Issue 03

n o s a e S f

f O

Edition

Issue 03 | MAR 2015

facebook.com/OMGDrift | www.omgdrift.com | @omgdrift | youtube.com/omgdriftdotcom 1 | Omgdrift.com

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table of contents Contributors 04 Women are cool too 08 Haydens New Wheels 20 Meeting Models in Vegas 36 Rad Shop Dopeness 42 Thursday Night Drift 52 Drifting with the Guys 54 hateley At Sunset 64 Godzilla in Arizona 70 Vegas Drift Gallery 80 Left Coast Posse 86 Tofu Drift Van 98 Miata Drift Limo 106 Grassroots Dopeness 112 3 | Omgdrift.com

OMGDRIF Drew Fishbein

Mike Griffith

Caitlin Ting

Martin Cunningham

Brice Burkhardt

Nick Quigley

Brand Director / Social Media Director

Brand Director

Design Editor

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Content Editor

Web Editor

Content Editor

FT STAFF Bryant Rosser Jenna Michelmore Contributor

Contributor

Ross Fairfield

Justin Garnett Contributor

Contributor

Adam Rous Contributor

Ben Chavez

Maarken Edwards Contributor

Contributor

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Who Says that Girls

can’t play with

HOTWheels For this issue, I was asked to write something about “girls and drifting.” I have to say, I did not, and still do not, understand what exactly that means. To me, discussing girls and drifting is the same as discussing boys and drifting.

So where do we go from there? I thought about where I could take this article, and it was (jokingly) suggested that myself and our other female staff member talk about which drivers we think are the cutest or most attractive.

For obvious reasons, I decided to steer clear of whatever it is that people consider to be “girl talk.” Stereotypically, I could have written about umbrella girls, as they are the forefront of girls and drifting.

Instead, I chose to go behind the scenes in a sense, to highlight four female photographers that I am inspired by, who also think that stereotypes are stupid.

Caitlin Ting

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Liora Klein 10 | Omgdrift.com

BioGRAPHY Name: Liora Klein Location: Brooklyn, NY Age: 28 Camera(s) Setup: Nikon D700 35 f1.4 (Current workhorse) 85 f1.4 70-200 f2.8 24-70 f2.8 Canon AE-1 50 f1.8 Polaroid SLR 680 Dream Car: Too many to list, I want all the cars. But if I had to be more specific I’d say AWD and Turbo.

Dream Drift Build: Been there, done that, totaled it, over it.

Favorite Event: To Shoot – FDNJ because of the sunset through the trees over the bank… That light… Plus it’s the least amount of walking along with the most amount of full track visibility from one spot in comparison to any other Formula D track. Go ahead, call me lazy.

To Party – Any ClubLoose event ever. #greatestplaceonearth

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When did your interest in photography develop?

When I was 13 and my mother gave me the same Canon AE-1 that I shoot with today. We would drive around and take pictures of random things in Bucks County, PA. I guess you could say I started shooting landscapes and architecture, which are now the two things I loathe to shoot. Funny how that turned out. This eventually turned into taking many pictures of all my friends. They still hate me to this day for the embarrassing reminders of our younger and less attractive years.

What drew you to drifting?

Growing up in Doylestown I was around the likes of some leaders in the scene.

Tony Angelo’s Mom has worked with my Dad for pretty much all of my life.

Chris Forsberg is also from Doylestown. Drift Alliance was born in that area.

Also, I was convinced to build an S13 back in 2006 with the help of a coworker at the car dealership I was working at. I didn’t know what I had built until Club Loose came into my life., but I had already totaled the S13 long before that point. For the record, it was not my fault. Getting “drawn to drifting” was really to me just having a bunch of friends that were into driving cars, never recognized it as a possibility of turning into what it is today.

Have you ever encountered any stereotypes being a female photographer?

Nobody would ever want me “back in the kitchen”. I fail at “womanhood” in that department. In all honesty, no, I have never run across stereotypes that have made me feel offended in any way. I have always considered myself as “one of the guys” so I’ve always been treated as such. Certain situations actually work better for me as a female. I absolutely love shooting Boudoir and I’ve noticed females that I shoot warm up to me quite quickly and have told me they prefer that a woman photograph them. Being a woman means

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I know the crazy self-conscious that goes on in our minds when having an intimate picture taken so I do my best to capture the beauty in every woman I work with.

Do you do any other forms of photography?

I do a lot of Boudoir, Weddings, Maternity and any type of Personal Portraits.

How do you feel about being a female in a male dominated environment? Do you not give a shit because who really cares?

Seriously, who really fucking cares. You are what you put out. If I put out that I cared and needed special attention because I wasn’t like the rest, I would get eaten alive. Walk into the event, do what you love and own it. Whatever anatomy is going on underneath the pants we are all forced to wear on track doesn’t matter in comparison to skill.

Do you think being a girl has helped your career at all?

I can’t say no because I am not completely privy to peoples reasoning’s for hiring me. They say it’s because of my work but who knows if they’re lying. I personally think my super outgoing personality and networking skills drives my career. Oh, and actually wanting to put out art that I’m proud to put my name on, not just catering to what I think everyone else wants to see.

So you’re in drifting, what’s your big goal?

Photo Journalist. I want to travel everywhere and shoot everything, and I want to do it all on film. Say what you want but I just can’t let that medium die.

