COVERAGE> Evergreen Drift Season Opener
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...
WEBMINING> Bosozoku Love Shakotan Boogie
For those who are fascinated with bosozoku style and other aspects of Japanese underground car culture, I thought I’d post up this video clip. I actually watched part of this movie at my friend’s house in Japan a few years back, but it was only recently (on the Bosozoku Style website) that I discovered that someone had actually uploaded the video to Youtube.
This video doesn’t feature outstanding driving or anything… and ALL the cars inside aren’t necessarily cool, although you will find a few pretty nice gems mixed in with the street rubble. What kinds of bosozoku cars can you point out? I saw some pretty interesting non traditional cars, like the AW11 MR2 at the beginning of the movie, as well as the normal bosozoku fare, like Toyota Crowns and Nissan Skylines.
Just think – this movie was released way back in 1987! Sheesh, I was just a kid listening to Eric B & Rakim and LL Cool J back then… I wasn’t even into cars yet!
Fun video to watch! Just don’t get too offended by what happens to the hakosuka at the end…
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> SA22C RX7 vs DR30 Skyline
When a buddy of mine (thanks Royce!) first showed me this video, I was floored. It’s so cool that we get to see the Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya “brapping” around in a circuit spec 1972 Mazda RX3 (Savanna GT) at the start of this vid. I felt so excited that a driver such as Tsuchiya, who we all know has driven some really amazing vehicles, found himself piloting such an iconic rotary – the legendary SA22C RX7!
Man, and does he drive this car! So dope. He smashed on that Nissan DR30 in full disrespct of it’s Skyline presence. It’s great seeing this type of performance on a race course from a Mazda.
Now I want a first gen RX7 haha….I’m positive you will too after seeing this. Observe Keiichi’s rotary aggression!
:: Edward Uche
COVERAGE> Southeast Drift’s Land of the Great
It was a lot of fun because not only was a friend of mine driving, but I somehow talked them into giving me a media pass. With the media pass I was able to get down onto the track and up close to the cars as they made their runs. It was an incredible experience, and I think I got some pretty killer shots as well. I was at the exit of the bank on the first turn. It was a pretty sick spot because I was behind the wall, maybe 10-15 feet from the cars. Read more...
COVERAGE> Irwindale Pro Am, Part 1
While all the other media people that attended the event (let's be honest; there weren't that many) rushed home to be the first to post photos on their websites, blogs, Twitters, and whatnot... I decided to spend time hanging out with my friends instead. I love that I was able to do this and not feel bad (this would be absolutely unacceptable behaviour if I was writing for a different website). But everyone in the Motor Mavens Crew understands. Hell, some of them were even there with me for all the non-car related stuff we did that weekend... like rolling 30+ heads deep to Dino's in Covina for some spicy grilled chicken; or taking Yoshi on a wild goose chase to meet up with some import models at a cafe in OC; or using trucks and trailers with drift cars loaded onto them to make parking difficult in the small parking lot of Flappy Jacks on Route 66, just so that Ray from Garage Autohero could get his traditional American style Sunday breakfast and complain that coffee in California sucks compared to Seattle's. LOL. Oh yeah, but somehow in between all the chillin we did with all our out of town friends that came to Pro Am, we did somehow manage to squeeze in a little bit of time to take some photos. Read more...
GALLERY> More Scenes from JCCS 2009
WEBMINING> Ebisu Summer Drift Matsuri 2009
This video of the 2009 Summer Drift Matsuri at the famed Ebisu Circuit is just plain awesome. It’s got tons of variety in cars and courses and lots of high speed fly-bys. I haven’t been to Ebisu yet personally, but by the looks of this video, it’s no wonder everyone is so crazy about Ebisu. I can’t wait to go!
Check it out!
::Justin Shreeve
WEBMINING> Nikko Circuit in the Rain
Nikko Circuit: Part 2 from David Dizzle on Vimeo.
As the gloomy rainy season begins for many of us, I thought I’d post up a cool rainy drift video, reminding us that the rain isn’t all that bad… it saves tires!
Chasers, Mark IIs, Soarers, Silvias, 180SXs, Skylines, Levins, Truenos and RX7s… I stumbled across this gem on Vimeo recently, featuring lots of awesome Japanese cars at the famous Nikko Circuit. The entire three-part series is viewable on MayDayGarage.com, check it out!
:: Justin Shreeve
WEBMINING> JDM gets Aggressive
JDM Allstars HD – Agressive style - from Clashproduction on Vimeo.
During the hustle of the last Formula Drift event, I got to take a brief (very brief) break and chilled with Eric O’Sullivan from the Dynamic Auto Sports/ Hankook team. It was great to get to know Eric better. Not only is he a great drifter, but a really great guy. I commented on how well he was doing on his interviews. Apparently, Eric’s brother does video production and when Eric got into driving, his brother put him in front of the camera and told him to get used to it. Haha. A little bit later we talked about the Europe drift scene and Eric mentioned the guys from JDM Allstars. He talked about all their hard work, amazing growth and the growing popularity of the series. This video from Clash Productions gives you a glimpse into why drivers from all over Europe are flocking to this aggressive new series.
Enjoy!
:: Travis Hodges
WEBMINING> Sumo Power R33 at Santa Pod
Last year on a trip to the UK, Antonio went to Santa Pod Raceway and came face to face with this pink R33 Skyline drag monster from Sumo Power.
