10 Questions with 2012 Formula Drift Rookies

When we heard that ProAm had been eliminated from Round 7 at Irwindale Formula Drift, we scrambled to come up with ideas and new ways we could cover the pro event and earn a track side spot in 2013, bringing you the best grassroots drifting related coverage on the net. Being a relatively new site that supports the grassroots effort to popularize the sport of drifting, we decided that we would get with as many 2012 Formula Drift rookies as we could, speak with them, and report back here with what they had to say.

We asked 10 simple questions that we felt would enrich the seasons of 2013 FD rookies, and give advice and encouragement to any fan out there who inspires to someday be a competitor in any driving sport comparable to drifting.

The questions:

• How did you earn your FD Pro License?

• What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?

• On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)

• What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?

• What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?

• What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?

• How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?

• If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?

• Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?

• What was the best moment of 2012 for you?

The drivers:

1. Mauricio Ornelas  – Riverside, CA – Nissan S14 240sx
2. Enrique Mendoza – Moreno Valley, CA – Nissan S13 240sx Coupe
3. Dave Briggs – Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada – Nissan S14 240sx & Nissan 350z
4. Chelsea Denofa – Orlando, FL – Mazda RX8 & BMW E46 M3
5. Jeremy Lowe – Sarasota, FL – Mazda FC RX7
6. Jhonnattan Castro – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Nissan 350z
7. Danny George – Las Vegas, NV – Mazda Miata w/V8
8. Chris Ward – Atlanta, GA – Nissan S13 240sx Coupe
9. Patrick Goodin – Oviedo, FL – Nissan S13 240sx Coupe
10. George Marstanovic – Flagstaff, AZ – Mazda FC RX7
11. Corey Hosford – Gilbert, AZ – Nissan 350z
12. Nick Dalessio – Philadelphia, PA – RHD Nissan S13 Silvia Coupe
13. Kyle Pollard – Portland, OR – RHD Nissan S13 Silvia Coupe
14. Ryan Bell – San Jose, CA – Nissan S13 240sx Coupe
15. Andrew Coomes – Portland, OR – Nissan S13 240sx Hatchback
16. Zoltan Hadju – Jacksonville, FL – Nissan S14 240sx
17. Gabe Stone – San Jose, CA – BMW E36 M3

We would like to thank every single driver who participated in our 2012 Formula Drift rookie article, and we wish you all the very best in 2013. From the bottom of our hearts, you make this all worthwhile and help us do what we love. We hope you enjoy this project of ours, and we look forward to continue supporting the rookies in 2013!

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Mauricio Ornelas – Riverside, CA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my license in Vegas Drift ProAm.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
3 broken RB25 transmissions.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
3-7k depending on the location of the event. fuel and tires take up a lot of the budget.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Pay for all expenses! lol Jk. Fuel and tires would have been a tremendous help!

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Considering how many fans show up to an FD event, committing to a whole season and showing a lot of dedication is the most important thing you can do.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
It has aged me beyond my years! It has completely taken over, I am lucky enough to have a job where I can take off the time I need but I have to really hustle when I do work to be able to afford the next event. I am also lucky enough to have the support from my family and girlfriend/manager who keep me motivated even after having the toughest season imaginable!

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Having a reliable team is by far the most important thing in FD, If you have made it this far your driving ability is most likely up to par. But without a reliable team you loose your full focus on driving. you now have to focus on the car, tires, fuel, travel, money. If you have a team that can take most of those responsibility’s off your mind and allow you to focus just on driving it would help you out in such a big way. Reliable equipment is equally as important if you know your equipment is not up to par you will not push your car to 100% because you are worried it might now hold up.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
I wish I would have been able to test my car before the FD season started. At least 1 month of testing would have had such an impact on my rookie year and the results would have definitely been different.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I am definitely coming back in the 2013 season, and my goal is to accomplish a higher ranking finish for the 2013 season. We will come out swinging! I’m a MEXI-CAN!!!

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Man I wish I could say when I qualified at an event, but the best moment was in ATL Thursday practice. I did a tandem practice run with Rhys Millen after it was over it hit me. I said dam! I actually made it this far and have been blessed to drive with the best! It was such amazing feeling!

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Enrique Mendoza – Moreno Valley, CA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
Got it from Top Drift.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
The most expensive thing was the engine, getting it ready for FD.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Average cost for an event for me was about $3,000.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Most helpful is Tomei. They got me the parts I needed when I had a blown motor before I got to Seattle. They were so helpful, didn’t say “we will think about it”. They got me the parts next day.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
As for me to help a sponsor, is get pics and vids to help the blog and website to promote their product.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Honestly it was very stressful. A lot of long nights, no money lol, Worried that tires were not coming in time, so much to list bro.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
I had a team in Long Beach, but after that, it was just me until Irwindale came. The team has to be on top of everything. A crew chief has to be the one that has to have the team doing what they should be doing. Equipment has to be in top notch, and got to have extra parts. I learned that for sure lol. The transportation has to be very reliable at all times. I work at a Toyota dealer. Before I would head out to a event, I would go through my truck and make sure everything was looked over. Got to have good tires on the trailer.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
One thing I would of change, is I should have gone with a v8. That’s it.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Yes, I will be back and my goal is to make it to top 16.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Best moment in FD was practice with the top drivers. It was so bad ass. That moment it felt real, and I could not believe that I was an FD driver. I have about 9 years of drifting. Ive been to FD events to watch, and look at me now lol.

