CARSPOTTING> Corvette Stingray at Sebring 12H
Looking through the photos we shot at the 61st Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida (Their official name is WAY too long to say in one breath; it means Sebring had a good ad sales guy), we couldn't help but drop our jaws when staring at this Corvette Stingray from Howey Farms Racing. We don't know much about the car and the driver, but apparently it was being driven by Clark Howey, a man with years and years of track experience at Sebring under his belt. Read more...
COVERAGE> Formula Drift After Dark: Las Vegas!
The MotorMavens Crew is once again back at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Formula Drift After Dark. For those of you that couldn't make it, consider yourself lucky that you don't have to deal with the searing desert heat. Luckily it's not as hot as it was last year, but we're still baking in the sun so we can bring you imagery of whats current in Formula Drift. Read more...
VIDEO> Formula D Irwindale 2011 = Best Thing Ever
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…)
VIDEO> Formula Drift Hits the Las Vegas Strip!
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…)
COVERAGE> Formula Drift: Vegas After Dark!
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...
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...
VIDEO> Tuerck Prepares for Top32 at FD Seattle
When Ryan Davis of YAER Productions asked me to edit these clips of Ryan Tuerck piloting the Gardella Racing Mobil 1 Nitto Tire Red Bull Chevrolet Camaro during Formula Drift Seattle, I didn’t hesitate whatsoever. I love Ryan’s driving style and now that he’s in an enormous car with tons of power, I really enjoy watching him drive. That being said, the concept for this video was all Ryan Davis’ idea and I can’t take much credit for the awesomeness you’re about to witness. I just edited it. (more…)
COVERAGE> The Formula D Atlanta Experience Pt. 2
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...
COVERAGE> Formula D Long Beach Experience Pt.2
Okay... you've waited long enough! I've been sick the past few days so it's been rough, but I've finally managed to go through thousands of photos that we shot at Formula Drift's 2011 season opener on the Streets of Long Beach. I know everyone wants to see the photos, so without further delay, let's begin! Through the lenses of the MotorMavens sharpshooters, this is the Formula Drift Long Beach experience, Part Two! Read more...
GALLERY> Formula Drift Review in Pictures
Formula Drift at Long Beach is just around the corner. Yes, it is already April again. As the MotorMavens Crew gets ready for another season of tire smoking excitement, we wanted to take a look back on the 2010 season and recap the big moments as well as showcase some of the shots that didn't make it into some of the posts. Read more...
COVERAGE> FD Irwindale Title Fight Weigh-In
25 hours and 2,200 miles later, I am still awake and in California for Formula Drift at Irwindale Speedway -the final installment for the 2010 Formula D season. I woke up at 5am EST to head to the airport in Atlanta, Georgia for my flight out to LA earlier today - Friday, the 8th of October. Right now it is nearing 3am on the 9th; I just might be tired. It's all for a good cause, though. The weather is fantastic this weekend, and the drifting is even better. Everyone came out to play, and I'm sure it's going to be quite the battle to win the championship.
This post is definitely going to be a short one but it will not lack in content. Below you'll find some selected images from the day of qualifying just to whet your appetite for the main event. Read more...
This post is definitely going to be a short one but it will not lack in content. Below you'll find some selected images from the day of qualifying just to whet your appetite for the main event. Read more...
ROADTRIP> NASCAR from the Outside Looking In
I know that NASCAR isn't a topic normally covered here at MotorMavens...and I sure as hell never expected to be the person covering it. I'll be completely honest here. Even as a kid, I was never a huge fan of NASCAR. I imagined it couldn't be too entertaining watching cars go around an oval for hundreds of miles. Not only that, but I just didn't feel like I really fit in with the typical NASCAR fans... but I guess I never really gave it a chance.
I was approached by MotorMavens about traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina to cover the NASCAR All Star Race weekend. MotorMavens was invited to cover the race as guests of Mobil 1, as well as take a tour of a full-blown racing facility, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and a few other surprise stops along the way. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity. Regardless of what I thought I knew about NASCAR, I decided I was going to approach it with an open mind. It's a good thing, too... because I learned a lot of interesting things about NASCAR and had a lot of fun in the process! Read more...
I was approached by MotorMavens about traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina to cover the NASCAR All Star Race weekend. MotorMavens was invited to cover the race as guests of Mobil 1, as well as take a tour of a full-blown racing facility, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and a few other surprise stops along the way. Obviously, I jumped at the opportunity. Regardless of what I thought I knew about NASCAR, I decided I was going to approach it with an open mind. It's a good thing, too... because I learned a lot of interesting things about NASCAR and had a lot of fun in the process! Read more...
SHOPAHOLIC> Lambo Lords of the Underground
The name that KC and Kevin Howeth picked for their werks -- Underground Racing – carries more than a whiff of irony today.
Like, how stealth can you be when two of the over-the-top, twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardos you’ve built for your customers practically own the Texas Mile standing-mile shootout? (Longtime customer Kyle Bennet did 241 mph last summer and Richard Holt’s lighter Superleggera killed the two-fifty mark this past March.)
While the West Coast members of our crew spent the weekend surrounded by Ferraris, MotorMavens sharpshooter James Evins and I visited Underground Racing's Charlotte, NC headquarters last week. Immediately catching James' eye was one of Underground's signature twin-turbo dishes: a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 that produces 1150 wheel horsepower on 117-octane racing fuel and 850 wheel horsepower on 93-octane pump gas! That's right, I said ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED FIFTY horsepower. Read more...
Like, how stealth can you be when two of the over-the-top, twin-turbo Lamborghini Gallardos you’ve built for your customers practically own the Texas Mile standing-mile shootout? (Longtime customer Kyle Bennet did 241 mph last summer and Richard Holt’s lighter Superleggera killed the two-fifty mark this past March.)
While the West Coast members of our crew spent the weekend surrounded by Ferraris, MotorMavens sharpshooter James Evins and I visited Underground Racing's Charlotte, NC headquarters last week. Immediately catching James' eye was one of Underground's signature twin-turbo dishes: a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560 that produces 1150 wheel horsepower on 117-octane racing fuel and 850 wheel horsepower on 93-octane pump gas! That's right, I said ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED FIFTY horsepower. Read more...
COVERAGE> Insider’s Look at FD Long Beach
It's hard to believe that it has already been a week since Formula Drift took over the Streets of Long Beach. This weekend, the famous street course is still home to many a race fan. However this time, Long Beach has been taken over with open wheel racing fans that have been going to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for years and years. Since we don't really cover open wheel racing on Motor Mavens, I thought it would be good to post up some more photos from our experiences at Long Beach last weekend. (I know, some of you are thinking, it's about damn time!)
The first photo in our series is from one of the practice sessions. I think the practice sessions were actually a lot cooler and funner to watch at times than some of the tandem bouts, because it felt like freestyle drifting chaos within the confines of the white cement barriers and tire stacks that lined the streets of the LBC. Read more...
The first photo in our series is from one of the practice sessions. I think the practice sessions were actually a lot cooler and funner to watch at times than some of the tandem bouts, because it felt like freestyle drifting chaos within the confines of the white cement barriers and tire stacks that lined the streets of the LBC. Read more...
