JAYCE HABICH ON GOING PRO!
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM correspondent Alan Hussar
Chasing The Drifting Dream
It doesn’t take long to spot the gleam in the eyes. That grassroots driver with the lifelong dream of drifting in the big leagues. It shows up in their driving style, the makeup and attitude of their crew, and the way they strategically approach every single event with a competitive spirit that lands them on the podium more often than not.
These are the diehard drivers that live and breathe drifting, and they’ll do whatever it takes to keep improving their game. They’re the same drivers we’ve all watched work their way up the ranks to reach competitions like D1GP, Formula DRIFT, DMEC, LZ’s World Tour, and every other drifting championship across the world. And, there are dozens more behind them...
It’s what we at DRIFTEM like to refer to as the ‘next generation’ of drifting, and without a doubt, Jayce Habich (@ls13coupe) (along with all the other FD rookies entering PROSPEC this year) are in the mix.
The Homeboy
Born and raised in the small town of Monroe, Washington, which is also the home of Evergreen Speedway, Habich comes from a long line of motorsports enthusiasts and competitors.
In fact, Shanna Habich (@firstairmotorsports), Jayce’s mother and the First Air Motorsports’ Brand Strategist, shared a look back on the early years of her motorsporting family in our Empowered Women Empowering Women (Part 1) article published this past March.
She knows how hard Jayce has worked to reach this moment in time and how excited he is to show the world what he can do behind the wheel of his bright yellow “Bumblebee” LS13coupe.
Drifting On Steroids!
We caught up with Habich just before the start of the season to ask a few burning questions.
What are you looking forward to most about the 2024 season?
I’m looking forward to all the new tracks. The challenges of going to the track you have never been to and trying to do well.
Photo courtesy of Caleb Moore
Is there a particular track you're most excited about?
The high speed ones - Atlanta and Utah - those tracks are just awesome. I mean, I’m excited for St. Louis and New Jersey too, but I’m more excited for the high speed tracks.
I went with Taylor Hull (@TaylorHull82) to Utah, and I went with RAD Dan (@raddandrift) and Taylor Hull to St. Louis, so I’ve already been to those two facilities but I haven’t been to New Jersey and Atlanta at all, so that will be completely new.
New Jersey is a Figure-8 style layout, but the drag strip in the middle adds some bumps and different surfaces. I’ve been practicing on the SIM and that helps a lot.
Have you been practicing all the tracks on SIM?
Yes, I’ve been driving with DJ Stubstad (@dj_drifts) and I’ve been trying to drive with a couple of the other PROSPEC drivers as well. A lot of them drive on the set-up course. You can hit them up on Discord or Instagram and get a jam session together with a couple guys, so we are all practicing all the time.
Photo courtesy of First Air Motorsports
For you, what was the biggest hurdle transitioning from PRO-AM to PROSPEC?
The biggest thing is the financial jump. Just trying to keep up with the funding and then all the logistics. Making sure your vehicle and your trailer and everything else is going to get there on time. You also can’t drive to the events with the people who drive your rig or you’ll arrive depleted. You also need to eat well. There’s a lot to it, so it’s not just going to the track anymore. It’s the whole lifestyle, and it becomes a business, so you need to run it like a business and treat it like a business. Then, you can hopefully be successful.
Months before you go to the track, you are prepping. You have to think four or five months ahead, and you have a plan where to store your stuff between rounds, where to fly into, when to fly out, how to find good deals on flights, and all that. It’s just a lot of logistics.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM correspondent Alan Hussar
Is there anything along the way you thought might have been easier, but you found it was a little harder once you got there?
I feel like I have a real advantage going into the PROSPEC series because I have crewed for the past three years. So, I’ve been to at least four of the rounds every year, crewing with RAD Dan and Taylor Hull. Once you’re there, you kind of know what you need and who to talk to, and the doors start opening up. The sponsor stuff is probably the most difficult - like, the Instagram marketing and social media aspect. You have to make sure your sponsors are getting their value, and it's a lot of work to put together posts, and have the content, and just create. It's like a marketing business, essentially.
You're running three different businesses all in one, then?
Pretty much, but that is a race team, so we are figuring it out and I've been doing it. I mean, my dad raced my whole life, so I've been submerged in racing. But, now it's a different level, and you have to make sure your ducks are in a row.
Photo courtesy of Formula DRIFT
Is there anyone in PRO you’d like to beat in a battle?
James Deane (@jamesdeane130). I want to battle Chelsea, but maybe in a different series. It won’t be in FD. Chelsea, Deane, The Shanahans… There are a couple others that are just savages. It would be fun to battle the buddies like Taylor Hull, and really anyone, I don’t really care. All of them, because I’ve been watching them all, and it would be amazing to line up against any of the PROs. There are only 32, so there aren’t that many.
