Welcome back to another Pro-Am driver feature. Today we talk to Brad Davis. Brad will be competing in The Formula Drift Pro Am Licensing series at
Ever-Green Speedway. Lets ask Brad some questions......
Tell our fans about your passion for drifting. Where did it come from?
Straight out of high school, I became a Union Ironworker in Seattle. I was fortunate to be trained and mentored by some of the best ironworkers in the country. I loved being up on the structural steel beams, hundreds of feet in the air. My dream was to be the best structural steel Ironworker and it became my passion.
In 2011, that dream was cut short by an accident which left me temporarily paralyzed. After two surgeries and several years of physical therapy I am now able to walk. However, due to physical limitations I was not able to return to being an Ironworker. It was then I started looking for something that would fill the void in my heart that ironworking once held.
One day my wife and I went to Evergreen Speedway to watch an open drift session. I told myself "I have to try that!" I looked online and found when the next open Drift was and what I need to get started. A few weeks later I took my 2002 Lexus IS 300 to the speedway. I had so much fun! I was hooked and went to every open drift I could. I was then given the opportunity to ride along on the 5/8th's track layout with professional Formula Drift driver, Rob Primo in his 2JZ powered S14. It only left me wanting more. Feeling what a true and powerful drift car could do was amazing.
Drifting has become a calling for my focus, passion, and determination. Through drifting, I have discovered parts of me that can overcome adversity and life's challenges.
+Tell us about your first drift car/build?
-My first drift car was my IS300 I still drive. I had a RB25 powered 240 for a while but I kept coming back to I love my IS300. I bought it August 2013 as a daily driver (at least that's what I told my wife, haha). I took the IS300 to Evergreen Speedway for open drifts. It was totally stock and was all over the place making it difficult to drift.
In March 2014 I pulled the car apart to do a motor swap from the NA 2jz to the turbo 2jz. Things got out of hand from there. We installed a cage, Figs engineering pro angle kit, BC ER series coil overs and so much more. I didn't get a chance to drive her till September of 2015 and it was amazing! Since then I have broken her a lot. Every time is a new learning experience.
-The IS300 now:
*stock internals 2JZ-GTE with BorgWarner s300 61mm turbo on e85
*gsr GForce 4 speed dog box
*FIGS Engineering suspension
*BC ER series coilover
*radiator and intercooler from Under Pressure Racing Development
*Fabrication by Chris Jeanneret Racing
*sparco ergo grip
*OMP 6 point harness
*wilwood swing down petals
*wilwood hand brake calipers with Figs engineering brackets.
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+What is your favorite thing about drifting?
-Driving fast with a lot of angle. It gets me in trouble sometimes. I think it's a lot like what Chelsea Denofa says in that when you go 110%, sometimes it causes you to screw up but when it works it works.
-The community and being able to hangout with my friends. We rent Evergreen Speedway a lot.l and it's fun to be out there with your buddy's slaying tires! I have met a lot of awesome new people and my drift family continues to grow.
-Lots of long days and sleepless nights. The long nights turn to early mornings troubleshooting with your team or buddies and just barely getting the car to the track. You develop strong connections and create amazing memories. Drifting can be irritating, frustrating, and expensive but so much fun.
+What events do you participate in?
-The Pro-am Series at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wa. They put on 5 events for the season. 4 different layouts, 2 being on the 5/8th's bank (same as FD Seattle). We also get the chance to run a mini FD Irwindale, mini FD New Jersey, and a 3/8th version of the FD Seattle layout. I love going down to PARC (Pat Acres Racing Complex) in Oregon. It's a 3 hour drive and such a fun track! I go to Spokane Raceway in Spokane WA, for Independence Day Matsuri. It's a 6 hour drive but every 4th of July weekend, my buddy's and I go to shred the 2.2 mile road course. This year I posted Gopro footage of me drifting at 111mph (GPS Speed) going up the hill on the back side of the track. I live for moments like that on the track.
+Do you have any really cool stories about your competitions?
The funniest thing that happened in a competition was when I lit my car on fire during a burnout contest. My buddy TJ and I were competing in the competition at Evergreen Speedway for Driftcon After Dark last year. We were chasing each other around in circles while drifting. Then I stopped and TJ kept drifting around me. I was doing a standing burn out for so long that my small catch can overflowed and caught on fire. It was the last event of 2016 and I out with a bang. Fortunately, we put out the fire before any real damage and it wasn't for nothing, we ended up taking home 1st place!
+Who is your favorite pro drifter of all time?
-Chris Jeanneret. I met him at Evergreen Speedway December 2015 at an open drift. Chris drove in Formula Drift 2013 in a s14 and in 2014 in a s2000. It has been a dream to work along side him the last few years. He has helped me figure out my car and progressing my driving. He is a car set up master. We have spent a lot of long days and sleepless night at his shop (Chris Jeanneret Racing). He is my spotter, mentor and has turned into one of my best friends.
+What are your future plans for the sport?
-Earn my Pro 2 license through the Evergreen Drift program.
-To be someone that everyone wants tandem with.
+Flight or invisibility and why?
-Flight. I think it would be a lot more exciting. And you could help more people being able to fly.
+OK so you have an unlimited budget. What car do you build and where do you race it?
-Lexus RC F sport drift in Formula Drift pro1. Go wall to wall at the streets of Long Beach. Maybe it will happen one day.
-I want an Eco boost F150 raptor with long travel suspension. A "street truck" that I can jump.
+Tell the fans where they can find you online where they can expect to see you compete?
Instagram/Facebook @braddavisracing
Evergreen Speedway Pro-Am Series
5 Things you didn't Know about Brad Davis
I have 3 dogs. 2 french bulldogs and a border collie/blue healer mix.
I grew up boating in the Pacific Northwest.
I have been married since July 2013. My wife, her family and I snowmobile. I'm good friends with my father in-law. In the winter we ride snowmobiles weekly. I used to ride sport bikes. I have had some friends die on spot bikes. So I sold my bikes for drifting money.
I love taking my son on our wake surf boat and camping in our trailer. Nothing is more important to me than my son.