This weekend, many of the best stanced cars in California made their way to the HellaFlush 3.5 meet at Buttonwillow Raceway, which was located in the middle of BFE, along the Interstate 5 highway. The stretched tire movement has finally been getting a lot of attention in the past couple years, which is awesome because I’ve trying to promote it for quite a while… but it took a long time for it to catch on. Now that insane offset cars have been popping up all over the internet for the past couple years, people have started building their cars with a focus on aggressive stance and aggressive wheel offset. It sure took a long time for the message to spread though. I first began writing stories about how “Offset is Everything” in magazines, websites, and talked about it at drifting events/carshows that I emceed since… 2004? 2005? It’s funny to think that people used to make fun of me when I would talk about rocking negative offset wheels, demon camber on AE86s, super low down (shakotan) stance, hippari tires (stretched tires), and tsuraichi (cars running aggressive offset wheels and tucking tire). In fact, I distinctly remember emceeing a Drift Showoff event out in Houston TX in 2005, and some of the DA homies were like, “Dude. It’s like negative offset is all you ever talk about!” (HAHA, they were absolutely right.) I’m so glad that multiple forward thinking websites, forums and blogs across the internet have virally spread this message and made aggressive stanced cars popular; now it’s a whole different ball game!
The way a car sits has absolutely everything to do with the image it projects – it all has to be just right! Aggressive offset wheels that stick out too much = lowrider. Big wheels with thin tires (non stretched) on cars that aren’t slammed enough = DUB style. (Yuck.) Slamming cars to the ground without enough width, offset and tire stretch = 1990s FF Honda style.
Since neither of the aforementioned styles are desirable when it comes to making a fashionable looking car, it’s nice to see that car owners all over North America have been stepping up their wheel game – a game that was rumored to have started in Europe (gotta give props to those Euro car guys… Mk1 Golfs FTW!) or Japan (Bosozoku/Yanki car builders, kyusha kai car builders, and VIP car builders). While I’m not exactly certain of the exact origins or history of this style of automotive stance, I personally first noticed it in the late 1990s/early 2000s, thanks to AE86s that were built by my favorite drift teams – Running Free and Rough World.
It was awesome to see some of the West Coast’s most dedicated car owners with aggressive stances come out to the event. I saw Toyota, Honda, BMW, and Lexus owners from Southern California; Northern Cali Toyota, Nissan, Lexus, and BMW owners from as far as Fairfield CA and Sacramento… I even saw a slammed Mercedes Benz from Las Vegas (Whatup Paolo)!
From Southern California, we have members of the DSTROYR, Cipher Garage and Dori Saru crews, who were all laced up in fresh gear from Driftwell, Cipher Garage, and DSTROYR. If you have an iPhone or Google Android phone, make sure to search your App Store for the DSTROYR app for your phone, and download that joint!
Under the HellaFlush EZ-Up tent, event staffers were selling t-shirts, stickers, license plate frames, and engraved yo-yos… while Mark Arcenal’s new Bimmer wagon showed off its “Black is Beautiful” accessories. It’s nice to see that I’m not the only one that’s been digging wagons. All the cool kids are rocking them!
This Hellaflush honey was doing her makeup in the driver seat of this Toyota Matrix. This car caught my eye, because it’s not often that you see a Matrix done up, much less done up with a good stance.
It just goes to show that Matrixes (Matrices?) can look pretty good when they’re slammed with the right wheels… and if you’re looking to buy a Matrix, look out for an XRS model, which comes with Toyota’s 2ZZGE engine – the same high revving Yamaha designed DOHC engine that comes in the Celica GTS. The 2ZZGE revs for days – why else do you think they come as factory equipment in the Lotus Elise?
It was pretty cold outside, but that didn’t stop our boy Edward Uche from the MotorMavens Crew from shooting mad photos and passing out flyers. Dig the glasses.
In the pit area, Ed and I ran into our boy Calvin Wan, who recently got his FD3S RX7 turbo running again, after its trip to the Dominican Republic for a drift demo. Sitting shotgun with Calvin is Allister from Objectify Inc, the company that contracted Calvin to help with the development of the Drift Sumi-e iPhone game, which blends drifting and Japanese brushstroke artwork. Download it on the App Store!
