@OrlandoDrift
Cover photo by @OrlandoDrift: @brazdrift at OSW Black Friday
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E-ditorial
Welcome TO ORLANDO DRIFT ISSUE THREE: THE CHRISTMAS ISSUE! We are looking forward to providing our readers with interviews, features, and event coverage throughout the state of Florida and the United States. We would love to hear from our readers and interact with you all at events. Please contact us if you would like to be featured in future issues or if you would like to purchase an advertisement to support our mission which is that of further promoting our passion! Feel free to email us or shoot us a DM on any of our social media accounts; come say what’s up!
Email: john@orlandodrift.fun Instagram: orlandodrift Facebook: orlandoodrift Website: www.orlandodrift.fun Hope you enjoy! - Orlando Drift
our team Media
Editor | Writer
Contributing Writers
John Hamilton @OrlandoDrift
Rebeka (Bumbi) Rocco @b.umbi bumbi@orlandodrift.fun
Alex Klepikow (@Slavysquat) Chase Wesley (@Chasewesley_) Jordan Sirokie (@Sir_oki)
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ADVERTISERS
5 Alpinestars 22 Stage Wheels 34 Daydreamer Lifestyle 35 Tirestacks 60 E46 Connect 61 Klutch Kickers 2021 Schedule
6 OSW Black Friday 12 Drift Lens Low Shutter Media 14 Drivers Q&A Rome Charpentier 20 OKC Battle Royale 23 Jason Roberts 24 Drift Lens Chase Wesley 26 In the Pits
28 Billy Mitchel BMR
32 Tandem Pals 36 Black Sky @hirevmotors 38 Weld Done Marco Garza 44 Art Spotlight Ruined Renders 46 Drift Lens Jordan Sirokie
48 Carte Blanche
58 Drift Lens Laidout_media 62 Drift Visuals Alex Grabowski 4 • ORLANDO DRIFT MAG
Mike Kauffmann x Lighton
t f i r d i d r a @liz
0 2 , 2 2 0 2 r Novembe
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OSW BLACK FRIDAY! By @bumbi_drift
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BLACKFRIDAY
One of the biggest drift events hosted at Orlando Speedworld is, yes you guessed it, OSW Black Friday!
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t f i r d y b r i k @dallas
s
Since OSW is our home track, we could not miss it. Drivers from all over the country sign up and drive here to Orlando every year for this awesome event. A total of 150 driver spots opened, selling out in less than 10 minutes. I mean, if that isn’t convincing enough of how good this event is, I don’t know what is! The event is one of two OSW Drift three-day events, which includes camping and late-night hangs. What is awesome is that drivers from all backgrounds are welcome to register, so even if you are not an experienced driver and want to slide, you can! And if you don’t feel comfortable driving, you can always
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attend as a spectator. Either way, many of the experienced drivers are always willing to give ridealongs, so you’ll definitely get the full experience! So long as OSW rules are followed, attending this event brings awesome experiences. The track has also recently began expanding, allowing for more driver spots, giving a promising future to the drift scene in central Florida. OSW Black Friday is a great seat time event, and quite affordable as well, with driving beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday evening. The track opens both the skid pad – with a layout made of
BLACKFRIDAY
s y a w e d i s D e @smok
cones – and the oval. While drivers are allowed to drive on the skid pad during their designated times, the oval is open to all classes throughout the entirety of the event. Like most drift events, OSW divides drivers into classes: A class – advanced, B class – intermediate, and C Class – novice. Other than the three days of driving, the event consists of a series of friendly, crowd engaging competitions. The most anticipated comp is King of OSW, which this year was won by Mike Jones in his 1JZ LS400! The competition is held twice a year, and drivers who attend the event can enter to win the
title. Battles between drivers include both a lead and chase run on a designated layout, which is always held on the skid pad. Winners are determined by the crowd, and usually the winner of all the battles goes against the current King of OSW. The burnout competition and the Doug 420 followed King of OSW, both being held at the oval track. The burnout competition, along with King of OSW, are events that are regularly held at Black Friday events – but Doug 420 is newly integrated in the three-day event. It’s as fun as it sounds considering that it was a rainy night, and we know
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BLACKFRIDAY
that rain equals drifty ‘lube’ for us drifters! The best way to describe the event is simply an oval track race. We know of one driver who definitely belonged, and that was Arthur Bell, owner of Bell Raceworks. His new wrap is simply awesome, resembling commonly seen NASCAR liveries, with the coolest part of it being the “Bellweiser” writing on both sides of the car. Although the race was supposed to be an oval race, many of the drivers occasionally slid around, with an awesome so to speak ‘drift train’ once the race was over. As drivers, this event is definitely one you want to attend, but this is not to forget that the organizers do a good job at including spectators as well. Both Friday and Saturday night, all those at the track are invited to hang out until 2 am – with driving ending around 5-7pm. You can hangout by the bonfire, watch some driving, or even just talk to the drivers after the event is over. Many of the drivers that attend are very approachable and super easy to talk to, so for those of you who want to get into drifting, don’t be scared to approach your favorite drivers. You might even get to ride with them!
