Photography by J.A. Ackley
“It’s the slowest way around the track,” longtime road racer Rich DeFrancisco said after his first drift event. “But it’s fun to do it.”
If it weren’t for Mike Love, an employee at Rich’s Knoxville shop, European Auto Garage, Rich might have never tried drifting for the first time this October.
“Mike had hands,” Rich recalled. “He was capable of figuring out stuff and fixing things. He was into drift.”
Mike grew up working on cars, performing his first brake job at age 8. With those hands, and some wheeling and dealing, he progressed from a ratty Miata to a BMW 135i.
He drifted the BMW, but his plans for it came to an abrupt halt on April 20. A motorcycle accident ended Mike’s life. He was just 24.
“The shop purchased his two cars–the 135, which had a broken trans, and a Fox-body notchback Mustang, which was his dad’s car,” Rich said. “We also purchased his tools. We wanted to because, one, we wanted to build a tribute car to him and, two, we felt it was the best thing to do for his family.
“He was young–he didn’t have a wife or kids. All he had was things he had earned and worked for. [I] felt like that stuff would end up in a pawn shop and it wouldn’t benefit his family.”
Rich and his crew went to work on repairing the 135i. AZ Rag’s Louie Garza designed the wrap, which features Turbo Gary, based on the popular SpongeBob character. Mike wore a Turbo Gary tattoo on his ankle.
When the car debuted at the East10Drift event in Knoxville, the crowd loved it. “I built the car to do multiple things,” Rich said. “I’m not doing it as exclusively as a drift car. I want to be able to take it to the track, do ride-alongs, and have employees drive it to different places to be seen. People like taking pictures of it. Little kids like it. It’s a good way to promote the sport. If you can’t get people away from their screens and devices, [the sport is] going to die.”
Mike’s passion for drift inspired Rich to try it. Now Rich hopes Mike’s legacy, his BMW 135i dubbed Turbo Gary, will inspire others, too.
“It’s a respectable sport–it’s not just people hooning around,” Rich said of drifting. “Anybody can do it. All you have to have is something with rear-wheel drive and a welded diff. As a novice, you get cheered on as much as the pro guys. It’s a lot of fun. It’s exciting to watch.”
Rich DeFrancisco, with a cartoon Mike Love adorning the hood of Turbo Gary.
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