Cronicals of Drift Day

Amazing..

2011-11-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Cyrus promo vid..

2011-10-26T21:09:00.001-07:00

Bad ass Porsche

2011-10-19T07:11:00.001-07:00

It's simple, clean and exactly what I would love to drive everyday...

To read more on this car, you can visit speedhunters.com

Irwindale and 2011.....

2011-10-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

The season is officially over! What is there to say... Let me start off by recaping our drivers results at Irwindale.

Taka Aono. Coming into the last event, I was hoping to see some serious laps by our veteran driver and he did. On Thursday's practice, he took the usual route of taking it easy which actually made me nervous. I even thought he was playing safe that weekend but he didn't and made quite an impression on the track.

Friday's qualifying came and he went for it and scored a solid 70.8 putting him in a respectable 22nd for Saturday's main event. Taka was paired up against Ken Gushi. Ken, being the higher qualifier led first. As they left the starting line, I see Taka pulling away from Ken going into the first turn.... Taka slowed down waiting for Ken to catch up but Taka, almost at the initiation point, had no choice but to lift losing all momentum as Ken finally passed him into the first corner giving no chance for the AE86 to keep up. I thought that it should have been a re-do but the damage was done and Ken moved on....

Alex Pfeiffer might have had the worst event yet as he didn't qualify into top 32 with what everyone else thought was a great qualifying run. Alex knew he wasn't going to hit the required speeds, so he focused on style and line, which I thought he nailed... The judges didn't think so, and he scored a 50.9.

Cyrus Martinez was doing well and he could have qualified higher on his second run IF he didn't have clutch problems. Luckily his first qualifying run was high enough to take 30th into Saturday's main event. His run against Tyler was interesting to say the least. Cyrus went for it getting as close to Tyler going into bank. As they were coming into the smaller bank, Cyrus reached for his E-brake handle and accidentally turned off his car mid turn. For his second run, he went for it again but maybe too much. He scraped the wall mid-bank and couldn't continue the course breaking a few suspension parts along the way.

John Russakoff aka. "Murphy" had issues again coming into the last round. He had to return back to his shop on Thursday with some engine problems and came back on Friday only hit the wall on Friday's morning practice. With bent front control arm and rear axle, he did his best to replace them both with the help of Tom Flowers and did his best to get back in time for qualifying. Unfortunately, the car was not well and John just couldn't drive the car.

To sum up my personal thoughts on the season, I would have to say the I am very regretful and happy for the drivers this year. Taka should have killed it this year with his new motor and "no hold" attitude but it just didn't happened the way it was supposed to. He still kept his head high and did what ever it took to stay in the game. I don't think everyone knows but he sacrificed a lot in order to finish this season.

Alex Pfeiffer is a stand up guy and although we had our differences this year, we got along better as the season progressed. I don't think any driver in the field could have done a better job driving the Megan 350z car. We have seen what a driver is willing to do to show his frustration, but Alex didn't and I commend him on that.

What we saw from Cyrus this year was a mature and focused driver. I am proud of who he has become and I think he has a future as a driver in this sport.

John Russakoff. What can I say about his first complete season this year? I think what made his season so tough was that he was the main focus of the team after a 4th place finish in Atlanta. Some people call it bad luck, I say "Let's see happens next year".

I would like to thank everyone that helped the team which includes the following:

Yoshie Shuyama
Robert Penado
Daniel Anguiano
Mac Crook
Tom Lee
Chiemi Russakoff
Tom Flowers
Megan Racing
Mike at Nexen Tire USA
Mark Aldaba
Jp Mendoza
John Yim
Justin
V-LEDS
K1 Race Gear
Jeff Jones
Steve Reyes
Larry Chen
Intek Racing

Route 66 burn off...

2011-10-04T21:29:00.001-07:00

This was an event I co-organized at the National Orange show.

Vegas.

2011-08-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

It was definately a long and hot weekend for the team. All 4 drivers did their best and I wanted to thank each one of them for putting in the hard work.