This car is well known in the UK – the R33 stirred up quite a bit of attention from its performance numbers and overall impact! (Not to mention its pink paint job!) We came across this video from our buddy Stephane Benini from Clash Productions (who always produces great work), showing the pink powerhouse in action.
This video is an oldie but goodie! If you live in the UK, you can check out Sumo Power’s Skyline, “Fuujin” in action at Santa Pod next weekend! According to Sumo Power owner Andy Barnes, Fuujin means “God of Wind” in Japanese… so either Andy drives it really fast, or he just passes a lot of gas. Maybe both.
Before I forget, Antonio also did a killer photo set and story on this sick Skyline sometime last year, so don’t forget to cllick through to check it out!
Enjoy!
::Travis Hodges
Antonio’s photos and story of Fuujin, the Sumo Power Drag R33
VIDEO> Evergreen Drift Round 4
Evergreen Drift Round 4 from MotorMavens Dotcom on Vimeo.
Hey guys, it’s Justin again. Last Sunday, I visited Monroe, Washington for Round 4 of the Evergreen Drift series. The final round saw a lot of upsets as some drivers weren’t able to attend and others were plagued with car troubles. Overall, it was an exciting day, making for lots of good footage.
For more information regarding the Evergreen Drift series, please visit EvergreenDrift.com.
:: Justin Shreeve
WEBMINING>Team Battle:Drift by Stephen Brooks
Team Battle:Drift from Stephen Brooks on Vimeo.
I’ve been checking out Stephen Brooks’ work lately on Vimeo. The man from the land of tea and crumpets makes great videos, but this one really stood out to me in particular. It was shot during a team drift event (hence the name) at the Norfolk Arena, which is about 2.5 hours North of London.
Although I’m not too keen on the song choice, I think it matched the content of the video very well. Beyond that, I feel like this piece does a great job to portray all the emotions behind the scenes of a drift event. Don’t worry though, there’s great drifting footage as well!
::Justin Shreeve
ARCHAEOLOGY> JDM Allstars Action
The qualifying would be run using the new Super Lap format. With the Super Lap, drivers are given just one single run to lay down their best score, no warm up laps, or anything. The judges were also wanting to see the drivers give it their all and get their cars as close as they could to the wall. A lot of pressure, but it was definitely gonna be exciting! Read more...
CARSPOTTING> Instant Party R32 Skyline
However, there was a certain non S-chassis that caught my attention - it was a white R32 Nissan Skyline with license plates from Washington state. It wasn't until the end of the last day of All Star Bash that I met the owner of this car - Jon Jaffe from Washington's own Team Instant Party. When we spoke at Willow Springs, it was hot, so I just gave him props on his car and a couple stickers, and went on my way.
Fast forward about a month - on my way back from the Formula D Seattle trip, BN Sports Raymond and I found ourselves chillin out in Bothell, Washington with Instant Party driver Roland Gallagher and his dad. On the day I was supposed to return to Los Angeles, I asked Raymond if we could stop by Roland's house on the way to the airport so I could check out his car really quick and say what's up. Shortly after we arrived at Roland's house, Jon took a break from his workday to come over and say hello. Perfect timing. I wanted to get a closer look at his Skyline anyway! Read more...
WEBMINING> Bosozoku Donuts
Shark noses, crazy multi-pipe exhausts, fender mirrors, crazy paint jobs, loud exhaust tones, small/wide wheels with stretched tires, custom rear wings and sideskirts… and a whole lot of fun! This is what attracts us to these Bosozoku/Yanki style cars!
When I first saw these cars, I didn’t really like them because the crazy paint and body and exhausts weren’t my style at the time… but I’ve honestly grown to love these types of cars a lot! After all, this is authentic Japanese car culture at its finest…
I’m not sure where this video was shot, but it looks a lot like Ebisu West course. For more info and photos of these types of cars, make sure to check out Banpei’s website, BosozokuStyle! I hope you have a few hours to kill, because I couldn’t stop going through all the pages on his blog! AWESOME.
:: Antonio Alvendia
WEBMINING> We love 1980s Japanese Cars!
We at MotorMavens have a strong affinity for 1980s Japanese cars, and it’s easy to see why – techno-angular design, generous use of turbos, and an excess of electronic gizmos. All of these could be found on light, affordable RWD sports coupes. In a few short years front-drive cars would take over, but this video captures some of the best machines of the heyday: the Mitsubishi Starion, Toyota AE86 twins, R30 Nissan Skyline and Mazda FC RX-7, all captured in their natural environment.
:: Ben Hsu
COVERAGE> JDM Allstars at Wembley Stadium
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: My name is Daniel Bridle, I’m 17 at the end of this month, and I’ve been taking photos since my grandfather gave me an old film camera when I was a little kid. Read more...
COVERAGE> Formula Drift Seattle, Part 2
Above, here's a real dope R32 Skyline 4door that came from British Columbia (that's Canada, to those of us who are ignorant Americans). More photos of this car coming soon!
It's so cool that you can register a car like an R32 Skyline, A31 Cefiro or C33 Laurel and just drive it on the street, legally in Canada. What the hell are we still doing living in Southern Cali, anyway? (Who am I kidding, I love Southern Cali...) Read more...
COVERAGE> In the Pits at Turner Field