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BioGRAPHY Name: Leann Deen
 Location: Denver, CO
 Age: 28 Camera Setup: Canon 5DMKII Canon AE-1 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II 16-35mm f/2.8L II 50mm f/1.8 II Instax Mini 90

Dream Car: Hakosuka GTR! This is an extremely difficult question to answer because I have the hardest time choosing favorites, but I'm really into old school cars.

Dream Drift Build: To put it simply, an LS E30. I could probably say a lot about this but right now I have an E30 that's still in the works and it's a blast to drive.

Favorite Event: For drifting, probably FD Long Beach or Irwindale. Albeit, I'd love to get out to some awesome grassroots events like Bash to the Future. Outside of drifting, Formula 1 at COTA.

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When did your interest in photography develop?

I would probably say as a little kid. I was the one that was always asking if I could hold the camera. Constantly. My parents actually have video of me repeatedly asking my dad if I could have the camera and it’s actually kind of embarrassing. I used to take a lot of random pictures as a kid though.

As I grew older I took a photography class in high school and really enjoyed not only taking photos but also the satisfaction of developing everything with my own hands.

I didn’t really take it seriously back then but then one day I was looking at other people’s work and it helped to spark my passion for it again. Since I was on a break from drifting and road racing at the time, it was also a way for me to continue to stay connected to the motorsports community without spending as much money...or so I thought!

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What drew you to drifting?

I’ve loved cars since elementary school. I imagine part of that influence came from having two older brothers but as their interest tapered off, mine continued to grow. Instead of looking at other people’s cool cars and watching them drive I decided that I didn’t want to watch any longer, I wanted to be living it. I still remember when I was first introduced to drifting after watching something about it on TV years ago and decided right then and there that I was going to learn how to do that. I called up my parents and told them all about how I needed a car for drifting and proceeded to make them watch videos all about it. As you can imagine, my mom was thrilled. My dad later went with me to purchase my first Nissan 240sx. No matter what crazy idea I pitch to them though, they’re always supportive of everything I do.

Do you do any other forms of photography?

Though I’ve mainly been involved in motorsports photography, I’ve branched out to other types such as family photos and engagement/weddings. I enjoy capturing the excitement of motorsports events but I also enjoy catching the special moments people share and creating something for them to always remember them by.

Have you ever encountered any stereotypes being a female photographer?

Not that I can think of! I don’t have people yelling at me that I should be making a sandwich and certainly not that I should be a model. Being behind the camera is where I shine. The people I’ve encountered in my photography adventures have been great and I’ve made a lot of amazing friends through it.

How do you feel about being a female in a male dominated environment? Do you not give a shit because who really cares?

Long hair, no care. It doesn’t matter to me.

Do you think being a girl has helped your career at all?

I don’t know, I hope not. I wouldn’t want the fact that I’m a female to have an influence.

I imagine sometimes people think it’s neat that I take photos and am involved in motorsports but I want the work that I produce to be what drives my career.

So you’re in drifting, what’s your big goal?

To have fun! If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point? Although, I would like to figure out a better way to balance both driving and taking photos. More importantly, I want to continue learning and improving in both.

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Name: Ashleigh Monaghan Location: Auckland, NZ Age: 23 Camera Setup: Canon 7D Body Sigma 85mm f1.4 Canon 15-85mm f3.5-5.6 Canon 40mm f2.8 Canon 50mm f1.8 (the nifty 50 is a necessity!).

Sadly, I do not yet own a 70-200mm but you’ll most likely see me roaming with a borrowed one. ** note: all the photos included were taken on my old 500D. Can’t believe I used that beater for a whole season!

Dream Car: Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ with my choice of suspension and wheels Dream Drift Build: This is so hard. The first thing that came into my head was “2JZ everything”. But in all honesty, for me, the perfect car for learning in (I feel) would be a well-tuned SR powered Toyota KE70. I am a sucker for a tidy old-school Japanese chassis – I’d be sure to accessorise it cleanly with a front lip, flared guards and some SSRs in a juicy size and offset. It would be the shiniest and most well looked after KE on the planet – till I hit an armco or something.

Favorite Event: D1NZ Round 6 2014 – Mount Smart Stadium.

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When did your interest in photography develop?

It all started when I was about 19 – I met a handful of people who were either studying photography, or had just graduated from their courses. I loved everything about the idea of capturing a moment. I bought my first camera in 2012; a very well loved Canon 500D. I knew nothing about this camera except for the fact that I was pretty much a stylish hipster for owning one. I put the camera down for other shortly after, it wasn’t until about 9 months ago that I was encouraged to pick it back up again for a couple of local grassroots days.

What drew you to drifting?

I caught the drifting bug in 2011 and have since been attending events working on my own little project cars. I had met a couple of very influential people that were on my wave length, rocking D1NZ Media accreditation.

I was always at local days supporting/hanging out with friends and with a helping hand I eventually started taking my camera with me.

I was lucky enough to be shown the ropes of motorsport photography and was nodded into D1NZ Media late last year as a contributor for a reporting outlet – that was when I was really let loose.

Do you do any other forms of photography?

Not as of yet… I would love to get into wedding photography.

has faults, but it also shows many strengths.

Having the eagerness to learn about motor, chassis and suspension setups can throw people off and I sometimes get placed into a stereotypical category. However, those who are true and good see past the stereotypes and continue to teach me more. I have made some unbelievable friends in this environment and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Do you think being a girl has helped your career at all?

