From the Bottom 16 to the Top

The LZ World Tour at Englishtown Raceway Park was nothing short of legendary for our team. Just one week before the event, we made the bold decision to compete in the Drift Masters Corvette—a car that had been sitting untouched since returning from Europe. What followed was a whirlwind of preparation, long nights, and an all-out thrash to get the car dialed in, loaded up, and ready to battle. And in the end, it all paid off with a first-place victory!

With only seven days before the event, our team went into overdrive to get the Corvette prepped and running. After sitting for months, it needed serious work to be track-ready. We arrived at Englishtown on Friday, unfortunately missing early practice. That meant our first laps would be on Saturday morning—right before qualifying.

During our first practice session, we ran into power steering issues with our new Dodge pump. After some troubleshooting, we decided to swap back to the original Volvo pump. With that sorted, we went into qualifying feeling fairly confident.

As Josiah rolled into the burnout box, the car sounded off. Despite the issue, he sent it anyway. Unfortunately, he went deep in the inner clip which threw the car off. We scored a zero😳 After checking the car, we realized it was only running on six cylinders, not eight. With no clear fix, Josiah had to make his second qualifying run as-is. He managed to put down a better run, scoring a 73, but it placed us in the bottom 16.

This meant we had to finish in the top three of the Bottom 16 battle bracket to advance to the main event on Sunday. With some tough battles, Josiah fought his way to second place, securing our spot in the show.

Overnight, we made some changes, including fixing a low-hanging exhaust that might have been causing O2 sensor issues. Whatever the cause, the car was now firing on all eight cylinders, and we were ready for war.

First Battle: Adam LZ

First up, Josiah faced off against Adam LZ. Both drivers put down insane runs, leading to a One More Time (OMT) call. On the OMT battle, Josiah laid down a stronger chase and took the win, moving us into the Top 8.

Top 8: Pat Goodin

Next, we faced veteran driver Pat Goodin. Once again, the battle was so close that it went to another OMT. Josiah pushed even harder and came out victorious, advancing us to the Top 4.

Top 4: Luke Fink

In the semifinals, we met Luke Fink—who had beaten us in the finals of the Bottom 16 bracket the day before. It was redemption time. After a tight battle, Josiah came out on top, securing our spot in the finals.

Finals: Lee Yearwood

For the championship battle, we faced Lee Yearwood, who had been on fire all weekend in his brand-new build. We knew it would be a tight fight. Both drivers went all-in, putting on an incredible show. The battle was extremely close, but in the end, Josiah took the win!

From the Bottom 16 to the Very Top

What a weekend! From nearly not qualifying to battling through the Bottom 16 and taking the overall win—it was an unforgettable event for our entire team. The car, the crew, and Josiah's driving all came together perfectly when it mattered most.

Next up: getting the Corvette freshened up for the 2025 DMCC series. Stay tuned—there’s plenty more to come!