Driftmas

Posted: December 24, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the garage
Not an engine was whirring, not even the dodge.
The cars we’re parked, cleaned up with care.
In hopes that the drift season soon would be here..

The #Falkens were mounted all snug on their rims,
The offset was perfect, no spacers no shims.
And gas in the tank, and oil under the cap,
Had just stabilized the fuel for the long winter’s nap.

When out on the street there arose such a squeal,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the deal.
Away to the window I ran like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But some slammed 240s, chirping 3rd gear.

With a old school drivers, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be clique.
We got in the cars, as soon as they came,
And they whistled, and shouted, and called out my name!

“Now Nissans! now, Toyotas! now, Mazdas and Lexus!
On, Subbies! On, Mitsus! on, Hondas and Genesis!
To the top of the canyon! to the top of the mountain!
Now drift away! Drift away! Drift away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane glide,
When they meet with a corner, the rip the ebrake and begin to slide.
So up to the mountain-top the drifters they flew,
With a full can of NOS, and some hot bitches too.

And then, in an instant, I heard on the walkie
That the police we’re away getting some coffee.
As I thought in my head, and was turning around,
I told all the homies we were drifting bound.

The cars blowing smoke, from the street to the tire,
and the bumpers discolored, from a little backfire.
A few spare tires we threw in the trunk,
We looked like a junkyard, driving piles of junk.

The road how it sparkled! open turns how merry!
HIDs gleaming like stars, enough light we need not tarry!
The turbos spooled up, the gears we would throw ,
And all we saw behind us was a cloud made of snow.

The gears were moving, catching all of the teeth,
The mountain was winding like a holiday wreath.
It had many turns, yes the hairpins were many
If you weren’t on this run, man you’d be jelly!

The gas tanks ran low, and the tires grew bald
We laughed when we saw a few tow trucks were called!
A gleam in our eyes and a twist of the wheel,
Soon let us know we too had no tread.

We spoke not a word, but went straight down the pass,
And still pushed the cars, and slammed on the gas.
Nearing the bottom of our cold night run,
We knew we’d accomplished a night full of fun!

We all headed home, to the garages we fled,
And with this fun night, a good year was ahead.
I yelled to them all as the door hid the sight,

“Happy Drifttmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Build Spotlight: Thirteen 20′s FR-S

Posted: December 11, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Features

Hey fans! Inside Drifting is officially back in business and as always we never disappoint! This feature is for our Forza fans out there. The build we are featuring is actually one of my own team builds. Thirteen 20, founded by ATLKraziBoi is a new team coming up in the Forza drift community. Great group of people with a common interest: to slide whatever we possibly can, wherever we possible can. Anyways, on with the build!

Recently, with the revival of Inside Drifting, we wanted to bring it back with a bang. We decided to get the Forza community involved in progressive club or personal builds in game. So, our club got together and decided it’d be a fun project for us to try.

After looking through the vehicle classifieds around the area we found exactly what we were looking for. There was a Scion FR-S that had been in an accident recently for $5,500 on craigslist in the North Colorado area. Judging from the poor camera phone pictures on the ad it seemed to have a bit of front damage on the car. My curiosity got the best of me and I decided to call the owner to find out more about the car. He told me he had lost control in the rain and took it into a guard rail. There was not engine damage but the frame is slightly warped and cosmetically the front end was a catastrophe. In my head I was thinking that this would be a gold mine of a car if it was fine performance wise. I decided to pay the owner a visit with cash on hand.

Driving all the way up to North Colorado was a nice but long trip. I had one of our teammates jlowe29 drive me to pick up the car.

The scenery was great and the music festival that had been going on at the time had the whole area in a great mood. We saw tons of exotic cars driving around the city. We were getting pretty close as the sun was starting to dip toward the horizon.

As we pulled into the neighborhood I spotted the car instantly. We drove into his driveway and I got a closer look at the machine. It did have quite a bit of front damage but it looked as if the guard rail missed the radiator and other vital parts. The frame was bent a bit as if it rode up onto the guard rail. We went and knocked on the man’s door to negotiate a price.

After we had watched him start it to double check to see if all lights and signals work he agreed on giving the car up for $4,900. The car was officially property of T20.

