Good place for car drifting in the Bay Area?

January 16, 2019 10:13 AM

If one wanted to do a little under-the-radar skidding around, does anyone know of a large parking lot/paved area that's unused/unmonitored at certain hours or just abandoned (but not to the point of endangering tires with road hazards)? Asking for a friend who is about to replace their tires and wants to have a little fun with the old ones. ;) In San Francisco (ha), Peninsula, East Bay, North Bay (ha).... ?
posted by roxie110 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total)

You can do it legally at Sonoma Raceway on Weds nights
posted by GuyZero at 10:25 AM on January 16, 2019 [12 favorites]

Please do it at the racetrack or somewhere legal/monitored. The actor from The Fast and the Furious literally died irl that way.
posted by homodachi at 11:06 AM on January 16, 2019 [5 favorites]

The Craneway Pavilion in Richmond may work for you. I don't know the status of their night time monitoring. When I picked up people after a week-night conference, there was no security at the car entrance, nor any that I saw on patrol.
posted by Sophont at 11:57 AM on January 16, 2019

Response by poster: For the second poster--thank you for your concern! This will be pretty tame drifting, and not at high speeds. I promise. :)
posted by roxie110 at 12:04 PM on January 16, 2019

Maybe check the Bay Area Autocross Forum - they have a drifting sub-thread and event information.
posted by inflatablekiwi at 12:06 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Hadn't heard of the Sonoma drag racing, thanks! This post isn't about racing, just burning a little rubber in some corners...

Richmond is a very good suggestion, hmmm! It does seem like one of the last underdeveloped outposts around the Bay Area...
posted by roxie110 at 12:07 PM on January 16, 2019

Response by poster: Inflatable, thanks! Found this...
posted by roxie110 at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2019

The parking lot at the Legion of Honor in SF has been used frequently for this illegal activity, usually around 11pm-12am. Fun fact: if I hear you I'll be the one phoning the cops! Good luck.
posted by allkindsoftime at 12:15 PM on January 16, 2019 [16 favorites]

Just to clarify: the Sonoma Raceway drifting is held at the same time as the drag racing, but in a different area. It's about drifting. I've also been aware of drifting events up at Thunderhill.
posted by straw at 12:20 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Hmm Thunderdrift may be defunct? Their website is dead...

Looks like Sonoma Drift is alive and kicking and $40 per car. Says amateurs are welcome; seems like a marked course. Challenge is tonight is the arrival of the "atmospheric river" lol and the new $$ tires (too $$ to burn up) are due to be put on next Wednesday after already being postponed... Hmm. Thanks for all the food for thought!
posted by roxie110 at 12:29 PM on January 16, 2019

I am not a drifter, but re the atmospheric river, it seems that wet pavement would make the tire aspect of the hobby cheaper....
posted by straw at 1:48 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Straw, that is true, though it's always good to be able to see where one is driving... ;)
posted by roxie110 at 2:23 PM on January 16, 2019

i think if this question were just "where can i do a few burnouts / donuts" you'd get more suggestions, like pretty much every primarily industrial neighborhood that shuts down after hours. Especially particular areas of Oakland and Fremont.
posted by zippy at 3:01 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

Also Craneway has one disadvantage: only one road in/out.
posted by zippy at 3:02 PM on January 16, 2019

Mod note: Heya, roxie110, just as a general thing it's better to avoid frequent followup responses in Ask; one or two clarifying or summarizing comments is fine but try to avoid responding tit-for-tat to answers going forward.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:47 PM on January 16, 2019

The rear parking lot at Golden Gate Fields (accessible from the Buchanan St. exit on 580) on nights when there's not an event is one of the best candidates that I know. There doesn't seem to be any night watchfolk, no obstructions, and there's a sandy part that makes low-speed traction loss even easier. That stretch of 580 is a traffic nightmare beyond all justification, but it shouldn't be too bad in the late evening around 9pm or after.

I think the notion that industrial neighborhoods in Oakland are a good place for even conservative rubber burning is optimistic. I live in one of those neighborhoods, and there just aren't large parking lots here that aren't enclosed by fences. That seems to be the case in San Leandro, too, but I can't speak for cities further south like Fremont.
posted by invitapriore at 9:19 PM on January 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

>Inflatable, thanks! Found this...

Forum thread linked to is from 2008.
posted by Homer42 at 4:57 AM on January 17, 2019