Everyone has been looking forward to the start of the 2011 Formula Drift season. Several members of the MotorMavens Crew are here in Long Beach shooting photos and video that will be live on the site soon enough! While you wait, check out the Driftstream brought to us by Justin.tv to keep up on the action! (more…)
Today was the Formula Drift Long Beach media day. Justin Shreeve and I were only there long enough to take a few photos and some video before driving ended. Here is a photo of Chris Forsberg testing out his new Nissan 370Z – a departure from his former car, the Nos Energy Drink 350Z roadster we’ve all gotten used to. Look forward to more coverage from MotorMavens in the coming days! (more…)
This evening, Justin Shreeve, Will Roegge, and I went to the unveiling party for Scion Racing’s 2011 tC Formula Drift competition cars, driven by Kenshiro Gushi and Fredric Aasbo. It was awesome! Great food and free drinks are hard to disagree with, especially when amongst the great company that attended. A lot of automotive industry folks were in attendance, so it seemed just like a SEMA Party without the Las Vegas atmosphere. (more…)
Every year, before the Formula Drift series starts, they have a technical inspection of the cars. Rules are strict and inspections are thorough, with a handful of cars not passing on the first look. The Annual Formula D Tech Day isn't just about standards and regulations, it's also a lot of fun. Checking out the newly built cars up close, without the massive crowds at an actual Formula Drift event, is a little more special than seeing it just fly by on the track. It gives you a nice glimpse of what it takes to build one of these cars, which takes more then just a weekend in the garage. Read more...
Here are some more much overdue photos from Ken Block’sGymkhana Grid Invitational. At first, “gymkhana” may sound like a martial arts discipline (to those unfamiliar with the automotive version) but it's actually a starting line and a finish line joined together by all sorts of interesting obstacles such as cones, tires, and barrels which, when arranged just so, require a driver to perform all sorts of interesting maneuvers such as reversals, 180 and 360 degree spins, and figure 8s - all while racing against the clock. The reason I stressed that this is the automotive version is because, you may be interested to know, there is an equestrian version as well. As you can imagine, there's a lot less smoke - unless they figured out how to get a horse to do a burnout when I wasn't looking. Read more...
It has always interested me to watch the background area of a competition, and all that is involved to bring it to life. Formula D has so many people working, moving, going… There is a full TV show being produced, professional race event taking place, thousands of fans… And yet, it seems like most things move at a different pace in Las Vegas. The cars are still in a rush, but everyone else, everyone behind the scenes…
Once I started editing to this song (Sundriped), I felt the pace change from some of the other videos I have done more recently, so I countered with a different choice of footage out of my stash.
In the last video, I featured Justin Shreeve, Joe Ayala and Yoshi Shindo. In this video, I threw in a quick clip of Abbitt Wilkerson, another Northwest videographer. His older brother, Walker Wilkerson, acquired an FD license at the final Formula D event in Irwindale. Keep an eye out for what Abbitt, Shreeve, myself and the rest of YAER Productions will do for Walker’s upcoming 2011 driver package.
Ian Dillon, of Factory 83, also collaborated with YAER Productions, providing graphics for this and other upcoming edits.
The Formula Drift Finale at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California was mind-blowing. I’ve never seen such aggressive driving, nail-biting tandem battles, or brutal wrecks in one weekend.
This being my first time to Formula D at Irwindale, I had no idea what to expect. I arrived Wednesday night with enough time to head to Long Beach for a few hours with Ross Fairfield and Casey Liston of OMGDRIFT and my good friend, Joe Ayala, to hang out with the likes of Dean Kearney, Eric O’Sullivan, and the rest of the Irish fellows at The Auld Dubliner. It was at this moment that I realized how quickly the 2010 Formula Drift season had flown by. It felt so familiar to be sippin’ on a Guinness surrounded by live music and friends in that Irish pub, though I hadn’t been there since Round 1 in April!
Thursday, Joe and I headed to the track to catch some practice driving, as well as to meet up with more friends. I’m so happy to have made so many new acquaintances in the industry this year. People can hate all they want on professional drifting in all it’s seriousness, but the amount of genuinely good people who congregate at these events is astonishing.
