The #GRIDLIFE Experience

"Pramoda Ravi (Promo)" (pramoda-ravi) 07/16/2014 at 14:53 • Filed to: gridlife trackaddict timeattack stancenation

14

38

Automotive enthusiasts are spread apart into multiple categories depending on what we're passionate about. Unfortunately these groups rarely intermix on common ground, The track folk rarely attend car meets, the hard parkers have not been to an autocross or road course, and the drifters well, they just drift wherever they can on their own little hoon island. Enter #GRIDLIFE an automotive experiment set out specifically to bring all these groups together. With all the hate thrown around the internet #GRIDLIFE could have been the biggest flop but what ended up happening was a truly magical experience that I hope everyone gets to enjoy at least once.

So how did #GRIDLIFE get everyone together and make it a terrific experience for all?

We start off at a track in South Haven Michigan called Gingerman, a road course with 11 turns and 2.2 miles of beautiful tarmac where the Big Three test their sports car, where LeMons races are held and as well as time trials through NASA/SCCA. It's a terrific venue to build a new type of automotive gathering.

Second it wasn't a 4 hour event. #GRIDLIFE was a full automotive immersion. 1500+ people came to the track for the entire weekend. Drifters, Road Racers, and stancenation all camped out for two days at a race track.

There were activities for everyone HPDE, drifting, time attack, car show, and a full on music festival with national touring acts like WillyJoy, The Hood Internet, and Autobot from Flosstradamus.

Next make it cheap just $30 included admission and camping for the weekend. If you wanted to thrash your car all weekend just $250 got you in for 5 hours of track time over the course of the weekend. Add to that, $45 for a single session. Allowed everyone to take their car out with a pro level instructor for the price of a nice dinner. That allowed people to get their foot in the door, to experience what tracking a car is all about. People who did so gained a new level of respect for the nut cases that went out there to compete in time attack on Sunday.

#GRIDLIFE also felt grassroots, youth oriented, and ultra friendly. Nobody wants to go to a track day with a bunch of pricks that think they're better than everybody. People just want to go to the track to have a good time, laugh, and go home with a smile. That's exactly what was delivered.

#GRIDLIFE pulled off the seemingly impossible, brought people together from every automotive sub genre together in near perfect harmony. The future will be great. Events, especially in their first year rarely go off as flawless as #GRIDLIFE did and talking with the organizers there are plenty of plans in place to make it even better in the years to come.

Why is this important to the car community? Because it allows a unified car community that shows respect for each other.

Here are just a few pictures from the event

For more follow #GRIDLIFE on Facebook.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

A special thank you to Chris Stewart for making this possible.

A great video recap

Eric Sean Delaney > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 16:12

0

#yohb

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > Eric Sean Delaney 07/16/2014 at 16:13

0

You on here bro? hahahha nice.

Tt3Sheppard > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 16:15

0

Would love to see this in the Northeast U.S.

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > Tt3Sheppard 07/16/2014 at 16:15

0

It's coming ;)

Eric Sean Delaney > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 16:21

1

I recognized your name from the Woodward page. Had to.

This looked like a cool event and I'm bummed I missed it. I went to Belle Isle instead.

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > Eric Sean Delaney 07/16/2014 at 16:28

0

There will be more, don't worry. hah

thechrisstewart > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 16:46

4

We are definitely trying to bring #GRIDLIFE out East

Nachtmensch > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 16:49

0

Oh hey. I drove this. It was fun, besides the very loud music that was not in my taste.

Crees Yung > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 17:04

0

You guys should definitely bring this to NJMP, two tracks, separate go kart track, etc———would bring people from philly, Jersey, NY, MD, DC, etc and has TONS of room to camp/etc, though, I do not know if they if they normally allow camping there. I know I would go and would definitely set up cruises to it on NASIOC

Herschel_Krustofski > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 17:36

0

It's me (red G) and Dasha (black Z)!

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 17:42

2

"Nobody wants to go to a track day with a bunch of pricks that think they're better than everybody."

Dunno what track days you've been to, but I've never ran into stuff like that in the couple years I've been going to them. There's maybe one or two people like that, sure, but at least 98% of the people I've met have been amazingly helpful, some of the best people to be around, and are now some of my closest friends.

zetec duratec ECOTEC > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 17:44

3

I would like to point out, to all you Forza Horizon haters, that this is Life Imitating Art.

So, shut the fuck up already and let me enjoy it.