Alex Pfeiffer- Another tough weekend for Alex. It seemed even tougher as most of the other cars are continuing to get faster while the Z seems to be less stellar each round. His first qualifying run was clean but the Z just didn't hit the minimum speed requirements to get him into top 32.

Taka Aono. Taka was probably the biggest surprise as I simply could not understand how he did not make top 32 with his qualifying runs.

Cyrus Martinez. With a decent run into top 32 he was paired up against JR Vaughn Gitten on Saturdays main event. The battle was a good one but Cyrus couldn't beat JR and advance into top 16.

John Russakoff. This was probably the most interesting story of the weekend for team Megan Racing. John was very confident coming into this round rechecking every detail on his motor after having engine problems in Seattle.

During Thursday's practice, he starting having engine problems again. He lost compression in one of his cylinders and decided to head back to his shop in California and bring back his other engine. After the lengthy trip, he managed to get the motor in and make a qualifying run. Unfortunately, he spun on his run and failed to qualify into the main day

I wanted to thank our sponsors for their support and I hope to get better results at the next round.

See you in Irwindale.

Ross Fairfeild's video from Seattle....

2011-08-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

Formula Drift Seattle 2011 from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.

Conrads Seattle video on OMGdrift

2011-08-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Conrad Grunewald Formula DRIFT Seattle 2011 from Lab17/Andrew Bohan on Vimeo.

Taka Aono interview at motoiq.com

2011-08-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/articletype/articleview/articleid/2063/driver-profiles-taka-aono.aspx

Looking at something different to drive.

2011-08-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

I just found this photo at http://philscarblog.wordpress.com

It got me thinking about doing something different...

Must see!

2011-08-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

Some great photos from Stanceworks

2011-08-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

Seattle...

2011-07-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

First off, it was very nice to see all 4 members on track again. All of the team members got to the event with no major hurdles.

Overall, my impressions of Seattle are good. We had plenty of spectators come by the pit and we had something to celebrate at the end of the event.

Cyrus Martinez definitely shined this weekend. He put on a great show against Conrad for the top 32 battle advancing him into top 16 for the first time in Formula D. This was a great moment for him and the team.

Taka Aono is always favored at Seattle but he had issues that prevented him from advancing to main day. On Friday's practice, his steering locked coming off the bank which caused him to go nose first into the barrier right before qualifying. Thanks to Alex Pfeiffer and Robert Penado, they managed to get the car fixed and ready for qualifying. Unfortunately, there was more damage to the car then he had anticipated and failed to qualify in the top 32 round. Oil was leaking from his cracked oil pan and he soon had no choice but to bow out for the weekend.

Alex Pfeiffer put on a great qualifying run putting him in 17th to run against rookie Alex Lee. Alex did his best but couldn't advance into top 16.

John Russakoff did his best to rebuild a new car in time for the event, but he had problems all weekend trying to trace a sputtering problem in his motor. We certainly hope to see the car's full potential in Las Vegas.

Florida!

2011-06-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

Larry Chen from Speedhunters was nice enough to send us some photos from FD Florida.

Enjoy

Drift Atlanta

2011-05-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

Very interesting weekend to say the least. I would have to say that it was a good experience overall.

Let's start with the obvious. John Russakoff placed 4th. Congrats to him and the rest of the team for making it happen. It was definately a tough finish for him as he had electrical and gearbox issues the entire weekend. He really did come through driving his car as he went up against drivers like Chris Forsberg, Toshiki Yoshioka and Dai.

Taka Aono. I'm really feeling for him as he was doing great the entire weekend and he should have given Ryan Tuerck a run for his money. Unfortunatley, he had issues with his car as he was about to line up for his top 32 battle against the Camaro.

Alex Pfeiffer did a lot better than the scores showed. Not sure why he ended qualifying 33rd but I think he did whatever could to keep that car looking as good as it did. Even though that was his third event in that car, I think the results will soon follow.

