After the Casio G-shock event for Mister Cartoon at the office I went home and packed for my trip up to SF for the Fatlace 10yr Anniversary and Hella Flush 3 show. Kenta picked me up from the airport in a Lexus LS600h…I felt like a VIP with plenty of leg room from the backseat that even reclined. After checking out Mark’s car at the shop we headed to the new office.

After a quick bite to eat and checking into the hotel room. We headed to the store to start the celebration. Sushi was served along with NOS energy drinks and special bearbrick cupcakes…looked so good, but I stayed strong and didn’t eat one.

new game called spot the blogger

Then if off to the O Izakya Lounge to have a couple cocktails and hang out with everyone. It’s always a good time when you’re catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Good to meet people that I’ve only gotten to know via the blog.

After a much needed rest we headed to the Hella Flush 3 event. The show had a really good turnout with over 150 cars on display and 1500 people attending. The cars were flush and slammed. This meet made me reminisce on the old days of going to shows, where it was about the people just as much as it was about the cars. Great to see everyone and check out some quality cars.

Then it was off to catch my flight back to OC and proceeded directly to the Juxtapoz 15 year anniversary event in Downtown LA. Lowriders on display, food and drinks were free, and about 150 works of art were showcased.

A ton of people came out for this event and half the event stopped to check out the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight outside on the giant wall.

Vic poses with his “old” baby

After the event we checked out “The Must” in LA, which is a great wine bar. I highly recommend the cauliflower curry soup and mac and cheese.

Sunday came and it was time to relax and watch the Chargers game. Immediately after watching them win their 3rd straight game and finalizing my domination in Fantasy Football (9-1 record) it was off to the Staples Center to go to the Lakers vs. Rockets. Unfortunately, the Lakers blew it in the 2nd half and lost their 2nd in a row, but nonetheless it was still a good time.

The past week or so has been stressful as I’ve been planning a trip for months that now may or may not happen…stay tuned and wish me luck.

Last week I had the chance to check out MMA fighter and former lightweight WEC champion Razor Rob McCullough’s training session at his gym in Huntington Beach. He is preparing for his return to the WEC after receiving several surgeries on his hand after his fight (which he won) against Marcus Hicks. He will be facing WEC newbie Karen Darabedyan tomorrow (Nov. 18) LIVE on the VERSUS channel. Rob’s training regiment is pretty intense as it’s a complete workout from start to finish with cardio, striking, strength and conditioning, and grappling. He looks ready for his fight and I feel bad for the guy that has to take one of his signature leg kicks.

The OC Register ran a great article today from the media day that we set-up and Rob revealed a lot about his childhood and how he got into the sport. Really good dude and he said some things during the interview that made me more of a fan. - http://www.ocregister.com/articles/mccul…

Here’s a good video from Triumph United that shows the training and conditioning of Rob

Artist Chase Tafoya designed his fight gear for clothing sponsor Famous Stars and Straps

Good luck Rob! I would be at the fight in person, but with my vacation coming up (hopefully) it would of been another trip to Vegas.

Travis Barker gets down with his version of Drake’s “Forever” featuring Lil Wayne, Kanye, and Eminem. Talk about an all-star collaboration. Trvs puts his spin on top of each of the rapper’s verses. One of the best videos I’ve seen in awhile…just pure raw talent. Great video by Haven.

Another SEMA has passed and I can finally take a short breath. Each year the who’s who of the automotive world gather and despite this being a very slow year there were still thousands of people that made the journey to Las Vegas. As always it was great to check out the cars and hang out with some old friends. Here is a short re-cap of the show.

the LF-A is amazing in person and thanks to Lexus for the mojito

Every year Formula DRIFT holds their annual press conference and this year was no different. The news that was unveiled included the tentative 2010 schedule (same 7 seven venues), the Formula DRIFT Asia Cup consisting of 3 competitions, TV programming remaining with VERSUS, the addition of NOS Energy Drink as the official energy drink of the series for the next 2 years, and the return of the Red Bull Drifting World Championship. Every year new cars and drivers are debuted and this year there will be the addition of a BMW 330 driven by Michael Essa, a Chevy Camaro driven by Conrad Grunewald, and a Nissan GTR driven by Robbie Nishida. It’s going to be another exciting season.

