The Nissan Silvia S15 is probably second to the Skyline in vehicles we really want and will never get. The craze of outfitting S13s and S14s with the S15 front end has sort of subsided here, but there’s no mistaking how gorgeous the Silvia S15 is. Now it’s been a while since we spotted something that made us raise our eyebrows for the better. We like to give kudos to creativity and cleverness when deserved and this Nissan Silvia S15 is a prime example of just that.

Product placement has always been a key part of any successful marketing and advertising campaigns. It all started with movies and television shows and now has even entered the realm of video games. Some campaigns are just pure tacky while others are cleverly placed to really inspire the consumer to go out and get the product. With the advent of YouTube and online videos, companies have taken their campaigns online where they can easily reach millions of viewers in a matter of minutes, literally. Viral marketing is now king and online media is the throne that it sits on.

Ever since NOS Energy Drink was acquired by the Coca-Cola company, good ‘ol corporate America has done a real strong push in bringing the product into the face of the masses. By teaming up with all facets of motorsports, NOS Energy Drink has done a great job tying their product to the right consumers. Chris Forsberg is one of the main NOS Energy Drink drivers, competing in Formula Drift and being a two-time champion. So it’s no surprise that NOS would be more than willing to spend some advertising dollars with some clever marketing.

The Bro Show consists of Jeff and Curtis, two brothers willing to do “anything” to get their own online series on Break.com. So episodes mainly consist of wild and crazy stunts and this one is no exception. The brothers headed out to Irwindale Speedway with Chris Forsberg and his NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z convertible to get a taste of drifting…and naturally, NOS Energy Drink.

After Forsberg did a demo lap, Jeff climbed into the passenger seat believing Curtis, his brother, was just hanging out on the track dressed in bright orange. Easy for the driver to spot and avoid…right? Well what Jeff didn’t know was that Curtis was swapped out for a dummy and Forsberg was told to crash straight into the dummy. Check out the video after the jump to see how it all unfolds.

[Source: Formula DRIFT]

Now that Luke Lonberger has gotten his hands dirty helping build Conrad Grunewald’s Hankook Drift Chevrolet Camaro, it looks like he’s interesting in getting his hands behind the wheel of his own sideways machine. A render has surfaced of a drift Chevrolet Corvette sporting Lonberger’s shop logos and full Hankook theme.

This weekend is Formula Drift’s Round 3 event at Wall Speedway in Wall, New Jersey. So naturally people are already sneaking in photos from what’s being unloaded in the pits. One of the new vehicles uncovered is Ryuji Miki’s new drift Lexus SC430. And while we’re surprised by how physically unappealing it is, we’re excited to see this luxury platform go sideways.

The boy geniuses from ‘ Keep Drifting Fun‘, Will Roegge and Josh Herron, have just released their latest video, an up close and personal account of the Formula Drift Atlanta weekend from the perspective of defending champ Chris Forsberg.

Forsberg, who’s NOS energy drink sponsored Nissan 350Z roadster is among the most recognizable machines in the wildly popular Formula Drift series, tells the tale of an action-packed weekend of drifting including a little NASCAR-style bumping and a bent suspension. But as the video shows, Forsberg battles through adversity like a true champion to finish on the podium, moving him into 5th place in the 2010 championship standings heading into Round 3 at Wall Speedway in New Jersey this coming weekend.

The dynamic duo of Roegge and Herron definitely have a genuine passion for drifting, traveling the country in their 1974 Volkswagen Westfalia van while documenting the action at all seven rounds of the Formula Drift championship as well as visiting many grassroots drift events as part of their ‘Keep Drifting Fun’ documentary effort.

Check out the video after the jump and be sure to visit keepdriftingfun.com for more info on their cross-country adventure and video-making. And if you happen to bump into these bearded drift hobos at an event, give them an air high-five for us!

