Our photographer Jonathan Black was in the ‘billdin to hook us up with photo coverage.

As nightfall came, they kept going. Drifting under the lights! The tandems followed.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

After all was said and drifted, it was Victor Moore who came out on top. Congrats to all the drivers for a great start for the ProAm season!

Victor Moore

Nik Jimenez

Jeremy Richter

Current 2012 Standings (thanks to EvergreenDrift.com).

1. Victor Moore – 107 Points
2. Nik Jimenez –  93
3. Jeremy Richter – 84
4. Peter Funatake – 77
5. Rob Primozich – 65
6. Matt Vankirk – 65
7. Kory Keezer –  64
8. Michael Klingele – 63
9. Andre Escalante – 57
10. Erich Hagen –  56
11. David Wheaton – 56
12. Ket Voang –  56
13. Kelly Thorpe – 55
14. Galen Callahan – 55
15. Mitch Johnson – 55
16. Donnie Jones – 54.5
17. Jim Xiong – 21

Grassroots Series Top Finishers

Thomas Skarshoug

Marc-Andre Tatto

Jonathan Raymer

Special thanks to Jonathan for the sick pics, the drivers for doin their ‘thang, and the EVD crew/staff for making this happen!

Thanks for saving the roots.

1. R. Tuerck
2. R. Millen
3. V. Gittin Jr.
4. J. Pawlak
5. E. Amandio
6. D. Yoshihara
7. T. McQuarrie
8. C. Grunewald
9. D. McNamara
10. R. Kado
11. F. Aasbo
12. C. Forsberg
13. K. Mohan
14. K. Gushi
15. G. Marstanovic
16. T. Aono
17. M. Powers
18. D. Saito
19. J. Lowe
20. M. Essa
21. T. Angelo
22. C. Denofa
23. P. Mordaunt
24. K. Moen
25. R. Nishida
26. J. Maeng
27. M. Field
28. T. Yoshioka
29. R. Petty
30. O. Bakchis
31. N. D’Alessio
32. D. Mertzanis

I want to give a big shout out to all the rookies who made it, hope to see you fellas do good! Good luck!

Last Sunday, myself and fellow photographer Jonathan Black got a chance to check out NissanFest going down at Evergreen Speedway here in Washington. We took plenty of photos so that we could bring them back for STR! Although the event was called ‘Nissan’fest, many other makes and models made an appearance. The event was a great turnout of cars and drifting!

Check out all the photos below.

Our thanks goes out to all the people who organized this event, the spectators, the car show entrants, drivers, and all the photographers and media! Thanks for helping to save the roots.

Photos and Text by Ethan Castille.

“Sometimes when we get into cars we often bite off more than we can chew. When entering the Honda game in a EG hatch Andrew went through a multitude of problems. From busted oil pans to clutch interior pieces falling off, he’s seen it all. After all these issues the thought came up that maybe a clean Daily driver would be a better idea. Andrew wanted to stay in the Honda family, so after looking for a few months he was finally met with this 4 door Integra.

Engine
B18C1 (gsr)
Mugen valve cover
custom AEM v2 intake
Type R intake manifold
Greddy headers and full exhaust

It was a perfect mix of sporty and comfort. Upon getting it relatively stock, the first thing on the list was coilovers. The car’s seen many different sets of rims including GSR Baldes, Pink Kosei’s, and random steelies. Finally he settled on a set of Diamond Racing wheels.

Wheels/Tires
15×8 +0 Diamond Racing Wheels
Kumho Ecsta AST tires 195 50r15

Exterior
JDM front end

Suspension
Function and Form type 2 coilovers
Buddy Club rear camber kit
No Name strut bar

This isnt a showroom car or museum peice. This is a DAILY Driven car that is rough around the edges. Despite this it has character like very little can say they have. It goes to show with a little vision and hard work you can take a regular 4 door and turn it into a complete head turner.”

-Ethan Castille
Save the Roots Photographer

Special thanks to Ethan for the photos and Andrew for letting us feature his ride! Until next time, thanks for saving the roots.

 
Text and Photos by Jonathan Black.

 
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Special thanks to Scott, Kelly, and Jonathan for their time and pictures for this feature! Thanks for saving the roots. We’ve got A LOT more to come in the coming weeks so stay tuned! Grassroots drifting here we come!
 