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Dave Briggs – Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my FD Pro License though the Drift Mania Canadian Championship (DMCC). It took almost a full season of being on the podium every event. There was a lot of competition, but only 2 licenses up for grabs. Through consistency, we were awarded one of them.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
I would say the teams most expensive cost is travel. Competing in a different country than you live in can be costly.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
It costs quite a lot to run each round of Formula D. Our biggest cost is definitely the flights. There are 8 of us that travel to each round and at least 6 of us fly. Minimum 12 flights per event adds up fast! Add 4 hotel rooms and 24 meals a day, and you can start to get an idea.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
The most helpful thing a sponsor could do, is to help us help them.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
The most helpful thing you can do for a sponsor is be a positive ambassador for their company. If they are putting their faith in you, you need to show them they made a great choice.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Professional drifting has taken many tolls on my personal life. I have a lot invested in my team, and I need to make a lot of sacrifices at home to be able to be competitive on track.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
It is extremely important to have reliable team members, equipment and transportation. These things are part of the foundation needed to build a team.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
If I could have done one thing different this year off-track to help me succeed in Formula Drift, it would be majoring in marketing.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
100% I plan to compete in the 2013 Formula Drift season! Our goals are to qualify well, and consistently make it further into the tandem rounds.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
The best moment of 2012 for me, was getting back in a car that I’m comfortable in; my S14.

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Chelsea Denofa – Orlando, FL

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I had been licensed for a few years before I actually jumped into FD. I kept renewing my license by driving different pro-am events like FD Pro-Am and Lone Star Drift.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
The largest cost was definitely building and rebuilding the car. That was very closely tied with the transport costs. It worked out to about 75 cents a mile to run our rig between diesel, tires, repairs, etc. Even though we transported some homeboys, I was still out about 15 stacks.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (Food, lodging, fuel, etc.)
Since we are in Orlando, the west coast events are the killers. For something like Long Beach, it’ll be Kevin (spotter), David (mechanic), and myself traveling for 2 weeks, 4 days of transport each way, and at the track Tuesday through Sunday. I don’t pay my crew, but I cover bare minimum expenses like food and a hotel. We would only get a hotel for main day and sleep in the RV all the other days. So basically, we spent $4000 in fuel, and another $2,500 in food, lodging, and entry fees for west coast events. On the other hand, that cost for PBIR is only about $1800.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
On the real, it takes money to do this, so it’s always extremely helpful to have monetary backing. But, having your sponsors promote you as a driver and an ambassador of their company is also equally important. If you have 10 sponsors and they keep an active hype on you as a driver, it can be worth its value in gold.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
For me, it’s making a product or brand cool. Obviously most sponsors will partner up with a driver to promote the brand and sell more to make more money. In this sport, it’s all about cool products that work properly and have the most bang for the buck. So I basically try to tell people how rad my sponsors are and have real life experiences to back it up. Last year we physically drove my 2011 XDC Championship winning car all the way to the SEMA show in Vegas to show how our sponsors products could win a race on Sunday, and road trip across the country the following week.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Since I started drifting, I have been pushing to become the best. I used to park my loaded truck and race trailer at my high school, and run to it when the bell rang so I could make it to events on time. Up until the Bergenholtz deal went down this year, I did the same thing, but from my desk job. It consumes you. When you keep positive and push to progress that hard, you’ll spend nearly all your time and efforts doing it. 90% of the time it’s the most fun you could possibly have, well worth it, wouldn’t trade it for anything.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
At an FD event, you can be the best driver in the world, but you’ll never win without the right team. If the spotter doesn’t tell you what the other driver is doing, you will get unexpectedly jammed and lose. If your car breaks and you can’t fix it in 5 minutes, you lose. Transportation is always a sketchy thing. Most teams will put 50k miles on their tow vehicle during the season, anything can happen when your driving the circumference of the earth twice in 1 year… Tires blow, transmissions melt, people lose wheels and crash into you, roofs blow off, and things catch fire. Ask any FD driver about a trailer incident, they will all have a crazy story.

If there were one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
I try to just take care of the task at hand. If I have idea’s, I push to make them happen. So, I can’t really pin point anything, but I could always push to promote myself more effectively. Maybe promote some of the rowdy stuff we do off the track more.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Hell yea! My personal goal is to finish top 8 in the season… and… crash… less…

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Pulling up to the start line during tandem in the following lane.

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Jeremy Lowe – Sarasota, FL

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my FD Pro License by finishing 3rd in Streetwise Drift’s Pro-Am series championship.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
The biggest cost out of my pocket this year was probably tires. I had help from Enjuku Racing and Lowe’s Automotive Service with a lot of the costs this year, but it was easy to drop $1500+ on tires before an event, and that was even with a substantial discount from Falken.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
On average, even with a poor person budget and limited crew, plan on $5000 for an event.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Financial support is the most important thing a sponsor can do for a team. You can get all the free parts you want, but that won’t get you across the country, or pay your entry fee.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Realize that you’re marketing for your sponsor, and you represent their company. So represent them positively and sincerely. Be active, creative, and don’t be a jackass.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
It’s pretty rough. Aside from drifting, I work pretty much full-time and go to school. So it was a busy season. In Seattle, I took a final exam online the morning before qualifying. Some other highlights from this season include: sanding primer until 3am on my birthday on a Friday night, because it had to be painted the next day; or buying a Hot ‘n Ready on Wednesday and knowing that it has to last until Friday, because I would be too embarrassed to have my card declined at the grocery store trying to buy Ramen. The list could go on and on.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Reliable team members, equipment, and transportation are all really important. It’s nice to have the same team members at every event. So they’re all on the same page, and if they’re reliable, you won’t have to stress about them. Having the right tools and spare parts is very important, and can make or break an event. Reliable transportation is just common sense, you’re pulling a trailer thousands of miles at a time.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
I would’ve worked harder on marketing myself and getting the business side of things on more of a professional level.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I plan on returning to FD in 2013. I hope to be more competitive, and have more financial support. I wasn’t very happy with how I drove this season, and I want a little redemption.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Making top 16 in Seattle

