Seventeen years ago, I started writing about cars and I never stopped. My first website was Romania’s first drift-focused blog called “Doriftooo”. I later realized it should have been “Dorifuto”. And I can think of at least two reasons why I started working in the industry.
One of them is quite obvious: I love cars and particularly speaking drifting. The other one is pretty simple, too. I don’t come from a rich family, and I knew how difficult it would be for me to build my own racecar. So, I figured doing media work in motorsports would be my best shot to spend more time around the sport.
And it was actually even more effective than I ever dreamt it would. It’s how I rode in the passenger seat of a Mazda RX-7 drift machine in 2012 (thank you Andras Frantisek from Slovakia). It’s how I graduated from MyWay Drift School in 2014. And it’s also how I went to Japan twice a few years later.
But being at the racetrack, working with pro drivers, and riding in their cars is not the same as being a competitor yourself. So, buying my FC RX-7 almost a decade ago felt like a huge step forward to me. I’ve been fortunate enough to drive it at Table Japoneze’s Saisho Fest on a karting track in Targu Secuiesc twice.
There were some attempts of drifting there, but it was just an appetizer in the grand scheme of things. Now, with low compression readings, a dead turbo and clutch, I need to mobilize in finding the funds to get it to the point where it can be my drift car. So obviously when Mike called and said he’s ready to start working on it I was thrilled.
I had mixed feelings about his suggestion to attend an event at our local racetrack (Motorpark Romania) though. As he is currently taking a break from the pushing the limits of his FD RX-7, we were both about to sign up for the Expo side of Drag Racing Days. I didn’t even know if they’d accept me there, but they did.
Can you imagine how strange it is to dream about pushing your car to the limit at the track, and then taking it to said racetrack only to have it parked in the paddock for three days? I’d say it’s a bit like being famished, ordering food, having the plate on your table and physically being unable to eat it. Does that make sense?
“At least I’ll show it what it’s like where I’ve been spending so many weekends over the past seven years” was what came to mind next, and a few days later Mike already came over to my place to pick the car up. I had at least two more reasons to be excited by the trip, aside from simply taking the FC there.
I was looking forward to three days with Mike, Omar and any of our friends who came over for the event. And I also knew I’d be driving Mike’s 550-HP to and back from the track as he was on trailer duty for the weekend (I’m not confident enough I can handle it, nor do I have the license for the job).
I hadn’t driven the rotary monster since 2024, and I could barely sleep the night before thinking about the trip. It’s a fairly docile experience when you’re just cruising around, but the moment the Borg Warner EF38374 starts boosting is when the car starts feeling like a supersport motorcycle on four wheels: incredibly fast to the point where “normal” people could label it as terrifying.
I’m sure I made a few kids’ day along the road, especially when I was up in the rev range. It was somewhat strange to see the FC on the trailer up front, and it made me happy to even drive it down and back up when the event was over. We fought the scorching heat for three days, switching between the drag racing, drifting and expo zones to pass the time.
One of the new kids on the block was driving an RB25DET-powered Nissan S14, and I could almost see myself knocking on his door with my FC in tandem. Motorpark doesn’t typically allow drifting there, so this event made me hopeful for the future. On day two I went to the track with Omar’s Subaru BRZ, and I even turned down the opportunity to drive it again just so I could enjoy a few cold beers under the sun.
I don’t remember ever relaxing this much at the track, as I was always busy doing media work or handling team logistics at previous occasions. Also, I knew the BRZ wouldn’t come close to providing the same experience as the FD. And Omar was about to join me on the drive back on Sunday.
The car worked fine until we stopped to get some cold drinks, and then it struggled to even fire up. Once we got on the highway, I realized there was something wrong with it, as I had seen the symptoms before. I asked Mike to stop in the first parking area, he connected his laptop to the Adaptronic ECU and found the problem.
I’d love to explain it to you, but he’s the rotary doctor so I’ll let him explain when the time is right. All I know is that the beast was boosting again after that, but it’s obviously not quite as fun on public roads where I know better than to even think about pushing it to its limit.
Anyway, the FC is now at our Brotorheads garage in Bucharest, and it could be ready for action within the next few months if I can come up with the money or the parts for it. So consider buying some of our Tshirts, stickers, or parts to help us out. We’d be happy to repay the favor by taking you out for a drive sometimes.
About The Author
