Qualifying happens on Friday after a brief practice session. The field was packed with serious competitors. I ran hard and managed to qualify 11th out of the 30 or so entrants.

This paired me up again Geoff Stoneback, a good friend of mine, in the first round of tandem battles. I just kept my head on straight and followed him as close as I could without any mistakes and put in a solid lead run. I got lucky and the judges decided I won and would move on to the next round of competition.

In the great 8 I was up against Jeff Jones. I’ve never driven with Jeff before and hadn’t witnessed any of his practice or qualifying runs, so I asked for advice from Tanner Munson, who had just gone up against him in the previous tandem round. During Jeff’s lead run I got caught on the inside of him coming around the large sweeper and got the door shut on me coming to the inside clipping point at the end of that turn, causing me to straighten, but quickly recovered and finished strong.

There must have been some inconsistencies in Jeff’s follow run also, because the judges called for us to battle “one more time”. This time as we entered the first turn I didn’t get my transmission all the way in 3rd gear and it popped out as I got back on throttle and I never really recovered after that. Jeff was awarded the win and moved on.

I had such a great time at Hyperfest/XDC round 4 and would like to thank everyone that was there supporting me and my partners that helped me make it possible this season. Autosport Dynamic, Falken Tire, Sikky Manufacturing, Enkei Wheels, Mechanix Wear Gloves, and Mishimoto.

I had been looking forward to this event for several months now. It is the first competition of my season and it was at a very famous track I’d never ran on before. I’ve been going over the car with a fine tooth comb to shake out problems and getting the suspension set just right so I’d be comfortable in the car with the new LS6. With several events and a recent suspension tuning session under my belt, it was finally time to pack up and hit the road for Atlanta.

As we arrived in the paddock and were told where to park by the StreetWise Drift staff, you could see that the pit already had some very talented drivers setting up. I hurried and unpacked what I needed and shot right over to the tech inspection tent. I’ve been through SWD’s tech process and know that it can be exhausting, so I wanted to get it over with. After what seemed like hours of poking and prodding at my car they were unable to find any areas of concern. And that was all there was to do on Thursday – just load-in and tech-in – no driving, just administrative details. We headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest, it would be a long day ahead on Friday.

I was up at the crack of dawn Friday morning to get something to eat and make sure everything on the car was 100% for the brief hour practice which started at 8:45am and ended at 9:45am. With a full field of 40 drivers, a new track, and brand new course layout, us Pro-am drivers really had our job cut out for us. I made sure I went out on grid prepared to get as many runs in as I could. I managed to squeeze in three practice runs before qualifying. The course was very technical and was all about a single perfect line to power up the hill and get to the outer clipping zone. I thought the entry would be terrifying, but that was the easiest part of the course. I just wish I had a little more time out there, I would have gotten all Conrad Grunewald in the entry. But, I got what I could and equaled the amount of practice the other Pro-am competitors got. Then it was on to qualifying.

Qualifying started at 12:10pm and the event staff informed us they would not guarantee 2 runs due to time restraints, so again I made sure I was prepared and at the front of the line just in case time ran short. On my first run, I went conservative on the entry to make it through the course without any major issues. With little practice time, I wanted to get a clean run in. The next run I decided I would step it up and go in in 4th gear on the entry and hammer out the clipping points harder. With my second run out of the way, I hung out at the back of the line until everyone got their second run and then got a few more practice runs in, which actually helped out a ton. I got a lot more comfortable on the course in those last practice runs.

In the driver’s meeting to announce top 16, I was pretty nervous with all of the talent at the event. I know I saw some very good driving from up on the hill, but it didn’t take long for the judges to call my name at the 13th position.I was so happy to be in the show and get to compete in tandem at Road Atlanta my first time there. In the top 16 I was paired up with fellow ASD driver Jason Jiovani in the yellow Nissan 240sx S13 with a S15 front end. Having watched Jason’s runs I saw he had an amazing line through the course and wasn’t surprised when he placed. I was really going to have to drive hard if I wanted to move on to the top 8.

By the time the Formula D guys had finished the qualification runs, it was past when we were supposed to go on course for our tandem elimination due to the large field of FD drivers this year. It was about 9:30pm or so when we made it out to grid and the track conditions had changed with the sun going down and layers of rubber from FD qualifying. I made some adjustments to the car to try and compensate for the changes in track conditions. In my first run with Jason, I was following him because he qualified higher, he bolted off the line as though he was trying to get a record 40 foot time or something but lucky for me he slowed just before entry so I could make up some ground as we entered at the same pace and transferred up the hill and on throttle, I shifted to forth so I could stay with him and then back down to third going into the horseshoe really tight and close, and back down the hill trying to maintain close proximity and exiting with lots of smoke and angle.

