Chelsea DeNofa’s European Drift Road Trip Begins

Formula DRIFT champ Chelsea DeNofa takes on Europe in a drift road trip, facing challenges and creating chaos from the UK to Portugal in a fresh E36 build.

Chelsea DeNofa, 2023 Formula DRIFT champion, ventures to Europe for the “Up In Smoke Tour” (no, not the Aftermath one!)

On this multi-day European drift road trip, Chelsea (and his wife, also Chelsea DeNofa), along with around 20 other petrolheads, tear through the UK, France, Spain, and Portugal in a convoy of drift cars. Now, that’s our idea of a good holiday!

The adventure begins in the UK, where Chelsea picks up a basic-spec M54B30-powered E36 BMW (who would have guessed?!)

The car gets a ’90s DTM-inspired white-on-white look and some “don’t try this at home” questionably modified suspension, an angle kit, and other drift-specific mods.

With the smell of fresh paint lingering, Chelsea and crew scrape and crash their way onto the Channel Tunnel train to France. “This is definitely my first time driving a car into a train to go underwater!”.

As they resurface in Europe, they waste no time hunting down unique drift spots. An abandoned petrol station provided the perfect opportunity for some sideways action, and it’ll come as no surprise that they took full advantage.

Shortly after, the real test begins as Chelsea’s E36 develops a personality of its own. A ripped exhaust provides an impromptu soundtrack, and a fuel system issue provides fresh concerns.

Meanwhile, as he keeps the revs high, the E36’s broken speedo states that he’s doing 0mph. At this point, it’s starting to sound like our typical drifting road trips!

Near the end of the video, the group encounters what Chelsea describes as “literally an off-roading trail,” resulting in scrapes, bangs, and nervous laughter as expensive aftermarket parts scrape their way to the other side.

When they roll into the first track day, Chelsea’s E36 is battered but still ready to knock on doors. At this point, The Up In Smoke Tour has only just begun, promising more adventures, more challenges, and undoubtedly, more tire smoke in the days to come.