Cyrus Martinez was focused and once again went up against Chris Forsberg for a second year in a row at Atlanta. Cyrus has shown a lot improvement since he was there last year and I am sure Chris noticed it.

Thanks to everyone including our sponsors for the support.

Team Megan Racing finishes 2nd at XDC

2011-04-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Alex Pfeiffer driving the Megan Racing 350z finishes 2nd at Round 2 of XDC in Arizona. The podium finish comes straight after 2 consecutive weekends of competition (Formula Drift and Team Drift).

The time behind the 350z was exactly what Alex needed to continue develop of the car and have him ready for Round 2 of Formula Drift in Atlanta.

We are expecting better results at the next event with the new tires provided by Nexen. The Nexen n6000 for the rears might help Alex and the car keep up with the competition.

Ram "Long-Hauler" Concept is the Ultimate Tow Truck - PickupTrucks.com News

2011-04-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

Ram "Long-Hauler" Concept is the Ultimate Tow Truck - PickupTrucks.com News

The season has started for Team Megan Racing.

2011-04-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Round 1. Long Beach California. I have mixed feelings about this event. I am very pleased with the reaction our team has recieved. The overall look of the team was fantastic and we got a lot of praise for our "new" look. All four drivers did advance into Saturday with reasonable scores. Even the untested and completely revised Megan 350z surpased my expectations with Alex Pfeiffer behind the wheel. Moving to Saturday, I soon became frustrated to see all of our team members getting knocked out one by one. Not a single member of our team made into the top 16 spot which is very frustrating. I hope to see the team do better in Atlanta. I would like to thank a few people that helped make my journey a little better. Tom Flowers who came in during late hours to help do some final touches on the 350z before tech and round 1. Taka Aono. Your advice for the team has always made our lives easier at the Megan camp. Danny Aguiano. Thanks for the hard work even though you owe me 20 packs of cigarettes Nexen Tires Megan Racing K1 Race Gear Larry Chen of Speedhunters Julian for the great photos Thanks everyone. See you guys at the next round.

I'm vinyled out....

2011-04-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

While I tried to finish the 4 Megan cars with new graphics....

I even found some time to do Aasbo's helmet too....

K1 Racegear sponsors Team Megan Racing

2011-03-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Team Megan Racing will have really cool suits made by K1 Racegear.

Meet your Megan Racing Team

2011-02-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

From left to right.

Alex Pfeiffer
Cyrus Martinez
Taka Aono
John Russakoff

Awesome video..

2011-02-20T09:24:00.001-08:00

Imported from Taka?

2011-02-17T09:39:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm... I'm just saying....

BTW.. This design has been out since 09...

Just saying...

Another cool video...

2011-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

Saw this on Build Thread... Very cool...

Pac Autobody

2011-02-13T17:51:00.000-08:00

Pac Autobody will once again help out the Megan Racing Team

Ozzie was great last year putting up with our last minute paint requests. Hopefully, it won't be as stressful to him or his workers....

Thanks Ozzie... Let's have a great year.

We hit the big leagues...

2011-02-13T17:24:00.003-08:00

In a small way...

and check this out...

http://www.r2hobbies.com/eng/proddetail.php?prod=rcvp3329038

Formula 1

2011-02-11T10:14:00.001-08:00

Does anyone else miss tobacco advertisements on Formula 1 cars?

John Russakoff's official press release.

2011-02-09T08:34:00.001-08:00

http://ankorinc.com/jsp/pressrelease_panama.html

My time line of "haters"

2011-02-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a big discussion with all the drivers running v8's in Formula Drift.

Well, there has always been haters on forums and here is my time line of big hate subjects over the years... Some of you guys probably don't even realize how far back the some of these topics go..

Club4ag vs. "S" chassis... I remember when we used to host the early Drift Days under Club4ag, people started to hate on the new comers driving their S13's. People were saying things like "The S13 is too easy to drift".

