VIDEO> Joshua Herron’s FD Year In Review
Formula Drift 2009 from Joshua Herron on Vimeo.
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)!!!
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> 5Axis DJ Hero 2: Scion xB
We showed a snapshot of the new 5Axis Scion xB at the SEMA show back in November… here’s a closer look at some of the details of the car, as shot real “quick style” with Antonio’s Canon S90 point&shoot pocket camera.
What we really like about this Scion xB is the fact that it’s the first time we’ve seen anyone make the newer Scion xB look really, really cool. Think about it – DJ equipment, dancefloor and strobelights aside… we think if Troy Sumitomo, the man behind 5Axis, made those flares, wheels and fender mirrors available for your everyday Joe Schmoe Scion owner to buy… well, we’d see a lot more second gen xBs on the road that actually look cool.
After all, we can definitely picture a guy who owns a fully built KP61 Toyota Starlet with TRD N2 works fender flares driving a widebody Scion xB like this as his daily driven commute car, even with the automatic transmission. We think these flares and wheels would be a hit… (Antonio was already trying to figure out what other cars those wheels would fit on) but what do you guys think?
:: Travis Hodges
PS: Don’t you think this xB would fit perfectly in the DJ Hero booth at a big video game convention, like E3?
VIDEO> Night Drift in Warsaw
Warsaw Night Drift from InterCars on Vimeo.
This short, yet incredibly sweet video hails from Poland, where it looks like they had a competitive drift event on (closed) public streets! Not only does it look like they are blasting through downtown Warsaw, it even looks like they are pummeling their drift cars across cobblestone roadways! This video has some nice build up to it, with some simple, yet effective motion graphics. One place I think this video really shines is it’s emphasis on sound design. I think a lot of people tend to forget that the audio is half of the viewing experience. I hope to see a lot more videos like this from the InterCars camp.
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> VegasDrift 2009 by Rob Strohmeyer
Vegasdrift: A Lifestyle VD15 from Robert Strohmeyer on Vimeo.
This just in, from our Las Vegas family! Check out the newest video from Rob Strohmeyer, which features a whole lot of cars drifting backwards, and a whole lot of Filipino guys talking into the camera when they’re not supposed to, haha. Enjoy!
:: Jose Gonzalez
VIDEO> Triumph at the Mooneyes Christmas Party
Even though we don’t cover motorcycles too often on the Motor Mavens site, sometimes we come across bikes that are just so cool looking, we gotta put em on the site! We were walking around at the 2009 Mooneyes Christmas Party at Irwindale Speedway, drenched in rain when we spotted this particular Triumph motorcycle getting rained on.
All our DSLRs were covered up and protected, but luckily we had a Canon S90 on hand, which is definitely one of the top two Canon pocket cameras (the S90 and the G11 are the best in our opinions) out right now. The S90 was able to shoot a quick video in the rain, just so we could show the details of the bike before trying to shelter our camera gear underneath a tent.
This Triumph makes us want to build a bike… so cool.
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Bisimoto 700whp Turbo Civic Wagovan
Bisimoto+700whp+D16Z+1990+Honda+Civic+Turbo+Wagova
It seems a LOT of people were pretty hyped after seeing Bisi Ezerioha’s turbocharged Honda Civic EF Wagovan in our previous post about the Norm Reeves Honda Meet. I was hyped when I first saw it too! It’s pretty crazy to have a front wheel drive car with that much horsepower… especially a car that gets driven on the street! And it has aggressive wheel fitment. =)
Here’s a pretty simple and straightforward video that was shot off the cuff and unrehearsed. It’s not really the type of video that shows off the MotorMavens ability behind a lens, but I think it still works because it’s simple and we get to see all the details of the car. I think these simple hand held/unedited video features are going to become more and more popular… it’s kind of like videoblogging vs. preplanned, high production/edited videos. The funny thing is, I first started shooting this video just so I could remember the details of the car without having to actually write down notes. However, when I got home and watched it again, I thought Bisi did such a great job explaining everything on the car (and pointing out parts from his sponsors, haha)… I just decided to post it up anyway.
