Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach
April 8th, 2012 by RobertApril 7, 2012
Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results:
Justin Pawlak Wins the Season Opener for the Second Consecutive Season
Long Beach, Calif. – April 7, 2012 – Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang earns the victory at the first event of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season. Daijiro Yoshihara in the America’s Tire / Falken Nissan 240SX takes second place while Formula DRIFT rookie Daigo Saito, in the Achilles Tires / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 rounds out the podium.
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach kicked off the 2012 season to a sold out audience. The largest driver pool participated in the two-day event with the largest rookie field of any season with 19 rookies.
“Starting the season to a sold out crowd is a great feeling,” says Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The drivers stepped up and provided a highly competitive event that sets the tone for the rest of the year. We’re looking forward to how the season will unfold.””
Justin Pawlak found the top of the podium for the second consecutive season in Long Beach taking the lead to start the 2012 Pro Championship season. Pawlak battled the 2011 Formula DRIFT champion, Daijiro Yoshihara, in a hard fought battle to win the event. Yoshihara defeated Formula DRIFT Asia champion and rookie Daigo Saito in the Top 4 to move on to Finals eventually taking second place. Saito defeated Matt Powers, who finished in third place in 2011, in the consolation round to find the podium in his very first Formula DRIFT Pro Championship event. Saito is now leads the new X-Mini Rookie Challenge.
“Its just amazing to come back to Long Beach and put down another win 2 years in a row,” said Justin Pawlak, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. “This is a great way to start the season and go for the championship.”
The 2012 Pro Championship season continues for Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta on May 11-12. Tickets are available to purchase online now.
For more information visit: http://www.formuladrift.com
Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2012 Point Standings After 1 Event
1. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 106 Points
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 92 Points
3. Saito, Daigo Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 78.50 Points
4. Powers, Matt Need for Speed / Nitto Nissan S14 69.50 Points
5. Tuerck, Ryan Team Retaks Nissan 240SX 66 Points
6. McQuarrie, Tyler Mobil 1 Camaro 64 Points
6. Millen, Rhys Hankook / Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe 64 Points
8. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z 63 Points
9. Gushi, Ken Scion Racing Scion FR-S 62 Points
10. Moen, Kenneth Lutz Performance Nissan 350Z 61.50 Points
11. Grunewald, Conrad Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro 57 Points
12. Aasbo, Fredric Need for Speed / Papadakis Racing Scion TC 57 Points
12. Kado, Ryan Ryan Kado Racing Nissan 350Z 56 Points
14. Mohan, Kyle Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 55 Points
15. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis Motorsports Nissan 240SX S14 54.25 Points
15. Yoshioka, Toshiki RS*R Nissan Silvia S15 54.25 Points
Round 7: Title Fight Event Results
1. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang Winner
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 Second Place
3. Saito, Daigo Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430
Stay tuned for complete coverage.
So you think you can STANCE | It’s JDM Yo!
January 23rd, 2012 by RobertAre you so low that it takes an hour to angle up that slightly inclined driveway that even my 90 year old grandfather can wheel chair up by himself? Do you think you have the best technique and style for getting up that fucked up driveway? Then prove it! Come to it’s jdm yo! “So you think you can STANCE?” competition being held at Trendy Threadz Facility in Santa Fe Springs
The guy’s at It’s JDM Yo! came up with an idea to have all the owners of the cleanest rides not only park them and get style points but actually drive them and show off some driving skills.
Lots of eye candy to look at and man it was fun hearing all the oooohs and damnnnnns screaming from the crowd when the contestants took aim at the incline driveway.
Date: January 22nd 2012
Location: Trendy Threadz|Santa Fe Springs, CA
By: Robo
Gallery– Click Here
SlideShow– Click Here
Props– It’s JDM Yo!, VIP Modular Wheels, Falken Tires, 1UP Crew, Trendy Threadz
AUTOCON
December 22nd, 2011 by RobertAnother wonderful day in Southern California and the stage was set for AutoCon 2011, what better way to wrap the end of the year with Autocon 2011. This year the event was held at the location of the first Gymkhana viral video. This place was huge! Food trucks galore, hot females and hot rides no one does it better than Autocon Events!
