Tonight is the night that we have all been waiting for. The Ultimate Car buildoff episode that we did will come on tonight. We will be celebrating this event at Andretti Indoor Games and Carting in Alpharetta, GA. Everyone is invited to attend and the show starts at 9:00 PM. Come early to get a good viewing spot and stay late to party with us afterwards. Hope to see everyone there.
Dan
This past weekend we decided to head up to Tennessee to get some track testing at the Nashville Super Speedway. Import Alliance was doing a show there and they decided that drifting should be a part of it. They teamed up with Tennessee Drift to throw a great practice event for a handful of drivers. Our main goal of the weekend was to get the cars set up correctly, get the track figured out, and to get data. This proved to be very valuable as we went through many changes on the car to get it to work the way we wanted it to.
At the beginning of the day the starting line was moved pretty far back and we were getting some good entry speed into the first turn. I marked this on the map with a green line. With the starting line back that far we were able to initiate at the red line on the map at 93 mph. Even with that entry speed we struggled to get the car to hold a nice wide line. We just needed more entry speed to be able to hold a nice wide drift on that huge first turn. After getting sucked in on the shallow line over and over we decided to put in a higher rear end gear. This let us go up a gear into 4th and we were able to hold a slightly higher line in the first turn. With this, higher tire pressure and increased dampening on the rear shocks the car began to hold a wider line but not as wide as we would have liked to seen. I drew out the line that we were being forced to run due to the slower entry on the map with a blue line. We really needed the starting line moved back about 50 feet so that we could enter around 110-120 mph.
Halfway through the day the event organizers moved the starting line up 50 feet which cut down our entry speeds even more and pretty much made it impossible for us to hold the wider line. All in all it was a good day of practice and now we don’t have to scramble to set up our cars and figure out the track on competition day. I am sure when we go back the starting line back where we need it to be. 
Batlground Motorsports will introduce a monthly automotive basics workshop Sunday, August 1st, 2010. We are sponsoring these workshop sessions for women free of charge and they are intended to supply women an arsenal of vocabulary and knowledge that will give them confidence when it comes to speaking with their automotive service providers and salesmen. The Auto Intuition workshops are open to women of all ages and will be held at the Batlground Motorsports facility in Smyrna, GA on the first Sunday of every month for 2 hours starting at 2:00 pm and will be c0-hosted by Tracy Shayhorn and Daniel Willie. To sign up and for more information, please email tracyshayhorn@gmail.com
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!
Well, this weekend turned out to be quite the hairy one….as in crazy, not Henderson. Let us begin by going back a few weeks to when we picked up a new team member, Chris Ward. We have been out of the local scene for a while since we have been dealing with getting the 350 together, thus putting us a little bit out of the loop when it comes to who is who and doing what now a days as far as local grassroots drivers. Back last year or so we got a chance to see Chris drive for the first time when he signed up to do a demo with us at Lanier Speedway. Back then we didn’t really pay much attention to him. We had never heard of him and he kind of fit in with the rest of the pack, not standing out as terrible or terrific, per say. Then a few months ago we were invited to a private day at Gresham by Sammy Tiger where Chris was also invited. We didn’t really spend much time with him that day, but on the drive home we hd a discussion about his car and his driving. It went a little like this, “With a little bit of help with his car, this kid has a real shot at being a pretty epic driver.”
We met up a few times and pretty quickly the relationship was born. No homo. We knew that we were on the right track when we went to a SEDC event a few weeks later and Dan took 2nd place behind none other than Chris Ward.
During the few weeks leading up to Drift Atlanta pro-am, Dan helped Chris almost every day after work to get Chris’s car the best we could within the time given…all the while dragging Chris by his ear the whole way to making the changes needed to be competition ready! For those of you who know Chris, you might have noticed that that car has been through quite a thrashin’. It was simply impossible to go through the entire car, which would later prove to be fatal.
