The SileightyMania Podcast - Drifting Interviews with OGs and Pioneers
Benson Hsu
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Benson Hsu and Nadine Hsu interview guests who changed USA drifting culture. Listen as we attempt to document their stories in American drifting history.
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Available episodes
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Sep 5, 2023
Palmer Sanderson: E36 Drifting Icon, Tandem Trailblazer, Goodestcast Drifting Podcast Host (S2E3)
IT'S A PODCAST CROSSOVER! Palmer is our feature guest and we're also guests on the Goodestcast podcast dropping 9/7! Please check out our interview on his podcast to see what it's like when the interviewers become interviewed, Goodestcast style. Palmer Sanderson is the youngest guest so far on the podcast, but he is making waves in the drifting community in more ways than one. He became a member of infamous drift team Animal Style in 2013, and has one of the best examples of a Japanese style BMW E36 3 Series for drifting. Palmer and his teammates have been leading the way for ultra close tandem and high speed aggressive driving in American grassroots drifting. Palmer also has a very popular drifting podcast Goodestcast, where he features interesting drifters from all over the world, showcasing the interesting personalities who are behind the steering wheel. Follow Palmer on IG: https://www.instagram.com/goodestcast/ https://www.instagram.com/palmer_sndrsn/ Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania/ This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken Tires, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance (UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com. #drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #palmersanderson #goodestcast #goodestco #bmwe36 #bmwe36drift #bmwe36drifting #animalstyle #driftteamanimalstyle #animalstyledriftteam
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Aug 1, 2023
Chris Forsberg: East Coast Drifting Pioneer and Nissan Z Icon (S2E2)
Chris Forsberg is a US drifting pioneer from Doylestown, PA. He has a 20 year long career as a professional driver in Formula D, and is well-known as a Nissan Z drifting icon.
His love for drifting started in the early 2000s with his Mazda FC RX-7 after meeting Tony Angelo. The two would eventually run DGTA, an organization hosting events that would provide a legal alternative to street drifting. Chris towed his car all the way to Los Angeles for the D1 Grand Prix driver search in 2003, and eventually made the decision to buy a brand new Nissan Z as his new drift car.
He built the right relationships in LA and worked for Signal Auto as a mechanic and became a sponsored driver, even driving the Signal Twins cars at local drift day events.
In this podcast episode, Chris recalls old stories, talks about his journey as a professional drifter, his love of building cars, reflecting on how much drifting has changed in the last 20 years, the lessons he's learned as a 20 year old drifting veteran and what he sees in his future.
This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance (UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com.
#drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #chrisforsberg #nissanz #350z #nissan350z #z33 #z34 #driftingpioneer #nissan #chrisforsbergracing
05:51 Growing up in Doylestown, PA
07:45 Meeting Tony Angelo
09:00 Buying his FC Mazda RX-7
13:10 Discovering drifting
19:42 DGTA and meeting Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ryan Tuerck
23:23 Cross-country trip to Irwindale, CA to try out for D1 Driver Search
27:24 Decision to buy a brand new Nissan 350z
30:52 Establishing a relationship with Signal Auto
36:57 Driving the Signal Twins 180sx and what he learned from it
43:57 Working with Motorex and his journey into Formula D
51:30 Drift Alliance Bad as Hell DVD
52:50 Driving the Falken S15 Silvia
1:01:50 Swapping a V8 into his Z33
1:09:00 Problems with the current state of car builds in Formula Drift
1:18:23 Thoughts on introducing a tire size limit to improve pro drifting
1:26:09 What's next for Chris Forsberg Racing
1:34:00 Losing a chase run because of tire smoke
1:36:05 Does age affect your ability to compete as a pro drifter?
1:37:17 Making a living as a professional drifter
1:39:04 Japan vs. USA - who is better at drifting today?
1:44:09 What skills are you working on as a driver?
1:48:17 Benson Hsu Meets Chris Forsberg at D1 Driver Search in 2003
1:53:08 Car setup advice for new drifters
1:58:10 What do you think your legacy is with drifting?
