Monday, November 30, 2009

Grip day thoughts and results...

Another great event hosted by yours truly...

It was great seeing the usual cars out there.. especially the s-class.














I did realize that I need to build one of my cars up for this event because I finally realized that using my stock 101 cars will not cut it..

I wanted to thank a few people....

Kat Tanaka
Morgan from AE86 nights
Will Roldan
Jeff Lee
Tom Flowers

If you wish to buy some great photos from this event, support Larry Chen at Larry@larrychendesign.com

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Not a bad weekend....














Last Saturday, Cyrus Martinez received his Formula Drift License at the Pro Am Nationals. Since he rarely updates his blog and he doesn't have his own website yet, I will thank his sponsors and supporters for him.....

First, he would like to thank his best friend and mentor, Me (Naoki Kobayashi). He would probably say something like: "I wouldn't be where I am at if it wasn't for Naoki. He is the greatest guy I have ever met in a non-homosexual way".

Then, there are his true supporters....

Taka Aono
Melonie Mancinas
Tom Flowers
Naoki Kobayashi (Yes, I am putting my name again....It's my blog)
Micheal Essa
Alex Pfeiffer
Naoki Kobayashi (It's still my blog)
Kat Tanaka
His Parents
Andy Luk
Fan boy aka. Jarod...

His Sponsors..
Megan Racing
Nexen Tires
G Dimension
HD Speed
Tomei
KAAZ
ACT
ONTRACK motorsports
Battle Version
XXR wheels
DSTROYR
AIT
Greddy
Sinful Enhancement
Driftfotos

Thank you....

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Can't wait... The car is being worked on!!

The car is over at Alex's place where it will soon be converted into a manual j30...

So far, I have all of the parts with the exception of a clutch, but SPEC is sending me one soon and I will be dropping it off at Alex's to have it installed... This time around with such limited time, I really can't do much on my own so I am entrusting alex to get the job done for me....

Nice Camaro
















My camera phone doesn't do any justice for the quality of this paint job...

Grip day update..

While I wait here at Mcdonalds of the rosamond exit just minutes before we start testing Cyrus's drift car, I am getting excited about the grip day that is coming up in the next couple of weeks. We have close to 12 S13 drivers competing in the KA class and it looks to be a fun one. What I hope to get of out the this event is momentum for us to continue hosting events that cater to the true grassroots drivers. Of course media coverage and prizes would be great, but are those 2 things that should motivate someone to attend an event? I remember a long time ago.. When I would attend an event because I loved the idea of simply driving.. Now, it seems like in order to get people to attend an event, there has to be something givien.. Is it just me or has the passion for driving changed over the years?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Old school mentality...

I have been having this conversation with a lot of old school guys recently.. One thing that has died over the years is the appreciation for accessories on your car.. When I say accessories, I mean wheels, steering wheels, lights, etc....

For me, wheels are the single most important accessory on my cars.. I simply can't put on cheap wheels.. It's an old school philosophy that I have since day one...

Saturday, November 7, 2009

A reflection on the Old and new generation...














This picture taken by Carlos makes me reflect on the past and look into the future. We have Cyrus Martinez, the future Pro Drifter waiting before he enters the track at the National Orange Show Speedway to sign autographs and meets his fans before the demo scheduled later in the evening. His car, covered with the Drift Day logo represents the new generation of Drift Association loyal prospects to hit the Formula Drift circuit in 2010. Then there is me, the aged veteran patiently waiting to release the cars on the track.

It is a good feeling to know that there is still some drivers out there with the same drive as the previous drivers that represent the logo...

Friday, November 6, 2009

Megan Racing's new logo

Grip Day 2. A quick preview














Well, if everyone remembers last years event, we had a blast that weekend. We had some really close competition amongst the KA class drivers and we are expecting a closer field of drivers this year.

Our target this year is to beat John Hardentop's time. His KA equipped S13 is fast and we are hoping to take him out this year.

Masashi will be coming out this year and we are expecting big things from him as well....

Tom Flowers, aka Crazy white guy, is currently working on his car as well. I believe he is going more for the lightweight with a little more power approach and it will be interesting to see how he does...

As for me? I just plan to cheat.. It's easier.. I will win the KA class!! It's my event!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

My little collection.