To be fair, my boss has said that it is hard to find a young woman in my line of work who is interested in cars. I try so hard not to think about that – and I don’t want my photography career to progress because I am a girl. I want it to progress as my images do. Experience is what makes most people good at what they do, and I feel very privileged to have friends to bounce ideas and questions with to help me grow as a photographer.

So you’re in drifting, what’s your big goal?

To shoot and breathe in the global drifting culture, no matter where I am in the world. Memories and photos mean so much more to me that being paid to actually do it. Having the opportunity to shoot in the USA has been like a dream come true. I hope to do the same someday in Japan, Australia, the UK and wider Europe.

Have you ever encountered any stereotypes being a female photographer?

Not really – we have a couple of other women that shoot for D1NZ here, so it’s not so much the photography that gets people stereotyping. The more I talk about cars, the more the stereotypes come out!

How do you feel about being a female in a male dominated environment?

Cars have taken over my life so much now that I eagerly work in the car industry. Being a female in a male dominated environment

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Who is Hayden Evans?

I’m a student at the College of Southern Nevada and I’ve been working at Exotics racing for about eight months now. I started off working as a host and have recently moved up to instructing in the car. A lot of my coworkers, including Blake Olsen and Bomac, have given me a lot of advice for drifting and I am extremely grateful for that and to work where I do. I was born and have lived in Las Vegas for my whole life, recently turning 19 last December. I’ve always have had a love for cars; since birth, my parents would take me to Nascar and

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drag racing events. My parents also have had many classic cars they would enter in shows, such as a 1955 Bel Air and a 1969 SS/RS 396 4 speed Camaro. My parents would even drag race each other and other people with me in the back car seat!

I’ve always have had a love for racing, the biggest I was into was rally racing when Colin McRae was around, I’ve never been too big into desert racing as I’ve always been drawn to cars more than trucks. But drifting is something special that I will do until the day I die, the people, the style, the cars, it’s just the best motorsport around in my eyes.

What Ever Happened to Wang’s Wheels?

Words by Caitlin Ting & Hayden Evans | Photos by Caitlin Ting

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If you were curious to know who bought Forrest Wang's old car, wonder no more!

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I have been following drifting for almost my whole life. I went to my first Formula Drift event when I was 11 and have always wanted to get into it since.

I used to “drift” my 2007 Subaru STI at wet skid pad events on and off last year messing, around but I always wanted to enter competitively. So now that I picked up my S13 about two months ago, I have only been to one actual Vegas Drift event and I love it.

truck and the team disbanded, which contained many family friends.

My family has been doing off road racing for many years now. My family started off in the 7200 class then moving onto class 8 with my brother driving and a family friend co­driving. We were class 8 champions with S.N.O.R.E two years in a row. Then with my brother moving out and things changing, we had to sell the

Meanwhile at the same time I’ve been doing autocross and track days on and off for about three years with my STI and funded it with jobs like Walmart and Discount Tire while going to high school.

My driving experience and wrenching skills I’ve learned with our race trucks, also paired with my brother’s and dad’s

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About a year later we picked up a class 7200 truck and converted it to run in the new and more competitive class 6100.

After about a year of building we finally entered a race that sadly I was too busy too attend, and then later entered another race with my brother driving while I co-drove.

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great fabrication know­how does help immensely in this sport. We even have many ideas that we could implement to help evolve drifting from what we’ve learned with off­road racing.

Right now I plan on learning the car and doing small upgrades, such as a Halon extinguisher system, brake upgrades, and oil cooling system upgrades with other bits here and there.

I did have plans floating around my head for about a year to build a car. From a RWD converted STI to a BMW E36. However, at the last Vegas Drift event of 2014, my dad and I spoke to Garrett with Get Nuts, he said they have been planning on selling the S13 for some time, but the price he offered was a bit steep for my savings that I have built up.

My main goal is to learn the car for the first half of this season, compete in the grassroot Spirit of the Streets Vegas Drift series, and then compete competitively in the next ProAm season. Right now I’m trying to find whatever sponsors I can to help me out, but the main goal is just to finally do something I really love and have always wanted to do.

My dad then offered (which I am incredibly thankful for) to help me purchase the car so I don’t have to pour money into building one in the long run. We worked out a deal with Forrest and I picked up the car soon after.

I did always have the idea of buying a turn key car, but from my experience with what I’ve learned in autocross, I found myself getting smashed on by guys with completely stock cars because while I was busy modifying my car and having to relearn my car with every little adjustment, these other guys with completely stock cars were getting much more seat time and didn’t have to relearn their setup.

I admit that I don’t have the same sense of pride in the car that comes with building it myself, but I do love seeing the history that’s in it, such as the Formula Drift tech inspection sticker on one of the roll bars.

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Honestly, if I don’t win in anything or don’t have any sponsorships, then I really don’t care, I’m just in it for the fun and meeting cool people! My brother, dad, and I are building another 1JZ S13 hatch for my brother to use.

We are currently selling our 6100 truck because competing in desert racing is too stressful and time consuming for my father and brother. For the S13 we are building we are using the Get Nuts S13 as a template and hopefully we can mirror it pretty well, with a few changes.