Next it was my turn to lead, I chose not to drag race off the line but rather launch in the same way as I had in qualifying and enter the first turn in fourth and kept it in forth up the hill and as I came into the horseshoe and didn’t downshift. When I stepped on the throttle again, the car just gripped up and launched right towards the wall in front of the judges stand. I was way off line and heading toward the wall, so I slowed down to correct and get back on course and then Jason slammed into me from behind. So I just drove the rest of the course off and shook the car a little to make sure nothing was damaged too bad in the impact. Everything seemed fine. The round was awarded rightfully to Jason and he went on to claim third place overall in the event.

I had a great time at the new track and met a lot of great people. SWD did an amazing job with the event. Huge thanks to all my partners that helped out immensely; Auto Sports Dynamic, Falken Tires, Sikky Manufacturing, Enkei Wheels, Mishimoto Automotive, Mechanix Wear Gloves, Race Design, and Alexander Fabrication. Now it’s down to Florida for XDC Orlando…

I just got back from an amazing day at Englishtown Raceway in New Jersey for Club Loose’s second event of the season, Spring Moves. This was also my second event and a second shakedown after fixing some issues from the first outing with the new engine and drivetrain.

We arrived and checked in, unloaded the car and gear, and assembled the front bumper and side skirts on the car so it would look pretty. Got the car tech inspected and attended the drivers’ meeting. Everything was falling in order and gearing up for a great day. The skies cleared up and the temperature began to climb. Our run group was scheduled to go out at noon, so I had an hour to catch up with some friends I hadn’t see in a while.

My ASD Mob brother, Tanner Munson, and his father Larry were in attendance. I was excited for them to give my LS setup a once over, because they have a ton of experience with this engine platform. They also ended up bailing me out big time by hooking me up with a MAP sensor that broke the night before. What a great friend to have, so thank you Tanner and Larry Munson for making my day possible.

I took the car out for the first session and there was a massive difference from the last shakedown. There was a ton more power—at the last shakedown I had to clutch kick and was losing power through turns. It turned out I had a faulty fuel pressure regulator, so with that fixed and a tune by Jeff Lowry in Annapolis, Maryland the car felt brutal. I also switched out a leaking rack and added a small cooler to the power steering system to keep temps down. This was just what the car needed, it was in magnificent form. It took me awhile to get used to what I have now, which is gobs of power on demand, lots of steering angle and plush suspension settings.

The first session was finished and so were a set of Falkens. With the rough course and newfound power, I was blazing through tires. I checked over the car from front to back almost expecting to find a problem, but everything was in good working order. Finally diligence has payed off. This was great news, so now I could focus on driving the car and getting fully acquainted with it and so I could push it to the limit.

For the rest of the day I just drifted as hard as I could, and the car was not phased at all. All the temperatures stayed in check. Suspension pieces all kept in place, nothing bent or bound. I can’t express how pleased I am with how the car performed yesterday. I got to drift with some really cool cats, Geoff Stoneback, Ed Tini, Charlie Tyson, Alan Brentzel, Tanner, Miro Ovcharik, Justin Hoitsma, Steve Angerman, Anthony Fallon, Fellow Amvivero, Ben Sarli, Hector and Willie in their 86s, There were a shit load of Tuercks, Brian Hoplamazin, and Chris Forsberg was out dialing his FD car in, and tons more awesome drifters.

All in all the day was a great success, the car ran flawlessly, and I’m confident driving it. I got to hang out with a bunch of rad dudes in the pits. I couldn’t be in higher spirits. I’m looking forward to another small shakedown and then hitting the ground running at Streetwise Drift, Road Atlanta Pro-am in May. Big thanks to ASD Motorsports, Falken Tire, Sikky Manufacturing, Mishimoto Automotive, Enkei Wheels, Race Design, Mechanix Wear Gloves, Club Loose, and Mike Ruppert for the tow.

This past weekend I brought my car out to the season opening event at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia for some shakedown runs to make sure all of the improvements would hold up to the abuse of drifting. I arrived at 7am to unload and stage the car so I could help get the rest of the event set up and going smoothly. I am one of the main organizers of the Drift Nirvana events held at Summit Point on a regular basis so I had additional responsibilities that day.

One thing that I was extremely thankful for was the gorgeous weather that we were blessed with, it was sunny and warm all day, perfect for a drift event. We had a ton of drivers in attendance at the event, 73 registered, and countless spectators, which had the paddock area teaming with activity and excited fans. I had the car looking good and I was ready to get back into the driver seat to see what the new power plant was capable of.

So I suited up and pulled out of the pits to warm the car up and see how comfortable I would be in it. The first run I just warmed the tires up and goosed the throttle a few times just to see what I could expect from the newly acquired LS6 V8. It was quite grunty and had a lot of torque off throttle. My second run I gave it a little more as I gained speed for the left hand sweeper on the course and effortlessly drifted through the turn and into the next. I was impressed; this is going to be a lot of fun. Having gotten the needed information, I pulled back into the pit to look over the car and make sure everything was working well and checked for leaks. I did find a significant power steering fluid leak, but it turned out to be just a loose line. So with that tightened and the reservoir full. It was time for more runs.