Date: December 10th
Location: O.C. Great Parks: El Toro Field & Festival Site, CA
By: Robo
Gallery– Click Here
SlideShow– Click Here
Props– AutoCon Events, Toy for Tots, It’s JDM Yo!, 1UP Crew
COBB TUNING SOCAL GRAND OPENING
December 12th, 2011 by Robert
If you own a turbocharged import (evo, subie) then you have heard of COBB. Founded by Trey Cobb to provided high performance components and service to the import and now euro scene. The number one product that they offer is the AccessPORT with this device you can easily get the best bang for the buck performance on your turbocharged vehicle.
Headquartered in Austin TX, they have 4 locations to offer high quality aftermarket parts and accessories.
Southern California is the hotbed for the aftermarket performance market and now COBB is happy to anounce their Socal facility.
COBB Tuning SoCal is the ultimate import performance and prep shop in Southern California. At COBB Tuning SoCal, we pride ourselves on being the most knowledgeable and experienced tuning company in the industry. We specialize in Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru performance model vehicles. Work with our professional tuners and technicians to take your car to the next level! Our experienced consultants will guide you through the chaos of the aftermarket wilderness and only recommend parts of the utmost quality and performance. Highly qualified technicians will handle installations, builds, maintenance and repairs to exacting standards. Expert tuning staff will ensure that all components work together in harmony to generate impressive power with high levels of safety and longevity.
COBB Tuning is proud to announce the Official Grand Opening of its latest retail facility, COBB Tuning SOCAL. COBB Tuning SOCAL brings customer focus, professionalism, and attention to detail to Southern California in this freshly outfitted 10,000sq/ft facility. The new location features an open and inviting floorplan, a comfortable customer lounge, accessible product displays and private sales offices. COBB Tuning SOCAL is equipped as a one-stop-shop for nearly all of an auto enthusiast’s needs, including retail sales, a Mustang AWD dyno and professional dyno tuning, four service bays, product installation, project build planning, custom fabrication and vehicle maintenance services.
I was able to attend the grand opening and I have to say this shop is going to be go to shop for me and my friends.
If you are in the market for aftermarket parts for your SUBIE, MITSU, MAZDA, MINI, BMW or GTR give them a call you won’t be disappointed!
Date: December 4th
Location: Fountain Valley, CA
By: Robo
Gallery– Click Here
SlideShow– Click Here
Props– COBB TUNING SOCAL
Hot Import Nights Los Angeles – Whips
December 6th, 2011 by Robert
After taking a long hiatus HIN came back to Los Angeles and man it came back a huge way! The Los Angeles Convention Center was this years location and they packed the West Hall with the cleanest, sickest and unique whips.
I am not very happy with my images but learned some valuable lessons when shooting in low light situations.
Stay tuned for the females of HIN 2011!
Date: December 3rd
Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles California
By: Robo
Gallery– Click Here
SlideShow– Click Here
Ciao Marco Simoncelli.
October 28th, 2011 by Elusive MediaI’m still at a lose of words … Anyone that follows MotoGP, knows how excited it was to watch Marco race around the track, especially with all the drama he created over this season. Marco always had a smile and was always willing to talk with his fans and sign autographs, Marco was truly a great guy. At the age of 24, he was just getting started with only 2 years in the premier class. We all know #58 was on his way to fight for the championship, it was only a matter of time. RIP Marco, you will be greatly missed on and off the track.. Thanks for the amazing ride.
For anyone looking to send condolence, please visit http://58marcosimoncelli.it/
Below are some of the photos I took of Marco Simoncelli(Super Sic) during 250CC(2008-2009) and MotoGP(2010-211). More photos are located in the gallery along withe larger resolutions of the photos below.
Date: October 28th, 2011
By: Erik
Gallery – Click Here
Slideshow – Click Here
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Subiefest 2011 Part 3 “Auto X”
October 27th, 2011 by RobertSubiefest was a blast, after obtaining a cool looking media jacket I was able to plant myself close to the action, please enjoy the shots I was able to take at this awesome event.
Shoutouts– Socal COBB Tuning, Subiefest
Location:Fairplex at Pomona Fair Grounds
By:Robert
Gallery– Click Here
SlideShow– Click Here
Red Bull Indianapolis MotoGP
August 30th, 2011 by Elusive MediaAs everyone knows, MotoGP is my “fix”. I watch FP1,2,3 & Quali for all MotoGP races … i’d even watch moto2/125 FPs and Quali if sleep didn’t get in the way! This year was a bit different for travel arrangements, instead of driving in the day before, we flew from Newark, NJ to Indy Friday morning. If all went well, we would have a few hours to make it to the track before the first FP would start. Of course, this wasn’t the case. After a few hours delay with our first plane, the airline decided to give us a new plane. About 2.5 hrs later, we were on our way to the Indianapolis. As we entered Indianapolis airspace, i look at the window and i see the speedway, with 125cc already on the track, dang! Not off to a good start, but we made it safe, and I’m ready to take some photos!
