Southrnfresh 5 x Streetdriven Tour Coverage pt. 1
My favorite posts to write are these from our annual events. It gives me a chance to really show what this site is really all about. And every year the event ends with a great story to tell, and the bar raised.
Last year at Southrnfresh 4 we packed out Jim R. Miller park. We intentionally only rented out a portion of the park to make sure we didnt get too much space and the event look empty. So the first year for Southrnfresh 3 we filled it nicely, but the following year for Southrnfresh 4 we packed it to capacity so much that we had to close the gates. So the plan was to rent the entire park this year for Southrnfreh 5 and have more space for more activities at the park. But this year Cobb County decided that they wanted to do some maintenance to the facility and replace water lines, and re route electric lines. Which is good news for the facility, but they could not book anything until they had come to completion. And we always try to book the space a year in advance. As 2014 came to an end, we were unable to secure a date for Jim R. Miller because of the renovations.
PHOTOS: ANDREW MESA – DAVID NEW – JASON SCOTT
Along came a email from Street Driven about hosting an event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. They wanted to work together with us to bring more then just a car show to Atlanta. The Street Driven team all have history in the Atlanta scene before last weekend. So it was only right that they make Atlanta one of their tour stops. We all had high hopes to make this the very best stop possible because we all have roots here.
The main priority of this event was to make sure it was enjoyable for the attendees. And that we did more then just have nice cars parked around a vendor area. Street Driven was able to get 4 Formula D drivers Pat Goodin, Chris Forsberg, Ryan Tuerck, and Tommy Van Kleef to come out and give ride alongs.
The Formula D drivers were a treat of course. But seeing some of the hometown heroes like Chris Ward, Tyler Clayton, and Sammy Tiger back in the media lot was the real pleasure. Mainly because I really missed the old days when these guys drifted at Turner Field and there were regular drifting events being held in Atlanta. We are really thankful for these guys and many others that continue to keep the drift scene alive in Atlanta.
The drifting community in Atlanta is really solid, the only issue is location. There are about 2 or 3 drifting events held here in Atlanta a year which is really sad. Because there is so much drifting history and talent here in Georgia that deserves more. We really appreciate the drivers for putting on a great show for the spectators.
This year we decided to give out awards again. Last time we did awards was at Southrnfresh 3. The only issue with awards is that some people look at the event as a competitive car show once you mention awards. Some of the awards are based on that day, but they are mainly awards given out to people for their time invested that fit the certain categories. There are no judges and no scorecard, it is pretty much me walking around and giving a close look at the vehicles once things settle down. I trust myself with this decision because most of the cars I am pretty familiar with. The awards are mainly a thank you for supporting us, and to let them know we do appreciate your dedication to the automotive scene.
We had a issue with the PA system, so i could not do a formal announcement for awards. So I had to personally go to the winners one by one and hand them their awards, which is more my style anyway. If you are a hardcore show person that came to this event expecting a top notch show type of judging I do apologize, this was not that type of event. I know that people take shows really serious, so when we ever decide to have a serious show event with proper judging it will be done right.
Kyle Golding took home Best Engine bay in his Honda Civic coupe. Kyle drove down from South Carolina to hang out with us for the day.
Darrick @atldarrick took home lowest static vehicle. Don’t think I have ever seen a set of CCWs on a air cooled beetle. There are not too many vehicles that can get any lower then a air cooled VW.
Justin Wright @its_black took home best fitment in his E36. Justin has been a lot of time and effort into his E36. Anyone that lives in Atlanta can attest to how far the car has come. Justin has always been a loyal supporter of anything Southrnfresh since day one.
Stephen Stern @infamous_sstern0626 of Infamous Society took home best 4 door of the day. Stephen is another day one supporter of the Southrnfresh, and has put in much time into his G35. I would have never thought Stephen would have took the build this far. The car started subtle with wheels and suspension for a long time. But all of a sudden Stephen took a step and went full on with the build with the help of Superstar Customs, the latest change being the Mercedes front bumper fusion. Which transformed the front end completely.
Johnny Le @Im_mr_le took home best 2 door in his Porsche Cayman S. As well as the other winners Johnny has been a dedicated supporter of Southrnfresh. And has held on to his Cayman S even though he has tried to sell it so many times. Instead of selling he just keeps on making it better. See Johnny’s feature here
You can not mention VIP in Atlanta or the south period without mentioning Larry Young @infamous_dirtyatl of Infamous Society. Since day one Larry’s mindset has always been proper VIP, and no half ass shortcuts. Its to the point were there is no way I could ever see Larry driving anything else but the Q45.
Charles Smith @lordcsmith took home Best Street. Its always hard to explain this category. So its best to just say why Charles got it, which was from dedication to driving his Civic Si on a daily basis for 220,000 miles and the car always looking its best, and show ready. Charles’ civic has gone through many many phases and Charles is known as the go to guy in the 8th gen civic community.
Chris Melde @kikcaffine took home best Old School of the day. Chris is another dedicated supporter of Southrnfresh. He told me that our first event Southrnfresh 1 held at Garage Zero in 2010 was the first event the Datsun had been to bone stock. And 5 years later here it is still ticking. Check out Chris’ recent feature here
Last but not least Tommy Reichelderfer @bossroadster took home Best Overall of the day. It was hard to choose this award, but I think time invested, originality and dedication trumps everything at this point with the Miata. Personally seeing the cars transformation over the years helped also. Tommy’s do it yourself attitude and creativity is what keeps our scene alive. Check out Tommy’s feature .
Of course we have plenty more photos to share and plenty more to discuss about the event coming up in the next few days. I honestly believe we have a photo of every single vehicle in attendance. So everyone should be satisfied with the photos.
THANKS FOR LOOKING – Stay tuned for part 2
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY CHECK OUT JUST CAUSE’ VIDEO OF THE EVENT
Street Driven Tour | SOUTHRNFRESH 5 – JustCause from JustCause on Vimeo.