[Source: Keep Drifting Fun]

We know. You’re tired of hearing about this kid, but we can’t help it. It’s like a bad soap opera that continues to unfold and it just shows how little he’s learned. Sure he’s branded himself as part of this Keep It On The Track campaign, but his attitude and everything else is same ‘ol spoiled Nick Hogan.

We’d be kidding ourselves and the entire world when we say we watch videos on YouTube looking for substance or a plot. When it comes down to it, car videos are like porn for us. We don’t care about a story, we’re drooling over the action.

Vernal Equinox is a fancy 12-minute flick by French filmmaker Stephane Benini. Truth be told though, it’s not exactly 12 minutes, the last three minutes and change is a nice long credit roll reminiscent of what you’d see out of Hollywood. But nonetheless the video is entertaining for any car nut out there, especially those in love with drifting.

The video is well thought out and there’s no denying the editing and quality of filming. Each shot took quite the setup and direction to do and all of it flows nicely together. But hey, we’re no Roger Ebert over here, but we’d give it two thumbs up and well worth the watch.

[Source: Cartech Blog]

Rogue Status are huge sponsors of Ken Gushi and Tanner Foust, both pilots of RWD Scion tCs in the Formula Drift series. So leave it to them to come up with the idea to build yet another RWD Scion, this time a Toyota Supra 2JZ-powered xB.

After crisscrossing Europe, flying over the Atlantic and racing from Boston to Quebec, the Gumball 3000 Rally made its way to Toronto yesterday, stopping mid-way for a pit-stop at Shannonville Motorsports Park. AutoGuide just so happened to drop in on this venue – which was far less glamorous than the 5-star accommodations, private parties and exotic cars that make up the rest of the Gumball event.

It didn’t take long for this Formula Drift season to stir up some controversy. As we mentioned in our Formula DRIFT Long Beach Recap, the Hankook Nissan GT-R was noticeably missing from competition. We knew for a fact there was no way they would let that slide for another event, considering sitting out one event already puts the championship far out-of-reach.

Drifting is a dangerous sport, and not just for the drivers. Having photographed several drift events this author is well aware of the risks involved –  I’ve have even had a few close calls, on one occasion a friend of mine pulling me away right as the vehicle struck the K-rail. At another event the “track mats” shot up (while the vehicle was doing a burn out over them) flying right past my head. So needless to say, as safe as they try to make it for the photographers, there’s always a risk with cars going sideways.

During the recent SSS Gecko Cup drifting event in Warsaw, Poland a camera man became collateral damage when an Nissan S13 went flinging sideways a little too quickly. The car slammed into the safety rail (which wasn’t the concrete K-rails we’re used to) which in turn knocked into the camera man. Clearly the camera man takes a nice fall and apparently he was unconscious for a few seconds, thought it doesn’t seem so. But hey, he lives to shoot another day and that’s all that matters!

Make sure to check out the video after the break, it makes you think twice how closely you stand next to the action!

[Source: Tampa Sports Car Examiner]

All forms of motorsports – take note! Formula Drift, in association with YoParts.com has successfully launched the first ever full live streaming of their events to the world. Other sanctioning bodies have tried this in the past, but with hardly any sort of success. Needless to say when they first told us about Driftstream 2010 we were a little skeptical. Instead of jumping the gun and making a post, we decided to check it out ourselves during this past weekend’s event, then report on the quality. The verdict? Read on:

At this past weekend’s first Formula D event of 2010, motorsports video phenom Will Roegge unveiled his newest creation entitled ‘Art of Formula D: 2009 Retrospective’. The video features 2009 series champion Chris Forsberg and a linear progress through all seven rounds of the 2009 Formula Drift professional drifting championship. What better way could there be to get psyched up for the 2010 Formula D season than watching Roegge’s latest drift video?

Enjoy the 2009 recap after the jump:

With this past weekend’s Formula Drift 2010 season opener in Long Beach, one thing was noticeably missing from the roster: a female driver. Years past, we have seen a couple of female entries including Yoshie and her S14. Popular magazines have done articles (more in mockery than in editorial) of import models learning how to drive alongside a professional drifter.

