NO COAST. NO PROBLEM.
Photo courtesy of David Karey.
Celebrating the lifestyle of drifting, New Mexico style.
A Drifting Bash Like No Other.
For those who may not already know, Albuquerque is home to one of the longest-running grassroots drifting bashes held in the contiguous United States.
Known as the No Coast Drift Party (or NCDP), this event happens annually over Labor Day weekend. It’s now in its 13th year, and despite a few scares and setbacks, this party continues to grow strong.
“In 2010, drifting in New Mexico was dead,” explained event founder, former PRO drifter, stunt driver, and YouTube celebrity Dan Brockett (fondly known in the greater drifting community as Officer Dan). “We needed a Hail Mary, so we created a bash-style event that mimicked the All-Star Bash. We wanted to host the ultimate drift event and make it fun.”
This is how the idea for the NCDP was hatched. Hosted at what was then called Sandia Speedway, which is located in the heart of Albuquerque, the first event drew 20 drivers from across Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. 500 spectators attended the first event, and top-level drifting judges, including PRO Formula DRIFT driver Justin Pawelak (JTP), regulated, reviewed, and rewarded the drivers battling against each other throughout the program.
Photo courtesy of David Karey.
Drifting Happiness All Around.
According to Officer Dan, by 2016, No Coast was proving to be, “an actual event that people were building cars for.” At this point, the average registered car count had grown to 100, with 1,000 spectators consistently showing up to celebrate and enjoy the drifting lifestyle.
“If you ever get salty on drifting, come to a No Coast, and it will completely change your mind,” Brockett stated.
And, when the world was blanketed by COVID, this ended up proving truer than ever.
During this time, the regular circuit events at the speedway could only accommodate drivers, and without paying spectators, “New Mexico drifting was destroyed,” Brockett said, quickly following this comment with a more positive note.
“We had the best No Coast event ever in 2020, with 158 drivers, and it literally saved our bacon!” Brockett added.
Fast forward, and by 2021, all-things-drifting at the Albuquerque track had returned to their normal pace, and then some. In fact, regular season events were consistently each drawing in 50 cars and 400-450 spectators.
“The circuit ended up making a small profit for the first time in eleven years and this was a new, unexpected feeling,” Brockett recalled, quipping, “Dinner, a movie, and maybe even a new set of tires!”
Photo courtesy of Anthony Lindsay (posted on NCDP).
Just When The Drifting Gets Good.
In today’s world, all things seem to come with a catch. As 2021 progressed, rumors that the leaseholder of the track was planning to retire abounded. With much of the track and property needing repair, this rumor turned into a fear that organized drifting might be on its way out in New Mexico.
These rumors were 100 percent confirmed by the onset of 2022, and with no one on deck to pick up the job of running the facility, the future began to look bleak for Sandia. “It’s a rare breed of person,” Brockett explained, “You can’t NOT love all types of motorsports.”
According to Brockett, Sandia’s oversight board had indicated they’d rather sit on the property than run it. “They approached me and I gave them a hard no,” he said, knowing there were too many fragmented pieces in the arrangement, which translated to, “too much money.”
Nevertheless, with the drifting season and the annual NCDP in peril, Brockett and his friends found themselves in a pickle. “I had no reason to live in Albuquerque, if we didn’t have a racetrack,” Brockett stated.
Photo courtesy of David Karey.
Suika Circuit Is Born.
Despite his hesitation, Brockett did what he does best. He improvised.
Randomly, Brockett started talking with a few other key individuals about forming a partnership. By mid-2022, these talks were gelling and getting more serious. Nevertheless, the track’s owners wouldn’t budge on pricing, and seemed completely ambivalent to the track’s future.
“Originally, there were four of us involved in buying the place to keep the dream alive,” Brockett said. “There’s a gigantic car scene here, so losing motorsports would have been a huge tragedy.”
With time ticking by like a bullet, October 2022 came without resolution. By November, Brockett, along with Mike Ossell and Jim Guthrie, knew what had to be done. They formed a partnership and submitted a Letter of Intent.
“We had to all agree to basically pay retail for the track, even though all the equipment, the track itself, and the environment was rundown,” Brockett said, indicating it came down to one conscious decision for the trio. “We either save it or we don’t.”
As the transaction on the racetrack closed, the entire community came together to laud its new partners and celebrate the exchange. Brockett noted the support was completely overwhelming and emotional, stating, “Everyone thought it was a breath of fresh air to see the track being purchased by enthusiasts and an insane number of people came together to help clean things up during two big volunteer days.”
Photo courtesy of David Karey.
A New Name And A New Spirit.
“We hit the ground running, and after a few months, the track looked great!” Brockett exclaimed. “We got quotes for the track surface, skid pad, septic, and plumbing, which are now all fixed. We also purchased a new PA system and made the track safer by removing the loose tires.”
In addition, the track owners built and launched a new website where drivers and spectators can now do everything online such as order tickets, keep apprised of upcoming events, participate in clubs and loyalty programs, get account updates, and more.
Perhaps the most prominent change was the rebrand of the complex name. The speedway is now known as Suika Circuit, a word that plays off the Japanese reference for watermelon and denotes the notorious coloring of the overlooking Sandia Mountains at sunset.
“This year was our opportunity to change the outlook of the racetrack, its merchandising, the branding, and all the little things like this that matter and make it a completely different experience,” Brockett said, indicating these investments were already paying off. “Our first Test and Tune event in March has always been our biggest normal season event, but this year, it turned out to be the biggest event ever at the speedway.”
Photo courtesy of David Karey.
Skidding Into No Coast Drift Party 13.
Fast forward again, and if the number 13 is unlucky for some, it appears just the opposite for the NCDP. In just a few short months of the track’s new ownership, the support from the Albuquerque community (and well beyond) is literally exploding!
On the eve of NCDP 13, Brockett said he expects this weekend's event to draw as many as 250 cars and somewhere between 1,200-1,500 spectators. A far cry from the event’s humble beginnings.
Representatives from Drift Enthusiast Magazine will be present to catch as much of the vibe on camera as we can. We’ll also be chiming out posts through our social media accounts (@driftenthusisastmag) along with many of our other drifting friends. And, stay tuned for more reading material on the track and its new owners.
Photo courtesy of Valters Boze.
Where Does Suika Drifting Head Next?
The dream of Brockett and his partners is to eventually turn Suika into the Ebisu of the United States.
“We want to have multiple track options, multiple reasons to come out, car stores, a row of condos, and ultimately make this track a much larger value proposition than it is,” Brockett said.
In the short term, the crew’s most immediate goals are to get the track surface, roof, skid pad, and grandstands addressed, so the track becomes more of a destination.
“Eventually, we’d like to host Formula DRIFT, Gridlife events, and the like,” Brockett concluded.
