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...
OH SNAP> I’m Gonna Get You, Sucka!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAhahahahahahhaha Right now it’s almost 3:00am Pacific Standard Time, and I’m getting ready to go to Formula D Las Vegas. At the same time, I’ve been working with our Art Director/Webmaster extraordinaire Andy Sapp on choosing layout options for a cool client project that we’ll be revealing on MotorMavens very soon.
We’re kind of stumped on what to do right now, so I thought I’d cruise through his personal blog and see if any good ideas popped into my head. Suddenly, I stumbled upon this photo, which seriously had me laughing out loud. Dude. I think this photo is HELLA funny! If you read through Andy’s blog, he was writing about how he was washing his E46 before Formula D Atlanta, and then got into a friendly water balloon fight with some of the neighborhood kids… but damn! It looks to me like the neighborhood kids won this particular round!
I especially LOVE the expression on the kid’s face. It looks like in his head, he’s thinking, “Boo-yaaaa! Take THAT, sucka!” LOL! (Sorry Andy. This was just too hilarious for me NOT to share.)
:: Antonio Alvendia
Photo by Drew Fishbein of OMGDrift!
VIDEO> XDC Round 4 – Englishtown, NJ
Let me start this off by saying that it was a blast to return to the United States for a drift event this year. It’s been a solid year at LEAST (maybe a year and a bit even??!) since I’ve been in the Land of Freedom and Hotdogs, and I gotta say it was good to be back. This video covers the one Drift Posse member who was available to make it out to XDC Round 4 at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey; Pat Cyr in his F20 powered AE86 coupe, as well as the stylings of some of the top players in the Xtreme Drift Circuit today. This includes event winner Matt Waldin in the two-tone 350z, Steve Angerman in the Gardella Racing Solstice, and the series points leader Chelsea Denofa in the wicked green NST BMW E36.
The competition was fun and everything, but honestly the most exciting part for me was just being in a different country, and realizing really how different our cultures can be, even though we only live a few hours away from each other. The biggest and most obvious difference though, is food. Crossing the border into the States is kinda like crossing this line of sugar, chips, and fast food, and I love it. My first order of business once we hit a gas station across the border was to buy myself some Mountain Dew Code Red, along with some Milk Duds; with a 5th Avenue Bar for dessert (I can still feel my teeth hurting). It may surprise you, but none of these is available in Canada, and as a self-proclaimed sweets aficionado, you can imagine that I was in heavenly bliss for basically the rest of the ride to New Jersey. (more…)
COVERAGE> Gymkhana Block Party!
For those who don't know, gymkhana is kind of like a cross between autocross (slalom/solo racing in a parking lot, in a course laid out with cones) and drifting. Back before I started working the media end of the drifting scene, I was pretty active in driving at autocross events. It's fun, it improves your driving skills, and it's not too expensive.
Ken Block isn't the first person to try to organize a gymkhana event though. Erik Jacobs from DG Trials in Atlanta GA was the first person that I had ever heard of trying to make a series of drifting and gymkhana events... this was back around 2004 or so, when drifting was just beginning to blow up! To put things in perspective, back then, Vaughn Gittin Jr was still working on getting sponsored by Falken, and he was driving an S13 240SX, not a Ford Mustang! Read more...
CENTER STAGE> Superfine Serial Nine Cressidas
That perception of these four-door beauties changed when engines like the 1JZGTE and 2JZGTE started to become more accessible with the spike in JDM import parts coming into the US within the last decade. With minimal work, and a good knowledge of cars, one could have a powerful car with less investment than, say... a 240SX or AE86. Opting for the straight six turbo 1/2JZ engines was a no-brainer if you had a Cressida. Read more...
VIDEO> BMW M3: Come Ride With Me!
BMW M3 Film from 3seriesblogcom on Vimeo.
I came across this inspiring video from 3seriesblogcom, featuring the new E90 BMW M3 Coupe and thought I’d share. The new M3 is the first to get a 4.0 liter V8 engine, which kicks out an amazing 414 horses and 295 ft-lbs of torque, taking you from 0 to 60 in 4.8 seconds. Oh, and daaammmn if you won’t look good doing it.
