V-8-Swapped Formula Drift Nissan S15 Explodes in Fireball, Driver Unscathed
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Formula Drift went down at Road Atlanta last weekend and the season is already off to a dramatic start. As Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis, founder of Feal Suspension and 13-year drifting veteran, took on the track, a malfunctioning crank decided to let go and split in half. Nitrous quickly filled the LS V-8 and the resulting displacement of pressure, heat, and flammable fluids resulted in, well, a massive fireball.
The initial ignition appears to have erupted underneath the hood of the V-8-swapped Feal Suspension GT Radial S15 Nissan Silvia, though the flames quickly engulfed the entire drift car. Onboard video of the run and the ensuing escape shows Bakchis maintaining his cool while quickly escaping the burning vehicle. The flames went out in relatively short order and didn't entirely destroy the chassis, but a full rebuild will likely still be in order, according to Bakchis.
"[The] rebuild process starts with evaluating the damage and ordering all needed parts from my parts partners. We only have 2.5 weeks until the next event, so we need the parts ASAP," Bakchis said in an email with Road & Track. "We have a spare of mostly everything, but we need to make sure the spares are also replaced before an event. After parts are ordered, we [will] start removing the damaged engine and surrounding parts and prepping the new engine to go in."
Bakchis is running a two-car team this season, with a spare competition car back at his headquarters in Phelan, California. With most of the parts and a nice facility at LZMFG in Florida to use, the team decided to rebuild the car instead of retrieving the spare ahead of Formula Drift's Round 3: Scorched event in Orlando, Florida on May 31.
With over a decade of experience in Formula Drift, Bakchis is no stranger to the safety procedures involved in evacuating a burning vehicle. Even so, the mechanical failure and ensuing explosion are a good reminder to practice your escape routine, especially when it comes to taking off a set of harnesses.
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