Besides this being the last year for 125cc(moto3 next year), Indianapolis Speedway resurfaced the entire infield of the track a few months prior to the start of race weekend. This was done because many of the riders complained about bumps around the course, but the downside of doing this without anyone riding on the track before was grip. The new problem for the weekend, was of course tire grip. As the weekend progressed and the more rides took to the track, the more rubber that was laid down to give some better grip to the riders. Thankfully the weekend was full of sun with no chance of rain to hit during race weekend.
Stoner’s dominance continues with his seventh pole position setting him up for another win at one of the tracks he’s never won at before. The Ducati team with tire wear and front end feel with both the GP11/11.1 model has hindered both riders to start higher on the grid. The Yamaha team on the the other hand, Lorenzo and Spies qualified 2nd and 3rd, which was their first first double Yamaha front row of the year.
Race day is here and like the whole weekend, the sun is out and is heating up the asphalt to a scorching 51c/123f. Stoner, Lorenzo, & Pedrosa take a charging start, and Pedrosa hoping to do a repeat of last year, but after 7 laps Stoner over takes Lorenzo then Pedrosa and stay ahead for the remainder of the race. Even though Spies starts 2nd on the grid, him and Dovi, touch going into turn one which send him out wide. Marco Simoncelli and Nicky Hayden starts off strong but tire wear slowly start cutting back their times, and eventually Nicky has to pit to change tires to finish the race and still able to get a few points. While Rossi has is own problem worth front end feel and tire wear pushes him back to the end of the pack; At one point Rossi was in 17th to work his way back up to 10th. Despite the bad start for Spies, he works his way back up to 3rd place by lap 16 but too far off to catch Pedrosa. Randy De Puniet ends up finishing 8th, which is his best finish of the season on his Pramac Ducati.
For a first for this year, AMA XR1200 had a race after the MotoGP races were completed. It wasn’t something i was all that up-to-date with, but it was a great bonus the crowed go to enjoy.
For more information, check out motogp.com!
Date: August 26-28th, 2011
By: Erik
Gallery – Click Here
Buy Tickets for 2012: Click Here
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12
13.
14.
15.
16.
Formula D; Round 4 – The Gauntlet
July 1st, 2011 by Elusive MediaFormula DRIFT hit Wall Speedway for Round 4 aka “The Gauntlet” on June 18th. This year was an exciting race where the Gauntlet lived up to it’s name and claimed many cars during qualifications and the main competition with their 30 degree embankments and 16 degree banked ovals along the straightaways. Conrad Grunewald (Hankook Chevy Camaro) took the 1st place victory from 2nd place Justin Pawlak (Falken Ford Mustang) in a very tight “classic American muscle car” competition – Mustang vs Camaro. The battle for 3rd went to Daijiro Yoshihara (Discount Tire/Falken Nissan 240SX) after Ryan Tuerek (Mobil 1/Gardella Racing Chevy Camaro) crashed into the wall in the initial turn. Formula DRIFT and Wall Speedway showcased an excellent race to a near sold-out capacity event proving that this highly competitive sport is growing every season.
Date: June 18th, 2011
By: Glenn
Gallery – Click Here
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
AMG Performance Driving Event
May 15th, 2011 by Elusive MediaMy friends and i were lucky enough to be invited to attend the AMG Performance Event at the Monticello track in NY. We had the opportunity to drive the C63 AMG, CLS63 AMG, SL63 AMG, E63 AMG. The rules were you get 3 laps, 1 lap at a top with any car. AMG had professional instructors to help you get adjusted to each car and learn your way around the track. I was luckily enough to get 4 laps, so i took a lap with each car. Each car has excellent power ranging from 452hp to 518hp AMG engine; couldn’t go wrong with any choice. The last lap i took was with the E63 AMG, Scott and Tyson jumped in the back with me at the wheel…brave! Video posted below…enjoy!
Date: June 18th, 2011
By: Erik, Tyson, & Scott
Gallery – Click Here
SlideShow – Click Here
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Contributers