While women as a whole have been showcased as eye-candy within the automotive market, many worldwide are making a statement by showing off their skills of going sideways. There are plenty in America alone, many of whom are looking forward to stepping it up to the next level of professional drifting and making a name for themselves. Perhaps we’re not too far off in having a “Danica Patrick” of drifting.

Over in Japan, where drifting “originates”, many girls and women are taking it to the guys. They’re working on the cars themselves, driving, testing and tuning – and many of them are doing it extremely well. In the video after the jump, a “Girl’s Drift Festival” is captured on film with girls piloting all sorts of S-chassis going sideways, and fast. Check it out!

Breaking into its seventh season, Formula DRIFT took to the Streets of Long Beach for its trademark season opener. This event is always a fan favorite being one of the only, if not the only, drift event that takes place on actual streets rather than a race track, course or parking lot. Many new cars made their debut at this event, some having great success while others clearly have a lot of bugs to figure out. American muscle prevailed however, as Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s new 2011 Falken Tire / Monster Energy Drink Mustang claimed the top podium spot with its debut.

When spy photos first showed up on the Internet of Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s new 2011 drift Ford Mustang, many were curious on why it didn’t sport the atypical Falken Tire paint scheme. We knew he was out testing with the rest of the team, so it was clear that his “secret sponsor” would be huge and probably wanting priority on the colors campaigned on the car. So when Gittin finally debuted the car sporting an all out Monster Energy scheme, we applauded. It’s the perfect fit for the brand, throwing themselves into the mix of energy drinks that are already flying colors through Formula DRIFT competition.

Rhys Millen is no stranger to any form of motorsports. However, he is probably most well-known for his Red Bull stunts and his impressive drifting career. Hailing from New Zealand, Millen was one of the US pioneers of drifting, completely dominating its initial competitive seasons with his Pontiac GTO. He then moved onto the Pontiac Solstice and shocked the world last year with the announcement of moving onto Korean-manufacturer Hyundai and its new Genesis Coupe.

There’s no denying that it was a perfect opportunity for Hyundai to extend their brand image and marketing to young enthusiasts, but was it a perfect fit for Millen? Some would argue that it was an unsuccessful inaugural campaign, perhaps even leaving an ugly mark on Millen’s otherwise successful drifting career. But we all know Millen hardly backs down from a challenge. Duly noted from his attempt at flipping a truck on New Year’s Eve a couple years back.

Plus, it didn’t help that last season Millen ran the first event with a Nissan VQ35 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. He later switched to a stroked and turbocharged 4.1-liter Hyundai V6, which has been pumped up further for the 2010 season to 650-hp.

We caught a glimpse of Millen testing at the El Toro Air Force Base a few weeks back and now Millen’s official 2010 Preseason Testing video has surfaced on the Web. The Genesis Coupe looks remarkably improved this year with Millen smoothly transitioning and swinging it sideways with what seems to be little effort.  Check out the video after the jump:

Earlier this month we reported about Samuel Hubinette’s plans for 2010. What some may not remember is that merely three years ago, celebrity and son of Hulk Hogan, Nick Hogan, was actually competitively drifting alongside Samuel in a Dodge Viper SRT-10. Clearly the fame that came with Nick Hogan and fast cars wasn’t from his short drifting career. Instead, it was from the tragic accident that proved that there is such thing as too much horsepower. Nonetheless, the kid’s back out on the prowl and has committed to the Xtreme Drift Circuit (XDC) campaigning a black turbocharged Nissan 350Z.

The good news out of all this is that Nick Hogan will be involved with a group called “Keep It On The Track”, promoting and educating Americans the consequences of participating in illegal street races and driving without a seat belt. Perhaps it’s a day late, especially for the unfortunate passenger during Hogan’s Supra accident, but hey whatever it takes to keep it off the streets.