There’s a lot more I could say about this car, but let’s be honest – I’d drive that girl anywhere she wanted. Except my home…..where my lady would be…… waiting to kick the ever-loving @#$! out of me. Well, as long as I got to drive the M3, it’d be worth the beating…I guess. (Actually, knowing my gal, she’d probably forgive me if I just handed over the keys, hot girl or no hot girl.)
So check out the sick ride this video takes you on and dream of the day that you get to pick-up your luscious lady from the airport and take her for a ride… in… your… M3… *cough*cough*
Enjoy!
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> DMCC Rd. 3 at ICAR Motorsports Complex
Before we get to the video hinted at in the title, I’ve decided to take a moment to introduce myself and my team for those who may not recognize me.
My name is Dan Cyr, and I’m the guy behind the Cyrious Productions lens and computer screen. I’ve been following drifting in Canada for several years now, riding along with my brother, AE86 driver Pat Cyr and the Drift Posse. We’ve been at drift events from Quebec to Edmonton and in between, as well as a few down south… You can be sure to see us at more of them this year.
I’m not going to go into the meaty details of this event, since the actual Driftmania Canadian Championship event coverage will be taken care of by fellow Ontario MotorMaven Jover Papag, who was an absolute blast to hang out with all weekend, as well as being wicked help on the track.
What I can tell you though is that the event was great, and the whole team had piles of fun. This round was the first ever round of Drift Mania held at ICAR Motorsports Complex at the Mirabel Airport. It was a pretty neat looking track, being extremely flat and paved entirely in concrete. (more…)
CARSPOTTING> AC Schnitzer E34 BMW 5 Series
It’s a rarity to see a 16 year old car in as pristine condition as this. Since my encounters with most 5 series bimmers leave much to be desired, it's always a pleasure to discover one that has been built right - call it a pleasant surprise. This specimen is so clean that, to the untrained eye, it appears almost to have just rolled off the Bavarian assembly line yesterday.
You may recall that, back in the 1990s, the BMW 5 Series was the top mid-sized sedan in its class - a class with very little competition. It was a must have for dads all across suburbia. Well, little has changed since then except that the 5 series has grown up to become a more elegant machine jam packed with enough gizmos and gadgetry to make a technologically inclined person go into mental overload. I could go on and 0n about my take on how the technological interface in modern BMWs dilutes the driving experience, that's not what we're here for. Today, it's all about Adam Luong and his little piece of 5 Series heaven.
It was actually Antonio who first spotted this fine specimen at the Wek'fest in San Francisco. When he saw it again at the Bimmerfest in Pasadena, he told me about it and caught my full attention when he said that it was the cleanest E34 he'd ever seen. With a guy like Antonio saying that, I just had to see for myself. When I saw the car in person, I just had to agree. Read more...
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...
GUEST BLOG> BMW Mania at Studie Tokyo w/WSTO
Imagine getting a call telling you that you and one other guy are the $10 million winners of the state lottery - all you have to do is split the money. Cool, right? Now, imagine the state lottery commission calling again to tell you that the other guy lost his ticket and the whole $10 million is yours. If you have a good imagination, that about sums up how excited I felt getting a chance to attend my first Tokyo Auto Salon - sort of like that lottery winner. But, when I got to visit Studie, the ultra high-end tuner shop, it was almost like getting that second call.
Studie has five locations; Yokohama, Tokyo, Kobe, Sendai and Kidnie. I had the honor of visiting two of these amazing shops; Studie Tokyo (their latest which opened last year) and the main hub, Studie Yokohama. Read more...
COVERAGE> Leavenworth Euro Cruise, Part 2
Through the mountain pass where it looks the gloomiest and down the other side; hope shines through. The clouds break away slowly as you come down Stevens Pass and the rays warm you through the windows. As you get closer to the end of the mountains, the river next to the highway rushes and you can hear it now that you've rolled down your windows. There, nestled at the bottom of the east side of the Cascade Mountains, lies a small and amazing little town called Leavenworth - where every year, for the last 10 years, hordes of Euro cars descend from the mountains to disturb its unsuspecting calm. Read more...
VIDEO> Ronal Racing Rims Rebarreled by Rotiform!