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Danny George – Las Vegas, NV

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my license by doing both VegasDrift and TopDrift ProAm series. I only hit 2 events each and luckily got enough points from TopDrift to make the Nationals at Irwindale. I drove hard and had a good showing, but didn’t have the tandem skills at the time. I was handpicked by the judges to gain a license. I think they saw potential and something unique for the series personally.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
Single most expensive cost this year, tires…. 2nd was almost a tie with FD event charges, and gas for the tow rig to get around the country. Luckily I am one of the cheapest teams to operate and own all my own stuff. Sponsor dollars go further towards helpful things, not just consumables. I am fortunate that my team is made up of rad guys that want to do all of this for basically nothing. Without them, none of this would be possible. They see the potential, so we are all in it to win it.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
If I took all of the events and averaged them out, it is roughly $4,000 per event. It could be done for less of course, but some things we just didn’t want to cheap on. Having control over your whole program is a little more, but well worth it. This cost also involves a bunch of things some think are useless. For us Branding/Marketing is #1, so a few dollars slip away, for things like giving away shirts to kids, ect. Wish we had a little help as our idea’s are huge, but funds be low. lol

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Sponsorship at this time has changed since last year. We are currently looking first for a solid relationship with brands that want to work TOGETHER. We are a small team with small costs and a fairly small name. To succeed in this series, I think driver branding is key. The team needs exposure. We want to become a household name in the motorsports world. Second of course, is money. Without it, we are not going anywhere fast. This is the hardest challenge, I don’t like to feel like I’m begging. I know we have the best marketing minds in this sport, and with a LITTLE help and a forward thinking company, we can take over without anyone knowing before it happens.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
On the flip side of that sponsorship… Being a face that is associated with a brand/company, professionalism is key both on and off track. We already have the most fun out there and seem to have a very strong fan base after just one year. Our minds are geared towards the marketing side. My dad Rob has always said “it’s all in the marketing” and that we have taken with us. Given the opportunity, we will go above and beyond typical driver’s tasks. We can and will get our supporters name’s out there, more so then the competition with our unique thoughts and constant will to be noticed. Our team is the best bang for the buck in this series and that’s a GUARANTEE!

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
I don’t know if the word “toll” is proper here. There have been a lot of changes that’s for sure. Mainly good honestly. Coming from a car background, the endless hours in the shop and spending all your money on cars is common. I have tried and I think succeeded with spending my free time off work with my family, and most importantly my 2y/o son Jack. That was a concern at the early stages, don’t let him suffer from my career choices. The greatness that has become is far greater then any monetary value lost. Friendships are far stronger, our outlook on life has improved and the self awareness of our actions have improved immensely. Our whole team has benefited from this journey together!

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Starting this season, a concern was reliability of everything. If you aren’t on track, you can’t win. I bought a new truck & trailer to rid any potential issues getting TO the events. 15k miles later all we had was 1 blowout on the trailer. Success! On the other hand, the next was the car. Luckily we have a light car with overbuilt parts and didn’t cheap on anything really. The car has been rock solid other then a broken oil pan in Atlanta from the rumble strips and a broken Axle in Seattle. Both replaced with improved units to eliminate any future problems. My team we assembled (Kyle and Will from DDS Performance) have been so amazing this year. Dedicated to making this an awesome journey, we have all been on point and know the tasks at hand. I would go as far to say we have one of the most knowledgeable groups in the field and the drive to go days without sleep if needed. Much Love to those guys!

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
I believe that seat time away from FD would have been the most beneficial to MY overall program. That goes back to the financial side of things. Buying tires for just 1 day of practice can exceed $1000 pretty quick. Not many can absorb that without some kind of family money. Getting free tires in your first year seems pretty unrealistic.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
2013, isn’t that just around the corner? The plan as of right now is to run the whole series. How that is going to happen is up in the air. We WILL make it happen somehow. The goals for next season are to go 100% and have even more fun then we did this year. We took home the “spirit of drift” award this year. That will not be changing hands ever. We are drift and what it represents. Taking the Miata to a Top16 and breaking into the Top20 in points is close behind. Marketing, Marketing, Marketing!!!! There are so many idea’s right now that the “Who’s Danny George” campaign will seem invisible in comparison. Just watch what we have in store!

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Best moment of this year. Wow we had so many. I think the times we were crying was the sum of awesome. First was qualifying in Atlanta on our 2nd run after doubting myself all practice. Bil Baldwin was along for the ride (amazing in itself, he shed a tear too <3) I drove down the hot pits and parked and the release was just so intense.

Overall the best moment had to be the end of the year at the banquet dinner. We (I always say “we” as without the team there’s no “I”) were nominated for “Spirit of Drift”. This was the team goal from day 1. We wanted to have as much fun as possible and give 100% to the fans. Jarod announced the award and we WON!!! I was on cloud 9 as I walked past all the people who had voted for us. I got to the podium and gave what I thought was a great thank you to everyone and reminded them all that Fun is what got us into drift and that remember that for the future. As I spoke the tears were starting to puddle up in my eyes but I held back from a full outbreak. I walked back past everyone and the applause just melted me. This was it. Everyone acknowledged what we set out to bring from day 1. I got to the table where we all sat and my boy Kyle was fighting back tears, and my other crew member Will was balling like a little girl. The hug with us all that followed was something dreams are made of. I love them with all my heart, and even typing this now I have tears running from my face. My girl Jen just looked at me and called me a p#%$^y!

