Here we are, again
I’m just going to go ahead and say it, Strato Bash “is” the replacement for the Drift Union Invitational. Is it? The end, Strato Bash 3 blog over…….Honestly though, I feel like that statement said, is a rough and dirty way to sum up what Strato Bash is like with a few words. For those of you who knew about and lived those glorious DUI days (Drift Union Invitational), then I’m sure you can relate in some way shape or form to Strato Bash having a very similar feel to those days. For those who don’t know what those days were like, well I guess you’ve missed out on a Canadian heritage moment in the drift scene.
So many similarities and characteristics are shared with what Strato Bash is, and what DUI was. With all due respect though, Strato Bash could never take the place of what the Drift Union Invitational was, that two day invitational based event was such an iconic event, it paved the way for many of us in this scene out here I feel, it created something so special for those who knew what it was or who have been to one, and for years to come core memories will always find their way into conversations with similar events such as Strato Bash. For myself, Strato Bash is a more refined, well structured, less rough around the edge version of DUI on a bigger scale.
This years two day event at Stratotech Park brought out 100 drivers. Now for those who haven’t been to Strato Bash in person, you may think 100 drivers for an event would create a fair amount of traffic and waiting in que lines to get on track? In all reality there is zero wait time, the track is hot from the moment the event starts, to the moment the event ends, minus some track breaks here and there.
If you remember from my past blog Strato Bash V-2, I briefly dove into the run down about how this event operates. Long story short and a small refresher, there are two run groups broken up into another two sub groups, red/blue group as one, and green/yellow as two. As one run group is out on track, the other sub group is catching a 15 min break, and vice versa. It’s way more seat time then you’d expect, it’s probably the most seat time you’ll ever get in an event.
Strato Bash is an event run by an incredible group of individuals who are rooted deeply within the local Alberta drift scene, also branching out into British Columbia as well. The ones who run and operate Spec-D are immensely dedicated to their craft, there’s so much passion and determination from this group to see this culture grow in many amazing ways. The people behind Spec-D dump their heart and soul into the events they put on throughout the warmer months, many of these individuals are also drivers, or share a common passion for the drift scene.
They understand the ins and outs to drift events, the logistics, what gets drivers excited to come to these events, along with spectators too. Personally from my point of view looking in, Spec-D is a group of the people for the people, who also greatly understand the business aspect as much as the let’s have a great time aspect with these events. The drift scene in Western Canada needs Spec-D as much as Spec-D needs drifting in Western Canada, the pair go hand in hand like Burt Reynolds and his mustache.
I could go on and on rambling about Strato Bash and how glorious it is, and really it is. It’s by far one of my most favorite events to be apart of, there’s such a huge sense of community around this event, everyone for the most part knows who everyone else is, it’s all about having a stellar time over two days with your homies, getting more seat time than you know what to do with, growing as a driver, and the list goes on and on. In Western Canada, Strato Bash has started to make a name for itself as “the” event to drive at. With the saying “time will tell”, year 3 of Strato Bash just shows us that this event continues to grow with each year, and that time is telling us good things are on the horizon for this community.
The Goods
I wish I had more variety with shots to be honest, but I find myself sitting back more and more these days to just enjoy time with friends, along with enjoying the event itself.
Thank you for reading the blog.
Enjoy!
Medium Format Film Goods
Kodak Gold 200
Ilford hp5
Portra 400
Pro 400h
