Wheels and Heels the BEST 15 Images
Here are my best 15 from the last Wheels and Heels Event, editing and leaving images on the cutting floor this time around was difficult. I’ll let the images speak for themselves. Hope you enjoy!
Happy Motoring!
Wheels & Heels Fully Broad Edition
Drifting, a sub culture of self expression, started out with some youths who were trying to find themselves in a system made to stomp out individuality. Drifting has become a sport, but the essence of its origin is hard to lose, and ignore.
Drifting, a sub culture of self expression, started out with some youths who were trying to find themselves in a system made to stomp out individuality. Drifting has become a sport, but the essence of its origin is hard to lose, and ignore.
The same way drifting came from a repressed culture, we could say the same about drifting here in Barbados, this form of self expression, is sweeping through the car culture scene here and with that, Wheels and Heels plays a huge role in helping to legitimise it. It brings this subculture into the spotlight, and man, did these drifters have something to say.
Start of the warm ups before Dexterity.
I was happy to be working with Randi, for the first time in an official capacity as part of Sleeper Forest, an amazing photographer in his own right. We were ready to get down to business, looking for the best angles to get up and personal with the action to come.
The event consisted of a dexterity competition, followed by a drift course, into a freestyle drift competition and, it crescendos with a burnout competition.
The dexterity competition requires the racers to compete head to head through an obstacle course, drifting around posts and cones, they are timed, and the racer with the overall best time is declared the winner.
Drivers slid, drifted, and yanked their cars around the course trying to get the best times they could.
These really close quarters push drivers to their limits or their machine's limit, its so amazing to see the wide range of cars though, from old school JDM cars to junkyard worthy Fords still laying down amazing times and giving crowds something to jump and shout about.
This Ford Sierra was absolutely mental!
SR20 CHARMONSTER driven by Mark vs 1jz swapped Cresta
Rawr
This Green Charmant, a Toyota chassis on the outside with an obnoxious wing and the guts of a Nissan, this SR20DET swap was dubbed the "Charmonster" it was so aggressive!
BIGBOB
Winning this Competition with best overall time was Robert "BIGBOB" with his Daihatsu Charmant, with an SR20DET swap, it was pretty awesome to see him in action again, I met him before at Vaucluse Raceway in previous drift event and it was nice to see him doing well with a new engine for competiton.
After the Official "Main" event was finished, it was really time to start the main event, that's where the drifting really got going. This is what many persons really came for and these guys couldn't wait to paint the lot with rubber.
As the sun went down on the event, the energy only built up and up as these guys kept the action going. By now everywhere smelt like burnt rubber, I'm pretty sure I did too. It really was a spirited performance, the passion filled the air from both the drivers and the spectators.
Many of the drivers slid into their zone, as they traversed the drift course and did their freestyle runs, not holding back on their engines, they were lead footed pushing the car, and about 2 of them met their ends. Two cars were pulled off the course after their engines said they had enough, one engine actually blew completely, with the connecting arm coming right out the block.
Marshalls ascertaining the status of the car, before pushing it off the course.
Once that was cleared up the action started again.
Check out this R33, I don't believe I will get over how insane this build is, especially with the screamer pipe installed and a "BARL to de bone" driver at the wheel, it really became a fire breathing Godzilla.
Finally it was time to top everything off, the burnout competition came, the tyre smoke ensued when they assembled in front the crowd, well more like backed the crowds so they could be showered in smoke and bits of rubber.
Doubtlessly this wrapped up the event for sure, and I would say the event was a huge success! We at Sleeper Forest are looking forward for more events from The Barbados Auto Racing League in the near future.
Until next time, Happy Motoring.
Alex - Photography, Writing
Randi - Photography
Sideways is Life
This weekend's forecast - Smokey with a chance of backfire! Things are really heating up as we get closer to BARL's Heels and Wheels Event.
BARL stands for "Barbados Auto Racing League" and we had the privilege of hanging out with them this weekend, meeting the drivers and their incredible builds.
This weekend's forecast - Smokey with a chance of backfire! Things are really heating up as we get closer to the BARL Wheels & Heels Event.
It's great to see persons this enthusiastic about any form of racing really. BARL has 23 years of history as a auto racing group here in Barbados and they are doing their upmost to keep the discipline alive.
There's a wide range of machines in the group, from really old school JDM to some euro's to some more mordern rides.
Cars are a platform to build on, sometimes persons are really innovative in the way they try to achieve their goals, whether it be big on power, or just lots of fun to drive. Check out that Charmant with a 3SGE BEAMS, its crazy !
Or this one with more driver oriented mods instead, and "weight reduction", I absolutely love how much character it has.
No sideways event is really complete without your everyday Godzilla showing up to cause some chaos, this rwd R33, with a screamer pipe certainly does the trick.
The driver Marlon, is almost always in front my camera at different events constantly tweaking and fixing his car to get it right, he said he installed the worlds most expensive handbrake for this event.
A massive spanner, it's definitely unique and insanely cool.
This cressida,driven by "Blackboy" or "Sicky Back" is a 1JZ swap, coming right out of the 1JZ alley, we wrote about a few months ago. I am looking forward to seeing him tear it up (in a very responsible way of course).
One incredible driver, I think everyone in Barbados knows this guy by now, but if you haven't its because he's actually really modest about it.
We can without a doubt say these guys are "BARL To De Bone"
Here are a few more cars that showed up for some fun, feel free to download images use them as wallpapers whatever you like.
We hoping the event goes really well this weekend, and everyone enjoys either being in the drivers seat, or watching from the sidelines. We want to see you there.
Alex - Until next time, happy motoring.