Tentative 2010 Formula D schedule

Hankook GTR

Hankook Chevy Camaro

We helped bring XBOX 360 and Turn 10 Studios to SEMA for their first time. The launch of Forza Motorsport 3 less than a few weeks ago made it the perfect time for the gaming world to meet the automotive world. A booth complete with gaming stations and simulators helped grab the attention of the tradeshow guests. And strategically placed decals on booth vehicles and featured vehicles helped give a presence for the gaming franchise.

This GTR was displayed in the Jonari booth and owned by Brian Gee (thanks for the Forza love)

BB Squad

The Hyundai booth also contained a Forza Motorsport 3 gaming station and announced that Rhys Millen’s Red Bull Hyundai Genesis coupe from Formula DRIFT will be added to the game. Speaking of Rhys, he and his team at RMR produced this sleeper mid-engine V8 powered Genesis…just crazy!

SEMA wouldn’t be complete without the after-event parties and this year I attended the Formula DRIFT party at the Bank in Bellagio, the 0-60 / Rides Magazine party at Jet, industry night at the Hard Rock’s Body English to see Pete Tong, and even some wheel party where E-40 performed.

This year the show went by very quickly and I often found it hard to find time just to grab a quick bite to eat, but here are some photos of the small sampling of cars from the show:

owned by skater Josh Kalis

Ken Block’s Trax STI

Volks

VIP Subaru Legacy

Random…watched the Yankees win the World Series with Mark.

Came home to a couple surprises. Thanks Jay (JDM Ego) for the collab poster with Jon Sibal and the “I Get Rad” decals! You can purchase these for yourself HERE (while they last or Jay decides to take the store down)

Also peep the kicks from Radii Footwear (thanks Casey).

JDM Ego x Jon Sibal

Radii Footwear

Now I’m all ready for the Hella Flush 3 meet this weekend and Fatlace 10 yr anniversary.

It’s that time of year again and SEMA is already next week. Scion invited to check out the latest vehicles that will be displayed in their booth at the tradeshow. In usual Scion fashion the event was well presented and was held in their art gallery in Culver City. Plus with free Honest Tea, Singha beer, and Kogi tacos you can’t go wrong. Here is a sneak peek of the cars for SEMA.

Jeremy Lookofsky and the Cartel XD was as always very impressive with tons of detailing.

After partnering up for numerous events Scion and Kogi tacos came together and built an XD Korean BBQ car.

0-60 magazine and Sparco built this rally inspired xD

The Scion DJ vehicle #1 was in full effect as well…DJ vehicle #2 is supposed to be at SEMA built by Troy over at Five Axis. I’ve always been a fan of their work, but man it must be nice to have the budget they have for the builds.

Seems like just yesterday that Mark and I were able to participate together in the Scion Tuner Challenge. This year the build was with XBs and I think it will be pretty close. Who do you think will win?

My homie Eneri Abillar from Vapor Studio built this XB complete with custom turbo, widebody, and lounge interior.

Brandon from Bowls built this sick truck version XB…let’s see what’s in store in the rear of the car at the show.

Pete Collelo built this tuner style XB with lots of mods.

I know first hand the stress and the work it takes to build one of these vehicles and with a limited budget and even smaller amount of time for the build it takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice to pull it off correctly. So congrats to all the guys and good luck…once its over let’s all grab a drink!

Keep posted for daily updates from SEMA from Mark and I…

This aired during the BET Awards last night and bringing 4 hip hop heavyweights together is very special. This brings back memories of good hip hop from back in the day (even if I’m dating myself).

To keep the good hip-hop going download the homey DJ Bandoma’s Golden 90’s Era Hip Hop Mix. Great mix with some awesome tracks…the good old days.

The championship Lakers were given their rings tonight and start the season with a victory over the Clippers…it’s showtime!

