Today, DDS Performance will be celebrating their re-grand opening at the new location on 3599 Polaris Ave #2. (702)482-TUNE

Come see our new shop, check out the 3 cars we are preparing for Formula Drift, as well as a few for VegasDrift Pro-Am, and chat with the crew from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. We will be joined by the Bass-Ballin SPL Competition, as well as AWD Chassis Dyno with Millerspec Motorsports, a few fast high power Evo’s and a mini car show!

See you there!

Vd – Bobby has been involved in the Vegas scene for some time now. Give us a background of yourself and how you started drifting.

BG – What is up Vegasdrift peeps, it’s BOBBYG!  As some of you guys know I am part of the LIMITBREAK family and drove a seafoam green s13(R.I.P. Bessy). I just recently moved back from Socal and got to experience the drift life out there, it was cool but nothings better than home. How i got into drifting was, well I was always trying to slide stuff lol, when I was a kid I would drift my little plastic tricycle and with the remote control cars I would take the tires off so they would slide, I just didn’t know it was called drifting ahah, but what really got me into drifting was going to illegals and watching the drag racing and was honestly bored. Then I saw some FD footage on TV and was hooked. After that I got a 240sx and here I am 4 240′s later lol!

Vd – We’re glad to hear your Ok!! Tell us about the recent hit and run.

BG – The hit and run….man I was so pissed, can’t believe people now a days. I’m just thankful for making it out ok. It was just a normal Friday, just got paid and driving home from work on the 15 south merging to the 95 north and BOOOWW. I got hit really hard in the left rear corner and it sends me flying. Honestly what saved me from spinning around was counter steering. After I hit the wall, I saw the guy slow down with his hazards on and then just kept driving like nothing happened. They still have yet to catch him.

Vd – That’s unreal….Do you have any plans for the new chassis?

BG – The plans for the new chassis are to get some new coils. I want to get the chassis stitch welded but right now it’s not the time since this is my drift/daily car. What my biggest plan is to make it to a lot more Vegasdrift events, it’s been too long since I drove at a VD event.

Vd – Where do you see the sport of drifting in 5 years from now?

BG -Drifting is growing by the second, everyone and their moms are doing it. In 5 years I would like to see the sport getting its respect that it should have and be on the TV, being able to watch it like it’s a regular sport, having local drift clinics for the guys getting into drifting would also be nice.

Vd – Grid or Forza?

BG – I’m not really a gamer but I am a proud owner of grid, haven’t played Forza yet. Grid is pretty dam close to real life.

Vd – What advice could you lend to someone that wants to get into drifting?

BG – The new people getting into drifting DON’T DO IT!!!! Ahah just playin, just gotta the have patience. The key I think is to just get out on the track and get seat time, and take in as much advice as you can and put it to use driving. Starting out you really don’t need much, everyone thinks that you have to get on that baller level like all the baller guys. You just need decent suspension, tires, and the motor, man that should not be a issue I think you can drift anything that has the ability. Check out my 2nd 240sx, all it had was dualcam, lowering springs and exhaust and it got down.

Vd – Thanks for the interview Bobby, Anyone you would like to shout out or thank?

BG – I want to first of thank WES and NICK for picking me to do a VD Check-Up and also everyone for the help and the events being put up, Vegasdrift, Justdrift, U-Drift and etc. My family for supporting me through all the work I’m doing when I need help with my car and letting me use their car. MY BIGGEST SHOUT out is to my crew LIMITBREAK, we all look out for each other, oh yea check out our tumblr page its Lemonbreadhouse.Tumblr.com. There are many more people to thank to many to list, so if I missed you I apologize but just know I’m thankful for all you. To everyone BOBBYG is out. Don’t be afraid to come over and say whats up if you see us around, we’re friendly. Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to all. Live life to the fullest!!

Photo Credit

-Everything Drift
-CW Photography

Vd – Ok Zach, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became interested in drifting.