With the sun slowly setting we raced toward Highway 70. Project FR-S had an appointment at a local body shop to get all fixed and pretty. Afterwards, it was going to be sent for paint. A base coat of primer for the time being to prevent rust while we strip down and build the engine to our liking.

Tailgating at it’s finest!

Grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant right off the highway. Can’t complain about food when you’re hungry.

We arrived at the body shop around 9pm. The man who owned the shop started looking at the car. He told us it wasn’t going to be easy but, the damage was completely repairable.

It was going to have the side panels and front bumper replaced. The hood I wasn’t worried about. I had already ordered a carbon fiber hood for the car regardless of hood condition. A body kit was in mind so really there was no point in bumper repair at all but, that wasn’t going to be until later so it wasn’t a big deal.

Overall I’m excited for the build and happy with the purchase. We have a lot in store for this machine so stay tuned for the next update on Project FR-S!

It’s Official!

Posted: July 16, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

After hearing the news of Chelsea Denofa getting dropped from Technical Motorsports, a lot of us fans were wondering as to where Chelsea would go. Well now we have confirmation! Check out the full article here Chelsea Denofa RX-8

Unfortunate Times for FD Drivers

Posted: July 13, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Formula Drift

You’ve probably heard about the new deal that has gone down that has dropped both Chelsea Denofa and Joon Maeng from their sponsorships. We here at Inside Drifting find this a very big mistake. Both of these drivers kill it on the track and are both fan favorites! If you care to read the official statement here it is:

Joon:

Bergenholtz Racing and Joon Maeng Part Ways.
Effective immediately, Bergenholtz Racing and Joon Maeng have both decided to part ways. “Though we both gave our blood sweat and tears to achieve podiums, we still couldn’t get the formula right. In our quest to win, we realize that change must occur and sometimes that involves tough decisions. It is with great heart-felt regret that this has to happen but I believe it is the best for the future of Joon and our team.” Said Ron Bergenholtz, Team Manager of Bergenholtz Racing.

Chelsea:

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Leave us your thoughts and opinions!

Formula Drift Round 4: New Jersey **Hype**

Posted: June 20, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Formula Drift

This Friday and Saturday we’re back at it to cover Formula Drift Round 4: The Gauntlet! Lately our army of two staff has been busy with my personal drift project car and since we actually went to Round 3: Invasion we never really thought to cover it. Anyways, here’s the low down to this weekends event.

The standings for the top 10 are as follows at the moment:

1. Justin Pawlak – 280

2. Daigo Saito – 259.50

3. Daijiro Yoshihara – 197

4. Rhys Millen – 185

5. Ryan Tuerck – 183.50

6. Chris Forsberg – 183

7. Odi Bakchis – 177.25

8. Fredric Aasbo – 176.50

9. Vaughn Gittin Jr – 169

10. Toshiki Yoshioka – 162.75

As you can see JTP and Saito are out by a longshot. Unless something happens or they lose consistency it’ll be a battle for 1st by those two the rest of the season. As far as 3rd it’s anyone’s game.

Let us know your predictions and who your rooting for this weekend!

Remember to like us on Facebook as well!

Formula Drift Round 2: Atlanta

Posted: May 15, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

Another spectacular event by Formula Drift! The turn out was incredible and the action rolled on all weekend. One of the most anticipated battles went down  here and that was between Daigo Saito, a new to Formula Drift D1GP champion, and Vaughn Gittin Jr., driver of the Monster Falken Mustang. Was a great battle until Vaughn gave chase. Saito strayed out to far and went off course when Vaughn took the right line. Needless to say Saito came back in and clipped Vaughn. Daigo took the win over him and ended up advancing into third overall. This is a very controversial judging but in the end there’s nothing you can do. If you all want to see the battle watch it here! 

Results:

1. Justin Pawlak

2. FredricAasbo

3. Daigo Saito

4. Walker Wilkerson

View the full results here!

 

Everyone’s amped up for Round 3: Invasion!

What’s to come?

Posted: April 9, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

So after a great season opener in the Formula Drift league, it hints a promising and exciting year ahead of us.  What’s to come from Inside Drifting in the next few months? Well, you’ll be pretty stoked when you hear.

