Drifting Across the Track and the Keys: Video with Austin Meeks
- Feb 21, 2019
As fans eagerly anticipate the return of Formula Drift on April 5, K&N® has just released a thrilling new video with FD up-and-coming driver and sponsored racer Austin Meeks.
The video gave Meeks an opportunity to demonstrate his skills both on and off the track. An avid musician, Meeks has been a pianist for many years, and often practices one to two hours per day. He enjoys creating original compositions, one of which is featured in the video above.
Meeks has been drifting since he was seventeen, after attending a local drift event in South Carolina. Despite having no background in motorsports, he dove headfirst into the drifting scene with the whole-hearted support of his father. “I knew I would enjoy doing it, and he knew he would enjoy watching,” Meeks commented. “It was something cool for us to do together.”
Meeks immediately found a deep love for the sport of drifting, and took the next several years to hone his skills. 2018 was his first year in the Pro1 circuit, where he ranked 30th in the Pro Championship standings for the year. The 2019 season will be an opportunity to build on last season’s achievements for the promising young driver, who has been hard at work in the off-season.
A high-tech simulator system has assisted Meeks in honing his driving. “Before the event in Texas last year, I got a simulator, which has been very helpful,” he commented. “I have my new vehicle set up in the simulator, and use virtual reality to practice my runs. Wall Stadium Speedway is super accurate.”
His new drift car, a modified Cadillac ATS-V, is a significant change from last year’s Nissan. “The suspension geometry is very different from the 240,” Meeks said. “It’s going to react very differently—and it’ll be a challenge, but hopefully a good challenge.”