East Coast vs West Coast. There was a time when geography also started this huge debate as to whether the East coast drivers are as good as the West coast drivers... There were numerous people saying if they had the same opportunity as the West coast guys that they would be just as great.

Grassroots vs. Pros. Do you remember how many people started to hate on Rhys Millen or Samuel Hubinette when they started to enter Drifting events? There was a huge debate over these particular drivers entering drifting events. Some said that the sport should be kept for the grassroots drivers.

GM and Ford entering Formula D and D1. That was another "hate" topic with people saying that drifting is going to die like import drag racing.

Now it's the whole V8 thing. What's next?

Alex Pfeiffer signs with Megan Racing for 2011

2011-02-04T21:47:00.000-08:00

As of today Alex Pfeiffer signed an agreement with Megan Racing to drive in the Formula Drift series for 2011.

He will driving the Megan Racing 350z twin turbo VQ engine which has been completely rebuilt for 2011.

Alex will now be the forth and final addition to Team Megan Racing and we are expecting great
things this year with him on board.

Hello Matt, Tyler, Robbie and Bryan

2011-02-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I added a few drivers to my blog list.. Go see what they are up to... Looks like they are doing a whole lot more than I am..

Robbie Nishida

Tyler McQuarrie

Bryan Rogers

Matt Powers

Import tuners hottest 60 from SEMA.

2011-02-02T08:08:00.000-08:00

Didn't even know our car was in the hottest 60...

Thank you Import Tuner!

Read more here

http://www.importtuner.com/events/impp_1103_hottest_60_from_the_2010_sema_show/index.html

When I get old....I'm building one of these

2011-01-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

Not badJohn..

2011-01-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

John Russakoff | Gymkhana GRID | RAW from Justin Shreeve on Vimeo.

Steve Mcqueen's bullitt.. I died a little today...

2011-01-27T21:34:00.000-08:00

Turns out he only drove 10% of the famous car chase scene....

Read the full story here...

http://jalopnik.com/5744523/the-real-story-of-the-chase-scene-in-bullitt

It's not about horses....

2011-01-25T06:56:00.001-08:00

Instead, it's a great site about building and restoring bikes.. Like the one shown below..

http://www.jockeyjournal.com/

John Russakoff signs with Megan Racing

2011-01-21T08:24:00.001-08:00

John Russakoff has been officially signed on as a Megan Racing sponsored driver for the 2011 Formula Drift Season. He will be driving with teammates Taka Aono and Cyrus Martinez who have also signed with Megan Racing for their second year.

2011 FD schedule

2011-01-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Here we go again!

1 Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, CA April 8-9
2 Road to the Championship Road Atlanta Atlanta, GA – May 6-7
3 Invasion – Palm Beach International Raceway Palm Beach, FL – June 3-4
4 The Gauntlet Wall Speedway Wall, NJ – June 17-18
5 Throwdown Evergreen Speedway Monroe, WA – July 22-23
6 After Dark Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, NV August 26-27
7 Title Fight – Toyota Speedway at Irwindale – Irwindale, CA - October 7-8

2009 Taka video by dead pirates

2011-01-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure most of you have seen it already but I really enjoy watching it from time to time. I think it's Ross's best work to date....

Taka Aono 2009 Formula D video from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.

shinya kimura

2011-01-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

Pure hotness...

2011-01-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

I'm really starting to like Porsches

Mark English and his MR2

2011-01-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

There is an article on his car up right now at http://octanereport.com

Check it out. It's pretty cool.

Drifter bike...

2011-01-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

Found this image on fuelzine.com

Megan Racing for 2011

2011-01-09T14:30:00.000-08:00

Megan Racing will continue its support for 2011 in the Formula Drift season with its 2 drivers Taka Aono and Cyrus Martinez.

It looks to be a tough season but we are hoping for a successful year.

Our team will continue with the same members and supporters as we had last year which includes.

Naoki Kobayashi
Taka Aono
Cyrus Martinez
Yoshie Shuyama
Robert Penado
"Google" Angelo

I would like to thank Megan Racing for their endless support. I hope to give more interesting news as contracts are signed for this season.

