COVERAGE> Speed&Stance Swarms SpeedVentures
This weekend's inaugural Speed&Stance meet was crazy!!! I can't believe so many people turned up to the event, because we organized and promoted the entire thing in only five days. FIVE DAYS! Thanks to our friends at Speed Ventures, we were able to throw this gigantic car event in the parking lot of Auto Club Speedway in Fontana!
We advertised the meet to run between 12 noon and 5pm, but every single one of the infield parking lots at the speedway were FULL by 2:45pm! There was a crazy line of cars backed up from the infield parking, through the tunnel, wrapping all the way around to the Cherry Avenue entrance! I was told that once the parking lots allocated to the event hit capacity, the people at the gates had to turn away well over 100 cars! Insane.
Since traffic and road congestion became an issue, the good folks from Auto Club Speedway quickly opened up a couple more parking lots so that cars could pre-stage before rolling in to the actual show area, which saw both autocross and high speed road racing with Speed Ventures on the ROVAL course, and a beginner level car control clinic for Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ owners called the 86 Dynamic Driving Academy. Read more...
We advertised the meet to run between 12 noon and 5pm, but every single one of the infield parking lots at the speedway were FULL by 2:45pm! There was a crazy line of cars backed up from the infield parking, through the tunnel, wrapping all the way around to the Cherry Avenue entrance! I was told that once the parking lots allocated to the event hit capacity, the people at the gates had to turn away well over 100 cars! Insane.
Since traffic and road congestion became an issue, the good folks from Auto Club Speedway quickly opened up a couple more parking lots so that cars could pre-stage before rolling in to the actual show area, which saw both autocross and high speed road racing with Speed Ventures on the ROVAL course, and a beginner level car control clinic for Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ owners called the 86 Dynamic Driving Academy. Read more...
GALLERY> VW of Van Nuys Volkswagen Gathering
As most of our readers already know, my automotive background has been primarily focused around the culture of Japanese cars. I still remain a purist in this sense, but in the last few years, my automotive tastes have broadened. Ever since my first trip to Europe (something like five years ago), my interest in German cars has been steadily increasing. I never really paid attention to the Volkswagen brand because I've been a long time fan of rear wheel drive cars... but I immediately saw the light the first time I drove a Volkswagen Golf R.
My good friend Mitch Sison from EcoShine Auto called me up over the weekend and told me about this meet happening at Volkswagen of Van Nuys, organized by Brandon Chasin of Wustefest. I figured it would be a good opportunity to see some nice looking local Vee Dubs, so I grabbed my camera and my brand new Canon EF 35mm 1.4L lens and headed to the meet. Read more...
My good friend Mitch Sison from EcoShine Auto called me up over the weekend and told me about this meet happening at Volkswagen of Van Nuys, organized by Brandon Chasin of Wustefest. I figured it would be a good opportunity to see some nice looking local Vee Dubs, so I grabbed my camera and my brand new Canon EF 35mm 1.4L lens and headed to the meet. Read more...
DRIVER SEAT> Volkswagen Golf R: Turbo AWD Fun
The new Volkswagen Golf R just might be the perfect daily driver - but only if you value things like nimble handling, quick acceleration, a sporty-yet-comfortable interior, a good stereo system, ice cold air conditioning, and the ability to bring friends on road trips with you. If you don't like those things, then the Golf R might not be for you. But wait - who doesn't like those things???
My first experience with the new Volkswagen Golf R certainly caught me by surprise. As a person that has been primarily focused on sporty Japanese cars all my adult life, I'll honestly admit that I've never really looked into buying a Volkswagen. As a result, I've been a bit ignorant and unfamiliar with the VW brand in the past - something that I will definitely be changing in the future!
I knew that the Golf R was Volkswagen's top contender in the sport compact segment. However, until I actually had the chance to spend an entire week with the car, I had no idea that I would like the car as much as I did! Of course, the Golf R did have some pros and cons... Read more...
My first experience with the new Volkswagen Golf R certainly caught me by surprise. As a person that has been primarily focused on sporty Japanese cars all my adult life, I'll honestly admit that I've never really looked into buying a Volkswagen. As a result, I've been a bit ignorant and unfamiliar with the VW brand in the past - something that I will definitely be changing in the future!
I knew that the Golf R was Volkswagen's top contender in the sport compact segment. However, until I actually had the chance to spend an entire week with the car, I had no idea that I would like the car as much as I did! Of course, the Golf R did have some pros and cons... Read more...