While we love bringing you posts and features with both articles and photos, sometimes we’d rather not leave you with a bunch of banter. Such is the case for this post, where it’s less of a car feature and more like a collection of photos of 2 Subaru’s sitting pretty.

A few Sundays ago, myself and Jonathan (Black WRX) went around Seattle for some photo goodness. We met up with Kramer (Matte Silver Forester) later on and continued shooting. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoyed the fotoblog!! Overall, it was a great day of random shooting. We definitely want to do it again soon!

Photos by Patrick McGehee and Jonathan Black.

Until next time, thanks for saving the roots!

A little while back I got the privalage to meet up with Colin Masterson, blogger for NWmotiv, S12Silvia.com, and NKdrift (all of which we have linked in the right column of the site), for a photoshoot of his prized possession: his super clean Nissan Silvia S12.  We’re glad to have Colin as a guest author this time on Save the Roots as he knows so much about the S12 chassis. The S12 is a little-known beauty, with other 80′s classics often stealing the spotlight. But now it’s the S12′s turn to shine. Take it away Colin!!

“A couple of years ago I would not have been able to imagine where I am today. When I first started working on my 1987 Nissan S12 in 2004, I had no inclination of building the car that I own today.

I had put off owning a car for several years as there was no need for me to buy one and the fact that insurance is not anywhere close to being cheap as a male and under 21. My roommate and best friend had a car and fortunately, we both went to the same school so there was no need to own a vehicle at the time. But with his leaving for the Air Force, I knew I had to get a car. Because of this, I began looking for what would be my first car (in ’04) and the start of a crazy ride.

I was looking for more of a sedan to keep insurance at a minimum but it was my friend Sean who stepped in. Being that he knew more about cars than I did,  I needed all the help I could get and I welcomed the opportunity. He owned a 1987 D21 Hardbody that he had owned since a senior in high school and had done quite a bit of work to. With his familiarity with Nissans he knew of the S12 chassis, known in the States as the 200sx, and felt it was much more my style. He found an ad in the local newspaper from a guy who had just moved from Portland, Oregon, who had been sitting on the S12 for a week without any interest. I took Sean’s advice and I checked it out. Upon seeing the S12 I immediately had an affinity with it since it had a long bonnet, pop-up headlamps, and a sloping back glass – a fast back. The VG30E (V6), sunroof, and rear spoiler only helped my opinion of the car more. It was a couple hours and then the car was in my possession and driving it home.

By the end of 2004 I knew the car had to receive some maintenance and since no one locally seemed to know enough about them or wanted to charge a lot to figure out how to work on the car, I began to look into working on it myself. By the spring of 2005 I found a guy by the name of Randy who worked about an hour away from me who happened to owned two S12s. I paid him a visit and from then on it began a friendship that would continue to this day of collaborating and advancing the known parameters of the S12. I was at first only interested in getting my S12 up to OEM specs and swapped in a fully running VG30E, new suspension, new wheels, new interior, and a fresh spay of paint. I thought the tuner culture was cool but not something I wanted to get caught up in. That did not last long as within a year I was looking for more. I realized that the S12 was an ignored chassis and a generation of the Silvia lineage that deserved as much attention as its successors received.

So, with that in mind and my desire for more power and a turbo, I consulted with Randy about what engines were available and began my research. Being that my S12 was an SE model (V6), I wanted to keep it as a 6-cylinder. That narrowed my options to a VG30DETT, VQ, or one of the RB series. The VG30DETT swap was done in Australia once before and it was such a tight fit that it would wreck havoc when trying to do any maintenance work. The VQ exceeded my budget so that left the RB series. The RB20DET was decently cheap, had a great look and sound, and I knew I could expand to either the RB25 or 26 if I ever wanted more. Therefore, in 2006 I began my RB20DET swap, which was at the time groundbreaking as it was the first and only RB powered S12 in the States and second in the world.

And as anyone in the tuner scene knows, it never ends. By early 2010 the motor swap was finished and in good running order. I knew it would have potential but it far exceeded my original hopes. I entered the 2010 car season with some hopeful prospects and came out with five trophies and two full features waiting to be published. In 2011, I began to focus on helping a friend as his team manager for his pro level Formula D team and to focus on my marketing skills all the while finishing my schooling.

