Daniel Bridle
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COVERAGE> JDM Allstars Wembley Stadium
Wembley is THE event to go to in the JDM Allstars calendar. Drifters from all over Europe and even outside of Europe flock to Wembley to step up to the plate and show their talents in the competition. So bright and early (way too early) Saturday morning, I headed down into London to check out what was going on.
Usually I like to hang around the pits for a while to chat with drivers and friends, but with briefings to attend to and with the large amount of drivers competing, practice had to get underway pretty sharpish and I didn't want to miss out on any of the action. So I made a move out to the track and started shooting. So here are some photos from practice and qualifying! Read more...
VIDEO> UK Drifting Is Exciting With JDM Allstars!
JDM Allstars NISSAN FACTORY – Round 3, 2010 from Josh Allen on Vimeo.
At last! Here’s Josh Allen‘s latest installment of this season’s JDM Allstars video coverage. It also happens to be the debut of his new production company – Will Shoot For Food. Although it might be a little schizophrenic to some, I love the way this video has been cut. It’s a huge mix of intense action, great camerawork, a dope soundtrack and a certain human element that you don’t see that often in drift videos.
To me, the video has a great balance between good footage, a good song and some slick editing, and the (usually) boring motorsport “who won what and championship points” style coverage.
Keep up the good work Josh!
::Daniel Bridle
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars at Nissan Factory Pt.2
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars Rd.3 – Nissan Factory
The fact that Nissan itself was down to hold a drift event outside one of its factories was pretty cool. But the actual location to me was even cooler. Set on a section of land that usually holds hundreds and hundreds of freshly built Nissans, we were surrounded by factory buildings and trees with giant wind turbines looming over head. It's a testament to the JDM Allstars team that they can turn something as bland as a car park into an exciting place to hold their competition. Read more...
VIDEO> Donington Alpine Drifting w/JDM Allstars
JDM Allstars DONINGTON ALPINE Round 2, 2010 from Josh Allen on Vimeo.
I’m currently sitting here preparing to leave for Round 3 of JDM Allstars, but I thought I would just post something that landed in my inbox before I head off. Josh Allen’s been working non stop to get this video from Round 2 up before this weekends event. In the time he’s had to make it, he’s done an incredible job. I’ve got to say, this is probably the best drifting video I’ve seen in a long, long time. The variety of action shots and exciting angles, mixed in with fun lifestyle footage and brilliant editing… those other bigtime drifting videographers had better watch out for Josh Allen!
Stay tuned for more JDM Allstars coverage on MotorMavens very soon!
::Daniel Bridle
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars Rd.2 – Donington Alpine!
I later heard that the plan was to hold it on something called the Donington Alpine Circuit. I had no clue what that was until I came along to the shoot of the promotional video a few weeks back. Then it all became clear. On the outskirts of the main track and the Launch Pad is a fast, wide, almost mountain road-like track that the JDM Crew decided to use. It's made up of four corners and a steep uphill straight where the cars seemingly come out of nowhere and fly over the top. There's a right transition into the second turn, aiming for a clipping point close to the deadly armco, then a transition left into the third turn where you plant the throttle and bring the rear of the car to the armco on the straight, leading to another transition right into the final hairpin turn.
Fast corners, armco barriers on all sides and beautiful scenery all around. This was looking to be one of the most unique and exciting drift events in the JDM Allstars calendar. Read more...
VIDEO> Drifting the UK’s Mallory Park Circuit!
Before you watch this video allow me to give you a little back story…
Mallory Park Circuit has been one of the more recent tracks to open it’s arms to drifting in the UK and has been holding drift days for the past few months. From checking out some photos and reading threads on few a internet forums, it looked and sounded like it was a pretty cool setup. So about a month ago JDM Allstars driver Dan Chapman contacted me and invited me to go to Mallory Park with him to see what all the hype was about! Dan was also bringing along his Driftworks PS13, as it was a long time since he last went drifting somewhere that wasn’t related to competitions. With the trailer loaded and our gear ready we headed up to Mallory for a chilled out day of drifting!
