Seriously though, this year’s Formula Drift Finale was one of the greatest weekends of my life. All the media, drivers, and industry people I’ve met over the last few years all in one place to be a part of arguably the greatest drifting spectacle in US history. I say “arguably,” but I will fight you. FD Irwindale 2011 was the best thing ever. Period. (more…)
Posted by: Justin Shreeve | Oct 11, 2011 | Categories: Video | Tags: 350Z, 370Z, Achilles Tire, Adwitya "Dio" Amandio, Alex "Wonder Kid" Lee, AURIMAS ODI BAKCHIS, BMW, Bridges Racing, Calvin Wan, Camaro, Charles Ng, chevrolet, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, D-Mac, Daijiro Yoshihara, darren mcnamara, Discount Tire, Drift Alliance, Evasive Motorsports, Falken Tire, FC, FD Asia, Ford, Formula Drift, Gardella Racing, Genesis, GSR Autosport, Hankook Tire, Hyundai, James Dean, Joe Ayala, Justin "JTP" Pawlak, Justin Shreeve, Ken Gushi, KMR, Kyle Mohan, Las Vegas, Mad Skillz, Matt Powers, Mazda, Mazdatrix, Mike Essa, Mobil 1, Mustang, Need For Speed, Nexen Tires, Nissan, Nitto Tires, nos energy drink, Oliver Petalver, Pontiac, Red Bull, Rhys Millen, Rhys Millen Racing, RMR, Robbie Nishida, RS-R, RX-7, RX-8, Ryan Tuerck, S13, S14, Saranon "Non" Pornpatanarak, Saturn Sky, Scion, Scion Racing, Shreeve Films, Solstice GXP, SS, Tandem of Die, TC, Tony Angelo, toshiki yoshioka, Triple Crown, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Victoria Mai, Walker Wilkerson, Z4 | 3 Comments »
It's hard to believe that the
2011 Formula Drift Championship season has already concluded for the year - the series went from start to finish in just six months! Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and the Drift Stream, everyone already knows that
Discount Tire V8 S13 driver
Daijiro Yoshihara was "
Triple Crowned" as the
2011 Formula D Series Champion, marking the first time that a Japanese driver won a Formula D series championship. Even more relevant is the fact that this win marks
the first time the popular Nissan S13 chassis has been used to win a Formula D championship season! S13 owners should rejoice - the iconic
ichi-san is apparently still competitive against the newer technology drift cars.
For the season finale at
Irwindale Speedway, Northern California based
Tyler McQuarrie beat the competition to win First Place at the event in his Falken Tire V8 350Z, standing atop the podium with
Rhys Millen (Second Place) and
Chris Forsberg (Third place).
Read more...Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Oct 10, 2011 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 2011 Formula Drift Championship, 350Z, 370Z, Chris Forsberg, Daijiro Yoshihara, Discount Tire, Falken Tire, Formula D, Formula Drift, Formula Drift 2011, Hankook Tire, Irwindale Speedway, Melanie Tillbrook, Mustang, Oliver Petalver, Rhys Millen, S13, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr | 15 Comments »
Now that you’ve heard the story behind and seen all the amazing photos from Formula Drift Las Vegas, courtesy of Oliver Petalver and Mike Kim, take a quick moment to wipe the drool from your keyboards and prepare yourselves for a short video from myself and Joe Ayala. (more…)
Posted by: Justin Shreeve | Sep 01, 2011 | Categories: Video | Tags: 350Z, 370Z, Achilles Tire, Adwitya "Dio" Amandio, Alex "Wonder Kid" Lee, AURIMAS ODI BAKCHIS, BMW, Bridges Racing, Calvin Wan, Camaro, Charles Ng, chevrolet, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, D-Mac, Daijiro Yoshihara, darren mcnamara, Discount Tire, Drift Alliance, Evasive Motorsports, Falken Tire, FC, FD Asia, Ford, Formula Drift, Gardella Racing, Genesis, GSR Autosport, Hankook Tire, Hyundai, James Dean, Joe Ayala, Justin "JTP" Pawlak, Justin Shreeve, Ken Gushi, KMR, Kyle Mohan, Las Vegas, Mad Skillz, Matt Powers, Mazda, Mazdatrix, Mike Essa, Mobil 1, Mustang, Need For Speed, Nexen Tires, Nissan, Nitto Tires, nos energy drink, Oliver Petalver, Pontiac, Red Bull, Rhys Millen, Rhys Millen Racing, RMR, Robbie Nishida, RS-R, RX-7, RX-8, Ryan Tuerck, S13, S14, Saranon "Non" Pornpatanarak, Saturn Sky, Scion, Scion Racing, Shreeve Films, Solstice GXP, SS, Tandem of Die, TC, Tony Angelo, toshiki yoshioka, Triple Crown, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Victoria Mai, Walker Wilkerson, Z4 | Leave A Comment »
Round 6 of the
Formula DRIFT series was held in the scorching heat of the
Las Vegas Motor Speedway where locals went to witness
Rhys Millen, in the
Red Bull/Hankook Tire Hyundai Genesis, take first place in an already competitive season. Prior to Round 6,
Daijiro Yoshihara in the
Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan S13 was the leader in the Championship Point Standings with
Justin "JTP" Pawlak (in the
Falken Tire Ford Mustang) in second. Both failed to make it to the to the Final Four in Vegas, making the points spread even more slim.