ZH – Well many of you know me as Yao, which was a nickname I got for being a 6’3 korean guy back in high school. I am 24 yrs old and I am originally from California. Since I moved back and forth from Rowland Heights and Edwards AFB I just say California. I got started in drifting when Hondas going in a straight line wasn’t cutting it anymore, back in 2007. VegasDrift 007 at Nellis AFB was my first event I ever attended with my white s13 coupe. I fell in love with drifting back in 2003 when I attended my first Formula Drift competition at Irwindale Speedway where I watched Ueo truly kill it. I joined the military shortly thereafter and when I had the funds to support this awfully expensive sport (well any motorsport really), I dove in and purchased the s13 coupe. In the first couple weeks of having the car, the water pump took a crap on me. And seeing that I just came from Hondas and had no idea how to fix it (which now I know is WAY easier then Hondas), I went ahead and had a SR20 installed by MP Motorsports. After that, you couldn’t get me out of the car.

Vd – We know you drive a 240 coupe with a cage fabricated Forest Wang. Besides the cage, what modifications have been done.

ZH – Man that is a long list. When I start actually thinking about how much money and upgrades I have put into my car, I think, “I could have bought a brand new 370Z. HAH! But here’s the list I can think of off the top of the head.

SR20DET Red top – HKS 264 Cams/HKS Adj. Cam gears-Apexi Metal Head Gasket-ARP Head studs-BC Valve Springs-Greddy FMIC-Moroso oil pan-Power FC D-Jetro-DDS Tune-Garret t2871r .64a/r-HKS Actuator-Tomei Expreme Exhaust manifold-HKS Type RS BOV-Painless wiring harness w/ switch panel-Defi DIN gauges-Greddy Profec B Spec II Boost controller-550CC Tomei Injectors-Tomei FPR-Tomei Oil block-Greddy oil relocater-Setrab oil cooler w/-10 AN-Koyo Radiator-Dual electric fans-Greddy oil catch-Tubs-Chassis Stitch weld-Boxed Frames-Tein Superdrift suspension-SPL tension/toe/traction/RUCA-S14 LCA(boxed by forest)-Wangle Knuckles-Dmax tie rod spacers-Jesse Alignment(Best ever!!)-300z brakes w/300z BMC-Project Mu rear Ebrake shoes-R33or2? Ebrake cables-Cusco strut tower brace w/ tow hook-All OEM s14 5 lug conversion-Moog ball joints-Full DMAX type 3 aero-carbon fiber sunroof delete-dmax front and rear wide body-silvia conversion-dmax tails-and a HUGE thanks to Robert Gray for letting me use and buy Work wheels from him. (Mostly use, zomg Meisters!) Advan Neova AD07 front tires and usually feddys on the back-PBM Adj. Spacers-Dolce and Gabana bucket seat-Vertex Steering wheel… ok I think that’s most of it. /sigh

Vd - That’s an extensive list! Click here to check out Yao’s build thread. Team Verzus seems to be creating a buzz. Tell us about TV and its goals.

ZH – Team Verzus is the team that Robert Gray (Ahomeko) and I are starting up right now. The focus is mainly a No Drama drift team. Right now we are in the midst of getting together the logos and what not. But mainly we want to try to make a name for ourselves as a team that has good drifters and baller cars. Everyone should start seeing more and more footage and videos from us. We aren’t but 2 people right now, with a couple pending(Dook-E needs a new car!!). Hopefully we can keep it pretty tight knit and have a lot of fun. Because we aren’t trying to take over the drift world, but hopefully our drifting and style gets some attention and of course brings honor to VegasDrift.

Vd – Keep us posted on the Team Verzus merchandise! What do you do with your spare time when you’re not wrenching or drifting?

ZH – Oh man… I really don’t like to be bored. So I dabble in a lot of things here and there. Mainly because of my wife being in full time College, I have been nerding it out pretty damn hard. Yes yes, I am a nerd, I play WoW, Rift, and Black Ops right now. But seeing that my job is IT/Network engineer, it comes to no surprise to most. But I also enjoy hanging out with friends out at Korean karaoke bars and going out to clubs, basic young guy stuff. My friends and I were in popping and breaking crews before, so we enjoy a good battle at the clubs when they are out here haha!

Vd – So it looks like your busy at work, but your really playing WoW. What are your plans for this year as far as comps go?

