Drifting Winter Jam at Sonoma Raceway this weekend

Nearly 200 drivers will compete|

High-speed drifting will take center stage at Sonoma Raceway this weekend at the Winter Jam drifting festival, Dec. 16-17.

Winter Jam, hosted by Sonoma Drift, will take place at six different locations around the facility, including two courses in the main paddock and courses at Turns 2-4, Turn 7, through the Esses of Turn 8 and around the hairpin at Turn 11 of the 12-turn road course.

Nearly 200 drivers have registered for this weekend’s event, which concludes the 2017 Sonoma Drift season. Various competitions will be held throughout the weekend, including Saturday’s Team Tandem competition at 3 p.m., in which three or more drivers drift side-by-side, coming mere inches from the wall and each other. Sunday features the fan-favorite Winter Jam competition located at Turn 7 at 2:30 p.m., in which the top-16 drivers compete for the 2017 Winter Jam crown.

The weekend will include several professional drifters, including San Jose native Matt Field, Lithuania’s Aurimas “ODI” Bakchis, Hawaii’s Forrest Wang and Michigan’s Justin Pawlak. These professionals will go toe-to-toe throughout the weekend with local amateur drifters looking to compete at the next level.

Drifting differs from traditional racing as the drivers work to control their high-horsepower car while it slides sideways at high speed. Drivers are judged on execution and style rather than who finishes the course fastest.

Drifting action spans from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Spectator admission is $20 for the weekend; kids 12 and under are admitted free and parking is free.

For more information, visit SonomaRaceway.com or call 800-870-RACE (7223).

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