2:00:47 Appreciating and fostering your business relationships, and investing in yourself
2:05:30 Closing and thank yous
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Jul 3, 2023
Rob Riter: Midwest Drifting Pioneer and Miata Legend (S2E1)
Rob Riter started drifting in the early 2000s and is a drifting pioneer in the Midwest, specifically the Chicago area. He started drifting in his NB Miata and became a hub for Mazda Miata drifting information and style through his website roadsterdrift.com. A founding member of ClubFR, they helped bring drifting off the streets and onto the track. He became one of the best drifters in the Midwest earning time in Formula D and Pro-Am. He later followed his dreams and moved to Japan, where he documented his experiences in his blog with photos while buying a Nissan S15 and an imported Nissan 240sx with SR20DET and drifting everyday at a local touge and at Japan's infamous drift tracks.
Listen as he recalls memories of those events and talks about the full circle moment of where drifting started in Chicago and today where Chicago's Final Bout has become a worldwide drifting movement.
This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance (UHP) Azenis RT660 and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com.
Episode partners:
Bardabe - Nissan GT-R and Z specialist in the central Texas area
Lot-USA - Bride Japan Master ImporterFollow on
IG:
@rob_riter
@roadsterdrift
@sileightymania
#drifting #drift #chicago #midwest #clubfr #driftinghistory #miata #roadster #roadsterdrift #finalbout #driftday #robriter #podcast #driftingpodcast #usdriftinghistory #midwestdrift #midwestdrifting #chicagodrift #chicagodrifting #mazdamiata #miatadrift #bensonhsu #nadinehsu #marcmondoy #stevenakamura --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Jun 6, 2023
LA - Why the Toyota Cresta is better than a Chaser and Mark II JZX100 | Storytime
LA is a major part of drifting in the Mid-West. You can often find him working at Final Bout and ClubFR events. Before that, he lived in Japan and is a self proclaimed JZX100 otaku. He met and befriended Yokohama drifting legends like Yubo Takahashi and Kuniyaki Takahashi of drift team Night Walkers. He lived that JZX100 life as he owned several (and crashed several).
In this interview, he talks about his experiences in Japan, what it was like learning from Japanese drifters, and why out of all JZX100 chassis variations like the Chaser and the Mark II, his favorite is the Cresta. "Cresta is besta" as he likes to say!
Follow LA on IG: @streetsliders_la
Follow us on IG: @sileightymania
#toyota #jzx100 #jzx90 #jzx110 #drifting #drift #driftingpodcast #podcast #toyotacresta #toyotacrestalovers #cresta #toyotachaser #chaser #toyotamark2 #mark2 #markii #toyotamarkii #clubfr #finalbout --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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May 1, 2023
Nikolay Konstantinov - My Tribute 180sx and Trip to Meet Yoshinori Koguchi | Storytime
Nikolay Konstantinov started drifting in the early 2000s and even competed in Formula D.
He built a tribute car paying homage to his hero Yoshinori Koguchi. He explains the challenges of building a green s13 hatch inspired by a car that no longer exists in that form. He also recounts a recent magical trip to Japan where he got to hang out with Drift Zamurai and The Emperor Koguchi. He even got to see and sit in 189sx that inspired his build.
Follow Nikolay on IG: https://www.instagram.com/konstantinov_nikolay_/
Follow our Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania/
#drifting #driftinghistory #driftingpodcast #nissan #180sx #rps13 #nissans13 #nissan240sx #240sx #nissan180sx #tributecar #koguchi
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Apr 3, 2023
Lindsay Ross - Pink Godzira, my Fake Drift Team | Storytime
Lindsay Ross is an OG US drifter, starting in the early 2000s. He has always been big on Japanese drifting style and Japanese drift car styling.
One day he met up with Aaron Suarez aka Dousan and the two of them decided to form a drift team called Pink Godzira. The two were one of the earliest US drift teams to properly color coordinate the way drift teams do in Japan and they did it with style.
Take a listen as Lindsay tells us about the origins of Pink Godzira drift team, his experiences as a young drift guy in the 2000s and what he's been up to more recently, including his time at Hoonigan and now RTR with Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Follow Lindsay on IG at @supersick_
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Mar 2, 2023
Benson Hsu - The 1st Falken Drift Showoff in 2003 | Storytime
Benson Hsu won 1st place at Falken Drift Showoff in Irwindale Speedway on March 02, 2003. It was the first time we'd ever seen a pro drifter on US soil doing drifting demos. Yoshinori Koguchi, Seigo Yamamoto, Fumiaki Komatsu and Kazuya Bai, very famous and influential drivers from Japan, flew in with their cars for demos and judging. It was a day that introduced so many to drifting and inspired a generation of future drifters.
