AutoCon 2011 turned out to be a pretty fun show - it has grown quite a bit since the last show they had. I drove all the way down from LA to
El Toro Airbase in Irvine, CA so that I could start shooting the carshow
roll-in at 10am, but they didn't allow any media to enter the show until 12pm! This definitely put a damper on my plans, because the rest of the normal spectators would be entering the venue at the same time as media.
The scheduling issue left me pretty disappointed to be honest, since my original plan was to shoot roll-in and staging before the large crowds showed up, then meet up with
Antonio Alvendia and
Oliver Petalver at
Irwindale Speedway. I didn't make it out to Irwindale because of the scheduling mix-up, but I still enjoyed the rest of the day at the show. This event looks like it's getting bigger and bigger!
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Posted by: Mike Kim | Dec 12, 2011 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: Audi, Autocon, BBS LM, Black Edition, BMW, CSL, E46, E92, El Toro, ESS Supercharger, hankook tires, Holly Lee, Honda NSX, Impreza, Instagram, M3, Mercedes Benz, Mike Kim, Nicole Marie Reckers, Nissan GT-R, NUE, R32 Skyline, Rotiform BLQ, Royal Flush, S4, Sammy Stoicescu, SL65 AMG, STi, Subaru, Team Rev, Toyo Tires, Tumblr, Twitter, WRX | 13 Comments »
A few years ago, the term "royal flush" wouldn't make you immediately think of cars. Rather then picturing a car's wheel fitment and ride height, it was more associated with card games. However, with wheels right at the fenders, tires tucking underneath them, and frame rails sitting only a few inches above the tarmac,
this
Subaru Impreza WRX STi owned by
Austin Mardian from the
Royal Flush Crew really embodies what it means to have your car
sit flush.
When Austin rolls out to car meets and shows, he and his friends from Royal Flush crew definitely roll deep, with more than enough slammed cars to back up the name. For those of you local to Southern California that have been to many of the larger car shows, you might have seen several of the Royal Flush "VIP" style cars. Whether it's a Lexus or Infiniti on air ride or Austin's STi, they mob out in big numbers to all of the events they go to. While some of the cars in the crew scream for attention, the clean subtle look to Austin's STi was actually what caught my eye when I saw his car for the first time.
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Posted by: Mike Kim | Oct 27, 2011 | Categories: Center Stage | Tags: Antonio Alvendia, Austin Mard, Brembo, GDB, Hella Flush, Hellaflush, Impreza, Injen, iPhone 4S, Kakumei, Lexus GS, Mike Kim, Rally Racing, Recaro, Royal Flush, Saleen, Saleen Wheels, STi, Subaru, Walbro, WRX | 21 Comments »

Royal Flush. If you’ve ever cruised Valley Blvd in San Gabriel or Alhambra, gone to a car meet at a boba tea house, or checked in at a Chinese restaurant at 1:30am, chances are… you’ve seen them before. Whenever I’m cruising the SGV, I always seem to randomly look out the window and see some sort of slammed Lexus or Infiniti driving by on the other side of the street with a Royal Flush sticker on the window. I hadn’t given it much thought either, until I actually met some of the super cool people from the Royal Flush Crew at the Motion Auto Show in Long Beach.
All I can say is, this crew rolls DEEP! In case you didn’t already know, THESE are the people that are causing much of the traffic on Valley Blvd, making you and other drivers slow down and brake as they slowly scrape into the driveways of your favorite late night restaurants and kick-it spots. (more…)
Posted by: Antonio Alvendia | Oct 26, 2011 | Categories: Oh Snap | Tags: G35, Impreza, Infiniti, Jack Lau, Motion Auto Show, Royal Flush, SGV, STi, Subaru, WRX | 5 Comments »
I can't remember the last time I was in
Las Vegas when I wasn't covering an event or taking photos for work. It seems like an reoccurring thing when it comes to traveling for me, I never have time to hang with friends or just kick back. However my recent trip to Vegas was non-work related and I basically had the whole weekend to do whatever and go wherever my heart desired! After receiving a phone call from my dad asking if I would like to accompany him on his business trip to Vegas for the weekend, it didn't take me long to respond with an enthusiastic "Yes!". Once I arrived in Vegas I wasted no time getting in touch with people, while making sure I contacted a certain Internet celebrity!
Enter
Josh Herron. This young and talented videographer has made some of the most creative drift videos I've ever seen, while also averaging 200,000 views on each video, and reaching the acclaimed Internet celebrity status all before the age of 21. And I thought I was a media prodigy. :D
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Posted by: Dax Rodriguez | Sep 14, 2009 | Categories: Carspotting | Tags: 240SX, Dax Rodriguez, Josh Herron, Las Vegas, Royal Flush, S14, Vegas Drift | 23 Comments »
Arizona drifting - two words that aren't put together very often by people. However, the drifting scene is strong in AZ, and it's about time we MotorMavens shine a little much-deserved light on the grassroots drifters out in the land of desert and cactus.
Firebird Raceway is the backdrop for Arizona's monthly
AZ DRIFT Drag and Drift event, with all types of drivers from amateur to professional coming out to practice and showoff their skills. With it being summer in Arizona, we're very reluctant to make a trip outside into the
109 degree heat. 109 degrees! However being blessed with beautiful weekend weather it was a perfect day to take photos and it seemed like everyone was out at track either driving or spectating.
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Posted by: Dax Rodriguez | Jun 10, 2009 | Categories: Coverage | Tags: 240SX, 350Z, 350Z Motorsports, AE86, Arizona, AZ DRIFT, Christopher Toy, Corolla, D1GP, Dax Rodriguez, Drag and Drift, FC RX-7, Firebird Raceway, Intense Motorsports, JDM Ego, Kouki, Mazda, Nissan, Royal Flush, S13, S14, SSR, Toyota, Volkswagen | 23 Comments »