There are so many cool aspects of being a part of MotorMavens but, to me, one of the coolest is witnessing the heart and passion of the automotive industry through the eyes of the ones who live and breathe it - the true mavens. We here at MotorMavens consider ourselves to be in that number as well but we're not here to tell our own story. Our vision has always been to showcase your story - your passion. Seeing this industry through the innovative eyes of guys like Roland Gallagher, Justin Shreeve, Lucas Perez, Yuta Akaishi, Daniel Bridle, Yoshi Shindo and all of the many others who love and live what they do (including you) - that's our way of keeping our eyes glued to the real motivating force behind the stats.
That's why this story by Jonathan McWhorter was so compelling to me. It's not about the money or the fame. It's not about your company budget or your connections. It's not even how long you've been in the industry. Those are not the things that make this industry so awesome. I could tell you but Jon did such a great job - I'll leave it in his capable hands. After all, he reminded me. So, without further ado... Read more...
Last weekend’s Formula Drift Seattle event at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington was unforgettable. Tons of familiar faces and unusually warm weather made for the best FD experience I’ve ever had. Since I’ve been shooting at this location so much lately, I was able to take my time and really enjoy the event, rather than scrambling to get shots.
Last weekend also marked a milestone for me, as it had been one year since shooting my first FD event with a media pass. FD Seattle ’09 was also when I met quite a few friends in the industry, such as Antonio Alvendia, Larry Chen, Drew Fishbein, Ross Fairfield, Will Roegge, and Josh Herron, among many others. Last year around this time, I knew next to no one and now I can comfortably say I feel at home in the professional and grassroots drifting communities.
With this video, I chose to take a much lighter approach than last year as a representation of the comfort and relaxation I now feel among my fellow videographers, photographers, and drivers who congregate for these great events.
This year, I also met a guy named Jason from ContourHD/VHoldr, who was nice enough to let me test out a couple of his HD 1080p wearable/mountable POV cameras for some of the shots!
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, especially the MotorMavens Crew, Formula Drift, Evergreen Drift, and KP Race. Without all the love, it just wouldn’t be worth it.
Once a year drivers from all over the world gather in China to drive the shit out of crappy cars. No rules. No limits. And sometimes no seatbelts.
This is the World Drift Series. Drifting is very new in the land of communism… but every year, American and Japanese drifters show the Chinese drifters how to do some REAL drifting. In 2008 and 2009, the main event, “WDS Hang Zhou” had a sellout crowd of 45,000 people.
This year, along with the American and Japanese drivers, there were quite a few drivers from Mainland China and Hong Kong as well. There was even a Russian drifter who came down for two events.
I had the privilege of traveling with the American team. I was given $1500 to purchase 4 sh!tty cameras and 3 sh!tty on-car mounts (I don’t really shoot video). This short film is what I ended up with. I tried to concentrate more on the drivers, since I had an opportunity to live and travel with them for 2 weeks. Every part showcases a different driver and their unique personalities. Enjoy!
While 2009 may have come and gone, Joshua Herron dug through hours upon hours of footage to give us one last glimpse at what the ’09 Formula Drift season held in store for us. This video is amazing on so many different levels. The cinematography is top-notch, it is jam-packed with unreleased footage, transitions through three songs – each with a unique vibe, and it does it all seamlessly. The last segment definitely feels like a throwback to the old skate videos I grew up with.
Amazing work on this video, Mr. Herron! I’m going to go watch it again (and again, and again)!!!
While many other media outlets have already finished their short stories from All Star Bash Weekend, Motor Mavens keeps it coming! Most of the people in the MotorMavens crew live in different states... but yesterday after everyone got off work, we were able to put our photos together and organize them!
Continuing our coverage with more photos from the ZipTied/Just Drift Summer All Star Bash this past weekend, I'd like to start off by giving props to Charlie, Mike, and everyone behind the All Star Bash! This was the biggest All Star Bash yet, and I'm sure it's just going to get bigger and bigger. There were more members of the media shooting photos and video at this event than any ASB event in the past! But media aside, this event also had more cars than any previous All Star Bash! I'm proud to see a small grassroots drifting organization like Just Drift come up on such a bad ass event, with tons of participation from drifters all over the nation! ...and I'm sure the next event will be even bigger!
And now, on to the photos... THIS IS GRASSROOTS DRIFTING! Read more...
The latest round of the Formula Drift Championship took place this past weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was sooooo incredibly hot in Las Vegas this past weekend; the Formula D teams had to work hard to make sure the drivers remained hydrated enough to perform at peak levels (last year, I remember seeing one of the drivers pass out because of the intense heat inside the car).
As a member of the media with a trackside photo pass, I remember being extremely uncomfortable because of Formula D safety rules requiring us to wear long pants instead of shorts at the track. However, just think about what the drivers must be feeling like - wearing full fire suits and Nomex underwear and HELMETS, sitting inside hot cars without air conditioning; with hot metal roofs working like a broiler due to the lack of headliners and insulation in a professional drift car.
Nevertheless, the crowd at Formula D remained upbeat and excited, due to the level of driving prowess they were treated to. Vegas drift fans are hardcore! Regardless of the heat, these fans were down to sit outside in the stands, sweating and cheering as their favorite professional drifters slid past them, dousing the grandstands in a bath of tire dust. Read more...
Independence Day weekend was certainly a busy for those of us in Southern California. There were so many parties and car events to go to, it was really difficult choosing what to do this weekend. While many of my other friends spent the 4th of July having BBQs or enjoying the cool breeze in Huntington Beach, Drift Day organizer Naoki Kobayashi talked my friends and I into making the long, long trek out to the National Orange Show (NOS) Center in San Bernardino, CA for the Megan Racing Drift Competition.
You don't have to say it; we know what you're thinking. Megan Racing? Yes, we're talking about THAT Megan Racing. Working with Naoki from Drift Day, Megan Racing has decided to show its support of grassroots drifters, by throwing a fully catered drifting competition (thanks for the tacos, Megan Racing!), complete with a two thousand dollar purse for the winners. (Although, we didn't stick around til the end, so we weren't sure if they actually gave out money to the winners, or just a really expensive handbag.) Either way, we think it's great that a company with products catering to the grassroots drifting community would actually give back to the grassroots drifting community by putting together an event like this! Read more...