Calvin unwrapped all the teal and blue Falken scallops from his FD to bring it back to its original white paint underneath. I think Calvin’s FD looks gorgeous in white! Don’t you guys think?! It looks way better like this; super clean! I know Uche was jocking it. Calvin has a thing for white cars… he has this white FD, two white SUVs for towing, a white S14, a white BMW… sheesh, calm down there.
I spotted our boy Mickie Frial in the pit area, just as he was pulling out onto the track. Mickie’s dark green RPS13 looks sick! I wonder if anyone would be interested in having us shoot a full feature on Mickie’s car…
Here’s the ass end of his RPS13. Looks dope, right?! Especially with the new wheels! Man, I wonder if his exhaust burns/melts his rear bumper, cause it doesn’t stick out too far…
Whereas, this S13’s exhaust sticks out ALOT. Haha, Dori Saru x Dstroyr SPL exhaust with Starbucks silencer.
Speaking of S13s… this particular driver was running pretty sick all day! Super aggressive… big smoke, big angle, and hatch poppin! Turns out it’s another one of the Northern California cars that made their way down to Buttonwillow for the event! This is Jeff Wolfson from WolfReign! He was driving so aggressively and flicking his car so hard that his trunk flew open. Dope.
I’ll end this particular set of photos with yet another S13 shot… this is just a reminder to drifting fans who like going out to grassroots events… photographers, please stay off the K-rails/retaining walls! If that S13 crashed into the barrier about 6 feet after where it did, chances are, the photographer on the barrier might have gotten knocked off the wall. We don’t want anyone to get hurt! Also, kids on bicycles, please try not to sneak into the hot areas of the racetrack!
Keep drifting safe! And in the immortal words of Andy Sapp, “Keep Drifting Fun… OR ELSE!”
More pics coming soon!
:: Antonio Alvendia
mickie’s car is dope, man! a full feature would be well deserved. I remember a couple asb’s ago, he broke a trans on saturday, sourced another one, and swapped it to run on sunday.
Sick! Awesome photos and coverage, Antonio!
Nice pics! This is in my old backyard! I grew up about 45 minutes from BW. Can’t wait for more coverage!
Great cars, great wheels and even greater fitment! sick man!
Damn looks like I missed a pretty sick event! That BMW wagon is CLEAN!
What you know about 2ZZ’s, Antonio!?!?
“The 2ZZGE revs for days…”
Word.
Thanks for the love Antonio!
Scott T: I know the 2ZZ revs for days because you seem to just leave yours in 2nd gear and take it all the way up to 90mph. Just wanted to remind you, you do have like 4 more gears in that thing LOL
Please post pictures of the Berk Technology cars…thank you!!!
Wow, this isn’t exactly the way I wanted to get featured into Motor Mavens, but it is ultimately for a good cause. I guess all the excitement and pure adrenaline produced from shooting this event caused me to have a lapse in judgement concerning my safety. Don’t be like me, and stay off the K walls/barriers everyone!
As for the event it was hands down one the best i’ve been to! Far surpassing any Formula D, autoX, HIN, and even some drift events ive driven in myself. It was THAT good.
Antonio — Yes, full feature Mickie’s car…. Duh. 😉
Kinda makes me sad that my RPS13 *still* is not running right. Ugh. I keep reminding myself that she’ll be a much better car post-engine swap, even for the three months of headaches I’ve accumulated up until this point. All for the love of building a car to go and fling her sideways.
Someday, she and I will make it out to an event like this. Though this particular event I’d have been rocking the grip with the Miata. 😛
Shit Antonio, you invented the whole import scene, you started flushness and negative offset.. “It’s funny to think that people used to make fun of me when I would talk about rocking negative offset wheels, demon camber on AE86s,” who the fuck says that? stop bigging youself and your site up. fucking hell…. all you ever is say is how “you” did this and said this, fucking sad.
Good call out on the safety stuff Antonio.