ZH – Unlike last year where I was stupid and started doing a major overhaul of the car in the midst of ProAM season. This year I am just purely doing cosmetic changes and fine tuning. So my goal is to be at all the ProAMs and hopefully I can be a good enough competitor to get top 10. There are a lot of excellent drivers that are going to be in the comp this year. And it’s going to be a hell of a season. I suggest everyone get out there and support the VD season this year, you wont be disappointed. But my goals aren’t super high this year, seeing this is my first year I’ve been doing tandem. I guess my goal is not to jack up anyone else car lol. Personally I think Traverse is going to be killing it hard. But that’s just my opinion.

Vd – Being a huge supporter of the Las Vegas drifting community, what advice could you give to someone who wants to start drifting?

ZH – Seat time, Seat time, Seat time, tires, and more Seat time. I cant stress enough how just being out there drifting and learning how your car reacts helps. And be careful not to do what I did and advance the car way past your skill level. I have personally been doing a lot of catch up to my cars progression. And I know people might think this is kind of frivolous to say, but style and looks do matter out here. I understand that we are drifters, and we are always on a budget. But even Forest said to us before, (paraphrasing of course) You can be a dope drifter, but if your ride looks like crap, you’re not getting as much props as you should. Or something like that. And for the guys out there that are starting and looking for parts, don’t always go for the cheapest solution. Most parts are cheap for a reason (knockoffs) and that’s because they don’t spend money on R&D, steal their design and ideas from other respectable companies, and make low quality parts. Which is pushing out the real companies from the US. But when it comes down to it, don’t put something on your car that will break easily or will require you to spend more money replacing than the quality part in the first place. Because that will affect your overall seat time.

Vd – This was a great interview. Thanks Zach and good luck this season!! Is there anyone you want to thank or shoutout?

ZH – First and foremost Nick and the whole VD staff for making drifting in Vegas possible. We wouldn’t even have a respectable scene here if it wasn’t for them. So truly thank you. And for everyone that has put some sweat or their valuable time into my car. If you think I built this thing from the ground up by myself, you might have ingested some type of mind altering chemical and call poison control. Thanks Gray for giving up a lot of your weekends. And to the whole Get Nutz!! Laboratory for some super dope fabs. Forest cage is awesome quality and he does Get Nutz with the fabrication stuff. A lil too nutz…lol. Jesse hooking it up always with dope work, DDS for the tuning and all kinds of work. Shout out to my little bro Eric, all his friends, VD Drivers!, all my friends and family that come out to support. So many people, sorry if I didn’t get you. And of course my wife and daughter for the support to keep this hobby going! Love both of you. And I’m sure by now you’re tired of reading if you even got this far lol! SEE YOU GUYS AT THE TRACK!

Photo Credit

Larry Chen – www.driftfotos.com

Joel Cada – http://gallery.third3ye.net/AutomotiveEvents

Vegasdrift LLC proudly presents VegasProAm 2011 – Formula Drift’s Southwest Official ProAm licensing series. VegasProAm will consist of three events at the LVMS Bullring lot and the fourth and final event will be hosted at Formula Drift round 6 on The Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Custom built FD Course.

For the second year in a row Ernie Fixmer (Formula Drift Judge/Pro Driver), Mike Bolanos (“Exotics Racing” instructor and FD license holder), and Tommy Suell (Formula Drift Driver and “Exotics Racing” Instructor) will utilize the Formula Drift standard scoring system judging  “Speed” “Line” and “Angle.”

The competition format consists of 3 judged qualifying runs, followed by either a “Top 8” or “Top 16” tandem battle.   Drivers that finish  “Top 3″ in the series will earn a 2012 Formula Drift Professional License, and an invite to the “ProAm Cup All-Star Invitational.”   This year, Formula Drift introduces the “ProAm All-Star Invitational,” in which all newly FD licensed ProAm drivers will have a chance to compete against one another to determine who is the “Best Amateur Drifter” in the country. The event will be held at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California in conjunction with the Formula DRIFT Championship Finale on October 7-8, 2011 and replaces the former, “Formula DRIFT ProAm Nationals.”