Thursday through Saturday proved to be a grueling test of physical strength as I walked the course day after day, under the hot sun of Southern California, my ears nearly bleeding from the up close action Toyota Speedway has to offer, and covered (more so than ever before) in tiny chunks of spent tire. I was even hit in the eye by a flying piece of tire that was hot enough to burn both my top and bottom eyelids somehow. Haha! That’ll teach me to film burnouts!
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better conclusion to an incredible season of professional drifting, although I’m sad to see it end. All I know is that next year will be bigger and better and I can’t wait! Also, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the entire MotorMavens Crew for all of your support and the means to accomplish so many of my goals. I couldn’t have done it without your help. Thank you.
Alright, so I just finished my edit of the Formula Drift Finale at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California and it’s going to take FOREVER to render/export/upload. Until that finishes, I thought I would whet your appetites by releasing a [very] short teaser. I created this sequence of the incredibly talented and consistent Rhys Millen while learning the work flow of an amazing plugin for my editing software, which allows one to slow down the speed of footage to an unbelievable rate. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
I can’t believe its over! The 2010 Formula Drift season went by so quickly! The Wednesday night before Formula Drift Irwindale, Justin Shreeve, myself, and some guys from OMGDRIFT went down to Long Beach to hang out at The Auld Dubliner. At the time, It seriously felt like we were just there for the Formula Drift event held back in April! So much has happened since then. It was so cool seeing almost everyone that I’ve met throughout the entire season come down for one final showdown. The hard fought battles and the high speed drifts at a wall that would eat your soul if it had the chance. Watching the Pro-Am drivers work for their potential spot to compete on the next level in the 2011 Formula Drift season. All of this made for one spectacular event.
MotorMavens literally came from throughout the entire country to cover this event. From the east coast to the west coast, which means lots of coverage. I titled this video “The Prelude” because to me, its just an introduction to all the coverage we will soon be seeing from our fellow photographers and videographers. Enjoy!
Formula Drift made its yearly stop in Sonoma, California last weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this event, simply because I live less than an hour away and I had a guaranteed bed to sleep in. However, the weekend was not without snags.
Upon my arrival, I found that I was not on the list for media, since KP Race and Victor Moore were unable to make it to Sonoma – this rendered my credentials were void. Therefore, I made the best of my bad luck and decided that if I couldn’t get the really close action shots, I would take a few steps back and shoot a different perspective. The next morning, I drove down to Borrowed Lenses in San Carlos and rented a tilt-shift lens. Over the past few months, my interest in these lenses has grown quite a bit and when I saw Mister Geoff Pitts from Thunder Drift taking photos with one at Formula D Las Vegas, I knew I had to try it. Fate truly couldn’t have presented me with a finer opportunity. Enjoy!
The heat of Las Vegas can make people do some crazy things. It makes some people stay out all night, drinking beer with new friends that they just met until 10AM, ensuring that they won’t have enough sleep to function as a normal human being at the actual Formula D Las Vegas event… and it makes some people stick their faces behind 180SX drift cars as they do burnouts in line for drifting practice.
Here’s our vote for the best looking S13 in the entire Formula Drift series… Nikolay Konstantinov‘s RB-powered RPS13, as seen through the lens of Abbitt Wilkerson as Justin Shreeve clowns around behind the car…
Abbitt Wilkerson needs no introduction. You know who he is. 18 and famous. Haha! Anyway, check out his new cut from Formula Drift Round 4 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington. Better late than never and definitely worth the wait. This video has great energy and had me excited from beginning to end. With plenty of creative shots and a surprisingly appropriate song choice, I couldn’t be happier with this video. Good work, Abbitt!
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.
Last night Antonio and a few of the MotorMavens crew were chillin’ with our friends from Apex’i and Lexus at a pretty sick party they were hosting. In anticipation of this weekend’s FD event and to celebrate Ryuji Miki’s new Lexus SC430, they showed this video – “Lexus Drift”.
A highlight for me was the POV footage using the ContourHD camera. I first discovered this company and camera last year when looking for a great POV camera. We had our first opportunity to use the camera at last year’s Formula Drift Championships at Irwindale. We captured some killer footage! My favorite part was seeing Justin Pawlak as he scraped the wall. Super dope!