Host Nadine Hsu interviews Benson about the day, asking questions he didn't remember answers to (and some that he did.) He talks about his first time seeing Rhys Millen drift, some drama he had with JIC, being in awe of Koguchi's skill, and how it changed his life.
For some behind the scenes content related to this event, please take a listen to the S1E3 interview featuring Nick Fousekis, the founder of Falken Tire's drifting program and one of the masterminds behind Falken Drift Showoff.
Thank you Falken, Import Showoff, Drift Association and everybody who made this such an amazing event!
Make sure to follow us on IG: @sileightymania --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Dec 5, 2022
Mark Arcenal - Hellaflush, Fuji Speedway with 400+ Cars | Storytime
Mark Arcenal, from the Bay Area in California, is an artist and a trailblazer in fashion and car culture. He is a major reason for what is widely known today as "stanced cars".
We talk about his love for both industries and how they influenced his journey to create his website Fatlace and Illest brand. He is an inspirational person to many and this interview will show you why.
For this episode of Storytime, Mark takes us through his ambitious plan to hold a Hellaflush event in the place that inspired his love for his drifting style of cars - Japan. His Hellaflush event at Fuji Speedway was huge and he filled the event with 400+ cars with street cars, drift cars, D1 cars and even the Cyber Evo. He also tells us a little about an incident where he went drifting in a D1 car, causing mayhem with Fuji Speedway management.
Follow Mark on IG: @mrk.rcnl
Follow us: @sileightymania --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Oct 31, 2022
Nadine Hsu - My First Children's Book About Drifting | Storytime
Nadine wrote a kid's drifting book! You may know our beloved co-host Nadine Hsu as one of the first female drifters in the USA, or as one of the first women to compete in Formula Drift. Maybe you know her as the co-founder of Drifting Pretty, the first all female drifting program and eventually all female drifting team in the USA. She is now a children's drifting book author!
She's here to announce that she's now a children's book author! Her book Sachiko Goes Racing is inspired from her experience as a person learning to take a leap of faith to pursue her passion for drifting. Listen as she talks about what drove her to write a book, her many social causes she hopes to support through this book and how she plans on inspiring the youngest generation of future drifters.
Jump ahead to 31:24 if you want to listen to a complete book reading by Nadine!
To purchase the book or Sachiko Goes Racing merchandise, please go to https://www.sachikogoesracing.com Follow her on IG: @sachikogoesracing
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Oct 5, 2022
Javier Paramo - 2nd Place Drifting at Option Ikaten | Storytime
Javier Paramo has experienced 15 minutes of fame many times. You might know him from his beautiful white MA60 Celica Supra or appearance on Wheeler Dealers, Netflix's Fastest Car, his cameo in Fast and the Furious 1, his annual hosting of Supras in Vegas, or his features in Import Tuner and MotorMavens.
What you might not know is that there's a good chance he was the very first Mexican drifter. Javier is Benson's old friend, and they spent a lot of time together in the junkyards, wrenching on their cars and just being young guys who loved Japanese style cars. They later learned how to drift together.
Javier eventually went on to win 2nd place at the 2nd Option Ikaten ever held on US soil in early 2003 at Irwindale Speedway. Take a stroll down memory lane with us as we talk about early import car culture and how it eventually lead Javier to being on the podium next to Andy Yen and Alex Pfeiffer at an event that became a major turning point for American drifting.
For more info on Javier, please follow him on IG at @javparada --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Sep 7, 2022
Cole Chalmers - I Met My Wife During a Disaster Trip to All Star Bash | Storytime
Cole Chalmers was your typical car boy who didn't want anything in life but to drift all day, everyday. After a breakup, he told himself, "no girls." He chose the lonely driver life, but did the lonely driver life choose him?
Listen in as Cole discusses early drift life in Kamloops, British Columbia, his snow drifting adventures on logging roads, and how drifting changed his life in many ways, but mostly through finding love during a disastrous road trip all the way to All-Star Bash in Southern California.