Hehe, since I wasn’t originally planning to post this, I was saying a lot of ridiculous non-related things in the video! LOL don’t mind me. I didn’t have an external microphone or anything with me to amplify Bisi’s sound levels. Oh well, whatever… the only good thing about it is you can see the details of Bisi’s car! If you want to see professional photos of this Bisimoto EF Wagovan, go to the bookstore and buy an issue of Super Street Magazine.
:: Antonio Alvendia
VIDEO> BowlsLA Shoots NormReeves Honda Meet!
Norm Reeves Honda Car Show & Toy Drive 2009 from BOWLS on Vimeo.
To go along with our coverage from the event, I thought I’d post this great video from BOWLS LA. The Bowls crew really did a fantastic job of capturing the vibe of the Norm Reeves Honda Show/Toy Drive. This edit has great style to it, between the shots, cuts, and West Coast soundtrack. Take a look!
:: Andy Sapp
BOWLS LA
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San Marino, CA 91108
Hours of Operation
Monday – Sunday
1200 – 1900 Hours
Closed Thursdays
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E intel [at] bowlsla.com
VIDEO> AE86 Life with Taka Aono
Taka Aono 2009 Formula D video from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.
When Ross Fairfield told me that his new video featuring Taka Aono and his AE86 was almost complete, I immediately told him to send me the link as soon as it was finished… I couldn’t wait to put this video up on the site, even though I had never before seen it until now. After all, Taka Aono is one of my favorite AE86 drivers ever… he is hardcore, and drives his AE86 with every ounce of commitment and heart that a driver could put into their car or their driving effort.
Taka Aono is one of those drivers that doesn’t need to get on top of the podium at every Formula Drift event in order to have a huge fanbase. Just look… there are plenty of guys who podium all the time, yet fans love to hate them, right? Taka isn’t one of those guys. Taka doesn’t measure his results by the trophies he’s earned or the amount of media exposure he’s gotten. Instead, he concentrates on being there. Taka is out at almost every grassroots drifting event in California, either as a driver or as a judge or an instructor. He focuses his efforts on making a real difference in the grassroots drifting community, and we can see that. We love Taka Aono! Hopefully more of the bigtime drifters follow in Taka’s footsteps and focus more of their efforts on giving back to the grassroots drifting community, building new drifters and helping new drivers come up through the ranks!
Support Taka Aono in 2010! Big ups to Ross Fairfield for choosing to debut this video on Motor Mavens!
:: Antonio Alvendia
VIDEO> Risky Devil Puts the “Fun” in Funyuns
Fresh off the press! Here’s the newest video from Tim Tulov of T2 Films and AJ G. of the infamous Chicago drift gang Risky Devil. The two collaborated on this video to bring you what is probably the funnest Sunday ever! From hanging out with bums, to smashing into stuff, to paying off security guards…this video delivers. Definitely give this video a gander, but I have to warn you this video contains some explicit language and it’s probably best to say its not work safe. Enjoy!
::Dax Rodriguez
VIDEO> AW Films Does Pro Am
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t seem to get enough Pro Am action. AW Films just released their take on the day’s events. Abbitt says he struggled with this edit, but after watching it several times, I never would have guessed! There is a ton of great footage and an equal amount of great driving in this video. Take a look!
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> Heavy Metal Pro Am
PRO AM Finals from Ross Fairfield on Vimeo.
Well… I’m not quite sure about the heavy metal headband wearing headbanger “rock onnnnn” long hair tight pants faded black Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt wallet chain black fingernails music, as it’s not my personal style (sorry if I offend those schooled in metal)… but here’s what our boy Ross Fairfield’s eye captured at the Irwindale Pro Am. Check it out!
And Ross… party on bro. I’m just scared to hear what your video might say when you play it backwards, LOL.
