Earlier in the year at Circuito FK1, I learnt that Spain has one of the most underrated grassroots drifting scenes. Euroslide DS2 – the second round of the Euroslide Drift Series – brought me to the small municipality of Villaverde de Medina, where drivers in everything from low-slung drift cars on big chrome wheels and stretched tyres to grip-focused builds sporting the love-it-or-hate-it ‘Meihan rake’ flicked into Circuito FK1’s first corner as if there were no tomorrow.
Sitting close to the front straight wall as drivers initiated at high speed conjured up moving images of iconic Japanese drift circuits like Ebisu and Meihan. I was impressed.
I was also happy to discover that the event organiser is a fellow Romanian. That might not seem like a big deal, but having travelled from a small country on the other side of the continent for a drift event, only to meet someone who speaks your native language, was a nice surprise. Alex and his team were super kind, and even provided us with media passes so we could have track access to shoot photos.
What struck me most about Euroslide DS2 was the number of drivers who had travelled from other countries to take part. I don’t mean neighbouring countries like Portugal or France, but Germany and Poland. Some of these guys drove well over 2,000 kilometres to compete. From an organiser’s perspective, that’s one of the biggest compliments you can receive – proof that you’ve created something worth travelling long distances for.
As evening arrived, the vibe shifted. There was a brief pause in proceedings before diesel generator-powered floodlights were turned on, illuminating the track. The night drift session began, and with music pumping from the paddock, it was everything I hadn’t expected from a small circuit in the middle of a Spanish field. It carried on like this for hours, well past midnight.
The following day was competition day. What surprised me most was seeing entry competitions and team tandem battles – something you don’t often come across elsewhere in Europe. Most drift events stick to the tried-and-tested formula of qualifying followed by competition brackets. Spain, it seems, likes to party.
There were some strong contenders for the best team tandem; however, anyone who’s done this before knows the two golden rules for winning a contest like this. First, all the cars should be equal – or at least reasonably similar – in terms of setup and the way they’re driven. Second, and the one that can really set a team apart, is making sure the lowest-power car always leads. Putting the slowest car at the front ensures it won’t fall behind the pack, keeping the whole train tight.
Of course, there are more tricks to it than that. One is the idea that the third car should never appear to have a consistent line. Being third in a drift train means you’re effectively following another follower, which can easily look untidy from the outside. These are the kinds of details the Spanish grassroots drifting scene has come to understand very well.
From beginning to end, Euroslide Drift Series 2 was an incredible experience. While much of Europe was still dealing with cold weather – and even snow in some places – it was warm and sunny at Circuito FK1. With a diverse grid of cars, ranging from modified BMWs to nostalgically built Japanese drift legends like Toyota JZXs and Nissan S-chassis, combined with its unique competition format, the event truly had it all.
A big thanks to Alex and the entire Euroslide team – I can’t wait to come back for the next one!