We couldn’t help but to include one of Hogan’s highlights from his last drifting endeavor, taking a champion-caliber car and finding the wall at Irwindale Speedway. That’s after the jump.

[Source: Motorworldhype]

2009 was an up-and-down year for Samuel Hübinette who has been a two-time Formula DRIFT champion and Hollywood stunt driver. Notorious for ripping it up in a Mopar-backed Viper SRT10 for many years and nicknamed The Crazy Swede by fellow competitors, Hübinette had a difficult start with his Mopar-backed Charger in 2009; and then mid-season Mopar was forced to back out of their sponsorship altogether due to difficult economic times.

As if the 2009 season couldn’t get any more tumultuous, Hübinette’s NuFormz team owner, Shaun Carlson, tragically passed away in October. Question marks were raised everywhere as one of the most talented drivers in the Formula DRIFT series seemed to be without a full ride. But talent always prevails, and Hübinette has finally announced his big plans for 2010.

Now factory-backed by Dodge, Hübinette will be campaigning his all new Dodge Challenger while teammate Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard (new to Formula DRIFT) will be swinging sideways in the familiar and championship-winning Viper SRT-10. Samuel Hübinette Racing also welcomes back the partnership of BFGoodrich tires. Hübinette looks forward to a strong and successful 2010 drifting season and we wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll be back in championship form with all his expertise and experience over the years.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on both drivers, when the season kicks off in Long Beach, CA on April 9-10.

The official release is available after the jump.

We’re not even sure why we’re writing any copy. The video and the headline say it all. Below you’ll find some incredibly entertaining video of the amazingly talented rally and drift racer Tanner Foust piloting his Rockstar Energy Drink Scion tC drift car along California’s famous Mulholland Drive.

For those who don’t know, Foust’s tC makes 600 horsepower courtesy of a Toyota NASCAR V8, giving it plenty of torque to light up those rear tires.

Foust and the Rockstar Scion tC kick off their drifting season in Long Beach, CA, April 9-10.

See after the jump for the tire-shredding video:

In 2008, Iron Man came out with Robert Downey Jr. playing the fitting role of Tony Stark. Previews and trailers have been swarming all over the Internet for Iron Man 2 where Downey will once again assume the role of Iron Man with new friends and villains at his side. One of the trailers show Stark passing time racing in an open-wheel car and taking a hot lap before Whiplash spoilers his fun on the track. It seems as if this scene has sparked some interest with Royal Purple, manufacturer of synthetic oils, to team up with Marvel Studios and cross promote on the new movie. The result is The Stark Motor Racing Team, a brilliant marketing program that now ties a comic book to a movie to reality.

Every March for the last few years, drifting fans nationwide stay glued to the Internet for news and videos of their favorite drifters and teams. With the Formula DRIFT season opening up in April on the Streets of Long Beach, teams all over the nation are out testing their off-season changes, new cars and even new drivers. The Bergenholtz Brothers, Ron and Ed, are no strangers to high-horsepower motorsports. They made groundbreaking changes to the world of FWD drag racing, capturing two NHRA Pro FWD championships while campaigning their Mazda 6 race car. But recently they’ve been searching for a new challenge and with drifting gaining speed, momentum and more importantly, sponsors, the Bergenholtz Brothers turned to a new automotive passion.

Recently they announced the signing of Joon Maeng to their team in order to pilot the RX-8 that they built last season. Joon Maeng had been a privateer with his Nissan 240SX for the past couple of years, making some noise amongst all the high-profile competitors that all carry heavy sponsors. It seemed like a great fit when it was announced that Joon Maeng would be piloting the Bergenholtz Racing Mazda RX-8. It was even cooler when they announced their title sponsor would be Full Tilt Poker along with Nitto Tires.