The Drifting List

2011-01-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

It's one of the first sites I visit in the morning so I thought I would show some love by linking them...

Check out their site..

www.driftinglist.com

S13 commercial

2010-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

Rally video!

2010-12-29T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hotness!!

2010-12-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Offset is everything!!

Great... Another really cool blog site....

2010-12-02T19:17:00.001-08:00

http://jasonsgrainofsalt.wordpress.com

Really nice pics....

Next Grip Day will be coming soon!

2010-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

After the success of the last event and the amount of requests I got to do another one.. We are planning another event early next year.

Hopefully, it will be at Button Willow Raceway this time..

Stay tuned

Grip Day Great event...

2010-12-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

Great event guys!

Official times are posted here...

http://brakefade.com/events/DriftDay/28nov2010/

coverage

No, It’s Not LeMons – The 4AG Time Trial
http://www.myrideisme.com/Blog/ae86-track-day-racing-willow-springs/
Enjoy!

Grip Day 3 is set for Thanksgicing weekend!

2010-09-21T00:43:00.000-07:00

Anyone who wants to drive can contact me at Naoki@driftday.com

Finally back?

2010-09-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

I will try and update this blog.... We will see

steve mcqueen

2010-03-25T07:23:00.001-07:00

Slick magazine teasers

2010-03-03T22:01:00.001-08:00

Hiro Hatada's awesome AE86

Nexen Tire press release

2010-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

For immediate release
Nexen Tire USA announces their sponsorship for the Formula Drift season

Diamond Bar, Calif., March 3, 2010 –Nexen Tire USA is proud to announce its involvement in the Formula Drift series for 2010. For this year, Nexen will be sponsoring 3 primary drivers that will be representing the brand: Taka Aono and Cyrus Martinez. The third driver will be announced at a later time. Two additional drivers, Chelsea DeNofa and John Wagner will also be representing Nexen Tire and participating in their regional Formula Drift Events.

“We are extremely happy with our driver line up” say Michael Meeiem, representative of Nexen Tire. “We have a diverse driver line up and we are expecting great results with the release of our new N9000 tire”.

2010 will be the first year Nexen Tire will be entering the Professional Drift series and it sees a bright future in Drifting.

Nexen Press Contact:
Michael Meeiem
Michael@nexentireusa.com

Keep an eye out for it....

2010-03-01T23:16:00.000-08:00

A quick update to Project Missle

2010-02-26T07:55:00.001-08:00

Added doors, fenders and a hatch... Does anyone have a motor I can buy?

Stole this photo from Hiro's blog

2010-02-24T01:18:00.001-08:00

Sorry Hiro.. I just like the picture...

Check out the rest of the story on his blog at http://www.hiros4door.com/

New Address..

2010-02-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know yet, we have a new address.

18320 bedford Cir
La Puente, CA 91744

Project Rally missle

2010-02-13T21:43:00.000-08:00

It won't drive straight because of the extensive damage to the frame but it will be our rally project car..

Still not sure why I'm building it but I think we will have fun trying..

Another S13 saved!!!

2010-02-12T08:14:00.001-08:00

In just a week and a half, the car runs, has all its body panels and interior in place...

Now, it just needs a little paint and some wheels.

Quick update

2010-02-11T08:17:00.001-08:00

The J is slammed more now.. Too bad I just hit the trailer moments after I took this photo....

Dirt Days anyone?

2010-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

I have kicking this idea around for a while and I just recently found a venue to host a Rally cross event. Who would be interested in attending a Rally Cross event? Anyone

Still kicking ass...

2010-02-05T23:11:00.001-08:00

Well, after 5 days of owning this car, I got ist running with the help of Taka and I have most of the body parts to consider this car "almost" complete...

Now I just need a few more parts and it should be ready to drive!

I also added some spacers to the J30 for that super hella flush look.. Got some Nexen tires to put all the around.. Thanks Mike from Nexen!