:: Antonio Alvendia
More Irwindale Pro Am photos, stories, and videos on MOTOR MAVENS
VIDEO> Motor Mavens SNEAK peek at Lexus LFA
Okay, well… I hope I’m not going to get into too much trouble for this, but I just couldn’t help myself. Ever since I first saw the spy photos of it online, and ever since I first laid my own eyes on it at SEMA, I’ve been absolutely crazy about the Lexus LFA.
Come on… what’s not to love? It’s the epitome of sexy, futuristic, high tech automotive styling and technology… and it’s a Lexus, which means it’s bound to be the most reliable of the luxury supercars. The only problem is, it costs $375K, which leads me to believe that there won’t be any Lexus dealerships letting me test drive one anytime soon. So what do you think a devoted Toyota/Lexus owner (and hyperfan) like me would do when I get a text message saying, “the Lexus LFA just arrived at our warehouse. Come down ASAP if you want to check it out in person.” Naturally, I dropped everything I had to do that day and made my way down to the [secret location] so that I could get a sneak peek at the car in person.
Apparently, the LF-A was temporarily brought to a top secret secured storage facility to keep it safe in between its appearance at SEMA and its big debut at the LA Auto Show this upcoming week. When I saw the car at SEMA, they had round the clock security guards around the car that wouldn’t even let you touch the car, much less sit in it… so when my friend who works at the warehouse texts me and says, “if you want to see the car, come down now cause nobody else will be here,” you absolutely KNOW I’m gonna jump at the chance!
So here’s my first actual encounter with the Lexus LF-A. You’ll have to excuse the crappy video quality, because I was unprepared and I only had a point and shoot pocket camera with me when I went to see the car. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. This car excites the hell out of me. (So you’ll have to excuse how completely unprofessional I am in this video! LOL. I was a bit excited. This video isn’t at all professional automotive journalist-like. But hey… I couldn’t help myself.)
We did a kind of ghetto edit on the glass door of the warehouse so the storage location could remain secret and my friend’s identity could remain secret. Okay, enjoy the video!
:: Antonio Alvendia
PS: You’ll have to excuse the ridiculous music that was blaring inside the car. I didn’t know how to turn off the radio! The thing was so complicated with all these buttons and stuff, and I couldn’t even turn down the volume of the radio for some reason.
VIDEO> Strohmeyer Shoots Pro Am
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! While we’re all celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with our families, we recognize that we’re all very thankful for a lot of great things that have happened in the past year – we’re very thankful to see that our new website has been growing in popularity, and we’re stoked to be getting lots of comments and interaction with more and more of our awesome readers.
After you get your fill of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, take some time to check out this new video from the Formula D Pro Am event this past weekend. It was produced by a new member to the Motor Mavens Crew, videographer Rob Strohmeyer from Las Vegas.
Rob isn’t just a videographer though… he’s a dedicated car guy! He has owned three SR20DET powered S13 coupes and a CA18DET S13 coupe (which he hated BTW haha), a 1994 PEP (Personal Equipment Package) FD3S RX7 with RE Amemiya aero kit, a 350Z with Vertex aero kit and Work VS-XX wheels, a GS400 with a 2JZGTE.
Rob just dropped this edit from the Pro/Am Nationals at Irwindale. I personally think his video has a great mix of action, pit area shots, and some cool dolly work. I think this video definitely captures the vibe of a grassroots event like this Pro Am, and we’re glad to have him as a new member of the crew. Welcome, Rob!
:: Andy Sapp
More Irwindale Pro Am photos, stories, and videos on MOTOR MAVENS
VIDEO> The Spirit of Irwindale Formula D
The+Spirit+of+Irwindale+Formula+D
There’s just something about Irwindale Speedway at the end of the season. After all the teams in the Formula Drift Championship have faced countless trials and tribulations, dealing with mechanical problems and financial stress of how to get their cars and teams from event to event as the series travels all over the country; the Formula D homecoming at Irwindale Speedway for the last event of the year has a different feeling to it than the other events in the series.
The drivers and teams in the points race are anxious, knowing that they must be on point and professional every step of the way, as even the smallest mechanical hiccup or driver error could take them out of the running and give the advantage to an opposing team.