For those of you who are not as familiar with the S12 chassis, it is quite an interesting test-bed for Nissan. The S12 was produced and sold internationally from 1983 until 1988. The S12 was known under several names, which is usual depending on the cultural marketing requirements. It was known as the Silvia, Gazelle, 200SX, and 180ZX. In addition, the S12 chassis had many engine choices from the factory that proved it quite versatile. The engines that were available in the S12 were the FJ20E, FJ20ET, CA20E, CA18ET, CA18DET, and VG30E. Quite the range indeed.

The chassis itself witnessed many changes and sported a solid rear axle and an independent rear axle setup, both drum and disc brakes (by 84 it was mainly disc), and had both 4 and 5 lug stock. The electronics were quite ahead for its time as the chassis had keyless door entry, rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic sunroof, a digital gauge cluster, headlamp wipers, and an 80′s spectacular talking warning system. The S12 was indeed an interesting chassis with lots of surprises that does indeed attract just as interesting group of fans.”

- Colin Masterson
S12 Owner
Lead blogger for S12Silvia.com
Events Editor/Blogger for NWMotiv.com
Team manager and Social Media Co-Manger/Blogger for NKDrift.com

And to end the year, why not do it with one of the most sought after racing simulators out there? Colin of S12Silvia.com and us here at Save the Roots have collaborated to offer the chance to win a copy of Forza Motorsports 4.

Also on the table is a Forza Motorsports 4 USB and tire pressure gauge. Be sure to drop by S12Silvia.com to check out the competition and submit for your chance to win. In addition, while you’re there, check out the blog and the community dedicated to the S12!

Special thanks goes out to Colin for letting us feature his S12 and Cameron Jurgensen for the additional photo, along with Nissanparts.cc and CompuStar Auto Security.

Until next time, thanks for saving the roots!

Well Jason, to get this started off, I would like to say thank you for letting us get the opportunity to talk to you and letting us feature you on the site.

No problem, I am 100% behind the SavingTheRoots concept. I still attend many entry level events to help as an instructor or other event needs.

What car do you currently compete in?

1991 Nissan 240sx. It is a proven chassis, and I actually had my first one back in 2000, when they were still “grandma’s car” around the street racing crowd. This one boasts about 400rwhp and 390rwtrq running the LS1. We aren’t stock LS1 of course. I use the Trick Flow top end kit with heads, cam, and a few other goodies. Power transfers via my Exedy Hypertwin
(uhh-mazing) to my Nexens <3 (haters gonna hate). The majority of my setup are listed at http://j1nracing.com/?page_id=19

What got you into drifting? Did you find it on youtube/vimeo? Or did you just watch a certain driver and you knew that’s what you wanted to do?

High school. Somone brought in an import magazine with an article on the “Slide Squad”. This was a pair of American’s in Japan who were driving a Civic, and a Silvia (both blue if I recall) and were giving instructions on how to slide each. This was back in 1999/2000 and what made me want a 240sx.

What are some of your goals for the 2012 season? Plan on doing any FormulaD events?

I really want to run FormulaD this year. The best way to improve is to drive with better drivers, and if I’m going to travel, I might as well go big right? The only thing I need is a little financial backing to make it happen.

How long have you been drifting?

Technically I first time I drifted a car was back in 1999. Matt Vassallo (Enjuku Racing’s first FD driver) was a classmate and was teaching me to drive stick in his Z31. After 5 minutes, I slid a corner with it. By the time we had an event near me (2004), I was pretty good with my single slammer with its glorious open diff.
www.myspace.com/video/boxhole/drifting-in-04/3044887

I drove 1-2 more events with that thing, and decided to save up for a real setup. 2006 I rolled out my sr20det car and after 4 years running it as a stock t25 at 15psi boost, I made the swap to V8. I can’t express the importance of learning with less power, and getting technique before heading for power.

Do you still get the same thrill and rush from drifting as you did when you first started?

No, the rush has actually increased. I don’t ever feel like its routine. I always try to put on a good show and that means pushing myself every time out. My favorite thing has always been giving rides to spectators. It’s fantastic to give them that new experience and re-affirms that what I can do in that car, is pretty badass.

Do you plan to drive the hatch in 2012? Or are there new plans for a new ride?

Same car, same setup mostly. I am possibly adding some power, my goal is 500 n/a at the wheels. There will definitely be some visual enhancements which I am working on now. The car should be ready for show in a few weeks.