We are going to build the whole car ourselves so it’ll be a few months before it’s up and running. We plan on having a relaxed and laid back drift team of my brother and I and have some fun. We have been thinking of picking up a third car for my father so we can all go out and have some fun, but he’s unsure for now.

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • •

• •

1993 Get Nuts built S13 with a S14 front end conversion 1JZ with a Garrett GTX3017r turbo Full straight pipe out with a Magnaflow muffler Tail blow off Stance coilovers Derale oil cooler 5154 Toyota granny xtd 6 puck clutch 10 gallon fuel cell with surge tank Apex fc commander Momo steering wheel Tein tie rods Dmax tension rods Custom power brace Kevlar seat with G­Force belts an a passenger side Sparco seat with Sparco quick release style belts Two fuel pumps mad to surge tank and bosh high pressure pump m7 water, boost, and exhaust gauges and a Cobalt wideband 518 STR Wheels in matte black, 17in up front 18in in the rear Gusseted and dimpled cage, tubed front wheel wells, and braces throughout with front and rear bash bars ASD long pull e­brake with Wilwood calipers Hardrace steering rack bushings Circuit Sports billet steering column spacer S14 axles Light­weight flywheel from mk3 Supra Locked diff Lower lengthened and boxed arms, cut and shortened knuckles, custom rack spacers, modified x member to relocate rack forward, custom sway bar Tuned to run on 100 octane by Insane Speed

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CAR SPECS

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Access Us From Anywhere!

Become a Sponsor Today!

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2015 US Schedule Round 1: Streets of Long Beach April 10-11 Round 2: Road Atlanta May 8-9 Round 3: Orlando Speedworld June 5-6 Round 4: Wall Speedway June 26-27 Round 5: Evergreen Speedway July 24-25 Round 6: Texas Motor Speedway August 21-22 Round 7: Irwindale Speedway October 9-10

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Turn up the heat One AE86. One Model. One HotelRoom.

Words and Photos by Caitlin Ting

Instagram: @kalliann haas Model Mayhem: www.modelmayhem/KalliannChristinehaas Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kallianhaas Email: kalliannhaas1@cox.net for model contact.

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Las Vegas local Kalliann Haas is an extremely well­rounded individual – she drifts, models, is passionate about music, and stays busy through a plethora of hobbies.

Growing up, Haas was heavily influenced by music (namely Thrice and Dustin Kensure), and had played the guitar since the age of nine. In her early teens, she had roles as rhythmic/lead guitar in two bands.

At sixteen, she began quad racing with her 400 Honda Ex, where she learned off­trail riding, some course riding, and jumps.

As a young teen, Haas began to be interested in modeling, but chose music over modeling for some time. In more recent years, the opportunities began to present themselves, and she embraced modeling.

Haas has modeled for three and a half years through several different agencies such as

Platinum Agency, Red Agency, XO Talent Agency, and Showgirl Mafia Entertainment.

In addition to modeling, she works as an ambassador broad at the Plaza Hotel and Casino, where she represents the promotions for the casino and “loves every bit of it!”

I was actually doing a photo shoot with Haas to expand both of our portfolios, when I found out she also drifts! Haas has about six months of cumulative seat time in drifting, and has been around the scene for several years. She learned how to drift from her husband, Jesse Brattain, who has been her “sensei” and taught her everything she knows. Haas got into drifting for one of the same reasons I believe many people do, saying, “it was a great experience, and [I] enjoyed the thrill [and] adrenaline rush!”

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Photo by Kalliann Haas

Photo by Kalliann Haas

Photo by Kalliann Haas

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While she does not currently compete, she would love to and plans on competing in the future. An old school Corolla enthusiast, she started drifting on a TE72, 82 Corolla, 1.8 3tc with side drafts. Haas currently drives an AE86 GTS Trueno, gutted with a roll cage.

Kalliann was a delight to work with due to her fun spirit, so it is not surprising that she stays busy with a lot of different exciting hobbies: “I’m all about hobbies, having fun with the family. Whether it’s skateboarding, dirt bike riding, drifting, frisbee, crazy drift carts. We just try to make the best of it!”

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Website: www.rad-industries.com, teamimr.com Tags: #builtbyrad #raddandrift #teamimr Shop Affiliates: RTS, STR Wheels, SPA Technique, Nuke Performance 42 | Omgdrift.com

RAD Industries A Dope Shop for Drift Cars Words & Photos by Caitlin Ting

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RAD Industries is a custom fabrication shop located in Santa Ana, California. They cover a broad area of expertise, with the capabilities to build an entire race car from start to finish, or create simple upgrades such as a dual caliper setup or building bash bars.

Dan Burkett, owner of RAD Industries, has been interested in cars and anything with a motor as long as he could remember. He

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found a desire to learn about every part of a motor – how it worked and what he could make it do. Burkett’s interest in motors translated perfectly to drifting, due to the challenges and continuous evolution of the motorsport, and the never-ending amount of things he could learn from it.

Burkett had been working out of his home

garage in Costa Mesa, California, for several years prior to RAD Industries’ opening in Santa Ana in May of 2014. With the challenges of opening his own business, Burkett had wanted his own shop to build in, but it had not been quick to happen until he was given a rush build to complete for Alex Heilbrunn’s #monsterbmw. He attributes the shop’s opening to Heilbrunn, who

“was a big part of making this dream happen sooner than later.”