At the same time, the fans are excited to see the cars and drivers return to the birthplace of American drifting after they have spent the whole year on tour, cutting their teeth and taking their epic fender-to-fender dogfights to race tracks across the nation in an attempt to attract more sponsors, build more publicity, and most importantly… attract new drifting fans.
I’ve been traveling with the Formula Drift series since the very first event; since the series started in 2004… and every year, as the season ends at Irwindale Speedway, there’s a shared feeling of excitement and pride of accomplishment running through the pits.
This video, by Motor Mavens shooter Travis Hodges, is our attempt to capture that feeling. And it was captured entirely with two cameras, the new Canon 7D digital HD SLR and the Twenty20 ContourHD.
We hope you enjoy the video, and CONGRATULATIONS to all the teams, drivers, umbrella girls, and FANS that make the Formula D series what it is. RESPECT!!!
:: Antonio Alvendia
VIDEO> Through the eyes of a child
Formula D Irwindale 2009 Rd 7 “Judgement Day” from Abbitt Wilkerson on Vimeo.
It seems that most of the videographers who made it to Formula D Irwindale have been finishing up the edits on their videos this week. While many of our readers are already familiar with a lot of the “normal videographers” that travel to all the stops on the Formula D circuit, I thought I’d shine a light on a certain young videographer from the Pacific Northwest named Abbitt Wilkerson.
Devout Motor Mavens readers might recognize his name, as Abbitt is the guy behind all the AW Films drifting videos that have been popping up on Vimeo and the owner of a particular sick stanced Subaru Impreza WRX STi that has been the topic of some controversy on the site. (haha!) Abbitt is still relatively new to the car scene, as he only recently began driving and he is just starting his video production career. He’s still building up his skills and experience, because as Abbitt will be the first to tell you – HE’S ONLY SEVENTEEN! Not bad for a high school kid.
Believe it or not, there have been quite a few people on the internet that were actually hating on Abbitt and his aggressively stanced STi, saying he’s just a spoiled kid who had the luxury of getting everything paid for by his parents. It’s funny, because when I mentioned it to him at Irwindale, he got pretty defensive about it, insisting that he works his ass off to hustle enough money to pay for his car and his camera equipment.
Whatever the case may be, he gets respect from ME because while most seventeen year old kids are wasting their lives playing video games and watching TV, Abbitt is actually doing something productive, working two jobs so he can afford to build his car and filming as much as he can so that he can constantly improve his skills in shooting and editing video. Sheesh, I wish I was that productive when I was seventeen. I didn’t do ANYTHING but take pictures and listen to hip hop.
Props, A-dub!
:: Antonio Alvendia
VIDEO> Lexus LFA in Motion
Following up the announcement of the Lexus LFA’s SEMA debut, I came across this video of the car in action. I think this car’s stunning looks only get accentuated with speed thrown in the equation. The sweet note this car exudes is merely icing on the cake.
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> All the Lovely People
I have driven at a lot of drift events, and after several years there is an aspect of them that becomes standard procedure. Anyone who has driven events is familiar with it. You wrench on the car late the night before, you wake up early with no sleep, you drift, you change some tires, you drift some more… you get the idea.
But the one side of drift events that never seems routine to me is the time spent with my friends. I always seem to remember who was at what event, and what funny stories and crazy antics went on in the pits. As the years pass by, I sometimes barely remember how fast I entered a corner, how well I ran the course, or even how close a tandem battle was. It is the time with my friends that leaves the lasting impression.
This collaboration between myself and Will Roegge is an attempt on my part to try and explore that side of drifting. The human element behind a sport where cars may come and go – but the camaraderie remains.
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> The Chris Forsberg Story
“Chris Forsberg: Where I came From” Presented by NOS Energy Drink from NOS Energy Drink on Vimeo.
I just received a link to this video where Formula D driver Chris Forsberg gives a heartfelt explanation of his roots in drifting and where he came from, not to mention what types of trials and tribulations he and his crew had to endure to become the first successful privateer team in the Formula Drift series.