Herschel_Krustofski > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 17:48

2

This was an awesome event. Me and my friends are in the second picture. My car is the red G that gets lopped off at the end and my friends are about the next 15 cars. Everything from Miatas to a twin turbo G37. About half of us took to the track for at least one session. I paid for the whole weekend as a beginner because I had never been on this track before, but have experience at other tracks. As a beginner, an instructor was assigned to me for the entire event. The first session was just learning the layout with my instructor's help. The second was improving my line. The third session my instructor didn't say a word until we returned to the pit at the end off the session. At that point he said, "All these people are just holding you up and you are not having any fun, you need to move up to the intermediate group." That was my goal for the day, so in my last two sessions I went from being the fastest guy on the track to one of the slower one, but still held my own. The best part was being able to take a passenger with me for each session, both of which had never ridden on a track before and they both had a blast. One of them owns the black Z next to me and she had been wanting to drive it on the track, and the ride with me convinced her she needs to track it next time.

Overall, it was very organized and professionally run and everyone I talked to had an absolute blast. I can't wait to do it again next year.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 18:35

0

How about old muscle? Are we invited too?

Star4you > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 18:43

0

Hmm, didn't even hear about this. Would've shown up. Ah well, next time!

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/16/2014 at 19:07

0

The entire article is about how we should respect what everyone in the car community is into, so of course.

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > Star4you 07/16/2014 at 19:08

1

You should attend the next one!

HammsonHammsonHamms > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 22:03

0

Wat dat dick do?

HammsonHammsonHamms > HammsonHammsonHamms 07/16/2014 at 22:04

0

sukin on that cat dick

HammsonHammsonHamms > thechrisstewart 07/16/2014 at 22:05

0

To where? Waterford Hills?

thechrisstewart > HammsonHammsonHamms 07/16/2014 at 22:13

1

No the midwest home of #GRIDLIFE will most likely always be gingerman. We have been doing events there for years so we have a great relationship with them. We would really like to do an East Coast and Southern #GRIDLIFE in addition to the one in the midwest in the future.

ARMS7960 > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/16/2014 at 22:18

2

Definitely was a cool event. Only stayed for Saturday but was good seeing all the cars there and trying to get used to the double apexes of Gingerman (took a few sessions for sure). The people there were super friendly, ready to give advice (not in a "know-it-all" way), and the weather was perfect. Best part was giving a ride on the track to a random kid who had never been on a road course. Hopefully fueled his interest further!

HammsonHammsonHamms > thechrisstewart 07/16/2014 at 22:26

0

What about Grattan? It could be North Eastern Midewest?

eye-5 > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/16/2014 at 22:33

1

There was some newer American muscle next to me in grid.

eye-5 > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 07/16/2014 at 22:33

1

There was some newer American muscle next to me in grid.

Drunkonuleaded > Eric Sean Delaney 07/16/2014 at 23:21

0

I heard Cody Rucker was there.

thechrisstewart > zetec duratec ECOTEC 07/17/2014 at 11:12

6

We were just trying to combine Horizon and Race Wars into a single event. Glad someone made the connection. Too Soon Jr.

cmj917 > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/17/2014 at 12:49

0

Gingerman is my home track, and I didn't even realize I was missing this for the races on Belle Isle. Regardless, I'll be there next year for sure. It sounds like blast.

thechrisstewart > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/17/2014 at 13:04

1

Non official but a pretty good video recap from Boosted Films.

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > HammsonHammsonHamms 07/17/2014 at 13:11

0

Grattan is 30 minutes away and their track amenities aren't nearly the same. It's gated off and can't accept the crowd that Gingerman can.

zetec duratec ECOTEC > thechrisstewart 07/17/2014 at 13:59

0

I'm glad you did, too. I remember the intro when I first booted up Forza Horizon. "EDM festivals AND cars? Why isn't this actually a thing?!"

I'm going to have to look into attending one of these. If you ever expand into Texas, I'll be there for sure.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/17/2014 at 17:39

0

I went to that on saturday! Great event. Hope they do it again

Pramoda Ravi (Promo) > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 07/18/2014 at 09:17

0

Oh it'll happen again!

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 07/18/2014 at 13:42

0

This year?

thechrisstewart > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 07/21/2014 at 22:21

1

Not this year but next year. For certain.

super-dt > thechrisstewart 07/23/2014 at 14:52

0

THE chris stewart? From the interwebs?

thechrisstewart > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 08/04/2014 at 18:32

0

The official Re-Cap

NaSubaru > Pramoda Ravi (Promo) 04/22/2015 at 12:34

0

Are NA Subaru’s welcome?