Formula Drift Behind The Scenes

Site: Evergreen Speedway / Monroe, WA

Evergreen Speedway is probably my personal favorite out of all the Formula DRIFT venues. Having been to all but one of the seven stops the FD circuit travels to on a yearly basis (mechanical problems 30,000 feet over the desert just outside Los Angeles on the way to what would have been my first time at Wall, NJ, sadly prevented me from making that event), I feel a certain connection to the Pacific Northwest. Maybe this is due in part to the fact that I hail from the beautiful region and love any excuse to go back, especially in the summer when the weather is, for lack of a better word, amazing. Or perhaps it’s the course itself, with its crazy banked entry and intricate infield that gets my juices flowing. Most likely, though, it boils down to the fact that Evergreen Speedway marks a turning point toward the end of the season for most drivers, allowing underdogs to come back and cause titans to fall.

Since I’ve been following one driver per event this season, I thought Evergreen would be the perfect time to get an inside look at one of the most promising rookie drivers of the year: Walker Wilkerson. With his relentless driving style and positive attitude, Washington State’s native son has had a fantastic season so far.

Walker has a great grassroots following of fans, thanks largely in part to the online message forum NorthwestNissans.com. This cult following is especially strong on his home turf in the Pacific Northwest because as a region, it has a massive drift following. The event at Evergreen is a great time for fans from across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and even Vancouver, BC, to make the pilgrimage to collect some autographs, breathe some tire smoke and watch the best of the best slide it out!
Walker has a great grassroots following of fans, thanks largely in part to the online mess
Falken Tire provides rubber for Walker’s 240SX, and he goes through a lot of it. The back bank of Evergreen Speedway is particularly trying on rear driver-side tires, as the car is loaded more on that corner than anywhere else throughout this particular course.
Falken Tire provides rubber for Walker’s 240SX, and he goes through a lot of it. The back
Chris Forsberg (right) takes a few minutes to have a chat with Walker about technique and tips for this particular track layout. Even though Walker has driven here many times, Forsberg is more experienced in the FD field of drivers and offers some valuable advice. Most of the drivers in FD get along with one another and are willing to give advice to the younger guys in the field, which is a testament to how tight-knit the FD community really is.
Chris Forsberg (right) takes a few minutes to have a chat with Walker about technique and

Coming in with the most points of any rookie driver going into the event at Evergreen (and ranking 15th overall), at this rate Walker is a good bet for Rookie of the Year, an accolade he hopes will help bring in some more sponsors to help out next season.

The transition from amateur drifter to professional Formula DRIFT driver is a jump that many wish for and few can pull off. Wilkerson has the positive attitude, the raw driving skills and the good-spirited nature of a down-to-earth guy — I think he’ll go far!

Walker Wilkerson is a native Washingtonian. Growing up in the city of Snohomish, he got his first taste for modified cars from the Volkswagen crowd. It didn’t take long, however, for him to discover drifting by the same means of so many before him: JDM Option videos. Walker quickly got his hands on his first 240SX, and as they say, the rest is history.
Walker Wilkerson is a native Washingtonian. Growing up in the city of Snohomish, he got hi
Walker has a small crew that’s very close. Rick Wilkerson (pictured) travels with him throughout the year, acting as crew chief, public relations liaison and, above all else, a kick-ass dad. Walker’s crew for the Evergreen Speedway event was more robust than usual, thanks to the hometown aspect. Typically, Walker only has a few guys with him at any “on the road” event.
Walker has a small crew that’s very close. Rick Wilkerson (pictured) travels with him thro
Here, Walker and fellow rookie driver Ryan Kado (left) look on as the Pro Am drivers give it their best on the course. Walker and Ryan know that next year they will not be given any slack for being rookies anymore, so they must keep a watchful eye on the new blood that might be coming into the field next season.
Here, Walker and fellow rookie driver Ryan Kado (left) look on as the Pro Am drivers give

After some uneventful practice sessions, Walker lines up for his qualifying runs in the hot summer sun. After two fairly conservative runs, Walker finds himself qualifying in 14th overall — not bad, but he’s concerned about who the top 32 matchup has yielded. Walker will face Darren McNamara in his V-8-powered Saturn Sky in the main event on Saturday, which gives Walker plenty to think about while he psyches himself up for the following day’s events. During the main runs on Saturday, D-Mac was able to enter the back bank of Evergreen Speedway unusually slowly, causing Walker to fall out of boost and away from his torque curve. It’s the linear power of D-Mac’s V-8 that allows him to power through, take the advantage and ultimately move on to the top 16.

Walker isn’t pleased about the results from the weekend, but you can’t keep this guy down. He’s all smiles and very optimistic for the remaining two events, hoping to secure enough points to take Rookie of the Year. We wish him the best of luck!

If you think it’s strange to see a turbocharged 4-cylinder in Formula DRIFT these days, you’d be right. Many cars are running a V-8 setup, but Walker wanted to stay true to the JDM roots by going with the tried-and-true SR20DET powerplant, built top to bottom by Garage Autohero. This particular example has been taken to the guys at Intec Racing and tuned to just over 500 whp, which is laid down through a 350Z 6-speed transmission, custom driveshaft and KAAZ 2-way in a R32 rear end. Although the popular opinion is very split on the whole V-8 debate, Walker is not, and for good reason.
If you think it’s strange to see a turbocharged 4-cylinder in Formula DRIFT these days, yo
Someone in the announcer’s booth during qualifying said something along the lines of “Walker does things with a 4-cylinder that some other guys can’t even do with a V-8,” and that’s a true statement. It takes some real skill to hang with the big boys with big power in FD, and considering how many 6- and 8-cylinder cars Walker has beaten out, it’s proof that it’s more than just a big V-8 car that makes a successful Formula D drive
Someone in the announcer’s booth during qualifying said something along the lines of “Walk
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