Growing up in a small town called Poulsbo, Washington, Burkett was able to learn some things about drifting on back roads, using his FC RX-7 that he had “saved every penny for.” If he had been given the chance to drift competitively when he had first started

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driving, he says he “wouldn’t have hesitated for a second!” A few years after he had moved to California, he had the opportunity to work on Mad Mike’s crew for the 2010 Formula Drift season, and soon realized that driving competitively was what he wanted to do. Burkett recalls, “seeing Mike live his dream was very motivating for me, he is an incredible person and sincerely embraces drifting.”

Burkett competed in the 2014 season of Just Drift, earning his Pro 2 Formula Drift License with a 2nd place win in the 2014 Just Drift season overall. This year, he will be driving in all four rounds of Formula Drift Pro 2, and is looking forward to the upcoming season, saying “Both my wife and I have been waiting for this season for a long time now!” He plans on driving his hardest while staying focused on the competition. “There is an incredible level of talent going into this

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season and I can’t wait to get out on the track with my fellow competitors and have some fun! This is going to be a big year for a lot of drivers, I’m ready for it!”

Influenced by his family and friends, Burkett has found support and encouragement to keep pushing forward, and help him learn and figure out what he really wants out of life. A passionate and positive driver, he has also found a strong influence from those who were more negative and did not believe in him. Instead of letting people who may tell him he cannot do it bring him down, “My advice...use that to your advantage and go after what you know you are good at, it will fuel you and you will surprise yourself.

I was lucky enough to have a dad that was very encouraging and built me up. There is something very powerful in letting another person know you believe in them!”

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Dan Burkett’s FD Pro 2 Car MKIV Supra for Formula Drift Pro 2 49 | Omgdrift.com

Alex Heilbrunn, Team IMR: BMW E46 (#1) for Formula Drift Pro 2 and Matching (#2) car to run King of Europe Drift Series • ­7.3 liter LSX block with a 4.7 liter Whipple supercharger Built by Millennium Motorsports and • Race Tech Sevices, making 1200whp • ­AEM Infiniti ECU. It’s mated to a Quicktime bell housing and Mcloud clutch and flywheel with • a GSR­Gforce dog box trans • Custom DriveShaftShop drive shaft and axles and a Winters Quick change diff • A.R.E. dry sump system • Feal Suspension and Wisefab steering lock kit • Custom made CBR radiators and heat exchangers • ­Weldon fuel pump and regulator, Meziere electric water pumps • Fuel safe 8 gallon pro cell • Setrab oil and power steering coolers • ­Wilwood brakes and pedal set with an Era One hydro­E brake • ­Forge Star rims and Falken tires • Custom Mil spec Wire harness and switch panel built in house • ­Sparco seats, wheel and harnesses • Racepack dash display and SPA Techniques fire suppression system

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Ongoing Projects: Paul Lacovara: 350Z for JustDrift Mihir Dharkar: S14 for JustDrift Aaron Parker: FD RX足7 for JustDrift Meliton Villamor: S14 for JustDrift 51 | Omgdrift.com

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Thursday Night Drift Photos by Caitlin Ting

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Rathyna Gomer Too hot in the Kitchen Words by Caitlin Ting & Rathyna Gomer | Photos by Caitlin Ting

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An unfortunate side effect of being female in a male­dominated environment is being placed into a different category, with different expectations of you.

If you excel at something, you may hear, “You’re pretty good, for a girl.” Or you may have to prove yourself more than your male counterpart in order to be accepted, because should you fail, some might blame it not on your merit, but on the fact that you are a girl.

Growing up, I have noticed this trend over and over, through personal experiences and ones that happened to friends, and now that I have submerged myself in drifting, I see it there too.

Subsequently, I wanted to interview Rathyna Gomer, not because she is simply a girl who drifts, but because she is an up and coming competitive driver from southern California,

Website: www.NotAKitchen.Com Social Media: @rathynagomer Feal Suspension ESR Wheels TryHARD or Die Steering Wheels 55 | Omgdrift.com

I am currently 25 years old. I grew up in this small Christian town called Loma Linda and attended the local Christian private school from age 5 – 18 and absolutely loved it. I later attended La Sierra University and earned two bachelor’s degrees and was the senior class president.

I am currently pursing my MBA in marketing and I work full-time as theCommunications Manager at the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. My major influences are my parents.

Both of my parents moved to this country in the 70s with a few dollars to their name but

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ultimately became successful physicians.

They are the hardest working individuals I know and really instilled my intrinsic value to work your hardest, regardless of who is watching. My dad has always taught me that anything is possible as long as you have passion and dedication. My mom has always taught me to be a strong woman, to never have to rely on anyone else, and to show kindness to everyone.

To this day, they do not support my drifting. But they support and love me as their daughter. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

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I first became interested in drifting in my adolescent years. The combination of Gran Turismo 3 on my PS2 and a guy who I was infatuated with (and who loved drifting more than me) really sparked my initial interest.

During my junior year of high school, I began going to car meets, attended my first professional drift event (D1GP at Irwindale back in 2006), developed tons of awesome friendships, and took a few ride­alongs with a few folks on the streets (PS ­I don’t condone that anymore!) That’s when I decided I wanted to drift too!

So at the end of 2010 I got my diff welded and put on some coilovers and began learning. I took a two year break (worst two years of my life) to build the car from July 2012 – September 2014, so on and off for the last few years.