Follow Cole on IG: @thislifeintransit
When they become available, make sure to purchase a "Bring Back Pop-Ups" tee: https://intransit.bigcartel.com
Make sure to follow us on Instagram for additional content and giveaways! We will be doing a "Bring Back Pop-Ups" tee giveaway next week! @sileightymania --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightyma…
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Aug 3, 2022
Lance Feliciano - '96 Option Ikaten When I Was 8 Years Old | Storytime
Lance Feliciano is the son of a professional rally driver. His father introduced him to cars and motorsports at a very young age, and as a child he would rather watch Option Video instead of cartoons. At the age of 8, he got to experience something very special - he attended Option Video's very first Ikaten ever held on American soil. He was in the presence of drifting icons Drift King Keiichi Tsuchiya and Nomuken, got a ride-a-long and it forever changed his life.
You can follow Lance on IG: @lfvsupreme --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Jul 6, 2022
Ryoshei Takahashi: Why You Should Know About Sportsland Yamanashi Circuit, Japan (Storytime)
Ryohei Takahashi from Team Lowbrain, Japan joins us to tell us about Sportsland Yamanashi (SLY), why it's important for Japanese drifting history and what his experience has been like hosting events there and dealing with its unique track owner.
Make sure to follow us on IG because Ryohei sent me a bunch of Team Lowbrain stuff and we're giving it away! Announcement will happen on 7/18 on @sileightymania
Ryohei on IG: @lowbrain_yohey --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Jun 1, 2022
Adam Goodman: When I Drove a D1 Driver's Car in Japan (Storytime)
Adam Goodman, aka Understeerking, has a very popular IG account and YouTube account where he posts all the Japanese car nostalgia that your heart desires.
For this Storytime episode, he tells us about his early years with drifting in Atlanta to his trips to Japan. During one of his trips, he gets to meet D1 Driver Kaneko Naoya, who offers Adam to drive his 380hp competition car!
For more on Adam, find him on Youtube and Instagram! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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May 4, 2022
Chob: When I Accidentally Entered a Drifting Competition in Japan (Storytime)
It's our very first Storytime episode! Chob, a member of Team ProceeD and owner/pilot of a Lexus GS300, joins me for a little small talk and then gets into the story about when he accidentally entered a drifting competition at Nikko Circuit, Japan.
If you are a good storyteller and have a good drifting story to tell, please go to the following link to submit an application: https://podcast.sileightymania.com/storytime-interview-application/
Have you purchased your Sileighty Podcast merch yet? There are only a few days left to buy before it closes! https://sileightymania.square.site/s/shop --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Apr 6, 2022
Season 1 is a Wrap. Time to Celebrate! (S1E12)
Season 1 has been a journey from all of us at the SileightyMania Podcast. Our graphic designer Steven Nakamura is an OG in his own right, and you get to hear from him because he finally joins us in the studio. Bring your own beverage for this one, because we're poppin' bottles to celebrate our 1 year anniversary and a job well done!
We also spend some time to pull back the curtains to give you some insight on what it was like making the podcast and we talk about what the near and distant future holds for the podcast.
Please support all of the hard work that we put into this podcast by purchasing merch from our store: https://sileightymania.square.site/
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Mar 2, 2022
Steve Oliberos, Stanford Lau, Michael Kitchens: OGs of Drifting in Hawaii (S1E11)
In Part 2 of our Hawaii series brought to you by In4mation, our old friend Jason Ryan from Grip Video tells us to hold on to our okoles as he tells us about the early days of Grip Video and his observations of early drifting in Oahu and the mainland.
In this episode, 2 OG drifting pioneers in the USA and Hawaii graced our podcast with their stories and experiences in the early days of drifting on the track and on the street. Steve Oliberos AKA Steevo is well known for his charismatic personality and being an OG drifter in Hawaii as well as an early competitor in Formula Drift. He recalls the early days of drifting in Hawaii (at the track and on the street), his experiences with Japanese drift heroes like Komatsu and Maeda Ken, and the sense of family and community with other drivers and aspiring drivers on the island.
Stanford Lau AKA Stan the Man AKA Handsome Stan was known for his drifting skills behind his super clean silver AE86 coupe. He talks about how he learned to d…
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Feb 9, 2022
Royce Fujimoto, Justin Kikkawa & Barry Wong: OG Drifters of Hawaii (S1E10)
In Part 1 of our Hawaii series brought to you by In4mation, our good friend Layton Takaesu gives us one propah kine podcast intro, teaches us some Pidgin and then recounts some of his memories seeing early drifting on Oahu when he was a kid.
Our 3 guests in episode 10 are all pioneers of drifting in the USA in the early 2000s. Not all of them drove competitions, but what they were doing was noticed across the Pacific Ocean on the mainland and in Japan.