@jonnpro
3 m g u o d @
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DRIFTLENS @lowshuttermedia
@brea thefre
es14
ROME CHARPENTIER I N T E R V I E W
W I T H
How was transitioning from stunt driving to drifting? The transaction was very smooth since we had many shows together with Drifters. So I was always interested in Drifting. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you throughout your career in motorsports? The best advice that I ever received was actually from Chelsea DeNofa at Sema two years ago when I asked him how to become a Pro driver. So, he told me to drive 50 days a year. Because of the overachiever that I am, I drove 78 days that year. Who is your favorite OG driver? Why? My favorite OG Driver is Taka Aono. The main reason is his ability to make a difference in your driving from a teaching point of view.
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A
P R O
driversQ&A
p c e m o R @
“My journey is going according to my original as I always wanted to be a Formula Drift driver. So from the beginning that was what I focused on.” orlandodrift.fun • 15
If you don’t mind sharing, what’s your daily driver? Would you drift it if you had the chance? My daily driver 2002 Mercury Sable. I inherited it from my parents and it's perfect because it's FWD and I can't drift it. What was your fastest entry? What was going on in your head in the moment? My fastest entry was at Streets of Willow somewhere around 120MPH. The only thing in my head was "send it".
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Do you have a ‘routine’ you like to follow before comps so you can set yourself up to give it 1000%? I don't really have a set routine. The moment I put the helmet on I am ready to send! Do you think simulated driving helps with improving your skills as a driver? Yes to a point and only if you can translate to actual driving. How many laps does it usually take you to get comfortable with a new layout?
driversQ&A
It usually takes me 1-2 laps as long as I can visualize what I need to do and where to place the car. What is your most memorable moment as a driver? My first win. It was at Holley Fest West in 2017 and it was against Nick Gross. How do you improve as a driver? Do you get instruction, do you have specific exercises you like to do? Seat time is the main key. But I pay a lot of attention to my spotter. So I can understand where I am lacking and what needs to be improved.
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Looking back at when you started drifting, how do you see this journey originally taking you? My journey is going according to my original as I always wanted to be a Formula Drift driver. So from the beginning that was what I focused on. Given what you know now and the experience you’ve gained, what advice would you give to someone just getting into drifting? Spend the majority of your money and time on Driving and don't get
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driversQ&A
Interview and photos: Alex Klepikow caught up in your Build trying to make it perfect. What would you like to see from Drifting in the U.S. in the future? More fan engagement and larger sponsors. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? Winning the Formula Drift championship and competing Globally. What’s the ‘superior’ – or best – chassis in your opinion? E36 and E46 because of the best mechanical grip due to integrated trailing arms straight from the factory.