  • More interviews from Formula Drift drivers (Of course), including an exclusive interview with Daijiro Yoshihara, your 2011 Formula Drift Champion and Triple Crown Champion.
  • Coverage and recap of the rounds to come. Unfortunately only one staff member of ID could watch it all but he had couldn’t do it. Be assured we’re going to work on that!
  • Some more features including a new segment of a “Reader’s Rides” sort.
  • and much, much more!

A Well Overdue Feature

Posted: April 2, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

Well as usual we over at Inside Drifting are behind on our website again! Creatures of habit? Yeahhhhh.

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But also as usual, we bring you only the greatest of the drift scene in all of our posts and this one is no exception.

Her name is Denise Bortnak or as she likes to be called, Dennii. Playboy model, race car driver, this girl has it going on! But sorry guys, she has a boyfriend :) . We have been procrastinating this feature for a while (SORRY DENNII :D ) but never the less here it is.

My name is Denise but I go by Dennii in the modeling industry & drifting pathway. I started modeling about a year ago now & have been published in  a few magazines such as Dynasty Magazine, Playboy Special Editions: Natural Beauties, Sexy Summer Girls and Lingerie (2x) and looking forward to more!  So far I have signed with about 5 agencies doing commercial, print, beauty, glamour and promotional work. I want to conjoin modeling and drifting together to help both of them excel. As far as the cars go, I’ve been interested in cars ever since I started dating my boyfriend which was about 11 years ago when I was in high school.
   The typical car scene was what I began with but then friends of ours started dabbing into drifting and the drift community exploded. The Japanese culture of drifting and JDM cars such as S13/S14/S15 240′s, Skylines (R32/R34/GTR), Toyotas (Altezza’s), etc just became a huge fascination and interest of mine. About 5 months ago, my boyfriend bought a 92′ S13 Silvia and thats where I started trying to play around and learn how to drift. Ever since I’ve been attending local track practices/events and just improving the car more. I’m not the typical blonde model because I actually like working on cars and driving them. Recently I grabbed Lutz Peformance’s, a 2012 Formula Drift sponsor of Kenny Moen, attention for sponsorship for 2012 on top of small private sponsors.
    The S13 Silvia is my current track car where I have big plans for it in due time. My future drift car would have to be a Altezza or a R34 Skyline, thats my ultimate dream car. As a rookie I just want to focus on increasing my seat time and just sharpening my drifting skills for 2012 and 2013. I have a lot of great plans in mind for my drifting pathway, its only a matter of time to unroll the surprises :)  I’d defiantly keep an eye out for this beginning female drifter because all I want to do is excel and work my way to the top. I’m always looking for more sponsors for my sponsor team, email me at: theofficialdennii@gmail.com
   Thanks Dennii! We hope to see you shine in your drifting career. Maybe one day we’ll see you as the first woman in Formula Drift!
   P.S. Yes in the beginning we did mention something about her being a model. You think we’d let that slide?
  P.S.S.  The video to see her in action: http://youtu.be/8PVpCuNh31Q

Not Just Your Average Rookie

Posted: March 14, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

Inside Drifting has been MIA for a while now but, we never disappoint! We got in touch with another up and coming Formula D rookie Corey Hosford.

So as a rookie coming into your first year of pro competition in Formula Drift, what are your plans to stun the fans and make you a fan favorite?

Wow, I’m going to go out there and just have as much fun as I possibly can. I’m a very social person and I try to connect with drift fans as much as I can. In the many forms of racing I’ve seen too many drivers get egos and lock themselves in their trailers or not give fans the time of day. I really dislike that. If it wasn’t for the fans we wouldn’t have jobs! Ill message people back on Facebook, I respond to emails every day. I want to connect with them not turn my back to them.
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How long have you been drifting for?

10 months ago I competed in my first drift event. OH the memories : P

Did you ever think drifting would become your career?

Drifting has always caught my attention, but there have been too many times where I didn’t have the time or the resources to compete. So finally in the middle of 2010 I told myself I need to make this happen. I didn’t know if it was Drifting or some other form of motorsports. I’m really glad where I’m at with Team Ksport.

What was your first car?

1967 VW beetle! I wish I still had it

Do you have a favorite Formula Drift driver that you look up to?

I wouldn’t say I have one in particular, but I respect all the drivers that compete in the series. We all had to go through a similar trials and errors to get where we are at, and I respect all of the drivers and abilities to get where they are at. And on top of all that they are all really rad dudes!
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Is there anyone in particular that you look forward to competing against in next year’s season?