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My ultimate goal is, and has always been, to compete in Formula Drift. With that being said, I plan to gain as much skill, experiences, and knowledge on my journey there.

My focus for this ProAm season is to drive at as many different tracks as possible. You’ll most likely find me at all the Top Drift events (since it is local to me), some (if not all) of the Southwest Drift series, and maybe a round of Golden Gate Drift. And if there aren’t too many scheduling conflicts, I might run Top Drift’s Limited Class in my s13.

All in all, this year I really just want to drive as much as I can, with as many diverse drivers and locations as possible!

The first round of Southwest Drift was a HUGE deal for me. It was my first competition in this car (after only driving it for five

months). This was also my first time traveling out of the state to go drifting, so I learned a lot in regards to the preparation and logistics involved for a competition.

I went in it with the mentality of gaining experience and that was it. I know I have a long way before I can truly consider myself a “competitive” driver. During practice, it was obvious that I was struggling with my throttle commitment in some areas of the track and my initiation. However, I felt relatively confident going into qualifying.

My first qualifying run, simply put, was a disaster. I went in to initiate, my wheels locked up, and I flew off the course (I hadn’t really done that all day). I thought it was my error at first. After I got back on course, I looked down at my water temp. and it had shot up to 250. That’s when I realized my

power steering belt had exploded (and that’s why I flew up – my lack of power steering).

I pulled off the track feeling extremely embarrassed and defeated. I had scored an obvious zero and was ready to just pack up for the day.

However, I didn’t want to give up without a fight. My team and I rushed to the nearest Autozone, grabbed the parts we needed, put everything together, and hopped back on track. I barely made it in time – I was next up. I didn’t have time to even gather myself – it was just go, go, go. I said a quick prayer and then I was off. I connected the track, which ultimately earned me a spot in the top 16 (qualified 15). I was beyond ecstatic! I couldn’t believe that I had qualified.

It was more than what I had imagined and had expected for myself.

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Although I immediately was knocked out by Joe Tardiff (who is an AMAZING person and driver, by the way), it was probably the most fun/exciting/nerve­wracking day I’d had in years. Wouldn’t trade it for the world!

I get married, I absolutely will cook for my husband as much as I can (because I love to) and I absolutely will stay at home to take care of my kids – because that is what I want and what I desire for myself.

I can go on for days about the true meaning of Not A Kitchen, but in a nutshell it is a campaign geared towards gender equality within motorsports (specifically drifting).

In the meantime, I absolutely want to be a professional driver. With that being said, I want to be judged on my merit as a driver.

I want to get rid of the term, “You’re really good...for a girl”. Although I know people mean well (and I’ll probably never call anyone out on it unless they’re intentionally insulting me), I wish people would start critiquing me solely as a driver. It’s not good for the sport to give women priority. That’s what Not A Kitchen is about on a deep level and that is my purpose.

On a deeper level, I want to change the perception of feminism and bring clarity to what it means to be a feminist. Somewhere along the way (between the Second and Third Wave Feminist movements) the term “Feminazi” was coined. I’m totally against that widely perceived notion.

Being a feminist, at its TRUE core, just demands that all humans (regardless of gender – yes, this includes ALL pronouns) should be allowed to do what they want. I’m very traditional in many ways – someday when

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In simple terms, it’s just funny and catchy because I really do actually enjoy being in a kitchen. And I will happily make you or anyone a sandwich.

Car specs:

2004 Nissan 350z with Chevy LS3 (crate motor) with a hot cam HP: 430 to the wheels Torque: 400 Transmission: T56 Magnum Suspension: PBM super angle kit, Feal 441 Coilovers, Battle Version Links, Whiteline Front & Rear sway bars, Whiteline subframe bushings.

Other: Amerikajin Custom Fabrication motor and transmission mounts, Amerikajin Custom Fabrication headers and exhaust, TryHARD Steering wheel, ESR SR02 wheels (18 x 9.5 front, 18 x 10.5 rear), Paint: Scion tC Cement Gray (exterior), Ford Mustang Gotta Have it Green (interior).

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2015 US Schedule Round 1: Streets of Long Beach April 10-11 Round 2: Road Atlanta May 8-9 Round 3: Orlando Speedworld June 5-6 Round 4: Wall Speedway June 26-27 Round 5: Evergreen Speedway July 24-25 Round 6: Texas Motor Speedway August 21-22 Round 7: Irwindale Speedway October 9-10

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Sunsets with Andy Hateley Words & Photos by Tabrese Sequeira

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What do you get when you mix a photographer, a drifter, and an empty racing complex?

You get a pretty damn good looking photoshoot. After a really good day of testing the LS E30, Andy Hately had the great idea to roll around to each track and take some photos.

The best part is that we both have a good idea of what looks good and with him there

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is no such thing as a bad idea. So we started at Balcony, rolled to Horse Thief, took some rollers on the way to Streets, stopped by Big Willow, and finally completed our trek at the old time Willow Springs sign. All in all, it was a pretty dandy shoot with a car that I certainly cannot get enough of. Hopefully the Internet drools over this thing as much as I have.

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Unicorn Sighting Godzilla in Arizona Words by Caitlin Ting & RobertJauregui | Photos by Caitlin Ting

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Arizona resident Robert Jauregui owns a 1993 Nissan Skyline R32, and he has put in great amount of work in a short period of time to get it to where it is currently. He bought the car about six months ago and recalls it being “borderline junkyard material” because the previous owner “drifted the crap out of it and really didn’t take care [or] know what he had.”

