Joon Maeng

A rumor is floating around that Maxxis Tires might be returning with the MA-Z1 tire for the 2012 season. We did report that BFGoodrich has left drifting for this season so naturally the series has a good place for a replacement. Maxxis Tire at one point was one of the top programs in the sport backing up the likes of Chris Forsberg, Ryan Tuerck, Michael Essa, Joon Maeng, Tony Angelo along with a huge list of grassroots and local drivers. Maxxis Tire is the one of the few tires companies to have a championship under their belt with Chris Forsberg in 2009. The changing of the guard at Maxxis had them pull out of the sport but now they are looking to make a return for 2012! What drivers do you want to see running Maxxis?

Posted in Chris Forsberg, Dean Kearney, Formula D, Joon Maeng, Justin Pawlak, Major Announcements, Michael Essa, Rumors/Gossip, Ryan Tuerck | 9 Comments »

Here is the list of drivers heading to Panama for the International invitational in March. Fredric Aasbo is sending over his Toyota Supra that everyone just seems to love.  The other Formula Drift stars are listed below and include Joon Maeng and what we can imagine is his S13.5 Nissan 240sx. What do you think of the rest of this drivers list?

Ross Petty
Joon Maeng
Cyrus Martinez
Fredric Aasbo

Posted in Formula D, Fredric Aasbo, International, Joon Maeng | 31 Comments »

Check out the tentative drivers list here for Formula Drift Round 7. No big shockers in the drivers list (hopefully some last minute shocking entries show up) but read it up and down. The finals are going to be up in the air and we cannot wait until the main event:

1. Fredric Aasbo
2. Jeff Abbott
3. Emmanuel Amandio
4. Odi Bakchis
5. Tony Brakohiapa
6. Patrick Cyr
7. Michael Essa
8. Mike Feiock
9. Matt Field
10. Chris Forsberg
11. Vaughn Gittin Jr.
12. Otto Graven
13. Conrad Grunewald
14. Ken Gushi
15. Jim Guthrie
16. Sam Hubinettte
17. Jeff Jones
18. Ryan kado
19. Dean Kearney
20. Nikolay Konstantinov
21. Alex Lee
22. Luke Lonberger
23. Joon Maeng
24. Cyrus Martinez
25. Darren McNamara
26. Tyler McQuarrie
27. Dennis Mertzanis
28. Rhys Millen
29. Kenneth Moen
30. Kyle Mohan
31. Patrick Mordaunt
32. Charles Ng
33. Robbie Nishida
34. Justin Pawlak
35. Ross Petty
36. Alex Pfeiffer
37. Kyle Pollard
38. Saranon Pornpatanarak
39. Matt Powers
40. John Russakoff
41. Ryan Tuerck
42. Matt Waldin
43. Walker Wilkerson
44. Daijiro Yoshihara
45. Toshiki Yoshioka

Posted in Alex Pfeiffer, Charles Ng, Chris Forsberg, Conrad Grunewald, Daijiro Yoshihara, Darren McNamara, Dean Kearney, Formula D, Fredric Aasbo, Jeff Jones, Joon Maeng, Ken Gushi, Kyle Mohan, Matt Powers, Michael Essa, Odi Bakchis, Patrick Mordaunt, Rhys Millen, Sam Hubinette, Tanner Foust, Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Walker Wilkerson | 5 Comments »

According to Craigslist this Formula Drift car is ready to race with a splash of gasoline in the tank. A great price compared to other race chassis out on the market we have seen lately. If you need a cheap race chassis this is your answer. According to the listing this is the old Falken/Hankook S14 but the picture in the listing shows Joon Maeng driving the S14. Several people have told us that he drove a new chassis (compared to the old Falken S14 Robbie Nishida drove) but both were built by Dyanamic Autosport regardless.

The car comes fully loaded with a 2.2L stroker motor, KW Clubsport Suspension, Seibon Carbon Fiber, and a Vertex widebody kit. The listing says the car makes 420hp/468 ft./lbs of torque with room to go higher. The car is currently listed for sale in Houston, Texas if your interested for pick up.

Buy It Now: http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2588495655.html

Posted in Buy This, Formula D, Joon Maeng, Robbie Nishida | 20 Comments »

Joon Maeng Crashes the Nitto Tire Mazda Rx-8

According to the Bergenholtz Racing PR the Nitto Tire Mazda Rx-8 caught victim to some of the on/off rain we kept having on the track. Joon Maeng keep sliding towards the wall and made contact with the far end tires. The Mazda Rx-8 then swung into the k-rail leaving the car non operational for qualifying.

Watch the video: http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/watchvideo/joon-maeng-crashes-the-nitto-tire-mazda-rx-8

Posted in Formula D, Joon Maeng, Video, Wrecks | 5 Comments »

A huge hit to the rotary community and the Mazda drivers came yesterday when Mazda announced that they have halted production of the Rx-8. Automotive News reported that “lackluster sales and ever tighter global emissions standards” have put this car out of Mazda’s sales inventory. Mazda only sold 1,134 models of the car last year (2010) and sales have been down over 20% this year through July.

