Advertise on podcast: The SileightyMania Podcast - Drifting Interviews with OGs and Pioneers

Moto Miwa's Full Interview from our previous Irwindale Speedway Tribute Episode Moto Miwa is the founder of Club4AG, co-founder of Drift Association. He's the man behind providing instruction to some of America's first drifting events in the early 2000s as well as providing track support for some of the earliest Option Video and D1GP events in the USA. 00:17 Moto intro 00:37 Creation, function of Drift Association 02:50 U.S. Drift scene before Irwindale Speedway 04:59 Choosing Irwindale Speedway to host drifting events 06:52 Why D1 chose Irwindale Speedway to host events 08:31 The first D1 events held at Irwindale 10:05 The creation of the first drift course in a banked oval 13:16 Watching the first drifting along the walls of Irwindale Speedway 15:15 His favorite D1 memory (Watching Nomuken drift around the newly designed course) 17:27 How Irwindale Speedway’s amphitheater structure creates a sound like no other 19:30 Explaining how drifting’s uniqueness caters to the Irwindale Speedway layout 22:37 Thoughts on Irwindale’s closing 25:16 Moto’s experiences at Irwindale Speedway are collectively special 26:00 Transitioning from running D1 events to Formula D events 27:55 How drivers/vendors in Japan all miss Irwindale tremendously 30:04 How American fans cheered D1 so enthusiastically compared to Japanese fans 31:12 Moto displays his pit shirts from the years #driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift #motop #motomiwa #motohidemiwa #miwamotohide

Doug Stokes's Full Interview from our previous Irwindale Speedway Tribute EpisodeDoug Stokes is Irwindale Speedway's 2nd employee and retired after 20 years as the VP of Communications. He was instrumental in planning and building the track, and was often seen at the major events and early practice events. Fun fact: Doug can be seen in Option Video when Keiichi thought he was the track owner.00:14 Doug intro02:19 Doug’s start with the company that built the speedway and tenure with various owners05:56 The decision to build a racetrack at Irwindale07:49 What was at the property before the speedway was built10:27 Planning the construction of the track itself16:23 The decision to construct the drag strip19:59 Non-racing events held at the speedway23:03 More non- racing events25:49 The first meeting to host drift events at the speedway26:59 Falken Drift Showoff, spectator gets injured but would rather stay and watch the drifting29:49 Moving drift events from the parking lot to the actual track31:04 Memories from the first D1 event32:57 Learning the demographic of drift fans by looking at the cars in the parking lot33:46 How crowded the D1 events were35:59 What made Irwindale special39:26 Irwindale Speedway’s mailbox story42:36 Dealing with a fatality at the track on opening night45:57 Doug will miss the people most from Irwindale Speedway, co-workers and racers.#driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift #dougstokes

Ken Gushi's Full Interview from our previous Irwindale Speedway Tribute Episode Ken Gushi is a Formula D/Formula D Japan/D1 Grand Prix veteran and Toyota sponsored driver. In this uncut interview, he shares some memories from Irwindale Speedway and thoughts on how the famous track has helped shaped modern day drifting culture. https://www.youtube.com/kengushimotorsports #driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift #kengushi #kenshirogushi

Dai Yoshihara's Full Interview from our previous Irwindale Speedway Tribute Episode.Dai Yoshihara, a Formula D veteran and champion, tells us that Irwindale Speedway is the first place he drifted in the USA and considers it his home track. In this full interview, he shares some of his highs and lows at Irwindale Speedway, and walks us through an ideal lap at the infamous House of Drift that no longer exists.https://www.youtube.com/daiyoshihara#driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift #daiyoshihara

Teddy Danh's Full Interview from our previous Irwindale Speedway Tribute Episode. Teddy Phu-Thanh-Danh⁠ is the founder of drift team Auto Factory Realize, was there for opening night of Irwindale Speedway in 1999, and champion of early 2000s Japanese style drift cars. ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AutoFactoryREALIZE #driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift

Our beloved Irwindale Speedway had its last event and closed its gates for good in December of 2024.  It was a very important place for many people's careers and passions, and it was especially important for the sport of drifting in the USA. In this episode, we provide some history about the track, and we share some details about the sale that lead to its closing.   We also interview several notable people, each with different perspectives, about the closing of the infamous House of Drift. Interviews: Teddy Phu-Thanh-Danh - Founder of drift team Auto Factory Realize, was there for opening night of Irwindale Speedway in 1999, and champion of early 2000s Japanese style drift cars. https://www.youtube.com/@AutoFactoryREALIZE Daijiro Yoshihara - Formula D Champion from Japan, had many memorable battles at Irwindale Speedway, and considers Irwindale Speedway his home track  https://www.youtube.com/@DaiYoshihara Kenshiro Gushi - Drifting OG from the San Gabriel Valley and Formula D veteran who had his first sanctioned drift event experience at Irwindale Speedway  https://www.youtube.com/@KenGushiMotorsports Moto Miwa - Founder of Club4AG and Co-Founder of Drift Association, who hosted the first sanctioned drift event at Irwindale Speedway in 2002 and provided track support for D1GP and Formula Drift Sabine Hsu - Benson and Nadine's daughter, who saw drifting in person for the first time at Irwindale Speedway Doug Stokes - VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway for 20 years, involved in the planning and construction of Irwindale Speedway Manabu Orido - Drifting legend from Japan, former D1GP judge, former D1GP competitor, JGTC/Super GT/Super Taikyu Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Multiple time Formula D champion, winner of the D1GP USA vs Japan competition in 2005 at Irwindale Speedway  https://www.youtube.com/@VaughnGittinJr Be on the lookout in the following days, as we release longer longer length interviews for some of our guests! 00:00:45 Episode Start 00:07:10 History of Irwindale Speedway 00:11:07 Details on Irwindale Speedway being sold 00:17:06 Teddy Phu-Tanh-Danh interview 00:23:26 Staff's favorite memories at Irwindale Speedway 00:31:25 Daijiro Yoshihara Irwindale Speedway 00:37:16 Staff's feeling about Irwindale Speedway closing 00:41:14 Ken Gushi interview 00:49:09 Moto Miwa interview 00:58:00 Sabine Hsu shares her memories 01:01:10 Doug Stokes interview 01:14:19 Manabu Orido interview 01:17:36 Vaughn Gittin Jr. interview 01:20:35 Callista Hsu's essay 01:22:40 Benson's closing thoughts 01:25:00 We will be releasing full length interviews #driftinghistory #drifting #driftingpodcast #podcast #irwindale #irwindalespeedway #tribute #d1gp #d1grandprix #formulad #formuladrift #drift

Hiroshi Takahashi aka Kaicho is back for part 2 of his interview, and he does not disappoint. Listen as he provides first-hand accounts of significant people and events related to drifting in Japan! Get ready for some serious history lessons! Kaicho discusses many topics, such as Akira Nakai of current day RWB fame becoming the inspiration for Kaicho's drifting style, the origins of the term "missile car" and the infamous jump at Ebisu Minami, learning English from team Hey Man!, the early days of D1 Grand Prix, his battle against Ueo at Tsukuba and so much more. Duck Off runningfree86 x SileightyMania Podcast stickers: https://sileightymania.square.site/product/runningfree86-x-smp-duck-off-sticker/17?cs=true&cst=custom This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire , a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com. Follow Kaicho on IG: https://www.instagram.com/runningfree86 Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania #drifting #driftinghistory #driftingpodcast #ae86 #hachiroku #japandrifting #runningfree #hiroshitakahashi #kaicho #runningfree86

Hiroshi Takahashi aka Kaicho is an AE86/hachiroku drifting legend from Tokyo, Japan. He started drifting in 1989 and is a self-proclaimed 2nd generation drifter. In this episode, Kaicho gives us a history lesson and describes the drifting scene in Japan in the 80s and 90s, and some of the people who inspired him. He tells us about joining team RUNNING FREE, and shares some stories about teammate Kouichi Yamashita and team leader Shingo Murao as young men in the early 90s. Make sure to stay tuned for part 2 of this interview, dropping 6/11/2024! Duck Off runningfree86 x SileightyMania Podcast stickers: https://sileightymania.square.site/product/runningfree86-x-smp-duck-off-sticker/17?cs=true&cst=custom This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire , a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com. Follow Kaicho on IG: https://www.instagram.com/runningfree86 Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania #drifting #driftinghistory #driftingpodcast #ae86 #hachiroku #japandrifting #runningfree #hiroshitakahashi #kaicho #runningfree86