Wheel Mavens, where you at?! This past weekend, I drove down to Rotiform in Orange County CA to drop off my wheels to be refinished. I’ve been steadily working on the newest MotorMavens Project Car, Project BMW E39 Touring, in attempt to step out of my ” vintage Japanese car shell” and learn a bit more about European cars, and connect with the community as well. I’ve been learning a lot about BMWs lately (like how BMW power window regulators are not your friends), and have been enjoying the process.
I had to get my wheels rebored out to fit my E39′s larger center bore, as the factory BMW CB is normally 72.56… and my E39′s factory CB is 74.1mm. Thanks a lot E39 designers at BMW! WTH.
Anyway, in order to fit my new 19×9 and 19×10 wheels on my 5 series BM double, I had to rebore them out. However, when I was dropping off the wheels, my eye was caught on a couple sets of these super aggressive, concave face, super fat lip Ronal Racing wheels. Needless to say, I was JOCKING them!
Enough typing… just watch the video. If you’re a wheel guy like I am, you’ll be drooling all over your keyboard…
:: Antonio Alvendia
COVERAGE> Leavenworth Euro Cruise in WA
It's true what they say - as we get older, things change, our minds open up, and sometimes... we realize what we been missing. This cruise from Bellevue Community College to the touristy city of Leavenworth, with a stop at Washington's famous Steven's Pass was definitely something I've been missing out on for a long time! I attended the cruise with our writer Lucas Perez and photo newcomer Jeff Santiago, and even though we rolled up with Lucas's R32 Skyline and Jeff's Honda S2000, mostly everyone seemed cool with our non-euro cars attending. Well, at least they didn't throw eggs at us or anything. Read more...
WEBMINING> BMW E38 740iL Slammed Sedan
I love the way it looks from the back! The E38 has such a nice looking body style! In fact, I'd love to daily drive an E38 long wheelbase BMW myself if the car's gas consumption wasn't so damn outrageous. Screw it though... let's put all thoughts of practicality aside for just a moment, and just admire this 740iL from behind. What a great looking piece of ass. Classy too! Read more...
GALLERY> Older BMWs at the Bimmerfest!
COVERAGE> Bimmerfest Takes Over Pasadena!
The amount of BMWs (and their owners) that attended the event was just RIDICULOUS! No, seriously... ridiculous! When I exited off the 210 freeway, I (and my 5 series BMW touring) immediately joined the fray of BMWs making their way to the Rose Bowl, which was made famous by holiday football games and slow moving floats parading through Pasadena city streets. Creeping through traffic at a snail's pace, I followed the long line of cars with license plates from New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, and New Mexico... chuckling to myself, thinking "I wonder how many of these guys think I'm here to put my car in the show? I'm just here to shoot coverage of the event and do a little carspotting!"
Truth be told, even though I've been to BMW Welt in Munich, experienced the Autobahn, and stayed overnight at Hotel Am Tiergarten/Pistenklause (the small hotel/restaurant owned by BMW ringtaxi driver Sabine Schmitz's family) that sits inside the Nurburgring... even though my trip to Deutschland actually inspired me to buy a 5 series BMW wagon, I still don't see myself as a "BMW guy." Read more...
COVERAGE> Insider’s Look: Formula D Atlanta Pt.1
Not only has the series progressed businesswise, but the media outlets, drivers, and cars have all been stepping their game up to become more powerful, making Formula Drift a serious force to be reckoned with, on a worldwide stage. I bet the people who run the D1GP series in Japan are thinking, "Damn yo! That could have been us!" (Although they probably wouldn't be saying it in those words.)
Enough of my theory and random thoughts on the state of drifting in America though... let's get down to business! After all, the reason why people come to MotorMavens is because they like our taste in cars! So let's get down to it - our first installment of my insider's look at Formula D Atlanta. Let's go! Read more...
VIDEO> One Of One Show at Long Beach
Fatlace OneOfOne Showcase | FD Long Beach Extra Footage
So yesterday I was sitting at my desk, cleaning up my external hard drive. I realized I’ve got TONS of extra footage of Formula Drift Long Beach and quite a bit of footage from the Fatlace OneOfOne Showcase that didn’t make it into the final edit.
My girl had the car for the day, and I wasn’t getting anything else done… so I decided to make another edit. This one has a much lighter vibe than the first, with no color grading and very little audio work; just lots of familiar faces, pretty cars, and loud engines.