Drift events can only be held with the approval of the track owners and insurance. Track owners like events organizers that run a tight ship.
It only takes one lapse and accident for the track owners or insurance to cut you off. Suddenly, no more drifting! It can and has happened all in many places. Portland International Raceway and Altamont Speedway are just two examples.
Everyone must do their part. KNOW AND FOLLOW THE RULES! USE COMMON SENSE! They are the means to keep everyone drifting and out of the hospital. It’s hard to have fun when your buddies in a hospital bed or the track won’t let you back.
Make your hard working event organizers life easier. Most don’t like yelling at people for breaking the rules. Don’t put them in the position to send you home!
Don’t be the jackass that ruins it for everyone else.
Yay!
ThatS tiGHt
Excellent event. Much love Antonio for introducing me to Calvin. I finally got a chance to see his FD3S up close. Drift Sumi-e creator Allister Capati made this rotary-head highly pleased when he selected Calvin’s FD as the promo vehicle. I love rotaries in video games, and now officially an iphone app??? Word. Much love to Mark and the fatlace family as well, Phil…I’m gonna get you in another game of skate haha.
😀 <3<3<3
loved it, great write up as always
and, yes id like a full feature on Frail's car, looks sick
Calvin is looking great , like it better too
and i really digged that hardcore hatch popping drifter. how can i get a desktop of that one Antonio? (if possible)
Yo that S13 hatch with the trunk open is Jeff Wolfson!
much love for the 2zz.. no love for the fully built turbo’d 2zz in the gillis motorsports corolla..
you sure it was the matrix that caught your eye?
Did I heard a feature of Frial’s car?!
For WTF are you waiting MM?!!
lol
Can wait to se mooooore!
Did I heard a feature of Frial’s car?!
For WTF are you waiting MM?!!
lol
Cant wait to se mooooore!
yeah when you were talking about the hellaflush thing i realised that until i visited sites like motormavens, speedhunters etc. i’d never heard of hellaflush or even thought about how crap cars look without proper stance. nobody that i see on the roads seem to do low very good. i’m diggin the wagon too. i’d love a wagon!
Though this was deffo a sick event, and almost evey car i see looks fresh….I can’t really get with one certain look…check the opening photo, the first 2 cars (White Soarer?/gold rims, and White sedan/white rims). When the wheel arch is too big and laid too low on the wheels, it looks….ungainly. Kinda like small shoes under bell bottoms. Is this part of the stance look? Serious question btw.
awesome coverage antonio! it was great meeting you at the show this weekend!
to d1rge.exe: those cars are on airbags. they drive low and park lower.
Calvin’s car looks DOPE in white with limited signage!! I’m super into white cars too, it all makes sense now since Calvin looks like my uncle. WHITE POWER!!!!
great photos antonio!
it was nice meeting you there.
hope my car makes it to the pt2 coverage!
Damn Antonio, nice coverage. Waiting for pt.2
“those cars are on airbags. they drive low and park lower.”
Bro, I do have an idea about HOW these cars get low…and that was not my question. The question is why the oversized wheel openings, making it look odd once you drop onto the bags, because now the diameters of the wheel/tire/arch look wrong. If “stance” is everything, then complete the stance. Right? Or is that the look that they are after? Because not all these cars on bags look like this, many look proper. Serious question, can I get a serious answer instead of a flippant one?
Thanks again Antonio!!!
i was JUST out on the west coast this past weekend, I missed this!! Good Coverage Antonio!
bhahah looks like Mickie Frial has got his left rear tyre on backwards…
“i dont know about you guys but the white rx7 looks fucking sick”
YEA THE RX7 IS FRESH ITS THE BEST CAR EVER IM ONLY 12YEARS OLD AND LVE THE RX7 I WANT ONE FOR WHEN I TURN 16 AND ALL MY FRIENDS CALL ME RX7 KID AND WE MADE A CREW CALLED S DRIFT AND WE LOVE THE TUNERS THERE THE BEST AND THE BOMB I LOVE RX7S THERE THE BEST GO RX7S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!