The good news is that the car was able to pass tech alongside ours which ended up leading to some pretty intense battles on the road to the podium. Qualifying was pretty laid back for the most part. Dan was in the chill zone ready to have some fun and Chris was in bATL mode ready to thrash! Quite the opposite in personality, I must admit. When push came to shove, Dan ended up first qualifier and Chris came in third. We were a bit disappointed for Chris at first, then we realized the ladder was stacked pretty well in that order, so no biggie. The Batlground brigade had made it in and on top!
When it came time to compete, I was a little worried for both of the guys only because the track conditions and temps had changed so much from the time they had qualified. It was now 8 pm and cool and qualifying had gone on in 96 degree weather many hours earlier. It didn’t really seem to affect either of them ultimately. The first battle Dan had ended up in contact being made with his rear end when the car decided to pretty much stall in the middle of the track unexpectedly. There was no real way the gentleman following him could have avoided the hit. Luckily the action wasn’t enough to take Dan out in the first top 16 battle. We had made it through our first scare of the day.
Dan was able to chew through the next few drivers, but not without drama. First of all someone (not it! 
) didn’t put Dan’s hood pins in and at the very end of one of his runs, his hood came up plowing into the roof! Luckily we have Percy’s Speed Glass installed or we may have been taken out thanks to a broken windshield. Then all of a sudden Dan’s car is having trouble getting into 3rd gear mid-drift and that was the next obstacle we had to make it through. A few of the other teams had gotten the word that Dan was having this problem and rumor has it they told their drivers to just take it easy — possibly the reason for their demise.
Chris had also moved on up the ladder and finally came the time for him to meet his elder on the track. They were both really excited that, either way, Batlground had positively taken the top two podium positions. They had made Road Atlanta into their own personal Batlground against each other and it was going to be amazing to be a part of the experience. They line up revving and ready. They take it down the hill — first, second, third…initiate. They both go big, but then Chris pulls off into the grass. From the top of the hill, none of us could tell what had happened. Whatever it was, it had happened without a sound.
Chris never made it back up the hill. He had to taken off track by the tow truck. 
Dan however went out for one last lone run — his best run of the day, in fact. The win for Dan was bitter sweet. Every true racer wants to win while his competitor is at his best. It’s a pride thing. You haven’t really won if your competitor wasn’t wasn’t at the top of his game and that is how Dan feels. When we got to the pits we were so tired that we didn’t even care to look at what had caused the defeat, but the next day at SED found that there was a burnt up wire and switch controlling the fuel pump.
Not to worry though! Dan and Chris will have plenty of time to settle the batl. They are both going for the Formula Drift hard card awarded to the one and only first place winner of the South East Drift Championship series. So, come out and be a part of the mayhem that is drifting and root on your favorite Batlground driver. My vote is for Dan. Jess is rooting for Chris. Who are you rooting for? Who will come out on top?? Only time will tell. Oh the suspense!
April 10th was a great day for drifting in Atlanta. The sun was shining but it wasn’t oppressively hot or humid. Southeast Drift was throwing an event at the Turner Field Blue Lot. A long list of established and up-and-coming drivers were participating. Tons of people were in attendance to watch the great action that took place. It was a special day for Batlground Racing in particular.
Dan was able to finally debut the LS/Z. It wasn’t without trial though. We had spent the entire night before getting the car ready for the event and at 2:30 in the morning we were pulling it off of the lift to load. And then it happened, the car wouldn’t start. After some testing and inspection it was determined that the ECU had taken a dump. We had a back-up luckily, but the car would have to be strapped back on the dyno to check and adjust the tune. That would have to wait until 6 a.m. when the noise ordinance lifted. At 6:00.01 a.m. Dan cranked it up and made the necessary adjustments.
Upon getting to the track, just in time for the drivers meeting, everything seemed to be going great. The car was running good, all of our custom made, in-house suspension pieces seemed to be doing their job, and Dan was having fun. Unfortunately the ECU was not the end of our troubles. After making it through 3 runs the 350 dropped on its belly. Our custom made TC rods gave up. In our attempt to keep all of our custom pieces light weight we had not considered that they may not be strong enough to withstand the amount of stress they would be subjected to. So after a quick run to the shop to get stronger replacement pieces and a little bit of parking lot engineering, the car was back up. Dan was able to finish out his day of practice in the Z and accumulate valuable information about how the car was going to perform and what changes we needed to make.