How was LS Fest? I heard you had a pretty good showing?

LS Fest was actually really fun overall. The course design was not my favorite, and the weather was all over the place, but the drivers and staff made it work. The event was pretty intense with not only drifting, but autocross, drags, and show cars all over- all with the LS family powering them. I psyched myself out of my top-4 battle, and in the round for 3rd I narrowly was beaten by James Evans in his amazing 350z.

Well Jason, I hope to see you have an awesome 2012 drift season! And thank you again for letting us feature you on SaveTheRoots!

Thanks for having me and if anyone wants to know more about the car, check out some media, see where I’ll be driving, or any questions about drifting, they can check out my website at www.J1Nracing.com and hit me up on Facebook.

Jason Jiovani – (727) 742-9156
Nexen Tire (CA) TrickFlow Performance (OH)
ASD Motorsports (NC) Exedy Racing Clutch (MI)
ISIS Performance (FL) Sparco (CA)
ExtremeDimensions.com (CA) XXR Wheels (CA)
Flex-a-Lite (WA) SSP Vinyl (FL)
U Nation NissanAutoSports
EagleRod (MS) Enjuku Racing (FL)
K&N Filters (CA) E3 Spark Plugs (FL)
Improved Racing (FL)
All-American Street Car Performance (FL)

Picture rights to:
Floridaracing.org
Christopher Brut
Manuel Cintron

If you watched the LSU vs. Alabama football game on TV last weekend (what a game, am I right?!), you might have seen the excerpt where the announcers talked about a 4,000 lb pot of southern cooking known as Gumbo. Yes, 4,000 pounds. That’s a lot of food; enough to feed 10,000 people apparently. But since this is a blog about cars we’ll stop there.

As soon as I relocated to Seattle Washington 6 months ago, I immediately saw the huge drift and stanced car scene in the area. Coming from Louisiana this was all new to me. Never had I seen 4 NSX’s, 2 GTR’s, and 3 stanced WRX’s all in one parking lot. Never had I been to a drift event with RX8′s, R32 Skylines, and Cressida’s drifting. Usually it was the common 240sx and occasional RX7 or 350z.

This is the part where I circle back to the pot of Gumbo. Ya’see, Washington’s car scene would be what I would call the 4,000 pound pot of Gumbo. That’s compared to Louisiana’s drift and stance scene which would be one bowl that comes from that pot. Nevertheless the it’s still damn good. That friends, is the point.

While Louisiana’s scene might be a lot smaller, it’s got good ingredients (here we go talking about more food; 6 months without that home-cooked Louisiana food does that to some people).

Our friends Easton and Ethan supplied us with some pictures of the Halloween drift bash held in Belle Rose, Louisiana on October 29th.

Alot of what the Louisiana drift and stance scene has is quality over quantity. Yes the biggest drift event of the year might only have 10 or 12 cars, but that means more track time for each driver to sharpen their driving skill.

There might only be one stance crew, Low-Weezy-Ana (that I know of) but their cars are seriously some of the freshest cars in the country. On top of that, their cars stand out even more because of the smaller scene.

Easton and his buddy David have founded their own Louisiana-based buisness, CZ Wheels. Not only do they import JDM wheels, but at the same time they help put La on the map. “Hey where’d you get those JDMTYTE rims from? Oh CZ Wheels from Louisiana. Wuttt they have JDM wheels in Louisiana?” Yes. And with CZ Wheels rocking their own inventory on their cars (just look how sick Easton’s IS looks below) they stand by their importing service and the rims they bring over.

One of the ways the drift and stance scene in Louisiana is growing is through media coverage. In fact, one of the main reasons to make Save the Roots was to get my fellow Louisianians some coverage that they deserve. Alot of the rides seen on STR have yet to be seen elsewhere on the interwebz. That’s because other than NoDRFT (Louisiana’s drift krewe) and LWA, there was no real way for the drivers and their cars to get coverage.
Now-a-days we’ve expanded into other areas such as Washington, Florida, and North Carolina just to name a few.

With how fast the car scenes around the world are growing, I can not wait what epicness comes out of Louisiana. Whether it’s great drifters or sick stanced cars, Louisiana is still one of the smaller car scenes out there but it packs a punch!

Thanks for saving the roots!