t a u q s y v @sla orlandodrift.fun • 19
@Charger_00ga
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DRIFTLENS Photos by @chasewesley_ @Closethegap_
CHASE WESLEY
"Close The Gap is a lifestyle brand born and bred by the drifting scene. My name is Chase Wesley, and I started going to drift events about a decade ago. Back then, it was just a small community, and CFRC (Central Florida Racing Complex) was the home for events in Orlando. Drifting here has since grown, and is continuing to grow, into a flourishing community of drivers and fans from all over the state. With my growing passion for photography, I felt the best way for me to really get involved was to give the drivers media from these events. Everyone wants to be able to relive the memories they make on track and in the pits, and I truly enjoy giving them that content. The
name "Close The Gap", was inspired not only by what you want to do in tandem, but I also intended for it to be a metaphor for shortening the distance between yourself and your goals in life, whatever they may be. Keep an eye out for some apparel, and decals coming soon!" "OSW Black Friday Drift has proven that this sport that we all love is exponentially growing. With more and more drivers and spectators in attendance every single year, the scene is on a bull run with nothing to stop it from reaching the masses. I think it goes without saying that it's really exciting to be a part of it."
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in the pits
9 5 5 l l e h c t i @BillyM
BILLY MITCHELL Although Billy Mitchell has been in the motorsport industry for a long time, it’s amazing seeing him drive his fully self-built 350z on track. Come to find out that he’s only driven 9 drift events in his whole life, the Z being his first ever drift car.
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It’s without a doubt that we can say Billy really is naturally talented! But how did he get into drifting? Billy told us when he first moved to Florida, he came to a drift event and saw amazing Pro2 driver
BMR
Kelsey Rowling driving. While he thought the event was awesome in itself, once he set eyes on Kelsey’s pro built car, he knew then he wanted to do the same. Now, you see the car in the pictures? Billy built the
whole car on his own, spending “seven days a week for two years working on the car non-stop.” Many love seeing his car on track, and we know that being that people kept stopping by and complimenting his amazing built!
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Engine: Fully built 427 LS7 - 560 rwhp - 464rwtq ECU: Holley HP ECU Fuel: 110 Octane Outlaw Race Fuel Transmission: T56 magnum Chassis: 2003 Nissan 350Z Suspension: BC Coilovers, Wiesfab front, Wisefab rear Exterior: Rocket Bunny aero with Bill Mitchell Racing splitters and diffusers
Brakes: Front: 6 piston Wilwood Superlites Rear: 4 piston Wilwood Superlites Interior: FD Legal Rollcage with full body gussets Future Plans: 4 Speed Dog Box, quick change and, of course, a lot more power!
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BMR
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TANDEMPALS
@ biltforwar
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s r o t o m v e @hir
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BlackSky
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WELD DONE... MARCO GARZA! By @bumbi_drift
Marco first got into welding thru cars and drifting, being that he had an internship when he was younger and worked with friends who fabricated their own parts. Seeing how easy it was for his friends to fabricate parts, and the savings came with the skills, he chose to pursue welding. Marco says that he chose to enroll into welding school a couple years ago, with the intention of making it his career. He found that being able to work as a fabricator not only was a good choice as a career monetarily, but it also brought a lot of benefits for himself to continue following his passion for drifting.
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WELDDONE
@mag.jz orlandodrift.fun • 39
MARCO GARZA MARCO GARZA MARCO
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WELDDONE
O GARZA MARCO GARZA MARCO GARZA Most trade schools, as Marco told us, take about a year- which is about how long it took him to go through school. A lot of seat time and hands-on work is expected within welding schools, with a variety of welding techniques and types. Most schools will also certify graduates through the American Welding Society (AWS), providing certifications for future employment. Importantly, trade schools such as the ones that teach welding, are quite affordable, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 for the program, averaging at $6,500. “Its’s crazy ‘cause you’ll learning welding in school, you’ll do good, pass whatever test, and then get into the real world and it’s way different.” Yes, this might sound crazy, but why is it different? As Marco told us, although you learn welding in school, once you get into the trade you are expected to learn how to fabricate. But no worries! As we continued listening to his story, Marco shared that his first job within the trade was with a big production shop, welding big aluminum parts for construction. When he transitioned to working with cars, he says that fabricating has a lot to do with “having an eye for it” rather than strictly following blueprints.