COVERAGE> New Drift Program at Infineon Raceway
"Drifting will continue to grow, but that's only if we continue to support drifters on the amateur level, and most importantly, the people who organize the grassroots drifting events. After all, it is those people who are building new drifters and teaching them how to drive." - Antonio Alvendia in Drifting: Sideways from Japan to AmericaDespite the obvious plug (forgive me), what Antonio said in 2006 is evident five years later. These grassroots events are where many of the nation's best drifters first made their marks. While Japan was fortunate to have small, frequent drift events, Americans were left to figure out ways to get their tracks open to such a sport. Now, after years of consistent growth and the expansion of our own small drift events, we've come to see plenty of tracks around the nation become accustomed to drifting. These events have been paramount in molding skilled drifters, some of whom have made it in the big leagues. However, for many years now, the San Francisco Bay Area hasn't been able to provide a consistent outlet for its "home grown" talent. Sure, the ThunderDrift events are great, but those are nearly two or three hours away from The Bay. Many drivers simply don't want to make a four-to-six-hour round trip. Now they won't have to. Read more...
COVERAGE> Leavenworth Euro Cruise, Part 2
Summer is late this year in Washington state. Usually, around this time, the sickness of the overcast weather breaks and June is quite nice. However, this year the clouds are sticking around longer than expected - make that wanted. But the weather can be beaten - by those with enough motivation to attempt it.
Through the mountain pass where it looks the gloomiest and down the other side; hope shines through. The clouds break away slowly as you come down Stevens Pass and the rays warm you through the windows. As you get closer to the end of the mountains, the river next to the highway rushes and you can hear it now that you've rolled down your windows. There, nestled at the bottom of the east side of the Cascade Mountains, lies a small and amazing little town called Leavenworth - where every year, for the last 10 years, hordes of Euro cars descend from the mountains to disturb its unsuspecting calm. Read more...
Through the mountain pass where it looks the gloomiest and down the other side; hope shines through. The clouds break away slowly as you come down Stevens Pass and the rays warm you through the windows. As you get closer to the end of the mountains, the river next to the highway rushes and you can hear it now that you've rolled down your windows. There, nestled at the bottom of the east side of the Cascade Mountains, lies a small and amazing little town called Leavenworth - where every year, for the last 10 years, hordes of Euro cars descend from the mountains to disturb its unsuspecting calm. Read more...
COVERAGE> Top Speed At The Texas Mile
What's up, MotorMavens readers! Before I proceed with the coverage, I'll go ahead and introduce myself. My name is James Evins, and I'm a photographer from Houston, Texas. Like many of you, I've always been a big fan of MotorMavens. When Antonio first approached me about contributing to the site, I jumped at the opportunity. I'm definitely excited to give you guys an inside look at whats going on here in Texas!
This past weekend, I found myself waking up to my alarm at 4:00 AM. After hitting the snooze button about ten times, I finally woke up and dressed and packed my car. I departed before sunrise, making my way out to I-59 and heading South.
Three hours later, I found the "exit" I was looking for - a small, country road with a sign nearby reading, "Goliad Airport." I had arrived at The Texas Mile. As I entered the airport and made my way around the small, rundown control tower I saw the venue sprawled out before me – hundreds of trailers, campers, cars, and bikes spread out across a mile long strip of runway! Read more...
This past weekend, I found myself waking up to my alarm at 4:00 AM. After hitting the snooze button about ten times, I finally woke up and dressed and packed my car. I departed before sunrise, making my way out to I-59 and heading South.
Three hours later, I found the "exit" I was looking for - a small, country road with a sign nearby reading, "Goliad Airport." I had arrived at The Texas Mile. As I entered the airport and made my way around the small, rundown control tower I saw the venue sprawled out before me – hundreds of trailers, campers, cars, and bikes spread out across a mile long strip of runway! Read more...
WEBMINING> Aggressive Offset Deja VW
I was reading Yoshi Shindo’s Passat story the other day and it really jumped off the page at me when he said he had “never been the greatest fan of VWs”. Not that there's anything wrong with liking what you like. It just reminded me of something my boy Steve told me about the VW scene awhile back. He said (I’m paraphrasing): “There’s nothing new about aggressive offset and rolled fenders. VW guys have been doing that for over 30 years.” Read more...