While Dan was shaking down the Z, Tracy had been tearing it up on track in the Screamscicle 240. Tracy is certainly no stranger to the 240 and has had plenty of seat time in “Dans” car, ever since her 240 was sold. Today however was her day to step it up and master the third gear/high speed drift. After practicing all day on her technique, and getting comfortable with the car at a much higher speed she was ready to compete.
Competition qualifying had Dan and Tracy driving in the same car. Dan had enough time in the 350 and felt he would park it for the day. Both drivers performed incredibly well in qualifying considering Dan had not driven the car all day and Tracy was learning a new technique. However neither was an issue with both Dan and Tracy qualifying high in the top 16. The issue was-that they actually TIED! Both were able to drive the car to a 3rd place qualifying position and now they had to decide who was going to continue on in tandem competition. This was not nearly as dramatic as many people would think. Tracy was there for fun and for learning and she felt that Dan deserved to be the one to compete. Big Congrats should go out to Tracy for her newly acquired advanced driving abilities and her great accomplishment of qualifying 3rd. WHA WHA WHA….NO DRAMA FO YO MOMMA!
The competition ladder had Dan facing David Jones in the first round. Not an easy task as David is definitely a high level driver in the local scene and is no stranger to driving with Dan and being familiar with his style. He was no match for Dan on this day though and after hitting a couple cones, David’s day was done. It did not get any easier from there as Dan moved on to face Harrison Ritchie. After a tight battle it came down to the judges. They decided, and I agreed, Dan would be going on to the finals. Dan would face his toughest test yet, he would be facing Chris “Black Trash” Ward in his LS1 powered S13 coupe. It was not be for Dan in the finals. In a battle that was so close it had me believing it would go to “one more time”-Dan made one small fatal mistake when he hit a cone during his follow lap, and that was all it took to decide who would be number 1. Losing in the finals and losing to Chris, who we have seen progress steadily over the past couple years into a top Atlanta driver, is no reason to be down. We will take it in a heart beat and it will propel us into a win the next time out. Better bring your “A” game.
Thank You to Abby from NOS Energy Drinks for the pics and free stuff. Check out more pics of the event: SEDC3 2010
Full gallery of the progress here: Batlground LSZ Gallery
We are but 4 days away from a local drift event and the LS/Z looks far from ready. Dan has been frantically working to get the car ready enough to get some shake down runs in. The main goals for this week are to have all of the suspension components installed and aligned, power steering plumbed, exhaust fabricated, wiring harness, fuel system, and tuning.
Not only is there an event this weekend that Dan must be at, but there is another just a week away. That event presents us with a completely different set of obstacles-the car does not have any glass installed, including the windshield, as well as the doors have not been hung. We will have another article on those processes later. Stay tuned this week as I will be posting everyday on the progress, set-backs, and plain ‘ol weird stuff that happens when you have a month worth of work to finish in 1 weeks time.
I can’t beleive what I am being told here. Its January 22nd and Dan is going to the track tomorrow to get some seat time! In the 5+ years Dan has been drifting he has never been to the track this early. Not since we did a Drift Fury event in Myrtle Beach have we done anything before March. So the “Screamcicle” has been gone over thoroughly and appears to be ready for action. We had a small problem with a cracked power steering reservoir but that was the most serious issue. We are going to burn off some old used tires we had laying around too. No need to kill the good ones just yet. Hopefully this is a pattern for the year to come, Dan getting more seat time is always a good thing. Tracy is coming along too, she will be getting her butt strapped in for a little stress relief. Although she doesn’t aparently need the practice, she has figured out a way to never drive and still keep the car pointed in the right direction…*cough cough*. Scuse me, had something in my throat.