VegasProAm Schedule

• VegasProAm Rd 1 – April 23rd 2011

• VegasProAm Rd 2 – June 11^th 2011

• VegasProAm Rd 3 – July 30^th 2011

• Formula Drift Rd 6/VegasProAm Rd 4 (Final Round) – August 26-27 2011

VegasProAm Rules and Regulations will be similar to last year’s series; minor adjustments will be made and announced on the Vegasdrift Forum and on the VegasProAm Website.  Sponsors and Prizes will be announced shortly.

Competition Format Book – linked soon

Vehicle/Conduct Rule book – linked soon

Vegasdrift Forum Series Information – http://www.vegasdrift.com/forum/index.php/board,62.0.html

Registration will open shortly

Last month Garage “Get Nuts Drift Laboratory” hosted a drift demo BBQ to raise funds for shop upgradings. Get Nuts opened its gates to the public and displayed some serious tandems and trains. FD drivers Patrick Mordaunt, and Get Nuts’ own Forrest Wang were among the drivers that created a fog of smoke on that windless day.

Vd – So, we’re here with famed local drifter Rainier “Fashion Show” Ramolete. Ray is going to give us an extensive behind the scenes tour of Get Nuts. We saw some awesome builds at the demo with some jaw-dropping fabrication. Give us a background of the shop and tell us about some of the projects you guys have going.

RR (pictured below on the right) – Our shop is made up of a group of friends with the same common interests. We pretty much live the drifting lifestyle,  and all of us want to progress in the sport in one way or another and be able to survive doing what we love. Whether it be to go pro at driving or set the standards with “drift/driving style” in our work, and benefit from learning the drive techniques/ build techniques from hands on training.  Get Nuts is not your average automotive shop, but more of a grown man’s playground (not a strip club), college for drifting/building cars, mixed with an experiment/testing facility hence “Get Nuts LAB”. Most of us came into drifting through extreme sports judged on style like skateboarding, BMX, surfing, snowboarding, and motocross, so not only are we a fully functional fabrication facility + repair shop. We also have our own skate park, drift skid pad, and many mini motos that keeps us having fun doing what we love. What sets us off from most shops is the attention to style and details which explains the building of drift cars that are now internationally recognized through magazines, and online publications.

Forrest’s one off roll cages and chassis bracing is what we are mainly known for. Since 2002, Forrest has been setting the standard for grass roots garage built drift cars, and now has had the experience from also being a part of the team at Full Race Motorsports in Arizona for a couple years, learning hands on from the best fabricators.Full Race has been renown for their quality craftsmanship with turbo manifolds and custom fabrication as seen in many mainstream magazines and proven race cars. With over 10 years experience as a fabricator for “drift” style cars, and the technique honed while at Full Race, Forrest is now living the dream with his own full fantasy factory: Get Nuts Lab. A facility to practice drifting, build his own cars, build one off customer vehicles, and hone his skills all at the same time.

We’ve had the opportunity to build cars for the drifting community. Drivers such as, local FD licensed Josh Guild’s Yellow S14 (Full Cage),
FD Pro-am contender Shawn Coward (Full cage, V-mount, Tub fenders), Yao’s white coupe also received the full treatment.

Vegasdrift’s very own Nick Dizon’s car is receiving the full treatment as we speak including Roll Cage, Tubbed fenders, and custom tube chassis rear section.

Here are some other projects we have lined up at the moment:

S13 Truck converted demo car- Full Tig welded roll cage, custom tubs, chassis bracing, and truck conversion.

D1GP driver Tyler Cox’s S14. Getting the full treatment: full cage + custom tube chassis front end, tubbed fenders,  and full chassis paint.

Local customer Adam’s 240sx hatch- nearing completion, receiving full roll cage, rear bash bar, front bash bar, tubbed fenders, stitch welding, and chassis reinforcements, and custom fully chassis paint (monster green) spray by Get Nut’s very own Garret Nikolich.

Local Customer Jay’s Skyline R30 (very rare)- receiving full SR20DET swap, engine bay paint, and wire tuck.

In the future we will be expanding into a full one stop drifting fab shop/ retail store for parts, and will be holding more drifting demonstration days/ meets with live DJ’s and car shows, so be on the look out!