Royce Fujimoto, known for his blue and then later brown ae86, recounts what it was like in the first Drift Session events, Ueo drifting his car in 4th gear, and "finding the land mine" on Hawaii Raceway Park (HRP). He gives us some sage advice about competing against yourself.
Justin Kikkawa, known for his stylish burgundy AE86, talks about cool Japanese car style, street drifting on Tantalus, buying SSR Modex Dori Dori wheels brand new from the factory, and his car was a result of Hawaii's rich history of modifying Toyotas.…
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Jan 5, 2022
Alex Pfeiffer: RS-R S2000 Pilot & America's First Drifter? (S1E9)
Alex Pfeiffer started drifting in the early 90s on the island of Oahu, HI. Back then he was already an avid fan of Option Video and Japanese drifting and would emulate what he watched on the now infamous mountain road Tantalus in Hawaii.
In this episode we try to figure out if Alex Pfeiffer is the very first American to drift. We talk about his roots and what it was like growing up in Hawaii, his big move to the mainland and how it helped him improve his drifting skill, what it was like drifting the RS-R S2000 while being Manabu Orido's teammate, and how he changed the game when he became a judge for Formula Drift.
We drink, laugh and shed a tear in this episode all in the name of this thing that we love - drifting.
Make sure to listen to this one, as it marks the beginning of the end of this podcast's first season by discussing drifting in Hawaii. We have 2 more episodes left and they will be dedicated to Hawaii and how it's underappreciated for what it's done for drifting in…
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Dec 1, 2021
Tommy Chen: Host of USA's 1st Option Ikaten in '96 & Founder of SpeedTrial USA! (S1E8)
Tommy Chen founded SpeedTrial USA, a group that hosted road racing events in the 90s. With his friends, he was able to get Option Video with Keiichi Tsuchiya, Nomuken, and Daijiro Inada to come host the very first drifting competition on US soil in 1996. In '99, Tommy hosted the first sanctioned US drifting event under the guise of "car control" run groups. In 2002, Tommy made history again when he hosted an event with icons of the AE86 drift world Hiroshi Takahashi and Shinji Minowa.
Thank you Falken Tire for sponsoring this episode and for giving away a free set of Falken Azenis tires for our Toys for Tots fundraiser. For more information, please go to https://marinetoysfortots.salsalabs.org/2021marinetoysfortotscrowdfunding/p/sileightymaniapodcasttoysfortotsfundraising/index.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Nov 3, 2021
Toshiki Yoshioka: Japanese AE86 Drifting Legend and Icon! (S1E7)
Toshiki Yoshioka started drifting in 1996 when he discovered it at touge as a young boy in Japan. In this episode of the Sileighty Mania Podcast, he talks about how he got started with drifting and became a member of Team Bross Running Crazies. Listen as he takes us behind the scenes of early drifting in Japan, spills the tea on fellow D1GP drivers, and what he thinks of the difference between drifting in the USA and Japan.
We're so honored to have Yoshi on the podcast, somebody who worked hard as an unknown driver and has become one of the greatest AE86 drifters ever.
Thank you to Apex'i USA for sponsoring this podcast. Make sure to support our podcast by supporting them. Visit their website at https://www.apexi-usa.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Sep 1, 2021
Toshi Hayama: Host of JDM Insider, Founder of Apex'i USA, Fast and the Furious Consultant (S1E6)
Most people today recognize Toshi Hayama for his heavy involvement with the Fast and the Furious franchise movies. However, Toshi's influence on US import culture goes all the way back to the mid 90s when he started Apex'I USA. With Apex'i, he was able to broaden Apex Japan's product offering to include tuning parts for the ever popular Honda market in the USA. He brought over from Japan the Apex R33 GT-R for drag racing and ultimately the infamous FD3S driven by Yoichi Imamura for D1 Grand Prix.
His experience with D1 Grand Prix earned him the ability to be on the judges' stand as the D1GP USA English announcer. He also became co-host of the ever popular DVD series J.D.M. Insider. Toshi recalls his time with Keiichi Tsuchiya aka Drift King, Takahiro Ueno, and even details his observations with his J.D.M. Insider co-host Hiro, who became infamous for his involvement in a well-known scandal with his company Motorex. For more info about Toshi please go to http://www.stage-10.net
Thank…
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Aug 4, 2021
Brian Harte aka BH: Drift Style Authority (S1E5)
Brian Harte aka BH, aka BH World, aka Brad Harte aka BH2 joins us in-studio. Brian became quite popular in the mid-2000s as a member of the drift team Pink Godzira with his website BH World. He talks about his still-relevant philosophy about drift car style and the ever important sticker placement. Listen in as we swap funny stories, and special guest Rhys Millen joins us for the interview.