A few teams currently are enjoying support from Mazda including Bergenholtz Racing and Kyle Mohan who are the two most high profile Mazda teams. The Bergenholtz team has already been hit with a loss of Full Tilt Poker this season. While we could see the Bergenholtz Racing team going shopping for a new OEM it looks like Kyle Mohan will stay the route with Mazda with or without sponsorship. He is pretty tied to the brand through Mazdatrix currently and we cannot see him losing all that.

Source: http://www.autonews.com/

Posted in Formula D, Joon Maeng, Kyle Mohan | 10 Comments »

The guys at ACT gave us some great news about Fantasy Drift this week for our loyal players. Below in the block quote text is all the information ACT is providing for the contest. To give you cliff notes we are picking three people randomly who are running ACT drivers for this contest. Below you can see what you will win if your in this top three. Here is a quick list of drivers that make you eligible to win:

Eric O’Sullivan
Fredric Aasbo
Ian Fournier
Jeff Abbott
Joon Maeng
Matt Field
Matt Powers
Nikolay Konstantinov
Ryan Kado
Ryan Tuerck

 

 

 

Here is the ACT Press Release:

ACT is pleased to present a special prize package for participants in Wrecked Magazine Fantasy Drift 2011.  One lucky Fantasy Drift PRO player will win the grand prize which includes a one of a kind ACT themed Sony PlayStation 3 and a complete set of ACT swag! Two additional players will each receive an ACT swag bag.  

Grand Prize includes the following:

• Custom ACT Sony PS3 (160gb or equivalent) & extra controller
• ACT T-shirt
• ACT Hat
• ACT Lanyard
• ACT License Plate Frames
• ACT Zippo Lighter
• ACT Mechanic Gloves
• ACT Sunglasses

 

Second and Third Prize includes the following:

• ACT T-shirt
• ACT Hat
• ACT Lanyard
• ACT License Plate Frames
• ACT Zippo Lighter
• ACT Mechanic Gloves
• ACT Sunglasses

 

 

 

 

(Approximate Retail Value of Prize Package: $650)
Advanced Clutch Technology is a premier clutch manufacturer that has more than 700 different applications and more than 1,300 performance clutch kits. The company’s product line features clutches and forged flywheels for the most popular vehicles in the sport compact, American and European car markets. Advanced Clutch Technology has been involved with the sport of drifting since 2004 and currently sponsors Ryan Tuerck, Eric O’Sullivan, Fredric Aasbo, Matt Powers, Joon Maeng, Matt Field, Ryan Kado, Jeff Abbott, Ian Fournier and Nikolay Konstantinov.  ACT is headquartered in Lancaster, Calif.  

Posted in Eric O'Sullivan, Fantasy Drift, Formula D, Fredric Aasbo, Free Stuff, Giveaway, Joon Maeng, Lifestyle, Matt Powers, Ryan Tuerck | 5 Comments »

This blurry photo of a 3-rotor rotary engine seated in the engine bay of Joon Maeng’s Nitto Tire/Bergenholtz Racing Mazda RX8 surfaced this evening as we lead up to Round 6. After a year of battling mechanical gremlins, the Bergenholtz team turned to Mazdatrix to install a fresh 3-rotor in the Nitto Tire RX8 for the rest of the season.

For those of you familiar with Mazdatrix may recognize one of the engine builders over there. The man tasked to assemble Joon’s new motor is none other than fellow RX8 drifter Kyle Mohan who is seen here putting the finishing touches on the new 3-rotor rotary beast.

With a brand new and more reliable powertrain, how do you think Joon Maeng will do in Las Vegas?

Posted in Formula D, Joon Maeng | 23 Comments »

The guys over at Studio Mountain consistently put out some of the best videos for Nitto Tire and their third installment of the 2011 Formula Drift season is no exception. This video from Round 5 at Evergreen Speedway slows things down from their usual fast paced video, and it follows the Nitto Tire team throughout the event. High production value and killer on-car shots make it a video you don’t want to miss.

Watch the video here: http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/watchvideo/nitto-tire-takes-on-evergreen-speedway

Posted in Charles Ng, Joon Maeng, Matt Powers, Michael Essa, Video | No Comments »

KW TV Episode 5: Battle in Seattle

So it’s not quite the Battle in Seattle with Charlize Theron released a few years ago it was quite the weekend. KW Suspension drivers Dai Yoshihara and Fredric Aasbo both found a podium finish on the most unpredictable track of the season. Dai was able to take the championship points lead back from JTP and have some time after to conduct an interview with KW partner Fredric Aasbo for the camera.

Watch the video: http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/watchvideo/kw-tv-episode-5-battle-in-seattle

Posted in Formula D, Fredric Aasbo, Joon Maeng, Michael Essa, Video | No Comments »