There are not many drift events that summarise the current state of the UK drift scene, however among the various dates dotted throughout the automotive calender, there is one that shines through all the smoke and noise. Dorifest, at Driftland, is a true diamond in the rough. Showcasing some of the best street drift cars the United Kingdom has to offer, Dorifest brings together the high calibre builds we all love and the true grit of authentic drift culture.
Whilst most national drift events tend to be held within multifaceted race tracks, Dorifest is hosted at the infamous Driftland. A drift proving ground which seems like the only real candidate for such an event. Built by drifters, for drifters, Driftland is a plate of winding concrete spaghetti that is 100% purpose built. Host to the BDC and SDC, along with many other drift events, they are THE track to go to for certified sideways action. It is located in Fife which is on the outskirts of Edinburgh, far enough into the hillsides that noise complaints prove no issue for the tyre screeching and limiter bashing that takes place.
It is a new event but has quickly secured it's place within the must attend dates of the UK drift calendar. As soon as we heard that such an affair was going to take place, we knew it was 100% necessary that we attend and document such a gnarly event. We were not left disappointed. The 8 hour journey left us eager to arrive but the wet weather had us worrying that the weekend could be spoiled with next to no traction. The morning of the first day almost cemented our fears as the rain continued, forcing the drivers to hold back the full potential of their drift monsters. However, about 1 hour or so into the first day the rain began to subside. As the rain lifted and the track dried out, the drivers were now able to put their feet down and lay down some proper rubber.
The majority of the 2 days were held in a freestyle manor, where you can run the track solo or try and get some door to door exchanges down if you so wish. They ran the track in both directions and also made alterations to the flow of the track in order to keep the route fresh and fun. We met a lot of new faces throughout the day and even got the pleasure of some ride alongs in a few friendly peoples cars! You can catch this onboard footage in our video.
Towards the end of the second day they held a tandem competition. Within this, teams were able to battle it out against other crews or mates who turned up solo were joining forces to get involved in some competitive tandems. Many cars laid down some tight runs but the main aim of this and the whole weekend was purely to enjoy doing it, we don't think anyone was walking away saying otherwise.
The real highlight of the weekend was the atmosphere that this event invoked. It had the proper grassroots ethos about it and everyone there was really around to connect with the community through drift culture. The level of builds was pure insanity, with insane driving to match as they flung their cars into turns as if they were £1000 shitboxes. Of course there was some battle scars inflicted on a handful of the cars but the drivers still came out smiling, as they knew the risk of the work hard, play hard mentality. Bodykit and mechanical casualties really just brought people together as bodies jumped in left right and centre, without any question, to assist with the repairs. It is stuff like this that really shines a good light and emphasises the positivity of UK drift culture.
Although this year we weren't attending with a car on track, it made us realise that next year, we must. We have tried to keep this post fairly short but it is hard not to babble on about all the great stuff we saw throughout the weekend. We attended purely to view some high quality builds and driving, however, we left with a truly heart warming feeling towards the current state of the UK drifting community.
If you want to get a feel for how outstanding the event was, check out our cinematic video we have released over on our Youtube here!
Thanks to everyone that setup and hosted the event, keep doing what you are doing. Thanks to the hosts at Lochgelly Raceway and all the drivers and crews that attended - without you it would have been nothing. Also shout out to all the spectators for the great atmosphere!
It was a pleasure and Dorifest, we will catch you next year!