So enjoy this video from Apex’i, Lexus and Kevin Lee. Don’t forget to check out our live feed tomorrow. Be on the look out for MotorMavens’ epic coverage of the event. Make sure you check out our video highlights. We’ll being using our ContourHDs, so you KNOW its going be SIIIIICK!
To be completely honest, up until earlier this year, I knew next to nothing of KP Race. I knew it was an auto shop located somewhere in Washington (With names like Snoqualmie and Skookumchuck, the towns all seem to blend together in my mind). That was, until I received a call from a guy who goes by the name of “Victor Moore.” Hey, I’d have an alias, too, if I were him. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me, Tiger. Haha! Anyway, the conversation consisted of a request to travel the US with Victor, Chris Jeanneret, and Matt Brandow as they work their way up the Formula Drift Ranks in 2010. How could I resist?! Free rides all over the country and food along the way! Say no more; I’m in!
Traveling with these fine young gentlemen took me back to a simpler time in life. A time when all that mattered was having fun. A time when you jumped in a 1988 Ford Probe and drove all day, just to bomb a hill in San Francisco or skate a new park in Vancouver, BC. From late night In-N-Out runs, to shenanigans at Hooters in Long Beach, drifting was far from the best part of the journey, for me. That’s probably why I love it so much! Just like skateboarding in my younger years, drifting has given me the opportunity to meet literally hundreds of new people who share a common love.
This video documents the adventures of KP Race as they fight for the Formula Drift podium. Despite a privateer budget and terribly timed mechanical failure, these guys are always upbeat and having a good time. Don’t get me wrong, though. These guys are seriously dedicated to the sport and have the drive and motivation necessary to reach the top. Expect to see plenty more of KP Race in the 2010 season!
Formula D Round 2 Atlanta has been a subject of the past now, but our boy Justin Shreeve had extra footage and decided to make a sequel to his original FD Atlanta video. In my opinion Justin did a great job showing the great experience a Formula D event can have on someone. These events are more than just the cars and drifting to me. It’s about the people, friends, vendors, and of course the girls! I’m not going to lie though, that clip of Daijiro Yoshihara dirt dropping was sick! Great job Justin Michael Shreeve!
For those who were logged in to the Formula D Driftstream on Saturday, you mostly likely have already heard the news! Daijiro Yoshiharawon 1st Place at Formula Drift again... taking home top honors TWICE IN A ROW! Driving his Discount Tire/America's Tire/Falken Tire S13 Silvia, Dai was able to beat all his competitors, thanks to his crew - Scott Dodgion from SPD Metalworks, Mike Kojima from MotoIQ, and Owen Orrego from Falken.
If you were unable to watch the climactic final battle that pitted Dai against his Falken teammate, Vaughn Gittin Jr, then make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page and watch the video of the tandem battle! Read more...
Oh snap! Now this is newsworthy! I’ve been hearing about this car for quite some time now, and I’ve been waiting for its debut with eager anticipation! It seems that our favorite Koala-faced ex-D1 Grand Prix series champion Ryuji Miki will be at Wall Speedway in New Jersey, debuting the Lexus SC430 Formula Drift competition car that was recently built for him, thanks to the good folks at Apex’i in Orange County CA!
The masterminds behind this project, Masaki Nakayama and Chuck Griffice from the United States arm of Apex Integration have been gracious enough to keep me updated with the build, but we’ve been keeping all the information under wraps until now! (more…)
As with most things in life, there are goals that people set for themselves in whatever they do. Some aspire to be the best in their field and pit themselves against others to see where they stand. For others, just being a part of the camaraderie or community is enough. They participate just for the sheer excitement rather than competition. Luckily, in the North West, we have a huge mix of both ranging from the new Formula Drift Pro and Pro-Am drivers to the guys who keep it strictly fun. Whatever category any of these guys fall under, it's with great pride that I can say all of them are grassroots drivers. Which brings me to Comrades.
For those that don't know, Comrades started from humble beginnings when four local drift teams decided to unite under one banner years ago. Now that banner has grown to include all NW grassroots drifters from Oregon to Canada.
May 15th set a new benchmark for drifting in the NW when the Comrades were invited to tear up the track at Pacific Grand Prix in Kent, WA. New Pros and old schoolers came out to drive on this newly created track, owned and operated by Paul Zalud, that spans a little less than a mile with a layout "that kinda gives you that Bihoku vibe."(Haha, it's a reference to a Japanese race track, Bihoku Highland)
I’m beginning to notice a trend. It seems as though during my adventures with Formula Drift there is never any down time, sleep, boring moments, or lack of awesome activities to shoot.
