Jan 29 2010

Yes, I’m Driving for Bergenholtz Racing

bergenholtz-press-conference

 

bergenholtz-press-con1 Press Conference

First of all, I want to recognize and thank my Drift Alliance Brother Chris Forsberg, Kevin Wells, and Sergio Ramirez for their constant support and guidance, especially during last year’s season. Some of my best moments last year wouldn’t have been in existence if it weren’t for them. I’m so indebted to you guys and, soon, I hope that I’ll be able to return the profound kindness you have given me.  

 Now, I would like to take this time to thank from the bottom of my heart Bergenholtz Racing, for offering me a position on their exceptional team. Even as I stand before you to make it official, I still can’t get over the fact that I’m chosen to represent such an amazing group of people whose passion for this sport is bar none. People grow up and live life wanting a chance to prove themselves but, here I am with one of the best drift teams out there providing me a platform to do just that.

 

The first contact I ever had with Ron, believe it or not, was with his voice at Long Beach in 2007. His pit area was right across mine and his voice transcended the noise of the event itself. I remember asking myself, “How does that little man have such strength to yell all the time? Is it vitamins?” Even still, I remember through his voice that his passion for this sport is what fueled him and I wondered what I needed to do to have a team like his back me.

 

Now, 3 years later, I’m on his team. No, actually, I’ve become a member of his family. He has not only embraced me and my shortcomings but also taken it upon himself to teach me and supplement what I lack in knowledge and experience. I’ve learned so much from him already in the short time we’ve been together, one in particular being, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”  After hearing this, I knew I was on the right team because I felt like he understood my history and struggles during the 3 years I’ve been drifting professionally and my objective in Formula Drift.
Words cannot describe the gratitude in my heart and I hope and pray that I’ll make them proud. So, thank you Ron and Bergenholtz Racing for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to add a new dimension to myself as both a driver and a person. What I promise you in return is to drive my heart out at every event, represent the team’s morale and integrity, and, at the end of the day, be true to who I am.

With that being said, I’ll like to officially announce the driver of Bergenholtz Racing: Joon Maeng.

18 comments

Jan 23 2010

Drifting in Panama Preview Edition

 

panama-banner

 Thursday, January 14th  2010 

Flew out to Panama City for the Xtreme Drift and Free Style event.

 

·         The players: DA Bro Justin Pawlak, Mike Essa, Matt Powers

·         The crew: Kevin Wells, Ashley Glover, Martin Muench

·         FD staff: Jim Liaw, Steve Choi, Bryan Olfert

 There were billboards of us on the highway, along with posters, banners, advertisements on television, etc. It was a phenomenal experience!panama-figali-convention-drift

A shot of my first pass. I initiated on 2nd gear, aiming towards the far left portion of the track, modulated the throttle and e-brake to feel out the surface, linked it to the other portion of the track, shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear and wasn’t able to spin the NEXEN tires on 3rd gear. At this point, the 2nd gear was…. ( full details along with many more pictures will be will continued on the 14th issue of www.wreckedmagazine.com )

img005

Edisa Y. came by on media day (Friday) and took pictures. The next day, her good friend Marcos came and gave me 2 custom pictures (above): one that was signed for Edisa and the second one for me. I’m so grateful to have met fans like Edisa, Marcos, and her brother. Their gesture of kindness and support fuel me to sustain my passion.

waving-to-fans-panama

Drove a lap to introduce ourselves and greet the fans. Threw many goodies to the crowd and exited with a couple of donuts to break the ice. We committed to make closure after every session by running a slow lap while waving to the fans as a gesture of gratitude. The crowd went wild! Thanks for the pictures Steve Choi!

panama-group-picture-banner

Thank you Formula Drift, Xtreme Drift and Free Style, LS Auto, fellow drivers, crew members, and fans for a once-in-a lifetime experience! Hope to experience it again next year!

10 comments

Jan 13 2010

Great Start to the New Year

lucas-oil1

LUCAS OIL will be supporting J.M. Racing with its products for the 2010 season.

A little 411 on their company and product…

“Lucas has long been directly involved in the American racing industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions, at all levels. Seeing a need for better lubricants in this industry, the Lucas people went to work again. The end result being a line of high performance engine oils and gear oils that are second-to-none in the racing industry. Lucas racing products have proven themselves on NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA, PPL, and USHRA tracks across the country.” www.LUCASOIL.com

 

lucas

 Picked up cases of LUCAS OIL products from its warehouse in Corona, Ca. Everyone there is so kind, organized, and prompt! So excited to be using LUCAS OIL on my drift vehicle.

4age

 The dial of the exhaust cams from my AE86 broke and seared itself to the cam gears. Good thing the 4age is a non-interference engine or else my valves and other components would have been shot! After taking off the cams I inserted the distributor and noticed that the tip of the shaft of the distributor was hitting the aftermarket head studs. So, I took it out and had it shortened by Lod @ S-Empire. Now everything is re-placed and running! Thank you Steve Choh and Wes Hamachi for providing the exhaust cam and distributor.

I have to rave about a product: Evapo-Rust. What happened was the cam was full of rust, so Steve mentioned to get a solution called Evapo-Rust at Harbor Freight and it dissolved the rust on the cam, giving it a brandnew look. Thanks Steve for the tip!

bike-3-nephew-jack

 Made time to go to the park with my nephew and ran around, taught him to make planes, played freeze tag with other kids at the park and had a good time!

bike-morn-view

 Woke up 4:30 am Sunday morning to call up a few of my buddies, whom I’ve known since 7th grade, to go mountain biking. They have been biking for a couple years and this would be my second attempt but wow~ I drastically improved compared to the first time. I rode 15 miles through Fullerton Loop, which is full of  inclines, ramps, and downhills (my favorite part of the trail). Every portion of my leg muscles were hard as a rock after the bike ride.  I enjoyed every moment of it; from the beautiful view of the sunrise to the aching cramps from my thigh.

bike-1-joon

 View from the top of the mountain. Because of my budget, I’m not able to practice drifting as much as I want. I figured biking will help improve my reaction time and endurance for driving this season. Thanks to my friends John C., Art T. and Ruben O., I’m able to exercise without spending too much money.

bike-2-hill

 This is one of the minor inclines of Fullerton Loop.

bike-down-hill

 This downhill is fun! If your not careful, you’ll find yourself going way too fast and risk missing  the turn at the bottom of the hill

bike-gang

 Strecthed out my leg cramps and once the ride was over ~9:30 am, the rest of the day was spent at church.

even-bike

Ended up taking my nephew biking on a dusty trail without hills. I taught him to slide around in it and he loved it!

I hope all of you are having a phenomenal 2010 so far! Time is flying by and I am very excited to be driving again soon enough! Looking forward to seeing you at the Formula Drift Championships!   :)

3 comments