While drifting started out being coveted with Japanese rides from Toyota and Nissan, when it made its splash stateside, domestic muscle has taken center stage. The rumble of the V8 against the screaming turbocharged four-cylinder made the crowd go wild and was something that no one else could witness anywhere. Not even Japan. So it’s great to see the Bergenholtz Brothers throwing a rotary into the mix, pushing over 600whp and 480 ft-lbs of torque to the rear wheels of this sideways machine. So let’s satisfy what the fans all want, check out the first testing video of the season after the break with Joon Maeng behind the wheels of the Bergenholtz Racing Full Tilt Poker Nitto Mazda RX-8. What a mouthful!

One of the many Camaros on display at the 2009 SEMA Show is the Formula Drift Camaro SS. Sponsored by Hankook Tire and displayed prominently at the General Motors booth, the car was built by BR Racing, Luke Lonberger and Conrad Grunewald Racing and will compete in next year’s Formula D drift championship piloted by none other than Conrad Grunewald.

As a part of Chrysler’s restructuring plan it has announced that Mopar will cease its sponsorship of the NuFormz Racing team and driver Samuel Hübinette.

The writing has been on the wall for quite some time now as Chrysler has been seeking every area where it can cut costs. Additionally, a strong sign was when Hübinette took to the track during the first round of the Formula D series in Long Beach in a Dodge Viper – and not the Challenger (pictured above) that Mopar debuted at the 2008 SEMA Show.

“As a part of Chrysler’s comprehensive restructuring plan to revitalize our business and succeed as a stronger car company, we’re rigorously reviewing all expenditures and making tough business decisions,” said Mike Accavitti, Director of Brand Marketing and Strategy at Chrysler. “The decision to end Team Mopar’s sponsorship of NuFormz Racing was difficult because of our long-term relationship with the ream and all of the success we’ve enjoyed competing in Formula Drift.

Driving for Mopar, Hübinette won the first ever Formula D contest and holds the title of the most outright victories. He won the championship in 2004 and 2006 and was a runner up in ’05 and ’08.

“I had a great eight-year run as a member of the Team Mopar family and want to thank the company for all the great memories I’m taking away,” said NuFormz Racing team owner Shaun Carlson. “It’s a tough decision, but given the current economic environment inside and outside of racing, I certainly understand it.”

The sponsorship contract will be terminated after the next event in New Jersey on June 5/6.

Official release after the jump:

Recently we ran a story reporting that the Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe that competed in the first round of the Formula D series was actually powered by (ghasp!) a Nissan motor. That won’t be the case from now-on, however, as Rhys Millen himself has just confirmed that for the second race of the season, the Hyundai drift car will in fact be powered by Hyundai, with a turbocharged version of the company’s 3.8-liter Lamdba V6.

When Hyundai announced at the Chicago Auto Show that Rhys Millen Racing would run a new Genesis Coupe in the Formula D series, we didn’t know (nor did they it seems) that the car would be powered by Nissan.

Mercedes kicked off the Detroit Auto Show with the world premiere of its fabulously ridiculous SLR Stirling Moss.

Chrysler’s global parts and service division, Mopar, will continue its successful drifting program in 2009 using the new dodge Challenger. The Challenger replaces the Charger used in years past by Dodge driver and two-time Formula D Champion Samuel Hübinette.

Significantly lighter than the factory car thanks to a stripped-down interior and a new carbon fiber body by NuFormz Racing, the shiny silver drift car is powered by a Mopar A8 engine built by Gary Stanton Racing Engines. With the addition of Mopar W9 ported heads and, no doubt, loads of other internal modifications, the Mopar Drift Challenger now makes 850 hp and 849 ft-lbs of torque.

Mopar also supplied the sway bars for the custom suspension.

For 2009 Mopar will continue its sponsorship agreement with BF Goodrich.

One interesting highlight is the use of rollerblade wheels on the rear quarter panels – a design intended to keep the big brute sliding across the concrete barriers (as is likely to happen) instead of bouncing off them.

The 2009 Formula D season is scheduled to begin April 10th at Long Beach.

Official press release after the jump:

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