Launch Control
This is what "Launch Control" is all about, hosted at Bushy Park Raceway by the Barbados Association of Drifters and Dragsters (BADD). For articles like these I like to try to capture the energy of the event through my photographs, enjoy the gallery down below!
"Man, I'm faster than you!"
Having the right to not just say that statement, but the right to brag it, is what we chase after after among our friends. For some persons they have "grown up and out of it", but for many of us the only way to settle the debate is on the strip.
Daring speed and audacious wings, that's what it's about.
This is what "Launch Control" is all about, hosted at Bushy Park Raceway by the Barbados Association of Drifters and Dragsters (BADD). For articles like these I like to try to capture the energy of the event through my photographs, enjoy the gallery down below!
Traversing the pits, I found cars ranging from all out dragsters to dailies modified and prepared just for the event. Wide body modifications to accommodate the larger tyres, wider tyres mean more grip at launch, but they also look pretty fierce.
Go check out a first hand experience from Launch Control from the Life in Tenths Blog Here
This really clean Nissan Almera got my attention for sure.
With just the right amount of cosmetic modification. It was really well put together, I'm hoping I can track down this car again to do a proper shoot of it.
The brief driver's meeting highlights the safety rules to be followed and the area of the track specified for the event. We actually don't have an official 1/4 mile strip here in Barbados, it's around an 1/8 mile that we use.
Widebody 86, gets loads of love.
Mechanical problems go hand in hand with a day of drag racing, with immense stress on the cars from launch to the end of the run. This Pulsar had bit of issues with its induction kit, but those were soon fixed and some advice from the tuner given.
He was back out on the track laying down the rubber.
A Westfield community is really getting some traction here as well, as we can see the kit being used in it's different applications, this one here was fully electric, and it's scary fast.
This green one here was built with a Hayabusa engine and turbo charged.
This isn't the last Launch Control event for the year. As we follow the action be sure to check with us to stay up to date.
Until next time, Happy Motoring! - Alex
Classic Car Show July 2017
Sagicor's Classic Car events helps to keep us abreast with a portion of the Classic Cars in the island of Barbados, granted the owners turn up, and turn up they did.
It's time for the Classics to come out again in all their glory. Sagicor's Classic Car events helps to keep us abreast with a portion of the Classic Cars in the island of Barbados, granted the owners turn up, and turn up they did. There's a wide cross-section of cars filling up the venue, ranging from the 1950's all way down to the 90's, I know many of wouldn't really consider some 90's cars classics, but they fall into the 25 years and older age now, and have qualified. In our events feed, we really just want to capture all the cars in the show for your viewing pleasure, so enjoy the show !
The Track Day Experience
As the last car made its way around the track for the ultimate time and I gathered my final thoughts, I could feel an air of gratification - the love of motorsport is the thread that binds us.
While motorsport is a firm staple of Barbados, the track opens only a few times to the general public to put their performance - or lack thereof - car through its paces in a true track environment. Bushy Park, originally opened in the ‘70s, has cemented its status in the hearts of petrolheads with its rich racing heritage and international appeal over the years, and will continue to do so for generations to come with its recent redevelopment. Once only a dirt track set in the south-eastern parish of St. Phillip, a complete circuit upgrade commencing in August 2013 has been the product of support from the Government of Barbados, Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and group of local investors who shared the dream to turn the venue into a world class track.
Nine months later, when the first phase of the redevelopment was complete, Barbados hosted the Top Gear Festival in May 2014, followed by Race of Champions later that same year after second phase of the plan was executed. The current laundry list of upgrades include a 2.01km International circuit which meets FIA Grade 3 requirements, CIK Grade A kart circuit, a one-eighth mile drag strip, and a rally-cross track, with further development expected to include luxury car suites, a Country Club, and Museum which I’m particularly excited to cover when it is finally completed.
A tropical wave approaching the island brought menacing skies which threatened to put a damper on the activities, and this article could have gone quite differently had the skies not ceased their onslaught; thankfully they did, and I made my way to the track. As I arrived, the road cars were just about to make their way out of the pits and onto the track, and I scrambled onto track to get the first session of the day.
Being an open day means anyone who pays the registration fee can bring their vehicle of choice and have at it on the track; that being said all manner of road cars made an appearance such as this lone Toyota Altezza/Lexus IS200, proudly displaying its trident on the windshield - Bajan Pride!
This 2-door Suzuki Baleno hatchback may look tame on the outside as it joined in the fray but its driver put the 20 year old car through its paces, squeezing it to redline on the straightaways; the owner of which managed to track me down after his first session to see if I managed to catch him in action.
Even the US-imported Volkswagen Fox proudly owned by a fellow Sleeper Forest shooter pumped out a few triumphant laps. It wasn’t the fastest or the prettiest but it sure had character, wearing its age valiantly like a badge - rust peppering the bone stock bodywork. While longitudinal mounted 4-cylinder gasoline engine powers this modest looking machine what’s really interesting is that it shares blood with the Golf - that’s right, the iconic hot hatch.