In addition, this past event made people do a double take as
FD Asia drivers
Adwitya "Dio" Amandio &
Saranon "Non" Pornpatanarak each made their U.S. debut. There was also a bit of controversy as Justin Pawlak switched seats with
Tyler McQuarrie in the
Falken Tire Nissan 350Z while McQuarrie piloted JTP's
Falken Tire Nissan S15 instead.
All in all, with a nail biting points race, Rhys Millen back on the podium, new faces, and driver crossovers, you can see how someone might say that Vegas was the place to be this past weekend!
Read more...
Posted by: Oliver Petalver | Aug 31, 2011 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 350Z, 370Z, Achilles Tire, Adwitya "Dio" Amandio, Alex "Wonder Kid" Lee, AURIMAS ODI BAKCHIS, BMW, Bridges Racing, Calvin Wan, Camaro, Charles Ng, chevrolet, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, D-Mac, Daijiro Yoshihara, darren mcnamara, Discount Tire, Drift Alliance, Evasive Motorsports, Falken Tire, FC, FD Asia, Ford, Formula Drift, Gardella Racing, Genesis, GSR Autosport, Hankook Tire, Hyundai, James Dean, Justin "JTP" Pawlak, Ken Gushi, KMR, Kyle Mohan, Las Vegas, Mad Skillz, Matt Powers, Mazda, Mazdatrix, Mike Essa, Mobil 1, Mustang, Need For Speed, Nexen Tires, Nissan, Nitto Tires, nos energy drink, Oliver Petalver, Pontiac, Red Bull, Rhys Millen, Rhys Millen Racing, RMR, Robbie Nishida, RS-R, RX-7, RX-8, Ryan Tuerck, S13, S14, Saranon "Non" Pornpatanarak, Saturn Sky, Scion, Scion Racing, Solstice GXP, SS, TC, Tony Angelo, toshiki yoshioka, Triple Crown, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Victoria Mai, Walker Wilkerson, Z4 | 9 Comments »
Keeping our coverage of Round 2 of Formula Drift at Road Atlanta coming, we bring you more photos of the Pro Am rounds as well as the main event. Road Atlanta is a unique venue in that it is a world class road course that sees everything from the likes of Le Mans prototype cars to your neighbor who enjoys exercising his right foot every now and again. The Formula Drift weekend is no different - you get a mix of high-dollar, corporate-backed monster machines competing door to door with a backyard creation that you saw built from the ground up on your local forum.
Read more...Posted by: Jonathan McWhorter | May 10, 2011 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 350Z, 370Z, AE86, BMW, Charles Ng, Chevrolet Camaro, Chris Forsberg, Corolla, Cyrus Martinez, Dai Yoshihara, darren mcnamara, Drift Posse, drifting, E36, Eric O' Sullivan, Falken Tire, Fatlace, FC RX7, Fello Ambivero, Formula Drift, Formula Drift 2011, Garage Boso, Gardella Racing, Hankook Tire, Jason Jiovani, John Russakoff, Jonathan McWhorter, Joon Maeng, Ken Gushi, Kouki, Matt Field, Mazda, Megan Racing, Mike Essa, Mobil 1, Nexen Tire, Nissan, Nitto Tire, nos energy drink, Oliver Petalver, Pat Cyr, Pontiac Solstice, Red Bull, Road Atlanta, Ross Petty, Roush Yates, Ryan Tuerck, S13, S15, Scion tC, Taka Aono, Team Rowdy, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Vision Performance, Yoshi Shindo, Z4 | 13 Comments »
There are so many cool aspects of being a part of MotorMavens but, to me, one of the coolest is witnessing the heart and passion of the automotive industry through the eyes of the ones who live and breathe it - the true mavens. We here at MotorMavens consider ourselves to be in that number as well but we're not here to tell our own story. Our vision has always been to showcase your story - your passion. Seeing this industry through the innovative eyes of guys like Roland Gallagher, Justin Shreeve, Lucas Perez, Yuta Akaishi, Daniel Bridle, Yoshi Shindo and all of the many others who love and live what they do (including you) - that's our way of keeping our eyes glued to the real motivating force behind the stats.
That's why this story by Jonathan McWhorter was so compelling to me. It's not about the money or the fame. It's not about your company budget or your connections. It's not even how long you've been in the industry. Those are not the things that make this industry so awesome. I could tell you but Jon did such a great job - I'll leave it in his capable hands. After all, he reminded me. So, without further ado...