I wasn’t really sure what to expect but when we arrived it was a pleasant surprise. The place was far bigger than I thought and with the first thing I saw being a V8 powered E30 BMW and a little KP61 Toyota Starlet hammering down the main straight, it seemed damn fast as well! As with a lot of days in the UK the rain clouds reared their ugly heads later on during the day and made an already extreme track even more so with plenty of rain, which meant people took things a little slower… until Drift Australia 2009 champion Luke Fink rocked up that is. Managing to borrow another driver’s JZX90 Toyota Cresta for a few laps, Luke showed us how to rip the track up good with some fast-as-hell entries! (more…)
VIDEO> JDM Allstars Manchester – Drifting Chaos
While videographer Josh Allen and I are getting the first installment of our exclusive MotorMavens video project finished, I thought I’d post up the latest video by Al Clark, which features the fantastic Round 1 of JDM Allstars! Even though the event happened about 3 weeks ago, for those of us who attended, the memory of it is still firmly planted in our minds. It was a crazy and unforgettable opening to the 2010 series and this video captures it perfectly.
Enjoy!
::Daniel Bridle
P.S. How freaking awesome is the intro!?
CARSPOTTING> Unbridled Aggression: Driftworks S15
As it's been mentioned on other car blogs before, the latest guise of the Driftworks S15 has made it look angrier than ever, and I'm inclined to agree. It now looks like it wants to punch you in the face and eat children for breakfast.
I heard many rumors before Round 1 of JDM Allstars that this famous car was undergoing some changes and was to have a new look for the event. This car has always been a personal favourite of mine. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of pro competition cars these days, as they seem to have lost their "street car" roots - which (in my opinion) is what makes drift cars so cool in the first place. However, the Driftworks S15, as extreme and track orientated as it may be, has managed to capture the right mix of street and competition style. So as you can probably tell, I was extremely excited to see it in the flesh at Manchester! I had a feeling that our readers would want to see more of this incredible car, so I spoke to Phil Morrison (owner of Driftworks and the S15) and managed to organise a time in the morning before the final day of the JDM Allstars event kicked off to get some exclusive shots for MotorMavens. Read more...
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars – More from Manchester!
Saturday had given us just a glimpse of what Sunday had in store, and with even more crowds, the atmosphere building, the Krispy Kremes being handed out (oh yes, I said it, free Krispy Kreme doughnuts!) and a huge live screen, it was looking like Sunday would be a very good day indeed. Read more...
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars Rd. 1 – Manchester, UK
Like Wembley and Newcastle before, the track would be a street based circuit in one of the overflow car parks outside the Trafford Centre , a shopping centre that looks like a cross between the inside of the Titanic, Ancient Rome and a giant US mall! When I arrived on Friday, I was blown away by the scale of the track and surrounding area. I had a feeling, with all the hype and build up, that the empty space I was looking at would be packed over the weekend!
Saturday morning came and it was looking like my feelings would be proven right. With the track ready, the crowds pouring in, and a whole heap of new cars, practice got under way. So here's a few photos from day one of a truly awesome drift event... Read more...
GALLERY> Southern Style’s Journey to Silverstone
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars at Silverstone!
While fellow MotorMavens crew members Antonio Alvendia and Edward Uche were out baking in the Californian sunshine at the XDC event in Irwindale, I was getting soaked to my skin in Northamptonshire, England, at the home of British Motorsport, Silverstone Circuit. Here, JDM Allstars were holding an invitation-only driver search day to give the selected drivers a shot at gaining a provisional entry to compete in this year's series. Also, with only 26 days to go until JDM Allstars takes over Manchester City for Round 1, it gave some of the current competitors in the series a chance to give their updated and freshly built cars a good shakedown!
Silverstone has been a home for UK drifting since the early days. The OPT Drift Club used to hold practice days there and some of the old UK D1 rounds were also held there. It was even the stage for the D1GP Exhibition Rounds (one in October 2005 and the other in 2006) when the Japanese came over to show us what it was all about - pushing our drivers to become even better. Since then it's been home to various drift championships such as the European Drift Championship (EDC) and the defunct, D1GB. Back in 2009, it was JDM Allstars' turn and there they hosted the final round of the series on the famous GP Circuit. This year Silverstone will play host to the final round yet again and it will be bigger and even better. I'm seriously looking forward to it - just as long as it's not raining!
Anyway, on to the Driver Search... Read more...
COVERAGE> UK Grassroots Drifting at Santa Pod!