Tony Angelo is a US drifting pioneer from Doylestown, PA. He found drifting from Initial D in the early 2000s and started sliding his car around PA back roads, meeting Chris Forsberg in the process. In their turbo FC Mazda RX-7s, they were heavily into drifting before anybody in their area knew what it was. They eventually hosted sanctioned events at Englishtown Raceway, introducing drifting to others on the East Coast including people like Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Ryan Tuerk. In this episode, Tony recalls getting into hot rods as a kid, discovering drifting, and his journey as a professional drifter in D1 and Formula Drift. He talks about the shenanigans they got into as team Drift Alliance, and his stint as a Formula D judge. These days, Tony is well known for his stint co-hosting Hot Rod Garage and Roadkill on MotorTrend TV, and more recently from his popular YouTube show Stay Tuned. Listen in on our conversations where we reminisce on his wild past, share stories on the early days of Formula D, and reflect on how much the sport and he as a human being has evolved. This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com. Follow Tony Angelo on IG: https://www.instagram.com/tangelo96 Stay Tuned on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StayTunedTA Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania #drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #tonyangelo #anthonyangelo #clubloose #hotrodgarage #motortrend #hotrod #hotrods #mazda #maczdarx7 #mazdafc #mazdafd #formulad #formuladrift #driftalliance #eastcoastdrifting #bloodmasters #staytuned

Jonathan Wong, proudly grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. He was introduced to import racing in the 80s by his older cousins. After buying his EF Civic Si, he and his teammates from Team Macross 7 strived to make an imprint on import car culture through car shows and drag racing. He started his career at the bottom at a magazine called Super Street and eventually moved his way up to editor-in-chief. There, he influenced millions of Super Street fans as he helped to popularize JDM style. In this episode, Jon talks about the early days of import tuning in So Cal including drag racing at Battle of the Imports, car shows at Import Showoff, establishing his network through AOL chatrooms, his trouble with his first drifting issue at Super Street, his travels around the world as an editor, and he finally explains why he was fired. This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at ⁠https://www.falkentire.com⁠.  Follow Jonathan Wong on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jdmwong Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania #drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #jonwong #jonathanwong #jdmwong #superstreet #jdm #jdmhonda #jdmhondas #honda #hondacivic #hondaef #efcivic #jdmcivic #sgv #sangabrielvalley #importracing #importracinghistory

Phill Lee is one of the first street drifters in the Chicago area.  He co-founded ClubFR, an organization created to get drifting off the streets and to legitimize drifting in Chicago and the Midwest area.  Under his watch, ClubFR has helped produce D1 drivers and Formula D drivers, they’ve hosted the RS-R Drift Festival, Formula D Pro-Am, and most recently, Final Bout.  From ClubFR’s inception to today in 2024, Phill played a role in establishing Chicago as an influential force in the USA in terms of drifting culture. This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com.  Follow us:  https://www.instagram.com/sileightymania #drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #philllee #philliplee #clubfr #midwest #chicago #ae86 #toyotaae86 #hachiroku #toyotacorolla

Robbie Nishida started drifting in the 90s in Japan, forming an all AE86 Team Hey Man! with his friends at Yokota Air Base.  He shares stories of the origins of his “drifting team”, how they befriended legends of Japanese drifting such as Nobushige Kumakubo, Dart Izumi Jr., and Hideo Hiraoka. Robbie discusses his 13 year long career in Formula D as a competitor and how he became an FD Judge.  He takes us behind the curtains, and gives us some insight on what it’s like to be a judge and he provides some advice for those who are serious about competition. This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com.  Follow Robbie: @robbienishida Follow us: @sileightymania #drifting #driftingpodcast #driftinghistory #robbienishida #robbiekiester #heyman #teamheyman #driftteam #ae86 #toyotaae86 #hachiroku #86 #kstyle #kstyletruck #gtr #nissangtr #r35 #driftingr35 #driftinggtr #falkentire #teamfalken #kumakubo #bridgesracing #jerryyangracing

We're pushing the Robbie Nishida release date to next week 1/9/2024. Thank you for your understanding.