Enjoy.
:: Justin Shreeve
Vimeo.com/JustinShreeve
YouTube.com/Shreeveco
More Formula D Long Beach 2010 stories on MOTORMAVENS
RANDOM DOPE> Drift Mechaniks on Top Gear?!
Browsing Facebook this morning, I saw a status update from our own Lieze Truter, saying that our good buddies, the mighty Drift Mechaniks from Atlanta have been featured on Top Gear! I clicked the link to see what she was talking about, and apparently Top Gear featured a video that was produced by the dynamic bearded video duo of Roegge and Herron! Congratulations, guys!
When I clicked through to watch the video, it looked like a great mash up of footage from both video shooters, featuring one of the secret Drift Mechaniks drifting practice days at Nashville Super Speedway! Very cool! It even features some footy of our own art director Andy Sapp, who looks like his face is being overrun by a forest of facial hair, haha! It was pretty cool to see MotorMavens stickers on the Drift Mechaniks cars in the video! So make sure to watch all the Drift Mechaniks in this video and see how Andy gets down when he’s not designing stuff on his Mac! I just lovvvvve the way his E46 BMW looks with those ultra baller steez Racing Dynamics wheels!
Big ups to Drift Mechaniks, and big ups to Will and Josh! I’m sure you might already know this, but the dynamic bearded duo of Roegge and Herron are now traveling cross country in a van, filming videos (No, not THOSE types of videos. Although I’m sure our boy Josh is super down. He even has POV equipment.) for the newest video project they’re working on!
So enjoy the re-run of this video on our site, and in the immortal words of Andy Sapp, “Keep Drifting Fun! …Or Else.”
:: Antonio Alvendia
ARCHAEOLOGY> Super Silhouette Pics from Japan
Just check out this famous S110 Nissan Silvia, which was raced by legendary Japanese racer Kazuyoshi Hoshino's team, Impul. Hoshino-san has reached God-like status amongst race fans in Japan because of all his HISTORY. He actually raced in two Formula 1 races*; both of them at Japan's legendary Fuji Speedway - the old school course, with the famous old (and dangerous) banking, which is now closed and sits on the side of Fuji Speedway as a holy relic of the Shizuoka prefecture's glorious racing days of the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, I'm still kicking myself because I had the opportunity to chill out in the Impul/Calsonic Super GT pit area when I attended the Pokka 1000kms Super GT race at Suzuka Circuit, and Hoshino san was standing right freaking THERE... and I didn't even take a photo with him or ask him to autograph something. What an IDIOT I am. I still regret it. Read more...
NEWSWORTHY> Formula Drifting on Hollywood Blvd
There were actually several rotary powered vehicles in attendance for the drift demo, but by far, the best looking car (in our opinion) was certainly Justin Pawlak's mean green FC3S RX7. Read more...
COVERAGE> Formula D Fun at Long Beach
This past weekend was certainly an exciting one. I was excited to see all the new cars that were debuting at Long Beach, as well as seeing a lot of good friends from different parts of the world, even if it would be only for a brief moment. Unfortunately, when you're working at the event like I am, you're usually hustling about, going from one spot to the next, and you don't have as much time as you'd like to just chill and spend time with good friends. This event was definitely like that for me.
I was trying to juggle shooting photos for the website while overseeing the Motor Mavens Crew's event promotions efforts. Not an easy task! Also, on the Saturday of the event, I was asked to help out with the filming of The Grid, which is a UK-based motorsports television show that airs in 120 countries around the world! And... on top of all that, we debuted the new MotorMavens X DSTROYR "Follow The Leader" shirt at our booth, which was managed by super designer Jon Chase, the creative genius behind the brands DSTROYR and Famous Stars and Straps. I and the entire Motor Mavens Crew definitely had our hustle mode switched ON this weekend! Read more...
COVERAGE> Drifting at Houston’s Import Reactor
One of the great things about this event was that it brought together the drift enthusiasts and the show scene here in Texas. The guys at Import Reactor had the brilliant idea to allow car show teams to sponsor a driver. Each team had a driver whose entry they paid, while the driver ran their sticker on his car. It was great to the drifters bringing their cars to the event, only to be greeted by 20+ members of the team that sponsored them - cheering them on the entire time! Read more...