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Jhonnattan Castro – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I became 3 times dominican drift champ at Dominican Rep. Also went to Japan to be part of a drift training with the Team Orange and race at the G1GP were I get position 5th overall, they give me D1GP license…. With these background I apply to FD my license and they say – Yes–.

What is the single most expensive cost youve had this year?
The racing program which include: Car, team, transportation.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Its around US$25,000 per race.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
All this depends of the type of sponsors, lets take a example:

Hankook – They not only help me with tires, they teach me how the tires works like; right temp, pressure, how is the reaction of the tires depending of the surface, difference of type of tires for all kind of cars, etc. This is the type of help that makes a big difference because its not only having one of the best tires with me, it is having the best team teaching how to make the best of the tires.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Win the race, support the brand at the track, but very important to do it outside the track, make the people aware how important the brand is for the team.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Professional drifting has change completely my life. Everything is focus on drifting.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Is the key, without a good team member, equipments, transportation, friends of the team, etc, etc there is NO success…. They are so important that I cant do anything without them.. (Thanks City Tire for be the best team).

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?  
Be more focus, study more the track and car setup and take a lot less stress off the track, to the track.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?   
Yes! Looking forward to be racing!!….. We want to qualify in all the races, get at least once at top 8. And my dream is get to the podium.  

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?     
The race at Seattle, that was a super success for me and for the team… That race was the result of the hard work of the team and for me is the key of success (Have a Great Team).

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Chris Ward – Atlanta, GA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
Street Wise Drift

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
Everything was the most expensive cost.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
I paid for everything and I got kicked out of my house and had to live in a storage warehouse that my work owns for a coupe of months.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Best thing a sponsor could do is give give as much as support as they can. I’d say money, but parts and knowledge are nice too.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Just push their product the best you can and never talk bad about their product.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Personal life……..

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
A reliable program is very important. FD isn’t a joke. You need to be as ready as ever. Have a plan!! I battled with communication malfunction along with my car either blowing an engine or exploding transmissions every event except for Irwindale (I just screwed that one up lololol).

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
One thing I could of done off track that would of made my season a little better….??? Drive the car a hand full of times before driving all the way to California for Long Beach and finding out I couldn’t even transition my car without straightening up or spinning out…

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Yes I’m driving 2013. I now know the tracks and what it takes to get out there and compete on a professional level. I’ve learned a lot this year and even though we weren’t successful in the points, I feel we gained so much knowledge .

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Best moment…. just actually making it to all seven events on my own. I had to beg borrow and push my way just to get the car to every event.

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Pat Goodin – Oviedo, Fl

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my FD license in the 2011 Streetwise Drift series. I won the championship that year.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
Either tires or fuel. Jeremy Lowe and I were lucky enough to have some financial backing from Enjuku Racing, so our fuel cost were not out of our own pocket.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Its insane how much money is actually spent on these trips. Jeremy and I always drove straight through with no stops, so that would make things a bit cheaper on us. It usually cost around $3k-$7k per event for a rookie that isn’t running a huge operation.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Enjuku Racing paying for the fuel was HUGE! That was probably one of the best things for us.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Social media is a huge thing for sponsors. If you can keep your sponsor happy through social media, that’s a pretty good thing.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Its a huge toll. I have NO money for fun stuff anymore, and I always seem to be doing some kind of car crap.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Reliability is the biggest key to success. There’s really no more that can be said. If you don’t have a reliable program setup, might as well not even show up.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
Worked harder on getting a bit more power and a transmission that could actually shift. This isn’t pro am where you can cruise around in a whatever car and still possibly beat everyone.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Yes, for sure. I hope to accomplish what everyone wants to accomplish. Finish the absolute best I can and have the most fun I can have.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
On track, I would have to say the best moment was one more timing Mike Essa. To some it might not be a big deal, but to me, that was the closest I came to a win all year.
Off track, the best moment isn’t really a one time thing. It was just so awesome to get to hangout with such rad people. Its weird that I’m not gonna get to see a lot of my friends until April. haha.

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George Marstanovic – Flagstaff, AZ

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned it through Vegas Pro-Am 2011.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
The cost of tires, event fees, and travel expenses were pretty even between every event. But you need all 3 to compete so it just rolls into one really large expense.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Events that were close are typically $2000-2500, events that are further are $3000-4000.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
At this level, most people have cars that are built pretty solid so parts are less of an expense. Covering travel/entry/tires would be the biggest help.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
You are a representative for the sponsor. Through attendance at events, media, and fan relations, you spread the word about your sponsors and what they have to offer. This usually comes in the form of vinyl on cars, professional looking pits, team shirts, etc.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
It can be stressful if you have a day job and have to take time off to travel to and from the events. Our team was typically leaving at night right after work and driving 30hrs straight to events, then leaving right after the event on Saturday night to make it home before Monday.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Having a good functioning team is essential. At this level, you need some help in one way or another. Our group is very tight knit and we work well together. We make it a point to have a lot of fun and bring something new and exciting to the series.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
More practice. The car was being developed all year but we didn’t have enough time to develop it further between events. The focus for the off season is to continue setting the car up and helping me get better with it.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Keep having fun doing this and showing people that home built cars can still get out there and mix it up. A few good finishes wouldn’t hurt either

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Getting to drive with all my heroes and building more friendships.