Ok, off i go to pack the rig. See yall at the track. I will be changing tires for gas and ramen noodle money if anyone is interested!
http://www.fivespot-atl.com/
1123 Euclid Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307-1925
(404) 223-1100
Join Batlground Motorsports Tracy Shayhorn from the 3rd Season of Speed TV’s reality show for a night of Birthday, Bullrun and Bass madness. Tracy’s 33rd free birthday party will begin at 9pm. The free premiere of Bullrun will be shown on the big screen from 10:30-11pm. Then at 11pm get your dancing kicks on because Atlanta Dubstep will be bringing the bass until 3am with DJ’s Wisperlink, Section 8 and Jeremy Kirk! $3 from 11pm-3am
Bullrun
http://www.bullrun.com
The Bullrun Reality TV Show.
This show format is a spin off and based on the legendary Bullrun Rally. 12 teams with their cars compete for $200,000 over 4,000 miles in a 10-episode reality elimination TV show (See Bullrun Reality TV). This TV series is shown around the world in 50 countries and airs here in the US on Speed TV.
This is show free to applicants if selected for the TV show. Individuals who want to be Contestants or Flag Girls in this show can set up Driver or Flag Girl profiles on this website and will automatically be considered for the show.
Atlanta Dubstep
http://www.atlantadubstep.com
Atlanta Dubstep consists of a group of 11 like-minded individuals committed to promoting and exposing the swiftly growing Dubstep sounds to the Atlanta massive. In the past year the group has introduced Atlanta to the sounds of 2562, Appleblim, 12th Planet, Ramadanman, Noah D and Joe Nice with a heavy schedule planned for 2010! The DJ’s of the group have shared the stage with heavyweights such as Skream, Benga, Plastician, Rusko, Djunya, Stagga, Trillbass and many more. In April 2009 the group establish Sub.Traction, every third Wednesday, at El Bar to build a night for the local DJ’s and Producers. Founded in 2007, and expanded in 2009, Atlanta Dubstep has just broken ground on their steady commitment to help build, shape, and grow the Dubstep in the metro area. We are a non-profit group, reinvesting our success into enhancing our shows for the community!
Whisperlink
WHISPERLINK
ALR Records/ATL Dubstep/Suntoucher/Red Cedar Recs.
Whisperlink is not a man he is an equasion. His style is made up of many different parts. Not only being a DJ/Member/Promoter in the Atlanta Dubstep crew he also is the bass player/producer for Suntoucher-Atlanta’s first live dub reggae band. Also Whisperlink produces dubstep in his group Heavy Machine–witch has released albums on Abstract Logic Recordings, one of Atlanta’s finest electronic labels, as well as Red Cedar Records–Whisperlink’s own home grown record label founded by him and Gravity–MC, Producer, and drummer of Suntoucher.
Whisperlink’s prides his DJ style of dubstep on being the hardest and darkest you are gonna hear globally and continues to push this envelope with new tracks and mixes droppin daily!!
Section 8
SECTION 8
Gamma Audio, Abducted Dub, Planet Terror, Atlanta Dubstep, Abstract Logic Recordings, Household Management, www.myspace.com/section8audio // Atlanta, GA
Mike Waterbury, aka Section 8, fell in love with Drum & Bass in early 1999 after moving down to Atlanta from his hometown in Connecticut. Influenced by many sounds including Virus, Subtitles, Hospital, & Atlanta-based Shadow Law, his love for Liquid & Neurofunk was crystal clear in every set. After playing at numerous Drum & Bass events throughout the southeast, he soon became one of Atlanta’s top locals. In one such instance he even had to fill in for a certain LTJ BUKEM, who had missed a show due to complications. Section 8 was lauded for his ability to fill in for such a legend and still be able to hold the crowd with a ridiculously spectacular set. Some say he even rivaled LTJ himself. In 2005, Section 8 took the next step & started producing Drum & Bass. Two years later, he discovered a huge attraction to Dubstep after hearing such artists as Vaccine, Vex’d, and Burial. Now primarily focused on Dubstep, he is trying to bring something new to the table with his sound. Known for his signature synths and driving bass lines, Section 8 is making his name known worldwide. In September of 2009, Section 8’s debut release entitled “Mercury EP” was released on Abducted Records. Only out a few days, “Boulevard” appeared in Beatport’s Top 100 for Dubstep. The rest of Autumn and into the Winter of 2009 will be a busy season for Section 8, especially after his linking up with top producers like Killeralien, B1TCRUNCH3R, Phonetic System, and Mouch. With an upcoming collaboration coming out on Planet Terror, and an EP due out before winter on Gamma Audio, the near future looks very bright for Section 8.