Calvin Wan is one of the earliest drifters in the USA, drifting his red Mazda RX-7 (FD3S) in the Bay Area of California. He is a 6 year Formula Drift veteran, driving from 2003 to 2009. During that time, he had multiple podiums, including a 1st place finish in front of his home crowd in Sonoma, being the first import car to win a round of Formula D. He’s also a D1GP licensed driver, author, stunt driver, a drifting judge, and instructor. In this interview, Calvin talks about his humble beginnings, his infamous crash where he totalled his RX-7 in front of the judges at D1 Grand Prix Irwindale, some personal memories of fellow Falken teammate Yoshinori Koguchi, gracing the stage at Tokyo Auto Salon as Falken’s first win in a pro drifting competition, and his time spent drifting several cars on a narrow mountain road on the set of Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift. Follow Calvin on IG @cw_calvinwan Follow us on IG @sileightymania This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken @falkentire, a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com. #drifting #driftinghistory #driftingpodcast #falken #falkenspotting #falkendrift #falkendrifting #teamfalken #calvinwan #calvinwanracing #mazda #mazdarx7 #mazdafd3s #fd3s #rx7 #mazdafd #formulad #formuladrift

Gary Castillo is an OG who has been a part of the early import drag racing days in the 90s all the way to today’s premier pro drifting series Formula Drift.  He started as a mechanic, became a magazine editor then turned into a fabricator. Gary witnessed almost the entire spectrum of import car culture in the USA as he watched both import drag racing and drifting go from their illegal street racing roots to professional series.  He was a part of the scene as Hondas tried to break into the 9 second quarter mile, and he was a part of drifting when Daigo Saito competed in the first 1000+ hp car in Formula D. In 1991, Gary Castillo started his journey into import racing by helping his friends work on their cars in San Diego, CA.  As import racing was in its infancy in the United States, he shares his memories as Americans were learning how to make their Japanese sport compact cars faster as DIY projects, without the availability of aftermarket support that we see today. Gary was a mechanic on David Shih’s infamous Silver Bullet CRX (the first 10 second Honda in the ¼ mile) and then became an editor for Turbo magazine and then Import Tuner.  He left his job of being an editor to pursue his passion for building cars and was soon building/working on some of the most legendary pro drift cars, such as the RS-R S2000 (Alex Pfeiffer), RS-R Scion tC (Ken Gushi), RS-R Supra (Manabu Orido), and the Bridges Racing SC430 (Daigo Saito) and SC300 (Robbie Nishida). On top of all that, he is a great guy and an even better storyteller. Follow Gary Castillo on IG @designcraftfab Follow us on IG @sileightymania This episode and all episodes of Season 2 are brought to you by Falken a supporter of drifting since 2003 and a major reason drifting is where it is today. Check out their ultra-high-performance(UHP) Azenis RT660, Azenis RT615K+ and their UHP Azenis FK460 at https://www.falkentire.com.  #drifting #driftinghistory #driftingpodcast #importracing #dragracing #battleoftheimports #formulad #formuladrift #turbomagazine #importtuner #garycastillo #designcraft #designcraftfab #daigosaito #robbienishida #alexpfeiffer #kengushi #rsrs2000 #rsrtc #rsrsciontc #bridgesracing #achillesracing #rsrsupra #manabuorido #orido #oridosupra #daigo 12:41 Describing the DIY culture of the import racing scene in the late 80s and early 90s 23:00 Creating the first tube chassis drag Honda with Dynamic Autosports/David Shih and his Silver Bullet CR-X 26:00 The innovation during the Honda race to break into 10 seconds and then 9 second quarter mile 31:35 Joining Turbo Magazine as a technical editor 45:08 D1 drivers from Japan doing a low-key drifting demo at NASCAR 51:06 Learning to fabricate roll cages for drift cars 54:25 Building the RS-R S2000 1:14:15 Building the RS-R Scion tC (the first FF converted FR in Formula Drift) 1:26:20 Building the Falken G35 driven by Calvin Wan 1:35:28 Working with Orido on his RS-R Supra 1:44:38 Working with Achilles Tires/Bridges Racing to build and maintain Daigo Saito's SC430 and Robbie Nishida's SC300 2:17:11 Covering the Blitz R34