The R32 was in need of Jauregui’s rescue, as it was in terrible shape, featuring cut springs, a gutted interior, mismatched fenders, hood and bumper, a missing body kit, and minor rust build up.

He had only owned it for two days before he put the car in the body shop while he ordered parts to begin fixing it up. It has only been six months, and the R32 has seen tremendous change, it was beautiful to see in person. With a Silvia Mint Green paint job, full Type M kit, and a Rocket Bunny wing, one would never know the history of the car unless they asked.

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What it’s like to own what the internet calls a “Unicorn”? It’s amazing. The amount of “double takes” I get when I drive puts a smile on my face every time. This car is truly unique in every way. This car is literally something I’ve always wanted to build since my first S13 hatch at 15 years old. At the age of 20 I had my fifth s13 which was a RHD Silvia Vert with a power hungry RB26 single turbo. Now I’m 22 and finally have my dream car. Just a boy with a dream to build something different.

What are your upcoming plans and events for the car? I actually got accepted to Wekfest LA, so I just ordered some brides, a Grip Royal white wood grain wheel, and (what I’m most excited for) work equips 18x10.5 ­5 for a goal of having 5.5 inch lips all the way around. Plus a finish of chrome black along with a super rare set of 326Power extra long spike lug nuts. Both should be here in about two months, just in time for the show in May. After the show, she will be under the knife for a few months because I will be doing a full cage, front and rear bash bars, along with a beefy LS2 swap so I can be out there with my brothers next time sliding.

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Specs

Ksport coils Vordoven 18x10.5 +15 Rocket Bunny wing Full Type M kit Takata harness GTR cluster, hood, grill 77 | Omgdrift.com

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Vegas Drift Photos by Caitlin Ting

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Jesse Gonzalez – CEO/Founder Left Coast Apparel Instagram: @JesseKta | @LeftCoastAp

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Left Coast Posse Clothes for Drifters Words & Photos by Caitlin Ting

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Emerging brand, Left Coast Apparel, hailing from Long Beach, California is all about a fun and easy lifestyle.

Founded by Jesse Gonzalez, Left Coast Apparel is influenced by drifting and a carefree attitude. We caught up with many of the Street Team members to check out their cars and learn more about the brand.

CT: What is Left Coast Apparel/Left Coast Posse?

JG: Left Coast Apparel is a streetwear brand targeting individuals who live a drifting, partying, college lifestyle. For the people that have the “Ain’t Nothin” attitude. Left Coast Posse represents pretty much anyone who supports and believes in what we are doing. The ones who support us and feel like they are a part of this thing that is bigger than all of us. “Posse” was originally a bite off of the N.W.A. album N.W.A and the Posse, a west coast music group that has inspired the brand from the start.

CT: When was Left Coast Apparel established? Who was it established by? Why? JG: Left Coast Apparel was established in 2011 by myself and six friends as co­partners/investors. Left Coast started throwing some of the biggest parties in Long Beach, but partners slowly fell off. I continued pushing the brand and started the Street Team as a way to market Left Coast. Shortly after, the cars seemed to gain momentum, and we started hosting a car meet every Monday. Our number of street team members grew and we started to hang out, work on cars, and drift as part of our regular routine. The hooning and hanging out with the team became our lifestyle. We like to call it “LFTCSTLYF” which is what we named our Youtube videos – footage of our daily lives that we record at random moments.

CT: What drew you to cars and drifting?

JG: I grew up around low riders and hydraulics every Sunday with my dad at car shows. It wasn’t until I graduated high school when my childhood friend, Chris Ulloa, invited me to a car meet and street race. We went out in his 240SX SR20 swap. We showed up to a parking lot with over 300 cars parked. When we headed out to the races, we parked and watched all these cars run it and do donuts for about half an hour. All of a sudden we see red and blue lights flashing, and my buddy Angel yells, “COPS,” and we hop in the cars and take off. Trying to leave the area, a yellow Mustang was driving extremely slowly with two police cars coming at us head on. Chris goes around the Mustang, pulls the hand break and splits the two cop cars while drifting. We successfully drifted between two black and whites, and at that moment I was hooked on drifting and cars. We stopped going out to the races for personal safety, but from that point on that feeling is what drives me.

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Jack Hazan – 1972 Datsun 510 Instagram: @Booosttt

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Current Builds in the Works for Left Coast Apparel: 1. 510 Datsun 24kadet 2. 240SX LS3 3. GS 300 2JZ VVTI 4. Supra 2JZ single turbo 5. Mustang 5.0

Jake Herman – 1990 240SX Instagram: @Jay_Kerman Build Thread: Click Through “It [drifting] looked fun....I just wanted a different hobby because skating was getting hard on my body and cars replaced that.”

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Tyler Bangma – 1994 MKIV Supra Instagram: @TylerBangma CT: What drew you to cars and drifting?

TB: The adrenaline rush of driving fast and the feel of raw power between you and the machine while you drive­­you have no worries in the world and nothing matters.

CT: Who were your influences when you were growing up?

TB: My dad brought me into cars when I was little. Now, I’m surprised with what I can accomplish: completely build a car from scratch. It’s satisfaction.