Kicking ass!

2010-02-04T09:03:00.001-08:00

So I have been kicking some series ass with this car.. So far I have been putting parts back together and I even did a little body work... I still need a some misc. items so if you have a single cam S13 laying around....

I need the following parts.

intake pipe
fuses
bumper
passenger door handle

sample photos from last saturdays photo shoot

2010-02-01T23:34:00.001-08:00

Here is a shot from our little photo session we had last Saturday....

What a month...

2010-01-31T21:06:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally moved into my new location at Megan's other shop M2. I have my own area to store cars now..

I also got my car impounded for a day... I guess I should have registered the car before I actually drove it on public roads...

Today I got a free S13 chassis to build up.. Should be fun.. Along with this car, I got another really thrashed S13 shell. Morgan and I are planning to build project "missle car" Yes...

yes, I am still alive...

2010-01-21T21:58:00.001-08:00

just letting everyone know... Drift Association is kicking and still alive... As a matter of fact we are moving in the right direction..

More updates soon.. I promise

Interesting words from interesting people...

2010-01-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

Benjamin Franklin

Every man dies. Not every man really lives

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Mark Twain

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.

Muhammad Ali

Got this from CarJunkies and I agree 100%

2010-01-01T08:57:00.001-08:00

http://carjunkies.wordpress.com/2009/12/18/lifes-all-about-variety-and-keeping-is-simple/

Done.... again....

2009-12-31T01:15:00.000-08:00

Just got more stuff done to the J30.. The ebrake is working now... and I also managed to clean up some other stuff.. .

There are a few people I would like to thank for the project

Alex Villareal for his advice and helping me weld up some stuff on the car..
Alex Pfieffer
SPEC clutch-Their clutches are awesome
AME wheels
Megan Racing
Cyrus Martinez-For getting me the transmission
Rene Franco-Nice exhaust work

Done....

2009-12-28T09:08:00.001-08:00

It's still needs some work, but it runs.. Now, I have to clean it up a bit. Oh, and yes that is my ebrake coming out the side of the center console.. Still working on that one.. If you don't know, the j30's only had a foot brake.

I removed the rear muffler and had Rene from Rene's Motorsports create a true duel exhaust.

Hopefully, you will see this car drifting at the next event!

Deep Dive: Ford's all-new 5.0 V8

2009-12-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

Ah.. The 5.0 is back.. My first car was a 5.0 mustang. Brings back old memories...

Deep Dive: Ford's all-new 5.0 V8

Trying to hit 20,000 views...

2009-12-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

Trying to hit 20,000 views for Taka video... Everyone, watch the video again!

Taka Aono 2009 Formula D video from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.

I want....

2009-12-18T14:24:00.001-08:00

Worst drivers!!

2009-12-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I should make this an annual thing but considering I drive about 50k miles a year, I have noticed a few things.

There are particular drivers that drive these cars that simply suck. This doesn't apply to everyone, just the few that really piss me off. Its not one or two incidents either but generally speaking the people who drive these cars are terrible (in my opinion).

3. Chevy Astro Vans. (no particular color or year)

I have noticed that people who drive Astro vans drive them as slow as possible. I am not sure if its their fault or the van itself but they do love to keep them under the speed limit. For all you Astro owners... Stay away from the fast lane... You have no business being there.. Seriously..

2. Toyota Prius.

What is the deal with some of these drivers? Now that they are more of them on the road, it seems like they are everywhere and the all have a promise to mother earth to drive at 55 mph on the freeways.

I think what is more stupid than a slow Prius driver are the ones who drive them fast. First, when I say "fast", I really mean 80 mph on the freeway... I know they are not fast to begin with but to see a Prius driver zoom by kills the whole purpose of owning one... If you need to get somewhere quicker and you own a Prius.... Leave earlier!