The drift area itself is in a fairly large plot of land on the left side of the drag strip, and is split up into five tracks, ranging from a larger "main track" for more experienced drifters (which is based on the 2008 European Drift Championship layout), a smaller "kidney track" which is set up for practicing transitions, and finally, there are 3 small "play pens" for practicing donuts, figure 8s, etc. There's also a make shift pit area for people to change tyres and work on their cars. Mint Tyres is always on hand to provide tire support for the drivers; they will fit tyres at very good prices to keep you on the track all day, and Sue's Cafe makes AWESOME cheese and bacon burgers to fill the appetites of hungry drifters.
DWYB also happens to be where I started out photographing drifting and the culture that surrounds it... so I headed up last weekend to catch up with some friends, have a lot of fun and bring back a few photos to shed some light on grassroots drifting in the UK for you Motor Mavens readers! Read more...
WEBMINING> Papercraft Super GT Epson NSX
Today I’ve been taking a keen interest in this years Tokyo Auto Salon, and while I was searching around for information and interesting photos I stumbled upon this little gem. Epson Nakajima Racing decided to bring not one of their real Super GT cars to TAS this year but one made entirely out of cardboard and paper!
Now I’ve seen some pretty cool little papercraft cars before. I even tried my hand at making a Nissan Skyline KPGC10 GT-R once (not that it looked anything like one by the time I was done with it) , but a full scale race car is just awesome! After a bit more searching I found the full build of the car on their website. It’s amazing to see the amount of detail gone into it.
Check it out at EPSON Nakajima Racing.
:: Daniel Bridle
WEBMINING> Meet The Drivers of JDM Allstars
Better late than never, Dan Joyce just released this light hearted behind the scenes look at last year’s awesome Round 3 of the JDM Allstars drift championship at Wembley. There’s not much actual driving but it’s great to see the drivers relaxed and having a laugh, which is what drifting should be about. Having FUN!
For 2010 I’ll be trying my best to get up and down the country armed with my camera to bring you all the latest UK drift action here on MotorMavens. Starting with the JDM Allstars 2010 season kicking off on April 17th – 18th in Manchester, with what’s going to be one of the biggest and most exciting rounds to date!
Here’s to an awesome 2010!
:: Daniel Bridle
WEBMINING> Créme Fresh Levin!
While some of the other members of the Motor Mavens Crew are busy putting together their photos from this weekend’s Formula D Pro Am event, I thought I’d show post this scan of a car I’ve been admiring.
There are some blogs that I check out frequently, and I came across this scan from a 1999 Battle Magazine that Rob from Roadster:DRIFT posted up. The AE86 Levin has always been one of my favourite cars, so when I saw this, my jaw dropped. To some this might just be another Levin, but for me looks wise this is the PERFECT Levin! Just clean and simple with a Goodline front bumper and bonnet, TRD rear wing, and a few nice subtle touches like the kouki spec rear bumper, foglights minus the grill, and what looks like stock arches rolled and flared. It’s also sitting on a set of gorgeous RS Watanabe Type R wheels in 14x8J -6.
Like I said before, for me personally, this is the perfect Levin. But AE86s are cars that can have so many different styles applied to them and I’m sure any fan of the AE86 has their favourite. We’d love to hear from our readers what your favourite style is or even a particular car e.g., Katsuhiro Ueo’s famous D1GP Trueno.
Let us know!
:: Daniel Bridle
COVERAGE> Kop Hill Hillclimb 2009
On the 26th and 27th of September, organisers decided to do a Kop Hill Commemorative Run to bring the sounds and sights and even smells (mmm, Castrol R) back to Kop Hill again. Over 250 cars and bikes were there, ranging in age from the 1900s right up to 1980s and even some very special modern cars. Read more...
ARCHAEOLOGY> JDM Allstars Action
The qualifying would be run using the new Super Lap format. With the Super Lap, drivers are given just one single run to lay down their best score, no warm up laps, or anything. The judges were also wanting to see the drivers give it their all and get their cars as close as they could to the wall. A lot of pressure, but it was definitely gonna be exciting! Read more...
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars at Wembley Part 2
But the day wasn't just for practice, it was for qualifying and with over 50 drivers it was going to be a long one. Read more...