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Corey Hosford – Gilbert, AZ

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I received my pro licenses in 2011 through the Formula Drift Vegas DRIFT program.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
TRAVEL, TRAVEL , TRAVEL. Fuel, Flights, Food, Hotels, etc This cost SOOO much money.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
I wish I had the exact number, but I would say it depends. $10,000 – $25,000

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
Funding and support. Without these two things, I think it would almost be impossible to put the car on track.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
I dont think there is just 1 specific thing a sponsor can help you with. I believe its multiple things that add up to making 1 big difference. Funding, Product, knowledge, and support. When you have this type of backing the result will be a success not only for the driver but for the investor. Its very important to make this relationship a team effort, and with those 4 elements you will then get success and ultimately i think thats the 1 thing drivers and teams are looking for in a partnership.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
It honestly hasn’t affected my life! Besides just managing my social media more often (facebook, instagram, twitter), I have a pretty regular life… Kind of…

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
With out anyone of those 3 elements, I would say it would almost be impossible to compete. With out team members, the car isn’t getting worked on, without equipment, it would be hard to make changes to the car, and with out transport, that means I might be hanging out in my living room playing Forza 4 instead of doing the real thing.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
MORE VIDEO AND MORE MEDIA! I think those 2 things are key to be successful in any sport. The more you are seen, the better. Seriously.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
YES SIR! I’m going to hit 2013 hard! After going through our rookie season with positives and negatives, we learned a lot, and that was our ultimate goal for the 2012 season. No expectations and just learn! Because now going in to 2013, we know what works, what doesn’t work, and now we have some notes that will have us ahead of where we were at from last year. Knowledge is all we wanted.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Best moment was rolling my car on to grid for the first time a realizing where I was at. To know that I’m running with the best drift drivers in the world, with the best drift organization in the world, made it feel like a dream just came true.

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Nick DAlessio – Philadelphia, PA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my Formula Drift Professional license in 2011 at the Hold the Line Northeastern Formula D ProAM series. I finished 1st place in points giving me the championship along with a Formula Drift Pro License. I also competed in the XDC East series the same year.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
I was fortunate to be able to transport my car with Chris Forsberg Racing this season, which relieved me of having to take off for weeks at a time to drive across country and leaving my business, Elite | JDM. That was a benefit for time, but hindered my budget adding in flights, hotel and car rentals, making travel expense my largest cost this year.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
It is really hard to average a cost when there are so many variables. If you are considering running a season, full or partial, you really need to just sit down and create a budget to really know what your expenses will be for each event and make a decision based on your research.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
This goes without saying but the most helpful thing a sponsor can do to assist in a professional driving program would be to give monetary support. Racing is not an inexpensive hobby, and having sufficient funds can really make or break the way the season goes.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Since I am not only a driver, I am also the owner of Elite | JDM, who happened to be my title sponsor for the 2012 Formula Drift season, I know what needs to be done on both ends. I can say the best thing you can do for your sponsors is maintain a professional image on and off the track. Your image represents the companies that choose to support you and that reflects the products they are trying to promote. If you have product sponsorship, provide constant feedback on the product you are using, not only to your fans, but also to your sponsors. This will assist them on bettering their product for the future and makes their investment in your program worth their while.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Professional drifting, like all professional motorsports, is very demanding. This obviously varies based on the driver, experience, and program they are involved in. In my case, I own and operate Elite | JDM, I also built and maintain my car. Being a privateer, really makes it difficult since you are responsible to make everything happen start to finish. Needless to say, it took a lot of time, minimizing my time with my wife, family and friends. I am grateful that the people in my life have been supportive throughout the time I went out and followed my passion, not only in the past years of drifting, but more than a decade of following my dream of creating a business and allowing it to grow to what it has become, enabling me to have the freedom of doing what I enjoy day to day.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Without the proper equipment, crew and reliable transportation, and endeavor of this magnitude is a waste of time and money. Preparation is everything, and without these 3 key factors, you will be ill prepared and it will show in your performance.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
There is really no one thing that I would have done different that would have made a significant change in my rookie season. I feel that this year was a great success. I made it out to every round and made my presence known, whether it was on the track, in the pits, or in the stands communicating one on one with the fans, sponsors and/or other drivers/teams. I learned a lot about myself, I advanced as a driver, and I was able to visit different cities and drive tracks that otherwise I wouldn’t have.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I am currently working on creating a 2013 Formula Drift program. My goal for the 2012 season was to learn the series, drive the different tracks and to build new relationships. I hope to be able to do a full season again so I can take what I learned this year and apply it to the 2013 season and fight for the championship.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
It is hard to single out the best moment in 2012. The entire season had ups and downs but I enjoyed every minute and can’t wait until 2013.

I would like to thank all my sponsors and supporters of my 2012 season, Elite | JDM, R/T Tuning, Tomei Powered, A’PEXi, Falken Tire, Battle Version, Crolls Customs, BodyArmor, Liquid Powdercoats, Club Loose, Drift Alliance, my team, Pat Dulcey, Dan Popowich, Vince Hafner, Shawn Milone, Steve Li, Brian Hoplamazian, all my friends and family, and most importantly, my wife Jessica.

