driving alongside standard automotive YouTubers and media personalities.

Filip, Jacek, Jakub and Arek actually did assist to raise the Polish road drifting neighborhood to the following stage. Their aim is of their title, they usually’re proper on observe to realize it.

I requested Filip what’s subsequent in retailer for the way forward for Subsequent Degree. “So much!” he answered immediately. “There’s much more media work deliberate for subsequent 12 months.” That is fairly thrilling for me, as that one trailer is essentially the explanation I’m writing this text. “We have to one way or the other make our desires come true too. We have to push them to the following stage. We have to take the group to Japan and drift on the market, that’s the dream. Let’s see what the longer term holds.” 

Till then, I’ll go away you with considered one of my chunky photograph galleries to flick by way of. See you on the subsequent one.

Michał Fidowicz
Instagram: candyshowroom