What is Lock City Drift?
Welcome to Lock City Drift!
Lock City Drift is a grassroots drifting organization that has been hosting the best drift events in New England for over 10 years. We are proud of the community we have built over the last decade and are proud to have one of the longest legacies of drifting in the North East.
What Happens at A Lock City Drift Event?
A typical Lock City drift event has everything drivers and spectators need for an action packed day of tire smoke and sideways cars. Drivers are broken up into three different skill level groups, A, B and C groups, each group of drivers has a number of different track layouts to choose from throughout the day. General admission tickets can be purchased at the gate and spectators are welcome to park in the gravel lot or along the fence by Clubhouse Circuit. All general admission ticket holders are encouraged to walk over the bridge and check out their favorite cars and drivers in the paddock, stop by one of the food trucks or purchase some exclusive merch from the Lock City merch booth!
Thompson Speedway Drift Layouts
The Clubhouse Circuit was implemented in 2019 specifically for drifting at Thompson Speedway. A group drivers run this layout clockwise, taking two laps before exiting back onto the road course. B group drivers will run counter clockwise for one lap, shutting down on the straightaway before the exit onto the road course.
The skid pad is where C group drivers learn the basics and hone their skills and B group drivers get their tandem practice. Multiple different layouts are set up for the skid pad over the season to keep things fresh and drivers on their toes!
Reserved for A group drivers only, this highspeed layout starts at the end of the long Thompson straight and can either loop around the clubhouse circuit back to the access road, or cut through the middle of clubhouse and shoot you out under the bridge.
The oval layout is always open for all driver groups. Set up for either high speed entries on the banked walls or entry practice down in the flat section, the oval is a great way to get some seat time in.
What Events Does Lock City Drift Host?
Grassroots Drift Events
These events are open to all drivers of any skill level with a car meeting the rules and regulations. Time slots broken up by skill level and group, driver spots are limited to maximize seat time for everyone. Course layouts will change per event. Event registration is typically opened up one month prior to the event date.
DRIFT LESSONS AND CLINICS
Ten person clinics are held every Friday before a grassroots event. These small group sessions let students get plenty of 1-on-1 time with instructors and tons of seat time. From private 1 on 1 hourly lessons to small group tandem instruction, we have the program for you. No Car? No problem! Rent our drift ready Scion FRS Turbo, Nissan 350z or BMW e46!
Street Series Competitions
Street Series a competition series for those who enjoy the street style drifting with a competitive edge. Hosted in four different competition events throughout the season, each with a different layout to keep drivers on their toes. Will you be able to climb to the top of the points leaderboard and claim the championship belt? Be sure to read all the rules for this series, car setup restrictions and driving skills will bring home the win! No pro cars and no pro drivers allowed. Event registration is typically opened up one month prior to the event date.
Staggered Motorsports Festival
We are returning to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park for the 6th year in a row. Staggered is more than just a car show – it is now a multi-day motorsports festival. The track will be hot all day starting with Time Attack Racing and Drifting on Friday through Saturday night. Saturday night after the track goes cold we will have live DJs playing a sets out in the paddock to bring the nightlife vibe. Sunday is the traditional Staggered Auto Show you know and love full of amazing rides, your favorite vendors and more food truck options than you can shake a muffler at. Participants are welcome to camp Friday and Saturday night and enjoy the car show Sunday, we hope to make this the best three day weekend of the year!
Drift Demos
Do you want an action packed halftime show at your event? Maybe you’re looking to add a motorsports demo to add some excitement to your car show? Lock City Drift is available to bring the cars and drivers you see sliding sideways on the Club House Circuit and Road Course to your event! We supply everything from skilled drivers and their amazing cars to the speaker system and an MC to announce the action. You will see lots of tire smoke, close tandem driving and even a couple fun games like Drift to Park throughout the show. Your ticket holders wont be disappointed when Lock City Drift shows up in a cloud of tire smoke. Reach out to us to plan your event today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click the Register to Drive! button on the menu to get started.
If you’re late you still need to check in with a track official for a drivers briefing and get your car inspected to make sure it passes our tech regulations. You are not allowed on track until you do so.
Yes, passengers are allowed. They need to meet the same helmet and apparel restrictions as drivers. More information can be found on our tech regulations page.
Lock City Drift runs rain or shine! We have safety protocols in place with the track in case of lightning, but we never will cancel an event for incliment weather.
All drivers must sign up for C group for their first Lock City Drift event. A grid worker on the skid pad will determine your skills and bump you up to A or B group as they see fit.
Outline refund/credit policy.
Lock City Drift events are held at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park at 205 E Thompson Rd, Thompson, CT 06277.
Depending on the time and the event, there are multiple different layouts available for all run groups.
C Group drivers are limited to driving on the skid pad, but we outline multiple different layouts for drivers to hone their skills on.
B Group drivers will be allowed to drive on the skid pad and the Clubhouse Circuit reverse layout.
A group drivers are able to run the full Clubhouse Circuit regular layout as well as the front, back and full road course layouts.
All groups are welcome to grid on the oval to try their hand at some high speed banked turns, or work on their entries and transitions in the flat section.
When entering the front gates of Thompson Speedway, check in at the front gate on your right. Once you purchase your general admission ticket or sign in as a driver, you can proceed through the gate, around the back of the Club House Circuit and into the gravel parking lot. Spectators can park along the fence outside of the clubhouse straight or in the gravel parking lot. Drivers can proceed through the gravel parking lot to the right and drive over the bridge into the paddock area. Spectators are encouraged to walk over the bridge and check out the paddock area to see your favorite cars and drivers up close, grab a bite to eat at one of the food trucks and check out the Lock City merch booth and other sponsor booths set up by the paddock garages.
Yes! We encourage all types of camping in the paddock area. Feel free to set up a tent or park your camping rig in an empty spot. Drivers and spectators must go back to the ticket booth to check in and receive a second wrist band for the second day of the event.
We are always looking for new sponsors and vendors, please reach out to us at [email protected] or use the form on the contact page.
Our Partners and Contributors
Lock City Track Staff
Our events couldn’t happen without the hard work of our staff and volunteers. Feel free to find any one of our staff members if you need help or have any questions/concerns during an event.
Peter
Zach
Jeff
Joel
Rob
Shabby
Jillian
Dustin
Garret
Dan James
Joey
Kenny
Groo
Meg
Bryan
Dave
Josh
Ben
Win
Michael
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson CT
Get in touch!
If you’re looking for a facility rental, have questions about drift lessons, tech requirements or anything else, shoot us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can. If you are looking for the media application please click here.