Vd – What are this year’s plans for everyone at Get Nuts?

RR - This year we are working towards expanding the shop through advertising as a team and hitting many drift events/ competitions with a team of black cars showcasing the work of our shop, while holding more drifting demonstration events to cover cost. Here is a rundown of everyone at the shop’s plan this year:

Forrest is just now nearing completion on his revised O.G. S13 Silvia with a 600hp 2JZGTE swap, made with in house motor mounts + tranny mounts, custom V-mount intercooler, custom aluminum charge piping,  and all custom stainless exhaust from the turbo. Forrest will be competing in Formula D for the 2011 Season in this car as a privateer with no major team in a car built by himself WITHOUT a V8, to prove you don’t need a V8 to be competitive. Be on the look out for Forrest this year, since he will be a sight to see.

Jesse Hanna is also finishing up the final touches on his car in order to hit up drift events and compete this year also in VegasPro-am. Surprisingly, Jesse is only 20 years old and has completed a full build on his car from the fabrication, to the paint and assembly. Here is Jesse’s car as it sits:

Traverse Hilsabeck’s black and yellow 240 hatch has begun getting a fresh revision for this season of pro-am. He has torn down his car again, and has been adding more reinforcements and a fresh coat of green chassis paint. Traverse will be competing this year @ VegasPro-am competitions.

Garret Nikolich’s M30 is getting a fresh 1JZ motor revision along with tubbed fenders. definite upgradings from the old RB20 setup. Garret will also eventually be competing this year at VegasPro-am.

As for me, my plans are to revise my car again. I will be tearing the car down to bare, and will be adding a tube rear end, tubs, custom intercooler setup, and fresh motor, paint, and clutch. I’m planning on hitting as many events as I can next year depending on my income, but my main priority as of now is to get the shop website up and going, along with making more videos, and online publications to get the attention of sponsors for the shop.

As a team we are looking to stay on it with work ethics in order to prosper doing what we love to do! Be on the look out for Team Get Nuts in the 2011 season!

Vd – It’s safe to say that everyone at the shop is with the program as far as competitions and fabrication goes. From the bottom up, what would you say would be the best way to build a rolling chassis?

RR - From my standpoint, a rolling chassis should be built within means, however built to hold up to the abuses of drifting with attention to style. There are many components of a drift car that need to work together in order for a drift car to be safe, fun, and crowd pleasing.

First off,  CHASSIS RIGIDITY:
In order to compete, drift at highs speeds, or even have the opportunity to tandem at most drifting events: chassis rigidity/ stiffening is crucial for better handling and for the most part, your very own safety.This can be accomplished by adding a roll cage with door bars, stitch welding the chassis seams, and reinforcing weak points in the chassis with added bracing/ gussets which in turn makes the car more rigid, with well improved handling handling characteristics. Adding a “bash beam” bumper supports also help to keep the frame/ unibody of the car straight from low speed impacts and improve air flow to radiators/ intercoolers by decreasing in size from the stock beam.

Second off, SUSPENSION/ FOOTWORK/ TIRES
SUSPENSION: That being said, next step would be the crucial things such as the overall stance and final effect of the vehicle which also benefit the way the car handles. this is where we’d recommend upgrading all suspension components including: a good coilover setup, adjustable STEEL rear suspension links, new bushings pressed, aftermarket tension rods, and especially steering angle modifications. Weld in reinforcements between the tension rods, and under front LCA’s also provide better feedback to the driver especially with good tires and correct alignment. In drifting, “steering angle” means A LOT. The further your wheels can turn, the more drift angle you can achieve which results in less spinning out, and the ability to pull off drifts that will blow minds. Steering angle can be achieved by modified spindles, spacing your tie rods, and relocating the steering rack.

WHEELS/TIRES: Tires play a huge role in a drift car too. Usually having a wider overall stance (due to lower offset, increased width wheels) lowers the cars center of gravity while also drastically improving traction and stability. A common misconception in drifting is “the less traction the better”, however it is the opposite. You actually WANT traction in a drift car in order for it to feel predictable and hold consistent speed. Having good tires, is one of the most important parts if you are looking to be competitive, or drift at higher speed safely. The more traction, the better but also more expensive. As a grass roots drifter, id suggest going with a tire thats most affordable with the best wear characteristics, but still being a performance tire (for heat handling purposes). There is a broad spectrum of tires in the market suited for this purpose.

