Acceler8 Formula DRIFT Educational Experience Expands Opportunities for Students
Grey skies and torrential downpours couldn’t dampen the excitement of student participants of the Acceler8 Formula DRIFT Educational Experience: an all-day, special access event that exposes students to opportunities within the automotive industry, introduces them to industry leaders and influencers who have made Formula DRIFT an international success. The Acceler8 FD Educational Experience grew out of Acceler8 Education Group’s nationwide involvement as the official Formula DRIFT Community Outreach Partner for the last two years.
Building on 2021, this year’s Acceler8 Formula DRIFT Educational Experience at the Final Irwindale round (known as the House of Drift) took place on October 14-15. The Acceler8 team hosted student participants from Van Nuys High School as well as automotive technology students from Cypress College. In addition to offering demonstrations from the U.S. Airforce and hands-on tire changing training from TireStacks, Acceler8 also teamed up with student-run videography group MCA Productions to capture the action through the lens of the students themselves. Some MCA students even stepped in front of the camera to talk about their experience producing media at Formula DRIFT.
We want to showcase all the different types of pathways the automotive industry holds and when I met the students from MCA Productions I knew we had to have them come out and experience Formula Drift -Charles Woodruff, Co-Founder of ACCELER8-
At the end of an action-packed day of drifting, some students enjoyed a surprise meeting with Amanda Sorensen from Sorensen Motorsports), who is one of two female athletes competing in the sport.
Kimberlynn Lopez, a senior at Van Nuys High School, was one of the students eager to speak to Acceler8 and MCA Productions about her visit to FD Irwindale.
“My Acceler8 experience was amazing, especially seeing the cars drifting on the track and the crowd cheering the drivers as they revved up their engines. It was also fascinating to see the amount of marketing that goes into promoting the companies that sponsor the cars,” Kimberlynn told us.
“Another memorable moment was seeing Rome Charpentier’s Garagistic car in action after we previously met him at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. Other unforgettable moments included looking under the hoods, the unique sponsor liveries, and getting to enjoy every moment of the day with my friends”.
“Something I learned from this experience was definitely knowing how to take the tire off a wheel rim. We got to see how it could be removed in less than three minutes and learning the amount of tires that need to be replaced for each lap the cars run on the track”.
“After the visit I have few goals for a career in the automotive field. They include trying to find an internship before I finish my senior year and going to community college after high school. Once I've accomplished those goals, I can pursue my career as a technician, mechanical engineer, or in the business aspect of the automotive industry.”
- Kimblerlynn Lopez, Student Participant at Acceler8 Formula DRIFT Educational Experience
The student engagement was overseen by the Acceler8 instructors who accompanied student participants to the House of Drift.
“I was fortunate to participate as a teacher at the Formula DRIFT Irwindale event,” said Russell Bacarella, Automotive Technology Instructor at Cypress College. “The students and teachers were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the pit area with driver interaction that they’ll remember forever as part of their automotive education. Thank you Formula DRIFT and Acceler8!”
During the course of the Acceler8 partnership with FD, we have reached more than 300 students across the country. We’d like to thank all our donors, sponsors, and supporters for making this possible. Click here to learn how to get involved with Acceler8 Education Group.
