I’m Back… But Where Have I Been?

Bill Jefferies returns to Drifted armed with global drift expertise from a world championship media journey alongside first-hand S15 build experience.

I’d like to reintroduce myself. I’m Bill Jefferies, also known as the guy behind the lens at Eyedea Media.

Early Days At Drifted

Fans of Drifted who have been around for almost ten years may remember when I joined the team back in 2015, but it’s certainly been a while, and I won’t hold it against you if you don’t!

After providing some of my favorite event coverage at Drifted, such as my visit to the European drift Mecca, Gatebil, life got a little hectic. When 2016 came around, I opted to take the opportunity of a lifetime, which I discuss in-depth on my personal “Eyedea Media” blog.

World Championship Adventures

My photography and writing caught the eye of a European drifting Championship (at the time), which quickly escalated to become a World championship.

For several years, I juggled multiple roles throughout my full-time role as part of the King of Europe/King of Nations (KOE/KON) team, most of which involved my main passions – writing and media.

During my time with KOE/KON, I was the guy behind the camera and the keyboard. From press releases to website content, if it needed writing, I was on it. It was a blast and taught me tons about the inner workings of the drift world.

On the off-seasons, I continued working behind the scenes at Drifted, helping wherever possible with media, gaming, or providing my knowledge to help with the content.

During my years on the road, fully encapsulated in the drifting scene, I was treated to upcoming talent alongside drifting legends (both cars and drivers!), feeding my fascination with the global drift culture.

The images above were from a place I’d never even heard of before my first trip – Fujairah, in the UAE. With none other than the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya, along for the ride with the KON team, I got to experience some of the craziest cars and builds I’d seen to date. It would set the tone for what I’d experience over the next few years.

As I ventured from Europe to Australia and just about everywhere in between, I witnessed some of the craziest driving drifting had to offer.

Don’t believe me? Check out Daigo Saito ripping tires in his insane Chaser (which features an equal power-to-weight ratio of 1,000 horsepower to 1,000 kg) at the incredible Yas Marina F1 circuit above. This is what drifting dreams are made of!

If that’s not impressive enough, how about Naoki Nakamura bouncing off the legendary Ebisu Minami jump (RIP) with Daigo Saito ready to knock on his door? You get the idea. It was a crazy journey that I’ll be eternally grateful for having the opportunity to experience.

Building My Dream S15

While in what I class as my spiritual motherland (Japan,) I decided it was time to achieve another lifelong dream. This time, it wasn’t photography or media-related. I had always wanted my own drift car. Where better to go car shopping than at the JDM auctions?

Although it certainly wasn’t the cleanest Nissan Silvia S15 on the market (and I say that lightly), it was soon to be MY S15. While I continued traveling, my dream ride began the slow journey across the oceans to finally enjoy what drifting had to offer when I wasn’t busy behind the lens.

Until this point, the only S15 I’d driven was when Naoki Nakamura handed me the keys to his freshly built S15 so I could take it for a journey around the pits!

When it arrived, the small visible rust spot I’d noticed at auction had escalated quickly, probably not helped by the salty air on the boat. I decided I wanted to clean up the car and bring it back to its best, so she took a trip to the best fabricator in the country.

At this point, I had a stark realization that the rumors of JDM cars being (mostly) rust-free weren’t always true!

Regardless, I wanted to give the S15 a fresh chance at life, so the entire underside was stripped back. After what seemed like cutting half of the car’s metal away, the rust, in far more areas than I’d like, was carefully removed, treated, and restored to its former glory. It was no small task, but it was worth it. She was transformed into one of the cleanest S15s (underneath, anyway!)

When the restoration work was complete, it was time for a trip to Driftworks, where she got measured up for some new shoes. After choosing the Work Emotion Kiwami wheels, I wanted the extra concave to get them sitting pretty, which meant more waiting, this time for fresh stock that was taking another trip across the ocean.

Despite my plans to stay with the OEM Nissan red colorway, I had seen Mazda’s Soul Red paint in the flesh, and given that I was starting from scratch, it felt like the perfect opportunity to go with something a little more unique.

I also opted out of the aftermarket fiberglass body kit in favor of the increasingly rare OEM Aero kit, complete with a center leg delete on the spoiler. Many more mods later, I had built the car of my dreams. Just one problem – it was now too pretty for skids! Just kidding, she still gets to shred her fair share of tires!

Now that the world-hopping adventures are over, I’m getting time to enjoy things at home again. This includes plenty of sideways fun, whether in the real world or on the sim rig, where I enjoy the cheaper drifting antics that drifting games such as Assetto Corsa, CarX Drift Racing, and Forza offer.

I’ll also be returning to the forefront of Drifted, where I look forward to sharing with you the wealth of drifting and photographic knowledge I’ve built up over the years. I hope to potentially help improve your virtual sliding skills, too!

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