I love hearing about and reading stories of underdogs who worked hard and persevered through tough times to make it to the top. Chris’s story is one of those… it’s pretty compelling.
Chris is now leading the points in both the Formula D championship and the Tires.com Triple Crown (in case you didn’t know, it’s another points championship with a cash award, which is why people are running those huge stickers on their windshields). If Chris wins at Irwindale, he will be the first driver to do both on his way to his first Formula D title. IF Chris wins, it will also be the first time that a drifter with no other motorsports background become the champion. We will find out soon enough, THIS WEEKEND Oct. 15-16 at Irwindale Speedway for the Formula D Finale!
See you there! Make sure to stop by the Eat Sleep Race booth to get some Motor Mavens stickers and t-shirts!
:: Antonio Alvendia
VIDEO> Roegge Devil
Will Roegge just posted up a short edit he made from his visit to Chicago with our friends Risky Devil. I know street drifting is supposed to be bad (mmmkay)… but there is something about slammed out drift cars doing their thing against a raw urban cityscape that just warms my heart.
Take a look.
:: Andy Sapp
VIDEO> Bonus Footage from FD Las Vegas
Formula Drift: Las Vegas from MotorMavens Dotcom on Vimeo.
Digging through our hard drive archives, I realized that the Motor Mavens crew often ends up shooting a lot of extra video footage or photos that don’t actually get posted on the site. Some time last week, I was looking through a folder in the hard drive that contained a bunch of video clips from the Formula D Las Vegas event.
The footage was shot with two cameras – While Antonio was busy shooting stills and video clips with his Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, Antonio’s younger brother David decided to try his hand at shooting some drifting video footage with the small, consumer level Canon HF S100 digital video camera that we had laying around here at the house.
Even though they didn’t shoot all that much video footage, and didn’t plan on releasing a video from this event, I decided that I might as well put some of David’s handheld camcorder footage together with the stuff Antonio shot with his DSLR. See if you can tell which cameras captured what.
We’d also be interested in finding out what our readers think… do you think Antonio should spend some more time trying to practice and hone his skills in shooting video? Or should he just stick to the still photos?
Hope you enjoy the video!
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Offset is Everything at Nisei
Most Motor Mavens readers have been following Antonio’s photos and stories from Nisei Showoff, so we’ve decided to release a video of the event as well! We really wanted to highlight something that impressed us at the show – the fact that so many of these great cars are stepping up their game with aggressive offset and negative camber!
Forget the trophies – for us, the super slammed cars with the best wheels, stance, engine mods and paint jobs were the stars of the show. Nisei Showoff wasn’t about the models (although there were a few that showed up, haha); it was about the hottest street cars. Events like this are becoming more and more rare. We feel privileged that we were there to support Ken Miyoshi on his last Nisei Showoff, because of the great feeling that this show produced. Props to Ken and the Mainstream Productions crew for bringing us an awesome day of street cars and good friends in the middle of Little Tokyo.
We hop you enjoy the video, and don’t forget to leave comments!
:: Travis Hodges
VIDEO> Evergreen Drift Round 4
Evergreen Drift Round 4 from MotorMavens Dotcom on Vimeo.
Hey guys, it’s Justin again. Last Sunday, I visited Monroe, Washington for Round 4 of the Evergreen Drift series. The final round saw a lot of upsets as some drivers weren’t able to attend and others were plagued with car troubles. Overall, it was an exciting day, making for lots of good footage.
For more information regarding the Evergreen Drift series, please visit EvergreenDrift.com.
:: Justin Shreeve
VIDEO> Four Years of CLASH
Stephane Benini from Clash Production just released an awesome video that chronicles the past 4 years of videos released under the Clash umbrella. This video is short, sweet, and jam-packed with awesome cinematography – from start to finish. Stephane is one of my favorites in the digital-production arena. I hope that this montage is not only a celebration of the past 4 years… but a precursor to the next 4!
:: Andy Sapp