Have you left us a voicemail or text message on our hotline? Listen in, as we play and read some of your messages on the podcast! Want to be featured in a future podcast? Drop us a line at 323-607-6075. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Jul 7, 2021
Moto Miwa: AE86 OG and Founder of Club4AG (S1E4)
Moto Miwa likely could've been the next Japanese noodle king of the United States, but his heart and passion was into cars and racing instead. In the early 90s, he built his first ae86 coupe with a supercharged 4agze and founded the now infamous website for all things toyota - Club4AG.com.
Moto talks about co-founding Drift Association and hosting possibly the earliest legally sanctioned drift events on US soil, allowing early US drift competitions to exist such as Falken Drift Showoff, RS-R Drift Festival, Option Ikaten, and D1 Grand Prix. Don't miss his story where details a late night favor for Keiichi Tsuchiya aka The Drift King, helping him escape Option Video staff in the middle of the night. More recently, he covertly aided in R&D for Toyota Motor Corporation as they were developing the Toyota 86.
Thank you Falken Tires for sponsoring this episode. We are beyond blessed to be able to work with so many amazing like-minded brands every month for the podcast. Announcements for…
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Jun 2, 2021
Nick Fousekis: Creator of Falken USA's Drifting Program (S1E3)
Nick Fousekis wasn't always the Director of Advertising and Promotions at Falken Tires. He was a street racer and import car enthusiast from San Diego who had a job opportunity and an idea.
After acquiring an entry level position at Falken Tires, he dreamed up the idea that Falken should make a name for themselves by being the first American tire company to support drifting. He spearheaded the effort and soon, Falken became the title sponsor of Drift Association's Drift Day grassroots events. In 2003, Falken was the title sponsor of Drift Showoff, bringing Yoshinori Koguchi and Seigo Yamamoto (and their cars) from Japan for the biggest drift event on US soil to-date.
Nick talks about working his way up from the bottom at Falken, his experiences with Koguchi, and how he's partnered with Formula Drift for 17 years.
Thank you to <a href="http://lucky-labo.com">Lucky Labo</a> for sponsoring this episode. Please follow <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania">@sileightymani…
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May 5, 2021
Ken Gushi: From Teenage Drifter to Formula Drift Veteran (S1E2)
Ken Gushi is on his 17th year in his career as a Formula Drift professional athlete, a stunt driver, and a level 40 Pokemon Master on Pokemon Go. He is well accomplished celebrity, and rightfully so - he is on the Toyota website! But when we first met him, he was just a 14 year old kid who had a love for cars and drifting.
We reminisce about his days as a young kid, his run-ins with the law while street drifting, some of his favorite early moments of Formula D, and his fondness for brown S13 interior and Snapple Facts.
Thank you to Koyo Racing for sponsoring this episode. We will be announcing details for our giveaway on 5/7 on our Instagram page @sileightymania --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Apr 9, 2021
Slide Squad Dave Scholz & Mark Hutchinson: USA's First Drift Team (S1E1)
Mark Hutchinson and Dave Scholz met in the late 90s and became America's first drift team known as Slide Squad. In this episode, hear about their adventures both in Japan and the USA with infamous people like Nobushige Kumakubo, Hideo Hiraoka, and Hiroshi Takahashi. They recall the drama of the first Super Street article introducing us to drifting on American soil featuring their team. Mark and Dave preached that drifting should be fun and not serious from day one. Combine that with their love for 80s nostalgia, off-the-wall humor, deep passion for motorsports and their bravery to do things not done before, and you have Slide Squad. Thank you to Thrash Racing for sponsoring our first podcast! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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Mar 12, 2021
Introducing The Sileightymania Podcast: Benson Hsu, Nadine Hsu, and Marc Mondoy
In this introduction episode, get to know the hosts Benson and Nadine Hsu and sound engineer Marc Mondoy. Learn about why this podcast was created and what to expect in future episodes. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sileightymania/support
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