AESTHETICS: Here at get nuts, we emphasize on the “style” portion behind drifting. Remember, in drifting “being a good driver” is only half the battle. Drifting to us is not racing, but more of an art form similar to skateboarding, freestyle motocross, BMX, or even figure skating. You’re car should be an expression of yourself for people to see, it makes it that much more entertaining, not only for us, but for spectators + fans.
This is achieved from the aesthetics portion of the vehicle:

Some of you may not agree, but drift cars need to have character. Not necessarily baller parts, but just attention to style if you want drifting to become a more respected motor sport.

AERO/PAINT: Don’t run your car unpainted with 400 non-matching panels,  unless no ones watching or its a purpose built beater missile annihilation car. I’m not saying you need an expensive candy paint job and real Vertex body kit either. Simple things like cheap aero/ wide fenders and single stage paint still look amazing when done correctly, and cost is still fairly affordable. Painting the engine bay, and raw portions of the vehicle benefit the cleanly factor. You wont attract dust/ grime in the engine bay, plus it looks amazing for years to come! Having aftermarket wide body fiberglass fenders benefits the stance and handling of the vehicle, and surprisingly doesn’t get battled as easily. Fiberglass as opposed to sheet metal is a lot more flexible and does not dent/ ding and is easily repairable when cracked.

DRIVER POSITIONING: A good driver position is very important. This is all personal preference, however more drifters prefer sitting low at a tilt, with a good amount of steering wheel spacing achieved with a concave wheel and a quick release hub. Ideally you want the steering wheel close to you so your elbows are bent, however not too much. depending on your height, you want to sit lower to where your head clears the roll cage with a helmet on.

SEATS: Seats are very important in a drift car since they hold you from swaying around during moments of high G forces. Don’t cheap out on a racing seat/harnesses especially in drift car with a roll cage. Spend the extra and get the real seat for the value of your LIFE! The market of racing seats is very disperse, but you want a seat with good support that will hold you. Depending on your size/ preference this can be a long task. Stay away from seats that are built of metal frames since they only have bottom mount rails, and can become uncomfortable over time. Ideally, you want a seat with a molded 1 piece shell, high side bolsters, good shoulder support, and a side mount for the seat rails.

Things like e-brake placement and shifter height also benefit you depending on your style of driving. This is personal preference, however ideally you want the extra leverage when shifting at the sacrifice of shift time. So find the ideal shift knob that feels comfortable in height for you.

Vd – What is the worst moving violation ticket received by someone from the shop?

RR – Aside from a couple impounds here and there and maybe 1 or 2 reckless driving violations between the other guys and myself, Not as much as you’d think! I, myself like to drive like a grandma on the street to avoid any more speeding tickets.

Vd – Impounds here and there, lol! Do you guys have a website or other point of contact?

RR - We are working on getting a blog site for the shop/ team up very soon, so keep an eye out! for now, follow up on the shop on facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/Get-Nutz-Laboratory/130458357011198, or check out for video updates on our youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/getnutslab

As for work inquiries, please email us @ getnutsdriftlab@gmail.com
We are appointment only! Please schedule an appointment before visiting the shop. Thanks

Vd – Well, thanks for grand tour Ray! We’re all looking forward to the next Get Nuts demo day/BBQ and we wish all of the drivers at GNL a solid 2011 season. Is there anyone you guys want to shout out?

RR – Yes, thank you to all of our fans and customers! also thanks to STANCE Suspension, DMAX,, Full Race, and Garage Boso, and AutoRnd, and InsaneSpeed (tuning) for all the support! Also thanks to Patrick Mordaunt, Jon Jimison (DJ pessimist), Mike Burns + AZ crew, and Melyssa Grace for making a memorable opening ceremony!

Here are some pics from the BBQ if you missed out!

Photo Credit

– Jason Sudds
- Brenton Ho
- Kid Yosh photography
- Edward Ochoa