Be sure to follow me in the off season for fun videos, chassis reconstruction and updates for 2013!

web:        www.nickdalessio.com

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/nickdrifting

YouTube:    www.youtube.com/eliteimports

Instagram   @elitejdm

Twitter     @elitejdm

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Kyle Pollard – Portland, OR

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my license back in 2010 through the Evergreen ProAm program up in Seattle, WA. Back then, only the 1st place finisher overall received a Formula D competition license,  and the remaining top 4 would get an invitation to the ProAm nationals at Irwindale Speedway. So, I made the long trek down south for nationals, qualifying third with a top 8 finish, thus earning my 2011 Formula D license.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
My most expensive cost this season would have to be with the car as a whole. Last year we were plagued with mechanical issues with the car, mostly gearbox problems followed by some issues we were having with the valvetrain on the car. Mid-season, our dogbox ended up failing. This was a potential season ending catastrophe, being myself and my team are still very much a privateer team. We thankfully were able to get the repair parts at a reasonable cost, and get the car operational again and finish out the 2011 season. In 2012, we knew this problem could be very relevant in our season to come with our growing hp numbers from John Reed Racing and his Motec m84 tune… with the gearbox breaking once again in the off season at local Seattle event called Nissan Fest just weeks before I was off to FD Long Beach with my Portland Speed Industries Nissan Silvia.  Since then the car has been fitted with an HKS sequential gearbox and a Neo VVL head and has been a lot less problematic, but was not gentle on the pocketbook for the team.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Travel is definitely one of the killers in competing at a professional level. Trailering the car from event to event adds up fast with the fuel prices these days. Most west coast events aren’t too unrealistic for most teams to attend. I live in Portland, OR, so travel for me to say… Long Beach, Vegas, Irwindale, could be roughly 2k just to get me and my team to the track, not including cost to compete. I haven’t competed on the east coast yet, but I have heard cost of travel from the west coast could be up to almost 5k. A lot of drivers always get asked “why weren’t you at this event or that event”, hopefully they can understand why now.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
The most helpful thing a sponsor could do is being supportive in any way shape or form they can. As a privateer team, there’s a huge load to endure to make each event a reality, so any type of load that could be shed with support from a sponsor is truly amazing.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
Trying to be the most professional one can be at all times, while branding their name, and trying to give back some sort of return in investment in you, weather it be coverage on the car, promoting their product/service, logo placements via hero cards and websites etc etc, and always try to continue to build a long lasting relationship and gratitude.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
Drifting professionally has been a long time goal of mine, so i have always made sacrifices for drifting. The dedication it takes to keep progressing forward can come at a cost, financially and personally. Maintaining the car is almost a full time job in itself, mostly being handled by myself and my crew chief Brian Hartsock, weather its repairs, or just prep for the next event. There is always something that needs to be done, so i spend most my days and nights  at Portland Speed Industries indulging myself in my car instead of going out and spending money, which sometimes I would rather be doing, but that’s the decision you have to make if you wanna be competing on a very tight budget. Needs over wants.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
As a driver, I believe these are some of 3 most key components to be successful. Having a crew you can count on is of utmost importance. One mistake could be season ending. Im lucky enough to have some the best people in my eyes supporting me track side, weather its Portland speed Industries owner Jason Ofelein spotting for me up in the tower, to my crew chief Brian Hartsock making me worry free about the components of the car and to just drive the wheels off it! To John Reed of John Reed Racing making sure my Motec m84 ECU is always working top notch and my car will run solid the entire event. Reliable transportation to and from events is also key when being a privateer. Any extra cost to the team can be very stressful on everyone, and most the time not factored into the budget. All these variables add up to how your weekend could possibly go.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
More seat time for sure! I don’t get to drive much because I focus all my resources on FD events, so I usually only get seat time at FD which doesn’t give me a whole lot of room to make drastic changes to the car, but I’m still grateful for the time I get behind the wheel. Chris at our local Pat’s Acres Racing Complex helps me out with track time at little to no cost, which I’m also very grateful for.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Right now my 2013 season is still up in there air. My plan is to return as I love competing in such a great series like Formula Drift, but It has always been a dream of mine to travel and compete in another professional series. I would love to go to Japan, or even Thailand to compete in D1. Impression Garage in Thailand has showed me tremendous support in my FD seasons helping me with a lot of the suspension components on the car from Ikeya Formula, so i would love to make the trek and drive for them someday! We will see what happens.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
My best moment this year believe it or not, was not even at an FD event. Evergreen Speedway hosted a drift comp/car show called In Motion, which utilized the infamous 5/8ths bank and FD course setup. I pulled out the old ProAm car in which I got my FD license in, which was an F20c powered Corolla. I hadn’t driven a left hand drive car in quite some time being my comp car is RHD. The level of drivers/cars were also of extremely high caliber compared to when I competed in ProAm a couple years back, so I had my work cut out for me with the Corolla only having 200hp. I ended taking 1st place and the $2500 first place prize!

Id like to give a HUGE thanks to all my friends, family, sponsors that have been so supportive of my career. Jason Ofelien and Erick Sackhoff and everyone else at Portland Speed Industries, my crew chief Brian Hartsock for being a boss!, John Reed of John Reed Racing, Brian at M&B Cylinders, Mina and the old DriftSpeed crew, Ryan Davis of YAER Productions, Ian Dillion of Factory 83, DG-5 coilovers, Achilles Radial, Mark and Loren Haleston of LorenINhd for the media support. Also like to thank my father for being a huge part of my drifting and always there if I need a tow! My mom for keeping my hopes high and my second family Pete, Lynn and Timo Kiriputt. Like to thank all my fans for all the love throughout my FD seasons and anyone else I may have forgot to mention, im truly grateful! Hope to see you all in 2013!!

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Ryan Bell – San Jose, CA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my FD Pro License through Just Drift’s Top Drift competition, which I feel is one of the most collegiate ProAm drift series on the West Coast.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
It’s hard to single out the most expensive cost this year, but the top two expenses were tires and fuel costs (both for travel to events and or the race car).

