Team Tandem returns to Evergreen Speedway on June 3 and this year is presented by our sponsors Tire Streets. This part of the event will be held immediately after the High Line Shootout.
Team Tandem has been a major part of our June event every year and this year we have a special announcement… Goon Squad NW will be our official layout creators and judges for the day. As a team they will be creating a brand new CAGELESS layout and will be driving exhibition earlier in the day. We are grateful to have them step away from competition for this event and help us take the Team Tandem Competition to another level.
Teams of 3-4 will battle for a cash prize on this fresh layout. Prize money will be determined by the number of teams competing. Payout shown below based on 16 teams competing.
Prize Payout
1st: $2000
2nd: $1000
3rd: $600
In addition, the top team will be crowned the 2023 DriftCon Team Tandem Champions. Their team name will also be etched onto the DriftCon Team Tandem Cup on display at Evergreen Speedway. Coming up with a unique team name is encouraged. Team members are expected to visually coordinate with each other in some way.
Team Tandem Competition
Team Tandem will take place immediately AFTER the High Line Shootout main competition. The schedule will remain flexible – please be attentive and follow instructions by track officials. It is up to you to know where we are in the show. We will not wait for you.
Qualifying and bracket placement will be determined but overall performance and impressions during the final practice. It is essentially a judged practice session that will be used to determine qualifying ranking.
Qualifying results and brackets will then be posted for easy viewing to create the structure for the rest of the competition. We will then create a Top 16 competition bracket.
Within each “battle” each team will get 2 runs to put on their best show. The better of the two teams will advance in the bracket. In the event this is taking too long we reserve the right to adjust to one run for each team per battle. This adjustment would only be made after each main group of the bracket changes. Top 16, Great 8, Final 4, etc.
If a “battle” is too close to call the judges reserve the right to ask for a One More Time.
Team Tandem Competitors
Track Layout
The layout for the event this year will be a cageless infield layout and may utilize the new pavement that was added this spring. The Goon Squad NW team will create the layout and test during a private track day prior to the event. To prevent teams from knowing the layout and practicing in advance the layout will be kept private until the week of the event. The only practice sessions teams will get will be on the official Friday practice day.
MAP SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS A GENERAL IDEA OF THE LAYOUT.
Team Tandem is NOT judged like normal drifting competition. Judges will be focusing on proximity and overall team skill. Teams should be trying to drive within arm’s reach of one another. Drivers should be on the same line, with matching style and form. While line, style, angle, and excitement will all continue to be judged factors, what we really want to see is synchronized style and performance. The lead driver is responsible for laying down the best line and the follow cars are to follow the lead driver and keep in as close proximity and uniformly as possible.
- * Passing is discouraged – Teams should stay in order from start to finish.
- Drivers should not straighten up or make severe corrections.
- If a team member loses control or spins out/stops drifting and starts over this is considered a severe correction.
- Other points can be taken away / or added depending on a judge’s discretion.
- There will be no “restart” or “do-overs” for teams.
- No disputes. All judges’ decisions are final.
*Specifics regarding passing, and other judging criteria will be clarified during the mandatory team tandem
Goon Squad NW Judges
John Danyal
Jon Weigal
Julio Losh / Junion Chhuon
Competition
The Team Tandem competition judges will be judging the teams based on how well each team drifts together. A minimum of 3 cars will be required on each team. The goal is for all team members to be synchronized with one another so that the team looks uniform – as opposed to one driver trying to outrun the other. Judges will be focusing on proximity and overall style.
To do well in team drift competition, it is best if all the cars within the team have similar drifting characteristics (hp level, grip level, etc.). Each driver must know how others drift so he can better anticipate what they are going to do and drift comfortably with each other.
Optional Practice Day
Each driver can sign up for optional Friday practice and pay $50 at the back gate to enter and practice the Team Tandem layout between High Line Shootout practice sessions. A minimum of 2 drivers will want to be at the track together to drive as a team. We will not be allowing single drivers to run the layout as it will take up too much time for practice.
Reserve Cars
Mechanical incidents happen, a team will be at a large disadvantage if they are short 1 driver (more to be explained by judges at the drivers meeting). 3 drivers are required to enter the competition and a minimum of 2 drivers must be on track during bracket eliminations. Each team is allowed to elect 1 reserve car / driver in exchange for losing a teammate. The reserve car must be a paid, registered, tech inspected and approved prior to the start of the competition (Open Drift and High Line Shootout drivers eligible).
We will immediately go into podium after the Team Tandem Competition. Final competitors are encouraged to make their way to the track in front of the grandstands.
Ride-Alongs
These will be permitted in tandem legal cars with proper safety equipment. You must have any passengers sign the waiver before letting them in your car. They are only allowed during practice and once qualifying starts they will not be permitted during the main event (it slows down the competition too much).
