In the previous blog post about the Hellaflush 3.5 event, I mentioned how this event is more so of an automotive festival than a mere car showcase. Think of it like Japan's Nismo Festival, or the Mooneyes Xmas Show in the United States. It's a celebration of all things automotive.

Throughout the event at the Buttonwillow racetrack, there were cars that would please all manner of car enthusiasts; from people that appreciate their cars as a rolling art form, to people that practice the discipline of going as fast as they can around a racetrack, and finally the people that just enjoy burning up rubber while sliding their respective cars with their closest buddies.

In this second and last look at the Hellaflush 3.5 event, we're going to take at gander at the team drift competition that was held.

Six teams competed for a prize of $1000 cash. The different teams' names were as eclectic as the group people people that were behind them. There was team Wolf Reign, Dori Sau, Failed, Switch Blade, Miley Does Dallas, and the extremely cryptic team name, "#:".

This Corolla coupe belongs to the team of Miley Does Dallas.

This white Miata also belongs to the Miley does Dallas team.

Under the fenders lies an insane set of OG San Axis 15x8 with an offset of -27! That size and offset is just something else...

The car might not have the most legit wheels, but it does have an SR-20 as its beating heart! The light weight of a Miata coupled with the relatively powerful SR-20 makes for one quick little jelly bean! Seeing this car slide with the SR makes it seem so easy.

You guys are probably wondering why choose the name Miley Does Dallas, right? This is why.

Each driver in the team had a cardboard cutout of the Disney Channel pop diva, Miley Cyrus, in the passenger seat of their car!

It's quite a sight to see this early 80s four door Corolla out drifting. I just love the color!

Check out the anodized trumpets and the Heineken catch can! Definitely NOT proper FormulaD spec.

Seeing a line up of drift cars sitting on the grid reminded me that the Formula D season is right around the corner. It was great to be out smelling burnt tires and race fuel again.

On the left frame is another fellow Miata driver, Tony Pham, but from the Dori Saru team. On the right frame is famed drift photographer, Larry Chen, with his black hole sized light capture device!

This is the NA8CE Miata that belongs to the Dori Saru driver, Tony Pham (pictured above). I was lucky enough to get a ride along with Tony for a few laps after the team drift competition. Being in a Miata always makes me want to get another one....

And I do have to say that part of the Buttonwillow track that they sectioned off for the drifters is an absolutely fantastic track. I witnessed Tony link up the whole course and even maji the straights in his turbo boosted jelly bean.

There were four judges for the team drift competition, two of them included these two characters: Formula D drivers Matt Powers and Justin Pawlak!

If there was one song that would describe how the team drifting competition went, I'd have to say that Herb Alpert's "Spanish Flea" would be a perfect match!

Some of these guys were fantastic drivers when they're out by themselves, but when you throw in a few buddies drifting beside you, the only thing that can come out of that is pure comedic chaos.

Take the Corolla that I previously mentioned above with the Heineken catch can. He goes straight into the dirt where the our prestigious judges start judging and a giant cloud of dust follows in his wake. His drift buddies are clearly blinded by the dust....

...and they hit the dirt themselves and spin out. For the spectators (and judges), this was fantastically entertaining!

There was much dirt dropping to be had by all the drivers in each team.

This Corolla looks like it took a book straight out of the a rally circuit...

...but looks just fantastic in the process!

Even this slammed Lexus SC400 with Enkei RPF-1s couldn't help to do a dirt drop!

This red S14 belongs to the team Wolf Reign. The reason for the team name is that they all have matching wolf theme t-shirts. Apparently, Native American themed wolf t-shirts is all the rage now....

I love any car with a red and white color combination and this car looks just fabulous in motion and while standing still.

This team brought a lot of heart to competition, but they just couldn't get a solid run in...

But it was sure fun to watch these guys try to do their best!

Did I mention that I love that green Corolla already?

After a few more runs, everyone started getting comfortable and starting syncing up in the corners well. Dori Saru took third place.

Miley Does Dallas took second place.

But there was just one team that was solid with every single run...

These guys showed every other teams how team drifting should be done.

Extremely close driving, good speed, and good angles.

Just look at the form these guys have! Solid driving like this gave team Switch Blade the 1st place prize of $1000!

After the team drifting festivities, the track opened up once again and Calvin Wan took to the track honing his skills for this upcoming Formula D season.

Its amazing to see all the drivers out there once again under zero pressure and the only worry that they have is to just have fun. That's what it is all about, right?

The overall experience was something that is rarely seen these days in the industry. It was a relaxed and informal meet with a relaxed with very informal competitions and driving sessions. It just brought together a great vibe throughout the event. There was great cars to be seen, great driving to spectate, and most important of all, there were great people to just spend time with.

After spending so much time in the professional circles, it was great to just hang out on a grassroots level once again. I hope to see more automotive festivals like these very soon.

-Linhbergh

P.S. I'd like to extend a thank you to Larry Chen for letting me borrow his massive lenses for a few shots. Some of the shots in this post were made possible by his black hole sized light capture devices. Head on over to his website drift fotos for more images from the event!

Hellaflush

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