Bronco is the antithesis of a proper drift car, but that doesn’t stop it from winning the burnout contest.
In most cases, a Ford Bronco participating in a burnout competition would be featured on Tire Smokin’ Tuesday, but since the big SUV is drifting and not always smoking the tires, we are bringing it to you on Freaky Friday. This footage comes to us from the Rat Rod Viper YouTube channel and while you might not expect a high-riding Bronco to be a great drift machine, it did a good enough job in this video to take home a $5,000 cash prize.
The Drifting Bronco
We don’t have any details on the Ford Broncoin the video above, but it appears to be from the 1980s and it definitely doesn’t appear to have been built for drifting. It has big tires on all four corners and it sits fairly high off of the ground, creating a high center of gravity. It sounds as though it is powered by a V8 and the rear cap has been removed, so there is a little less weight over the rear wheels, but all-in-all, this is about as far as you can get from being a purpose built drift car.
However, that doesn’t stop the driver of this big Bronco from putting on an incredible show for the crowd, sliding around the big, open area, banging into obstacles and eventually parking against the retaining wall to help destroy the rear tires.
Sliding and Smoking
The video footage begins after this Ford Bronco had already started working its magic, so while there is some smoke in the air, the big rig is sliding around more than roasting the tires at first. During the first big initial drift, the rear quarter panel smacks into a large spool reel before speeding across the open tarmac. At one point, the Bronco is nearly spinning on an axis as the driver cooks up some smoky donuts, followed by more high speed sliding in front of the screaming crowd.
After roughly a minute of drifting and donut footage from Irwindale Speedway, the driver carefully pulls up to the retaining wall in front of the crowd, bracing the front bumper of the Bronco against the wall and hammering the throttle. From there, the driver keeps the tires spinning through the end of the video, but at that point, the smoke is so thick that we can barely see the lights around the facility.
It is of little wonder that this Ford Bronco and its driver took home the $5,000 prize for the best burnout, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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