O GARZA MARCO GARZA MARCO GARZA orlandodrift.fun • 41
MARCO GARZA MARCO GARZA MARCO Marco’s favorite type of welding is TIG, working with aluminum or titanium. For those of you that just want to learn welding without having to go school, Marco told us to “Just jump in, buy a cheap welder from harbor freight mig welder, some material and just practice. It’s just like drifting, you’re only going to get better if you practice!” If you have people that can help you just ask them for pointers, and also shadowing others who already have experience in the trade is a great experience as well. For those who are thinking about going to trade school, a lot of programs do offer night classes, so if you can afford it and are passionate about it, go for it!
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WELDDONE
O GARZA MARCO GARZA MARCO GARZA
“Just jump in, buy a cheap welder from harbor freight mig welder, some material and just practice. It’s just like drifting, you’re only going to get better if you practice!”
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ARTSPOTLIGHT
s r e d n e r _ d e @ruin orlandodrift.fun • 45
My name is Jordan Sirokie, a Filipino-American from South Florida. When I was 5 my dad handed me an old film camera, and I was hooked ever since. I have shot a little bit of everything throughout the years, but currently I like to shoot rocket launches at Cape Canaveral and drifting around Orlando. My goals as a photographer are to shoot more and get more involved with the driting community in Florida. I would also love to shoot Formula Drift freelance or for a publication some day.
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DRIFTLENS
@sir_oki www.sirokiphoto.com
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“Sometimes A Dream Comes True” That was the vibe of this crazy collaboration made by the pro driver Mike Kauffman and the artist Lighton During lockdown, the French professional drifter Mike Kauffmann (world-awarded), discovered Lighton’s work and had the idea to create a mashup between Art and Drifting. He sent a direct message to the artist on Instagram proposing him a carte blanche on his car, a Nissan PS13 with a Skyline’s engine in it. He had no idea that’s Lighton grew up in the automotive world, with a mechanic father, and that designing a race car’s livery was one of his childhood dreams. So obviously he said YES! One week later, Lighton came back with a first sketch of his vision for the future livery, and this sketch excited Mike when he first saw it. The first idea was good until the end. In this design, Lighton style is very recognizable by the color palette, and the blue characters. It expressed a nostalgia to his adolescence and childhood, with a lot of his own references, like the legendary D1 Grand Prix banner revisited, a hidden godzilla, some Kanji from 90’s mangas...etc.
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Photo credit:Brice Beldjilali @ brice_beldjilali_photo D river:M ike Kauffm ann @ m ike_kfm n Artist:Lighton @ lightonart
LIGHTON
Two months after the first sketch, it was time to make it real anticipating the realization that this project was coming together, after they had been going back and forth through phone. Lighton took the road with the talented automotive photographer Brice Beldjilali and left Paris for Nancy, in France, where Mike Kauffmann lived. That was the start of an incredible adventure and the beginning of a strong friendship. But that was also
the beginning of a bigger challenge : Putting together the livery in only 48 hours to inaugurate the car in time at the coolest french drift event Crepery Factory Party! Hard work, No sleep ! The little team made up of Mike, Lighton and a few friends nailed it. And all of this was shot by Brice Beldjilali. That’s how, after a long lockdown, an old kid’s dream came true.
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To learn more about Lighton, scan the QR code
Photo credit: Brice Beldjilali @brice_beldjilali_photo
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LIGHTON
Lighton is a French artist born in 1990 based in Paris. “Hi, I am Yohan Quintar aka Lighton, an artist and art director based in Paris. I was born in Burgundy and I started to work as a graphic designer in advertising agencies at 16. From this moment, I never stopped working on my own identity. I fell in love with pop art and, since then, I tried to express my own vision of the popular culture by illustrating the common emotions of a generation born in the 90’s. To build my style I mixed all my influences: Pop art, advertising’s codes and the reflections of a boy from the Generation X with a personal touch of BLUE! For me this blue represents the power of life, no skin color, no realistic representations, just the bright color of life.”
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DRIFTLENS
e v i t o m o t u @mmad_a
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ALEX GRABOWSKI
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DRIFTVISUALS
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