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2015 US Schedule Round 1: Streets of Long Beach April 10-11 Round 2: Road Atlanta May 8-9 Round 3: Orlando Speedworld June 5-6 Round 4: Wall Speedway June 26-27 Round 5: Evergreen Speedway July 24-25 Round 6: Texas Motor Speedway August 21-22 Round 7: Irwindale Speedway October 9-10

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Access Us From Anywhere!

Become a Sponsor Today!

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The Tofu Drift Van Paco is awesome Words & Photos by Caitlin Ting

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Instagram: @tofudriftvan

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Paco Ibarra's Tofu Drift Van is, in one word, awesome. Originally, Ibarra wanted to buy a beater car because he planned on joining a “LeMons” race, in which drivers purchase a $500 car and race against each other. He wanted to use the Previa because they are mid­engined vans, meaning that the drivetrain would be protected from impact, a common occurrence in LeMons. In addition, Previas have multiple options, such as a manual transmission which makes the vans well balanced with a low center of gravity, AWD or RWD options, and optional supercharged engines, which makes it “sound like a performance vehicle [while being] very goofy looking” and perfect for the LeMons form of racing. In the end, Ibarra never did the race, but he held on to the idea of a track minivan.

Ibarra had been driving a C5 Corvette that he had planned on modifying for drifting, but decided to sell it in order to buy a less expensive car and spend the remaining money on modifications. His first choices, because he loves

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wagons, included a Volvo wagon or a Dodge Magnum. However, Ibarra came across a Craigslist ad for a Previa for $900 with a factory manual transmission and RWD. Once he purchased it, he realized that the van was decently balanced, and though it was a tall minivan, it had hardly any body roll. Additionally, it had “plenty of power to peel off the rear tires, so power­wise it felt like a 240SX with a single cam KA.” Inspired by Initial D's theme, Ibarra thought, “Maybe their tofu business outgrew the little AE86, so they bought a minivan that could also drift, but haul a lot more tofu.”

Then began the process of building the Previa.

Ibarra started with swapping the rear solid axle with drum brakes for disc brakes and a 4.10 gear ratio, making the van better for drifting.

He then ordered used Cusco front coilovers from Japan, welded the diff, cut the springs, and gutted the interior. With these modifications, Ibarra tested it at the track, where it did well, but because he was so low, there was hardly

any room between the axle and the chassis, and subsequently he converted it to independent rear suspension. He was able to source a JDM rear subframe that was almost bolt on capable from Japan, but came to the realization that it would be difficult to find parts locally in the event he crashed and bent something, and ultimately decided to use an S14 subframe instead. This ensured all parts, such as control arms, coilovers, axles, and differentials, made for a 240 would fit his Previa. Ibarra began by “cutting a huge hole in the back with my favorite tool, the ‘Sawsall,’” followed by a trip to Insane Innovations where the van was caged and fabricated with all the tubing required for the S14 subframe conversion.

As far as the future of Ibarra’s van, he says he

plans on swapping in a Subaru EG33. He had originally thought about swapping in a 1UZ Toyota V8, but due to a lack of room under the seats where the original engine currently sits, his options were narrowed. The EG33 will fit almost perfectly in the same spot as the original engine and is capable of upwards of 300HP, while remaining NA, almost tripling the power. He has already sourced the Subaru to W58 Bellhousing and has the engine, so the engine swap should happen in the near future. Ibarra has also made a fiberglass dashboard and has plans to cut and tube the front in order to reduce as much weight as possible, as well as make front and rear bash bars and a custom angle kit. Ibarra also may have plans to one day turbo the engine, he added, if he reaches the point where he would need more power.

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Mod specs:

Ksport hydraulic eBrake with Wilwood master cylinder KSport Kontrol Pro coilovers Full roll cage and S14 rear conversion S14 rear subframe and welded S14 differential Custom driveshaft by Phoenix Rack and Axle Maverick Motorsports dual rear caliper adapter Isis Performance 5 lug hubs 104 | Omgdrift.com

Four Z32 dual piston rear brake calipers Rotora Mustang Cobra rear brake rotors 17" Motegi SX5 wheels Federal 595SS tires (front), whatever available for rears NRG quick release steering hub 2TZ 4 cyl 90 degree engine (sits sideways like a boxer) with 330,000 miles W58 manual transmission from factory 105 | Omgdrift.com

Roadster Limo Danny Really loves Miatas

(like alot)

Photos by Caitlin Ting | Words by Drew Fishbein

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“I've been seeing this Miata limousine on Craigslist for almost a year now, everytime it pops up we joke about the fact that it would be the perfect car for Danny George. Fast forward a few months and Danny posts a photo of it on Instagram and I immediately text him

“Shut the f#ck up, is that in your possession now?”

He texted back two words “Duh lol.” So we setup a feature for the next time we're in Vegas, because I'm still not convinced it's real. Danny rolls up to our hotel and lets us know we're gonna go grub on tacos. It's a remarkable car because it's still not a very big car, it's just long and low. We immediately scrape on the way out of the hotel, half way through the drive Danny admits he hasn't even jacked the car up to see how it's put together so we're basically crash test dummies flying down the Las Vegas strip. We spent a solid 2 hours with Danny just driving around, and, at one point jumping the Miata on accident.”

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Grassroots Dopeness Photos by Caitlin Ting

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