Jeremy Kirk
JEREMY KIRK
www.atlantadubstep.com, Worldwide Transmissions, Household Management // Atlanta, GA
Jeremy Kirk is an Atlanta based Dubstep artist with long roots in the Southeast Drum and Bass community. Since 1995 and the days of Faderwars, Jeremy has been behind the decks, and impressing crowds. Proud to be one of the first few DJs to push the DnB sound in Atlanta, and one of the first to even play DnB at raves in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and even Jackson, Miss. Jeremy was at the forefront of the emerging Southeast Drum n Bass scene and held down residencies with Pleazure, Konkrete Jungle, and Shady Productions, and spun alongside all the big names of the day. In the early 2000′s, Jeremy and Kia kept it going in Atlanta at The Church, The Globe, and every other underground venue in the city spinning alongside Dieselboy, AK1200, Bad Company UK, and Roni Size. In the last couple of years Jeremy wandered away from Drum and Bass and ran into a new sound called Dubstep. Having always been a fan of ragga and reggae vibes and bass heavy, wobbly Drum and Bass, it was easily a match. He started up atlantadubstep.com and teamed up with local promoters to start pushing the sound at weekly and monthly events. Jeremy and the guys from Corinthian Recordings also started up a digital Dubstep label called Worldwide Transmissions. Now with a strong following, Dubstep in Atlanta is starting to make a name for itself. Jeremy has production tracks in the works set to come out on some serious labels in 2010, as well as solid monthly Dubstep events running around town. Expect to see big ‘tings from the man Jeremy in the coming year.
http://www.fivespot-atl.com/
1123 Euclid Avenue Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30307-1925
(404) 223-1100
Join Batlground Motorsports Tracy Shayhorn from the 3rd Season of Speed TV’s reality show for a night of Birthday, Bullrun and Bass madness. Tracy’s 33rd free birthday party will begin at 9pm. The free premiere of Bullrun will be shown on the big screen from 10:30-11pm. Then at 11pm get your dancing kicks on because Atlanta Dubstep will be bringing the bass until 3am with DJ’s Wisperlink, Section 8 and Jeremy Kirk! $3 from 11pm-3am
Bullrun
http://www.bullrun.com
The Bullrun Reality TV Show.
This show format is a spin off and based on the legendary Bullrun Rally. 12 teams with their cars compete for $200,000 over 4,000 miles in a 10-episode reality elimination TV show (See Bullrun Reality TV). This TV series is shown around the world in 50 countries and airs here in the US on Speed TV.
This is show free to applicants if selected for the TV show. Individuals who want to be Contestants or Flag Girls in this show can set up Driver or Flag Girl profiles on this website and will automatically be considered for the show.
Atlanta Dubstep
http://www.atlantadubstep.com
Atlanta Dubstep consists of a group of 11 like-minded individuals committed to promoting and exposing the swiftly growing Dubstep sounds to the Atlanta massive. In the past year the group has introduced Atlanta to the sounds of 2562, Appleblim, 12th Planet, Ramadanman, Noah D and Joe Nice with a heavy schedule planned for 2010! The DJ’s of the group have shared the stage with heavyweights such as Skream, Benga, Plastician, Rusko, Djunya, Stagga, Trillbass and many more. In April 2009 the group establish Sub.Traction, every third Wednesday, at El Bar to build a night for the local DJ’s and Producers. Founded in 2007, and expanded in 2009, Atlanta Dubstep has just broken ground on their steady commitment to help build, shape, and grow the Dubstep in the metro area. We are a non-profit group, reinvesting our success into enhancing our shows for the community!