The one in the middle is not mine... It belongs to Cyrus but I have 2 more that isn't in the picture...

Our only little incident driving back from vegas

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Capturing a moment at NOS

Not a photos really tell a story but this is an interesting photos that shows our future pro drifter Cyrus with the veteran, Taka Aono, in the background..














Thanks Carlos for the photos.. great job... you can see more of his work at http://www.myspace.com/ctrphotography

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Michael Essa's press release..

For more information

Michael Harley – Los Angeles 949-333-0841

For immediate release

GSR Autosport and Michael Essa to Campaign a BMW 335i in the

2010 Formula Drift Championship Series

LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 30, 2009 – GSR Autosport and Michael Essa have partnered to campaign a 2008 BMW 335i sport coupe in the upcoming 2010 Formula Drift Championship Series. It will be the first BMW 3 Series, powered by a turbocharged BMW M3 engine, to campaign in a national drifting series.

“The BMW 335i is a powerful rear-engine sports coupe with a rock-solid chassis leaving us plenty of room for aftermarket development—the platform will easily handle the 550-hp turbocharged 3.2-liter M3 powerplant which we are finishing development on. Michael Essa was the natural choice to drive this innovative new drift car. Not only does he have a strong motorsport racing background, but he possesses the demanding drifting creativity and competitiveness necessary to win,” says Nick Richards, President of GSR Autosport.

Entering its sixth season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship series. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. This high-skilled, high-powered motor sport where drivers intentionally maneuver their cars into well executed, controlled sideways slides at high speeds through a marked course, has more than 60 professional drivers competing in all seven competitions this year. Judged on execution and style, rather than who finishes the course in the fastest time, drifting is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, and is often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross. Formula DRIFT and the drivers serve as ambassadors for the sport of drifting bringing exhibitions to traditional/mainstream motor sports events across the country which have included: multiple Champ Car World Series races, American Le Mans, USAC, NASCAR Busch North & Featherlite Southwest and the SPEED World Challenge, among others.

Residing in Los Angeles, Michael Essa has been racing cars since he was seventeen. He has always focused on the machine and the track, building a solid foundation to create a legacy in global motorsports. He has held positions as Crew Chief and Lead Tech Inspector building and developing his talent from the ground up. Essa not only worships racing but supports the community by offering driving instruction for both Porsche racers and drift drivers. Essa opened Tech Trix Motorsports in Anaheim, California, in the Spring of 2001. The company supplies custom fabrication, specialized maintenance, optimization and management of privately owned Porsche racecars. He and his expert team maintain an average of 20 cars annually and are significant players on the P.O.C. and P.C.A. circuits. Essa campaigned a Mazda in the 2009 Formula Drift Championship Series where he was runner-up for the 2009 Rookie of the Year.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, GSR Autosport is a multi-facetted professional automotive racing business. Founded and operated by genuine racing enthusiasts, GSR Autosport is a race car manufacturer that designs, develops, and builds turn-key vehicles, competitive automotive components, and race safety equipment in various facilities around the country. GSR Autosport is also the parent company to GoSpecRacing.com, a retail race parts supplier, and SpecBoxster.com, a club-level record-holding Porsche Boxster racing team.

GSR Autosport Press Contact:
Michael Harley
949-333-0841
mike@gsrautosport.com

Monday, November 2, 2009

Club4ag meet was.... well....

Very interesting to say the least...

A few highlights...

-I was late for my own event after 8 years...
-Moto and a few other OG guys showed up for the event..
-I had a really good hair day on Sunday
-Some (not all) are still devoted to their 86's
-Nick from Vegas Drift is a great person and awesome organizer.

And the winners of the competition are..

Fastest Autocross Time - Chris Anderson
Drift Competition - Alex Villareal
Club4AG Car Show award - Chris Anderson
Boro Boro Car Show Award - Yesvin
Street Driven Car Show Award - Edwin
AE86 Nights Car Show Award - Daniel Suzuki

Garage Queen Car Show Award - Alex Villareal

This might be one of the best photos anyone has ever captured....














Look at Alex's smile right before....















The funny thing is 1 year ago Alex took a photo of us doing the exact same thing to Cyrus.. Aren't we learning yet?