For me, Formula Drift Atlanta this year began with a cross country journey involving three layovers and an entire day of flying. After losing three hours, getting no sleep, and feeling noticeably more sick, I touched down in a little town they call Atlanta, Georgia. Just kidding! That place is huge!
This being my first time visiting Georgia, I was sure to soak it all in. The hot, humid air and enormous, flying insects were easily overshadowed by the incredible scenery, delicious sweet tea, and of course that good ol’ Southern hospitality. (more…)
Alright everybody, Formula Drift Round 2, Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta is here and we are streaming the live coverage. For everyone stuck at home (or work) today, tune in and watch all the action take place!
Show your support wearing MotorMavens gear and you can receive free stickers and other goodies at our booth! Our booth is across from the Falken Tire Rig and in-between Spec Clutch and KW Suspension. Look for the MotorMavens banners if you get lost!
We have DSTROYR gear as well for all the East Coast fans to buy what they have been drooling over! While you are browsing don’t forget to ask about our new MotorMavens Lanyards.
Remember to follow us on Twitter and we will keep you posted on everything we do!!
I really gotta give it up to our boy Justin Shreeve. A few weeks before Formula D Long Beach, Justin called me and told me that he wanted to come down and shoot the official MotorMavens video coverage of Formula D Long Beach. I told him that we had other video shooters that were planning on attending the event, but I’d love to see what he could put together. By the looks of the Evergreen Drift video Justin shot recently, I knew whatever video footage he shot at Long Beach would probably be good!
Justin worked really hard to create this video. I saw him running all over the place at Long Beach, hustling to get artistic shots and plenty of new looks in his footage. At one point, he even brushed up on a sharp piece of scaffolding, cutting his upper arm open and tearing the sleeve of his favorite shirt. Justin also told me that while he was down in Long Beach shooting, he received a phone call from his boss at a skate company back in Oregon, informing him that he would be getting laid off. Damn! That’s horrible news to receive on a road trip for sure, but that only pushed Justin to work harder and give this video all he had.
This goes out to the hungry people out there… to those willing to take chances and put everything on the line so they can chase after their dreams… to those that stay motivated to make something better of themselves… THIS VIDEO IS FOR YOU.
This is what the Motor Mavens Movement is all about… illustrated by the lens of Justin Shreeve.
Ever since the Formula D Pro Am at Irwindale several months ago, super designer Jon Chase of DSTROYR fame and I have been talking about doing a project that showcases some of our mutual interests. It’s kinda funny… we never realized it before, but we have been slowly realizing that our taste in things and our interests are actually pretty similar. To kick in the door and get things started, we decided to create this collaborative t-shirt – above is the rough concept art for the shirt. We’re pretty excited to wear this new shirt ourselves, and trust me… it has been extremely hard for us to keep things under wraps for the past few months!!!
We’ll be debuting this new DSTROYR x MotorMavens shirt and having it available for sale at our booth this weekend at Formula D Long Beach. So if you’re going to be at Long Beach, make sure to stop by our booth and get one of these shirts before they are sold out! We’ve been getting a whole bunch of messages from people wanting to buy this shirt already, so please make sure to find the MOTORMAVENSxDSTROYR boothat FD Long Beach and get it while the gettin’s good!
A familiar roar pierced the air. Throttles stressed to their maximums; tires screaming for their very lives, as if their torturers were cold and heartless killers. A battle was taking place; a fight between practicality and the absurd. Some chariots were wrecked in the process, but none were left behind. In the end, after the smoke cleared, we were all blessed. Friends reunited in a common bond, new and old alike. Make no mistake; the 2010 drifting season has begun! Hell yeah.
March 14th marked the triumphant return of some of the Northwest’s most seasoned veterans. An invite-only drift event was held last Sunday to start off the 2010 season with a bang. It was a great mix of old school friends, with up and coming drivers all the way from Canada to Oregon. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, with a steady 70 degrees all day with almost no clouds in the sky. It was as if God himself found favor in the boys from Evergreen Drift. Read more...