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
I will average the Southern Cali events like Long Beach and Irwindale: Tow rig maintenance= $150, Fuel tow rig= $500, Race car maintenance= $225 (oil, plugs etc.), Fuel race car= $200-300, Entry Fee= $600, Thursday Practice Fee= $150 Lodging= $300-$500, Food/fluids for crew (I try to pay for my crew as much as possible)= $350-$450.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
The most helpful thing a sponsor can do for me right now is help with the cost of getting to the events. Monetary sponsorships will help relieve a lot of stress and help me focus on my driving abilities and my car prior to each competition, rather than having to only focus on making money to get me to each event. Right now money is the only thing that is holding me back, which sucks when I know I should be able to perform better at each event.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
The most helpful thing I do for my sponsors is reaching drivers, fans and enthusiasts on an interpersonal level. I enjoy giving driving, car development and fabrication tips to those that want or need it. Also, people like to see a car that performs well, so when my car performs well with a specific product, people are more likely to want that product also, which benefits product sponsors.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
I have no life, and date nights with my girlfriend have gone from going out to dinner and a movie, to having beer and pizza at the shop while I work on my car.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Having a reliable team, equipment and transportation is extremely important.  There is no way I could do it without Reckless 19 Krew of Eugene Kretschmer, L.J, and Jessie Salazar. Each and every event we were at, something happened with our transportation or equipment, but we were able to get it fixed and make it back on the track. I feel Washington was a test to the crew’s strength.

On Thursday’s practice, 3rd gear went out in the transmission, and this was killing our drag race speed to the entry of the bank. We searched all over, asking locals if they had a spare, checking craigslist and calling shops. We were given a tip to ask Sam the tow truck guy, who gave his friend Ellis from Speed Secrets a call. At first Ellis was going to let us borrow one of his t56s, but later found some parts to repair our tranny. Luke Longberger was kind enough to let us use his Blu808 rig to pull the tranny out, thank god because it rained the next morning. So tranny was out by 11:00pm Thursday night, Friday we had drivers meeting and practice at 12:30pm and 1:00pm, so we needed it fixed as soon as we can.

We met with Ellis at a local diner and had some breakfast and then followed him to Speed Secrets in Monroe. It was roughly 9:45am when Ellis started breaking down the t56. By 10:00am the tranny was apart and problem was found. It was crazy, how quickly he did it. Not only was he fast and efficient, he cleaned all the parts replaced the ones that were worn and filled it with his secret oil mixture. We made it back to the track at 11:50am, and transmission was in the car by noon. I ran to the drivers meeting and on my way back the team was warming up the car. We got it done! We went out for practice and were doing good taken that the track was still wet from the rain that morning. We went out on our last run for practice and clipped the rear of the car on the exit of the bank which, whipped the front in. Yes, I wrecked bad. Now back at work, we had an hour to fix the car, no suspension was messed up besides the shock tower being moved back and front all twisted. I broke the motor mount bolt, bent all the bash bars, etc. So I ran to Lowes to grab a bolt for the motor mount as the rest of the team cut all the twisted metal off and checked alignment etc. With literally minutes to spare, I was back with the motor mount bolt, we slammed it in and put down a run for our first qualifying run.

We didn’t qualify at that round of competition, but I think it’s a good example of how having a strong team and reliable equipment is key to success. We were able to persevere and pull it together for our qualifying runs. We never gave up, and for that I feel we earned some respect as a privateer team.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
If there was more time in the day, I wish I could have trained more. I worked extremely hard this year preparing a car, making money and attending school at San Jose State University. I did everything I could do to make the 2012 season happen.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I do plan on returning to FD for the 2013 season but it is not going to be easy. This year I have a chassis done at least, but I need more power and some different components on the car to make it more competitive. As the sport keeps growing, so do the cars. A Top 16 car next year will have a minimum 570hp, so it will be extremely difficult on a privateer’s budget. With that said, I don’t want to build just a Top 32 car.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Watching the start light go out on the Streets Long Beach Circuit for the first time.

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Andrew Coomes – Portland, OR

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my pro license through the Evergreen Drift ProAm series.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
The most expensive cost this year has been traveling, without a doubt.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
My dad trailered the car across the country and stayed over there for two months, and my crew and I flew round trip to every event. Fuel, hotels, food and flights ended up somewhere close to twenty grand. Again, that’s just for travel and doesn’t count tires, entry fees, car prep/repairs, etc.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
The most helpful thing a sponsor can do for me or any driver is to provide either money or a car/transport. Those are the three most important pieces of the puzzle for pretty much any driver.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
What can I do for sponsors? Exposure! As drivers we can provide a lot of exposure for brands looking to increase awareness or boost sales. Cars and transports provide excellent advertising real estate ( not to mention the driver’s suit and hero cards ), as well as websites, social media, videos, etc. Every year Formula Drift brings in more spectators and commands more media attention, increasing exposure for every driver involved in the sport. Personally, I can provide over a million impressions in a season.

Additionally, I’ve done things like put out a table with flyers, brochures and stickers, hand out swag and put up banners. There are plenty of creative ways to get exposure for sponsors; it just depends on how far the sponsor wants to go!

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
As for the toll drifting has taken on my personal life, it mostly comes down to time and money. It takes time away from friends and family, and costs a lot of money. Every round of Formula Drift I drove in this year required me to miss one, two or three days of work. If you’re salaried this might be fairly easy to do but if not it adds up pretty quick.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Team members, equipment and transportation are absolutely essential for any team if you want to be competitive. Without them you might find yourself late to an event and unable to drive, or when your car breaks your team might take too long to fix it or do a poor job, resulting in you losing valuable track time or breaking down again. I was very blessed this season; my team, equipment and transport were all spot on.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
I’m really not sure what I would have done differently this season. Maybe more off-track practice?