As the first set of cars made their way through their first laps, this cleared the way for the more powerful machines to warm up their tyres, and that they did in flamboyant fashion. Most of the cars in Barbados come from either Asia or Europe, which explains the myriad of Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) machines you'll find present on the island.
A 1JZ-GTE power plant inside this Toyota Cressida was more than ample to get the rear end out as it powered into the first corner out of the pits, setting the pace for the RWD machines in tow.
The next machine out the pits was this Nissan Skyline GTS-T powered by none other than the RB25DET and outfitted with a screamer pipe, this is the same firebreathing Skyline highlighted at Wheels N Heels: Fully Broad Edition. While there are numerous GTS models of the Skyline on the island, you'll be hard pressed to find a Skyline GT-R on the streets with so few examples of the performance coupe - Godzilla is as elusive in reality as in the movies.
This Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R, one of my dream cars, was like poetry in motion, her voice a raspy baritone that crescendoed into a tenor, accentuated by a shrill BOV chirp. The HKS Silent Hi-Power exhaust mated with the SR20DET under the hood of this beauty was a symphony to my ears.
Adding to the list of icons, the ever identifiable boxer-engine made an appearance in the heart of this hawkeye WRX STi, another car on my must-have list, but the fun couldn’t last forever as it would lose a gearbox by the end of the day.
A few games of cat and mouse ensued, giving the drivers a feel for their machines and the track as tyres reached their optimal operating temperatures and engines warmed up to prime efficiency. The 4WD machines seemed to be more focused on precision and speed than just flashy driving, where the RWD machines went side ways in almost every corner - form versus function.
One of the many icons of the 90s, the Mitsubishi Evolution VI, negotiating a pass on the Altezza as it exits the ICBL W’s. Despite its undeniable rally heritage, the Evolution has managed to make itself more than at home on the track; if I had to build a dedicated track car I would definitely start with an Evo.
Two for two, as this Evolution V sprints down the straightaway into the Courtesy Dipper.
Reigning Autocross champion Chris McFarlane in his Evolution X, took a moment to give me a thumbs up before getting down to business.
Representing for the Honda team, this naturally aspirated Honda Civic Type R (FD2) was no slouch, holding firm against the forced induction machines, powering through the bends, and screaming down the straights as VTEC kicked in and the K20 hit its redline - a truly purpose built machine, you would be hard pressed to deny this vehicle's performance capabilities.
Once the road cars had their fun, these thoroughbreds took to the track and though I had seen them in action before, they're never any less impressive than the last time I saw them. The Radical Motorsport SR3 RS, powered by a 4-cylinder 1340cc variant of Suzuki's GSX-R motorcycle engine with a 10,500 redline, is good for 220HP fed through a 6-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox resulting in a 0-100km/h time of 3 seconds - faster than Porsche' 911GT3.
Sean Maloney thunders out of the pits, and is soon joined by David Simpson in his identical SR3 albeit in different livery.
No sooner had these high-revving machines exited view into one corner of the track, they would reappear from the other direction, down the straightaway in front of the pits. The precise, no-nonsense focus of these machines allowed them to make quick work of the track in what felt like mere seconds; I look forward to covering one of the championships which pits these amazing beasts against each other.
When the Radicals headed back in and the track lay empty in the midday sun, I took the opportunity at the end of the first session to get off the track and briefly revisit the pits that I so hastily whizzed by upon arrival - I wanted to see some of those eargasm inducing machines up close.
I managed to snap just a few of these legends when the announcement for the next road car session was announced; not wanting to miss the next session I headed over to the pit exit to capture some more of the cars as they took to the track once more.
Heading back to my previous stake out position on the track, which was good vantage point where I could capture the cars through the first corner and down the straight, I felt the urge to find new perspective.
Eventually I followed my gut and decided to change locations, taking refuge behind the tyre wall of the first corner right as the R33 slid past me through the apex of the turn as I scrambled to stabilise myself.
This proved to be an equally good spot as I could see the cars coming down the home straight into the corner, giving me more opportunity to track them through the corner from a closer distance.
A spin out in this corner almost spelled disaster as the R33 lost traction in the apex of the turn coming to rest in the path of the Silvia. I caught the sequence as it unfolded, the S15 managed to avoid the collision, negotiating around the Skyline and giving a twitch of the rear end out of the corner and into the straight. Once the coast was clear, the Nissan made its way back onto the track for some more fun.
After events almost went awry I changed locations, heading to a more elevated part of the track hoping to get new perspective before the session was over.
While I stood perched behind the tyre wall snapping away in the afternoon sun, I barely noticed the heat nor when the clouds from before had gone. I sensed a comradery lingering; drivers and spectators alike had cast their problems aside and come out to enjoy what will hopefully grow to be a more frequent pastime. We all were living only in the moment; a lesson in life perhaps - no matter what problems you might encounter, life is bigger than us all.
As the last car made its way around the track for the ultimate time and I gathered my final thoughts, I could feel an air of gratification - the love of motorsport is the thread that binds us.
Randi Bowen
Instagram: r.and.i
randi.sleeperforest@gmail.com
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.