Devin Tyler / Staff Writer
The “Lover’s Lane Drift Expo” marked the first drift event of 2013 for the city of Corpus Christi. The Drift Corpus Committee held the expo Feb. 16 at the Greyhound Racetrack from 8 am and throughout the day.
Organizers of the February event said they had a large turnout throughout the evening with people of all ages attending, including car enthusiasts and people who were just looking to enjoy the action and art of the car scene. An average of 500 people at noon attended the event and about 30 drifters from around Texas joined in.
Drift Corpus offers a different form of entertainment for the community. Corpus Christi has few events that involve any form of racing. The reaction, support and anticipation for another expo from the previous event are what brought Drift Corpus Committee to hold the Lovers Lane Expo.
The title “Lovers Lane Expo” comes from the side-by-side action of two cars drifting together on a track at the same time, also known in the Drift community and in the Drift Dictionary as tandeming.
The Lovers Lane Drift Expo consisted mainly a drifting expo and ride alongs for anybody who wanted to get a chance to witness the thrill of a drift in an actual drift car. People could strap on a helmet and sit in the passenger seat for a first-hand experience of drifting on the hot track with the drivers.
“This event will only be a basic drift expo for just a fun day of nothing but old fashioned drifting. Some spare helmets will be available to use for ride-alongs. If anybody wants a chance to check out a drift car they can get the full experience,” said President of the Drift Corpus Committee Justin Flores.
Drift Corpus Committee consists of 11 members, all with different duties to make sure every event goes as smooth as possible.
Members are: Treasurer Matt Votzmeyer, Media Coordinator Vincent Ramirez, senior members Ramon Solis, Don Campos, Robert Miller, Tony Ramirez and event staff Kyle Murtaugh, Saul Vega and Travis Garza. President of the Committee is 2010 DMC Automotive Technology graduate Justin Flores.
Drifting and racing are illegal and very dangerous to attempt on local streets so these events give people who enjoy that type of excitement and rush professionally (and for entertainment) a safe environment in which to drift while serving a good cause for their community.
“I’ve been around cars my whole life. I am the youngest of three and my father raised us around cars. Our Sunday afternoons were spent either at a local car show or wrenching on my dad’s prized 1955 Bel Air,” Flores said.
The first Drift Corpus event was held December 8, 2012, which featured on-site dyno pulls, hot track drifting, and a car show while local car and electronic vendors showcased their items. Drift Corpus event organizers joined with Toys-For-Tots for donations at the event for a good cause with the Christmas holiday occasion.
The Drift Corpus Committee had just planned a practice day to drift but after they were able to rent the Greyhound Racetrack parking lot in December, the buzz about and interest in participation in the event grew. This is when Drift Corpus Committee decided to go from a large practice to an event for the community, car enthusiasts and a good cause for the first time.
“We began planning a practice in December. Some buddies from around town wanted to start getting into drifting more so we finally just set a date. A practice day turned into a huge event so we figured, hey, let’s do it for a great cause. So we joined with Toys For Tots and had an excellent turnout,” said Flores.
Del Mar College Physical Therapy major Carlos Deleon attended the Drift expo in December and had highly anticipated the expo. He said this is his time to enjoy many of the hobbies and take a break from the daily stress of schoolwork.
“Drift Corpus last year was definitely a very different experience. Corpus Christi had never seen anything like it before. The thrill of seeing these drivers in great looking cars getting sideways at breathtaking speeds with all of my buddies, loud sounding motors and the aroma of burning tires in the air…there is nothing like it,” said Deleon.
Aside from Lovers Lane Expo, another Drift Corpus and Toys For Tots event in December is already in the works for this year. For more information, contact Drift Corpus on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DriftCorpus.