Whisperlink
WHISPERLINK
ALR Records/ATL Dubstep/Suntoucher/Red Cedar Recs.
Whisperlink is not a man he is an equasion. His style is made up of many different parts. Not only being a DJ/Member/Promoter in the Atlanta Dubstep crew he also is the bass player/producer for Suntoucher-Atlanta’s first live dub reggae band. Also Whisperlink produces dubstep in his group Heavy Machine–witch has released albums on Abstract Logic Recordings, one of Atlanta’s finest electronic labels, as well as Red Cedar Records–Whisperlink’s own home grown record label founded by him and Gravity–MC, Producer, and drummer of Suntoucher.
Whisperlink’s prides his DJ style of dubstep on being the hardest and darkest you are gonna hear globally and continues to push this envelope with new tracks and mixes droppin daily!!
Section 8
SECTION 8
Gamma Audio, Abducted Dub, Planet Terror, Atlanta Dubstep, Abstract Logic Recordings, Household Management, www.myspace.com/section8audio // Atlanta, GA
Mike Waterbury, aka Section 8, fell in love with Drum & Bass in early 1999 after moving down to Atlanta from his hometown in Connecticut. Influenced by many sounds including Virus, Subtitles, Hospital, & Atlanta-based Shadow Law, his love for Liquid & Neurofunk was crystal clear in every set. After playing at numerous Drum & Bass events throughout the southeast, he soon became one of Atlanta’s top locals. In one such instance he even had to fill in for a certain LTJ BUKEM, who had missed a show due to complications. Section 8 was lauded for his ability to fill in for such a legend and still be able to hold the crowd with a ridiculously spectacular set. Some say he even rivaled LTJ himself. In 2005, Section 8 took the next step & started producing Drum & Bass. Two years later, he discovered a huge attraction to Dubstep after hearing such artists as Vaccine, Vex’d, and Burial. Now primarily focused on Dubstep, he is trying to bring something new to the table with his sound. Known for his signature synths and driving bass lines, Section 8 is making his name known worldwide. In September of 2009, Section 8’s debut release entitled “Mercury EP” was released on Abducted Records. Only out a few days, “Boulevard” appeared in Beatport’s Top 100 for Dubstep. The rest of Autumn and into the Winter of 2009 will be a busy season for Section 8, especially after his linking up with top producers like Killeralien, B1TCRUNCH3R, Phonetic System, and Mouch. With an upcoming collaboration coming out on Planet Terror, and an EP due out before winter on Gamma Audio, the near future looks very bright for Section 8.
Jeremy Kirk
JEREMY KIRK
www.atlantadubstep.com, Worldwide Transmissions, Household Management // Atlanta, GA
Jeremy Kirk is an Atlanta based Dubstep artist with long roots in the Southeast Drum and Bass community. Since 1995 and the days of Faderwars, Jeremy has been behind the decks, and impressing crowds. Proud to be one of the first few DJs to push the DnB sound in Atlanta, and one of the first to even play DnB at raves in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and even Jackson, Miss. Jeremy was at the forefront of the emerging Southeast Drum n Bass scene and held down residencies with Pleazure, Konkrete Jungle, and Shady Productions, and spun alongside all the big names of the day. In the early 2000′s, Jeremy and Kia kept it going in Atlanta at The Church, The Globe, and every other underground venue in the city spinning alongside Dieselboy, AK1200, Bad Company UK, and Roni Size. In the last couple of years Jeremy wandered away from Drum and Bass and ran into a new sound called Dubstep. Having always been a fan of ragga and reggae vibes and bass heavy, wobbly Drum and Bass, it was easily a match. He started up atlantadubstep.com and teamed up with local promoters to start pushing the sound at weekly and monthly events. Jeremy and the guys from Corinthian Recordings also started up a digital Dubstep label called Worldwide Transmissions. Now with a strong following, Dubstep in Atlanta is starting to make a name for itself. Jeremy has production tracks in the works set to come out on some serious labels in 2010, as well as solid monthly Dubstep events running around town. Expect to see big ‘tings from the man Jeremy in the coming year.
Batlground For Women