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
I don’t know whether I’ll be returning to Formula Drift in 2013 for sure yet; this year was pretty crazy, but I was sorely disappointed at my performance and the lack of reward. It really sucks to come out of qualifying knowing there’s no way you made it into the top 32 and that you’re done for the weekend. Just as bad if not worse is when you score high enough it looks like you’ll make it, just to find out later that you didn’t.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
The best moment of 2012 for me are several moments wrapped up in a single memory. Tandeming with the other drivers was amazing. When you’re following right up on someone and you’re both killing it, that’s one of the best feelings you can ever have. Adversely, following someone and getting smoked out is one of the craziest experiences ever! You can’t see anything and you just hope you’re on the right line. “Use the force” has never meant so much to me.

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Zoltan Hadju – Jacksonville, FL

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I got mine in 2010 at Irwindale back when they had ProAm nationals. We were there with Street Wise Drift.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
It’s hard to say because some events were closer than others, but I gotta say it was the diesel fuel for the tow vehicle.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Again it’s hard to put a number on it, but me personally skipping two west coast events, I think I’ve spent $20-23k. That’s not including upgrades, only maintenance on the car.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
At this point, in addition to our current sponsors, probably handling all the transportation. That would be nice.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
I’d like to help them off the track as much as on the track. Drive the car at its limits, however the car came together working well for the last event of the year, so this did not work out the way I wanted and I feel really bad about it. Sorry sponsors.

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
What’s a personal life?

Just kidding…

My day job keeps me extremely busy, so basically when I’m not working, I’m working on the car or driving to an event.

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
Extremely. I was pretty lucky I only had one blow out and a water pump failure, but Advance Autoparts brought one out to a rest area so I caught some of the practice on the way to Jersey. My dad was the only team member who came to help me every event, and one guy helped us out here and there, but I think this is an area where we have to get better.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
Probably not even enter. I’ve skipped a year and a half then made a switch from an SR20 that I loved and worked well to a twin turbo v8 that no one even tried before in drifting without any practice or testing. It took us almost the whole season to get it working good. We only had to spend a couple hundred to get it perfect, but small things ruined all the events except the last one. But we could’ve solved that with a couple practice days. So I gotta say practice get comfortable with the setup you have, or don’t change much what you have.

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Yes if I get to keep my license. Get a couple hundred extra hp and carry the same momentum we had in Irwindale have fun stay focused and results will come.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
The weekend in Irwindale the car worked great I wish it had a little more power and the parts that we ordered didn’t got lost and even with destroying the car I probably had the most fun drifting ever.

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Gabe Stone – San Jose, CA

How did you earn your FD Pro License?
I earned my FD license through competing in TD ProAm and finishing 2nd overall in 2011. I started going to track events in December 2008. Having no formal performance driving background, it took me a couple years of drifting and competing to become a proficient driver at the ProAm level.

What is the single most expensive cost you’ve had this year?
Single most expensive cost of the season for me? Building a new chassis. That wall in New Jersey can destroy your car in a second. You always have to go to the track knowing that you might not come back with a car, but it’s still devastating when it happens. Fortunately the Blu808 crew did an excellent job prepping the new chassis. We got the car completed in time to do some testing at Sonoma Raceway and took it out to Irwindale.

On average, how much does it cost to travel to an event? (food, lodging, fuel, etc)
Cost per event really varies by distance. Even though I was sharing costs with Luke Lonberger, East coast events averaged $4500 – $5000 per event. West coast events are around $2500. Plane tickets for yourself and the crew plus diesel fuel for the truck add up.

What is the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for you?
I’d say the most helpful thing a sponsor could do for me would be to cover the costs of competing. That being said, I don’t expect to be paid anything until I prove myself in competition. The top drivers in Formula Drift have had to put in a lot to get where they are now, so don’t expect to have to do any less.

What is the most helpful thing you could do for your sponsors?
The most helpful thing I can do for my sponsors is promote their products and perform well on the track. I have two GoPro cameras now, so I plan to put up videos from my off-season practice and next years events too!

What kind of toll has professional drifting taken on your personal life?
My personal life? I don’t have much of a personal life. I work my “day job” (it’s actually a swing shift) six to seven days a week and take time off to go to the track. I’ll finish answering that question with a quote by Steve McQueen from the movie Le Mans, “When you’re racing it’s life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.”

How important is it to have reliable team members, equipment, and transportation?
It’s incredibly important to have reliable crew, vehicle, and transportation. You definitely don’t want to be chasing down problems in your race car on race day. You only have a limited window to practice in, so wasting it fixing your car would be awful. Of course, breaking down on your way to an event can be just as bad as having your race car break down. Before you race you have to get to the track on time.

A great crew will get you back on the track quickly so you can focus on driving. Obviously you can’t have crew members wandering around the event when you need come in for fuel and tires. I can’t forget load in and packing up. Setting up your paddock area will take longer than it has to if your team isn’t on the same page.

If there was one thing you could have done different this year off track that would help you succeed in Formula Drift, what would it have been?
This question made me think of the fact that many of the staff and team members who make everything at these events possible are unable to watch the event themselves. All the other drivers and I wouldn’t be able to compete without you guys. Thank you!

Do you plan on returning to FD in 2013? If so, what do you hope to accomplish?
Of course I plan on returning to Formula Drift in 2013! Goal? Win the championship! Ha ha! Well, I’d be very happy with a single podium finish. One step at a time, but seriously, we’re all out there to win. None of us would be competing otherwise.

What was the best moment of 2012 for you?
Hmmmm….I really can’t think of a best moment of 2012 for me. Overall, I’m just not satisfied with any of it. Which is one of my reasons for competing in 2013.

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