1. Honda Odyssey (2006-present)

I don't know where to start with this one. Honda probably makes the best minivan in the world and I am sure that they handle as well as any sedan on the road today. But seriously, what is the deal with them tailgating and driving like they have been holding their piss for 3 hours? Is every soccer mom that owns one always in a hurry or did Honda really build an F1 car that seats 7+ people? And Dads... Don't even try and look cool driving one... Put the aviator sunglasses away and drive the speed limit because.... YOU are driving a minivan!!!!

Hello Essa!

2009-12-17T14:30:00.001-08:00

Michael Essa 2009 Formula D season Re-Cap from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.

Who needs a radio when....

2009-12-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

Next years grip day classifications...

2009-12-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about what to do for next years Grip Day events...

With the KA (s13/S14) class getting bigger, I was thinking about adding a few more classes for next year...

Here is what I am proposing..

Classification 1.

S13/s14 KA class
-Engine must remain Naturally aspirated
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are restricted to treadwear rating of 140 or higher

Nissan V6 NA class
-Engine must be natural aspirated V6 engine produced by Nissan (maximas, Z32, Z31, etc.)
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are restricted to treadwear rating of 140 or higher

Nissan z33 NA class
-This class is limited to natural aspirated Z33 chassis (350z and G35 chassis)
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are restricted to treadwear rating of 140 or higher

Classification 2.

S13/S14 Turbo class
-This class is open to all variations of motors which includes RB, KA turbos and SR's.
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are open for this class

Nissan z33 boosted class
-This class is open to all aftermarket turbo or supercharged VQ engines.
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are open for this class

Classification 3.

4ag NA class
-Engine must remain Naturally aspirated variation of the 4ag engine (20v, blue top, redtop)
-Chassis is open to all vehicles with a 4ag engine (Mr2, TE, AE86, etc.)
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are restricted to treadwear rating of 140 or higher

4ag boosted class
-Engine is open to all forms of boosted 4ag engines (GZE, turbos, NOS, etc)
-Chassis is open to all vehicles with a 4ag engine (Mr2, TE, AE86, etc.)
-All engine mods are permitted (cams, ECU tuning, exhaust, etc.)
-Any interior and exterior mods are permitted (removing interior, carbon fiber doors, etc.)
-Tires are open for this class

That's it for now...

KA class winner

2009-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

I think the bar has been set by our winner in the KA class last Sunday... With a 2 second lead over anyone else, I think we will need to step up a bit...

1st place. Matt Johnson. 1:30.17

Grip day thoughts and results...

2009-11-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

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

Not a bad weekend....

2009-11-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

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....

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

2009-11-17T21:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

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

Grip day update..

2009-11-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

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?

Old school mentality...

2009-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

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...

A reflection on the Old and new generation...

2009-11-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

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...

Megan Racing's new logo

2009-11-06T22:24:00.001-08:00

Grip Day 2. A quick preview

2009-11-06T09:10:00.000-08:00

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!

My little collection.

2009-11-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

Capturing a moment at NOS

2009-11-04T08:41:00.001-08:00

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

Michael Essa's press release..

2009-11-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-11-02T13:33:00.000-08:00

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?

Subaru Powered bike...

2009-10-28T06:34:00.000-07:00

Dope....

Rendered for Your Pleasure: Subaru WRX-powered Kickboxer motorcycle concept — Autoblog

FD wrap by the Ross...

2009-10-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Formula D Irwindale Round 7 "Judgement Day" from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.

Old school video of the week....

2009-10-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that this video was made 6 years ago!!!!

Finally, new shirts!

2009-10-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

I know.. It's a really cool design.. I appreciate the compliments..

They will be sold exclusively at Drifting.com.

Below is what Taka would look like wearing the shirt....

Pro Am results..

2009-10-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Winners/invited drivers are.

Charles NG

Jeff Abbott

Jackie Sin

Tommy Roberts

The losers are:

-My badly bruised shin after a really bad attempt at jumper over a k-railing..

-blue moon beer. Who recommended that beer to me?

-The person who decided to lay the plastic barriers on its side at the last turn of the FD course!!