The rest of the day went extremely well. The engine coolant temps stayed well in check, thanks to the Mishimoto radiator, fan and shroud set-up. The Falken Tires held up to a beating, were smoking and had tons of bite. The Enkei Wheels were performing flawlessly as usual, and the Sikky Manufacturing engine mounting kit lived up to its reputation as being the best on the market. I am ecstatic about the upcoming drifting season and how well the car is performing. Thanks for all of the support from the fans, ASD Motorsports, Falken Tire, Sikky Manufacturing, Mechanix Wear Gloves, Race Design Graphics, Mishimoto Automotive, and Enkei Wheels. Here’s to a great season!

We just received a new shipment of Alexander Fabrication t-shirts! There are two different styles to choose from.The original blue shirt with pink lettering and the new pink shirt with blue lettering. Sizes ranging from small to 2XL. They cost $20 each and are available immediately, but they won’t last long so place your order soon.

I recently received a number of Mishimoto’s products to use on my Nissan 240sx competition car. Everything was extremely well packaged and arrived in immaculate condition. I have been running one of Mishimoto’s radiators for years now with my previous set-up and never had a problem with it. This year I will be using one of Mishimoto’s coolant fan and shroud kits, which is specifically made to attach to their radiator. This made it a snap to install – four bolts and it was together.

The shroud fit snugly against the radiator, so the fans can do their job and pull the air through the radiator and not from around it. From start to finish it took me about 10 minutes to install the new radiator and fan shroud assembly in the car. Mishimoto has taken the extra time to ensure their products fit properly and are simple to install.

I will also be running one of Mishimoto’s oil catch cans and silicone radiator hoses. Both of these products were well packaged and easy to install with straight forward instructions and technical support if you run into any problems along the way.

I look forward to an amazing season working with Mishimoto Automotive and thank them for their support of my program and the drifting community in general. Here’s to great success in 2012!

As you may know I am in the process of swapping an LS6 V8 motor out of a 2004 Cadillac CTS-V into my competition car and am using the complete Sikky installation kit. All of the parts in the kit fit amazingly well and have been easy to install. Recently I ran into an issue when the Tremec Magnum T-56 transmission shifter output did not line up with the shifter hole on the Nissan. After doing some research, it turns out that the Tremec transmission does not use the same housing as the regular T56 and the shifter locations are different.

So I reached out to Sikky for help, and in being the knowledgeable professionals that they are, they came up with a solution right away. It turns out they had made a shifter relocation adapter for a Tremec T-56 for a Mazda RX-7 build that Moto IQ was doing. I measured how much the shifter needed to move back and it was about 4 inches, which was exactly how much they had designed the one for Moto IQ to move, but they had only made one. Not to worry though, the design was saved in their CNC machine and they shifted their work load around and by the end of the week I had it in my hands.

It truly is a magnificent piece of machinery. It looks like a work of art and functions flawlessly. Its movements are precise and smooth with a firm, positive engagement. The installation was a breeze, from start to finish in under an hour, and most importantly, solved the issue, placing the shifter right in the vehicle shifter hole.

If it wasn’t for the guys at Sikky I would still be stuck with a major problem with no clear solution. Thanks to their hard work, knowledge and skill I’m back on schedule and making progress. If you ever need any LS swap parts or advice don’t hesitate to call Sikky Manufacturing at (410) 780-0009 or visit the website http://sikky.com/ . All of the parts are 100% made in the USA and engineered and tested under extreme conditions. No other LS swap kit on the market can compare in any way to the quality and craftsmanship of the Sikky Kit.

The past couple months have been filled with worry and sleepless nights trying to think of all of the odds and ends that would be needed to complete this transformation. Here are some of the parts that have been compiled to make this a successful venture:

The first order of business was to give the garage a good cleaning. I probably spend equal amounts of time cleaning in the garage as I do working on cars in it.

Now that the canvas has been prepared, I am ready to bring the car in for a major operation. The old engine has already been removed and delivered to its new owner. What I want to do now is get the engine bay ready for the new engine by filling all of the holes in the firewall and painting it glossy white.

It’s been a lot of hard work since then and there’s still a lot to do. There are big things in store for Alexander Fabrication in 2012. The calendar is already starting to fill up with customers with roll cage requests and other fabrication jobs, not to mention the fast approaching drift season.

I have had tons of requests for T-shirts and fully intend to fulfill those requests with a large order in various sizes and colors, as long as those colors are blue and pink. Stickers are also on the ordering block, so be ready to get your own Alexander Fabrication vinyl, coming soon.

Thanks again to all of the customers and fans that have helped build Alexander Fabrication from nothing, to what it is today. I look forward to warmer weather and seeing everyone out at the track in the coming months. Stay warm and be safe.