I just want to drive! When you get on the grid names don’t exist, just competitors.

What was your most memorable battle during your drift career?

I would have to say the whole Formula Drift Vegas event round 4. Read the blog it was pretty nutty! http://ksportusa.com/blog/?p=638

What are you doing to prepare for the first round at long beach in the off season?

Well I’m in a car constantly at the Bob Bondurant School of high performance driving. When I’m at the shop I’m working with Todd at Fueled Racing and Nick and Chris at KSPORT USA just to learn every little thing about set up and changes. I feel that I’m constantly growing every single day to become a better more efficient driver.

Thank you Mr. Hosford for your time.

Thank you! Big thanks go out to all my sponsors! Ksport USA, Fueled Racing ,Weds Wheels, APR, AIT racing, Elite automotive, Falken Tire, ANZO USA, EXEDY, Bondurant school, and Magnuson Superchargers. Its these companies who make it possible.

–Thanks,

Corey Hosford
Ksport Driver
Website: www.ksportusa.com

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Thanks Corey for the interview! We wish you the best of luck in your 2012 Formula Drift season!

Interview Credits: Matt Aruda

Photo Credits: Facebook yO!

Legend From Lithuania Part Two!

Posted: February 20, 2012 by TDT Spirit in Miscellaneous

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Late last year, when Inside Drifting was just starting up, we got to interview Aurimas Odi Bakchis. Since his Rookie Of The Year season on Formula Drift recently, he has done a lot of changes to his car. We got to get all the details in the follow-up interview we had just a few weeks ago.

 

Last time we talked to you was right before the final round in Irwindale. You ended up maintaining the Rookie of the Year spot. After such an accomplishment in your first season, what are you expectations in 2012?
I am eager to show that I am a consistent and competitive driver in the series. I plan to drive hard and want to do well each event, which I’m sure is what every driver is going for. I feel pretty good about last season, but I want to show that I can consistently do even better than in my rookie year.

You also talked about some changes to the car like transmission and horsepower changes. What all has changed so far? Is it ready for April?

Right now the car is nowhere near ready for April. We do have a new LS2 motor that we are putting in the car, but right now everything is in pieces and the car is on jackstands. As for a transmission, we will likely stick with the T-56 for now. We have been testing with new Feal Suspension products, which are close to ready for next season.

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The new wrap from 702graphics has everyone talking about it. Was it your creation or a 702 special?

The new wrap is a combination of 702 Graphic’s design, my input, and Team M7′s general look. We kept the same design as last season on a portion of the car and just switched up the colors. Team M7 cars have the dragons and the black, silver, and fluorescent green. 702 Graphics put it all together to make a great design for next season!

What’s your mindset going into the first round?

I am pretty excited for the first round; I’m looking forward to my first event representing Team M7 on Nexen tires. At the same time I feel that there is a lot of pressure going into the season, and now I know what there is to expect. Long Beach will be the start of an intense few months!

Who are you looking forward to battling this year?

I am looking forward to any good, fun tandem run. Hopefully I’ll have some more horsepower under the hood this year and will get to enjoy the tandems with some close action, rather than trying to play catch-up for the entire run.

How did you get involoved with 702?

702 Graphics got involved with our drift program in 2010 during XDC in Las Vegas. After seeing the first day of practice, 702 Graphics put some decals on the car and the next day I showed up, drove hard, and finished in first place. It was pretty crazy, and we have been working closely with 702 Graphics ever since.

Any advice for up and coming drifters?

Drive as much as you can and don’t waste money on aero.

Any last words?

I’d like to thank my sponsors, M7 Japan, Nexen Tire USA, Feal Suspension, 702 Graphics, Drive Energy Drink by M7, Torco Oils, Clutch Masters, Dstroyr, Sikky Mfg, CBM Motorsports, Swift Springs, EBC Brakes. I’d also like to thank my friends, family, and fans that help me out and continue to support me.

 

We over at Inside Drifting wish Odi the best of luck in the upcoming Formula Drift season and the drifting career you have ahead of you!

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Photo Credits: Garrett by Honeywell, OMG Drift’s Drew Fishbein, and Stephen Villagrasa