Read more...Posted by: Jonathan McWhorter | Aug 05, 2010 | Categories: Perspective | Tags: 240SX, 350Z, Andy Sapp, Antonio Alvendia, Atlanta, Avon Bellamy, Brett May, Challenger, Charger, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, Dodge, drifting, Drifting changed my life, Falken Tire, Formula Drift, Gresham Motorsports Park, Gwinnett Tech, Hankook Tire, Joe Ayala, Jonathan McWhorter, Joon Maeng, Joshua Herron, Justin Shreeve, keep drifting fun, Lauren Lallande, Lauren Ledford, Lieze Truter, Linhbergh, Matt Powers, Mustang, Road Atlanta, RX8, S14, Samuel Hubinette, Southeast Drift, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Will Roegge | 22 Comments »
I know, everyone has been waiting to see our first installment of
Formula D Long Beach pics. So have I! We just had to get some other deadlines out of the way before we could begin posting our images from this weekend's Formula Drift event on the Streets of Long Beach!
This past weekend was certainly an exciting one. I was excited to see all the new cars that were debuting at Long Beach, as well as seeing a lot of good friends from different parts of the world,
even if it would be only for a brief moment. Unfortunately, when you're working at the event like I am, you're usually hustling about, going from one spot to the next, and you don't have as much time as you'd like to just chill and spend time with good friends. This event was
definitely like that for me.
I was trying to juggle shooting photos for the website while overseeing the
Motor Mavens Crew's event promotions efforts. Not an easy task! Also, on the Saturday of the event, I was asked to help out with the filming of
The Grid, which is a UK-based motorsports television show that airs in 120 countries around the world! And... on top of
all that, we debuted the new
MotorMavens X DSTROYR "Follow The Leader" shirt at our booth, which was managed by super designer
Jon Chase, the creative genius behind the brands
DSTROYR and
Famous Stars and Straps. I and the entire Motor Mavens Crew definitely had our hustle mode switched ON this weekend!
Read more...Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Apr 14, 2010 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 335i, 350Z, AE86, Antonio Alvendia, BLU808, BMW, Camaro, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, Daijiro Yoshihara, Dave Blunt, Dirty Thirties, Drift Safari, Dynamic Autosports, E30, Edward Uche, Eric O'Sullivan, Ford Mustang, Formula D Long Beach 2010, GTR, Hankook Tire, Ian Fournier, John Russakoff, Kaaz USA, Keith Wong, Larry Chen, Mike Essa, Mike Kim, Monster Energy, Nexen, R32, R35, Robbie Nishida, Rocket Bunny, RS Watanabe, S13, Skyline, Taka Aono, Travis Hodges, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Work Equip 01, Yasu Kondo, Yoshi Shindo, Z33 | 40 Comments »
If you remember, back in September of 2009, MotorMavens was the first to break news of Conrad Grunewald‘s brand new, Hankook Tire sponsored, Chevrolet Camaro SS entering the Formula D Championship. At the time, it was still only a concept and was still being built by Luke Lonberger at BLU808. All we had were a few mid-build photos and renderings, but they still had all of the Motor Mavens readers salivating!
Well, she’s come a long way since then! She’s up and running and looking HOT. While we were checking Facebook this morning, we spotted this video of her first drift runs at Laguna Seca during some “cone course tuning.” Can you say BEAST?! Running 305 wide tires and lighting ‘em up in third gear from 1500 rpm all the way to the redline with no problem, they can definitely check “power” off the to do list. I heard some people on Facebook saying that this car had 2300 HORSEPOWER?! Is that really true?! Twenty three hundred?!?!?!
There’s not really much more we can say about it that you can’t see and hear for yourself. Good Luck to CG Racing and BLU808 with this beautiful new competition Camaro SS! We can’t wait for the Pony Wars to get restarted at Formula Drift!
:: Avon Bellamy
Posted by: Avon Bellamy | Feb 16, 2010 | Categories: Newsworthy | Tags: 2010 Camaro, Andrew Bohan, Avon Bellamy, BLU808, Camaro, Conrad Grunewald, Formula D, Hankook Tire, Lab17, Luke Lonberger, SS | 13 Comments »
You heard it FIRST from MotorMavens.com!!! Some of our readers may remember
Luke Loneberger's Chevy LS1 turbo-engined S14 from our
All Star Bash and
Megan Racing Competition stories. Well, apparently we were just given the green light to release the big news that we've been keeping under our hats for the past couple months! Los Gatos, California based Luke Loneberger will be building
Conrad Grunewald's new competition car for the 2010 Formula Drift season - a brand new
Chevrolet Camaro SS, with
Hankook as the tire sponsor.
Apparently all of Conrad's work as a driving instructor at Skip Barber Racing School and his unmistakable presence when driving the
Tanaka Racing Corvette in Formula D last year has finally paid off. Let's also not forget - Conrad isn't a stranger to the Formula D podium! We have photos to prove it!
Thanks to Andrew and Conrad from CG Racing, we're able to present you with these sneak peek photos!
Read more...Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Sep 21, 2009 | Categories: Newsworthy | Tags: 2010, Camaro, chevrolet, Conrad Grunewald, drifting, Formula Drift, Hankook Tire | 47 Comments »