Here are some of the ring’s details:

The gold is of limited edition 15 karat variety to represent the 15th championship earned by the organization.

Per the request of Dr. Buss, there are 14 diamonds surrounding the top of the ring symbolizing the previous 14 franchise championships, with the Larry O’Brien trophy in the middle to represent the 2008-09 title.

On the inside of a Player ring rests an etching of their respective jersey number. In addition, as requested by Fisher and Bryant, there is a player image on the side of player rings.

The Los Angeles skyline is an element unique to non-player rings in place of the player’s image.

The ring is two toned, with white gold representing the Lakers Sunday whites uniforms that honor legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn.

Each ring is authenticated by a serial number, and to further protect the authenticity, there are hidden etchings of the Lakers logo.

Kupchak contributed the idea to include the varying records of every individual playoff series on the side of the ring, which was done in addition to having the season record to capture the journey of the entire season.

Now on to another back-to-back championship!

We hosted the Forza Motorsport 3 Launch event at the CEC showroom in Santa Monica. The showroom became the perfect setting for this game’s launch as it was filled with high-end cars including a very sexy Ferrari 559 and a Techart Porsche, many wheels, and motorsport memorabilia on display.

The focal point of the evening became Forza Motorsport 3 itself with multiple consoles and flat screens in the showroom that allowed guests to play the yet to be released game. Guests included media, VIPs, a couple celebs, and of course a few drivers.

From Formula DRIFT we had Ryan Tuerck, Rhys Millen, Daijiro Yoshihara, Stephan Verdier, and judge Tony Angelo drop by.

It was great to catch up with everyone and it reminded me of a SEMA event with the high level of industry attendees. Good to see some of these guys out of the “work” environment as well.

We even had a few friends from the fashion scene come out to check out the event including James Bond (UNDFTD), Jon Chase (DSTRYR), Chris Hull (Alpinestars), Ryan and Kingson (Meister), Veny (Famous Stars and Straps) and even the Attic boys came by.

Even a few random celebs stopped by including actor Shemar Moore, Paulie from LA Ink, and the one and only RJ deVera haha.

Another season has passed for Formula DRIFT. Congratulations to Chris Forsberg and the team for a very well deserved championship. This event was one of the largest events ever with a sold out crowd of over 10,000 attending. I had over 250 media members alone apply for credentials…just crazy.

It was a very long and busy week from pre-event to event to post-event the work never seems to end. The Hundreds came out to check out what drifting is all about (showcasing the cross-over appeal of streetwear and motorsports.) We also brought out the Famous Stars and Straps stunt bike team and they did a demo for all the fans.

All of the FD drivers autographed a custom Sparco suit for the family of the late Shaun Carlson.

Some jumbo branding on-site

Ernie from NOS Energy looked nervous as Chris battled to make it into the Top 16, which would clinch his title. Even though Ryan Tuerck who was sitting in 2nd place would take the victory, Chris had enough points (just 6) to win the championship (there was a scenario that with some magic turnout they could of both potentially tied – glad that didn’t happen as it would of stirred up some controversy.) So from the judging tower I decided to text Ernie with, “Nervous?!” as he anxiously waited for the results of the battle. I don’t blame him for his anxiety as he has backed Chris Forsberg for years and it finally all paid of. Congrats to the NOS team.

Tears of joy…(sorry bro I had to post this shot…way too good)

Now that the season has officially wrapped up it’s time to head into SEMA, which should be very interesting.

NOS Energy Drink brings you behind the scenes with Chris Forsberg for a one on one experience. Chris walks us through the history of the sport and the trials and tribulations that he, Kevin, and Sergio endured to become the first private team in the Formula DRIFT series.

Chris is now leading the points in both the Formula DRIFT championship and the Tires.com Triple Crown. If he wins he will be the first driver to do both on his way to his first Formula DRIFT title. This will also be the first time that a “pure” drifter with no other motorsports background will become the champion. We will find out if Chris will make history this weekend Oct. 15-16 at Round 7: Judgment Day of the Formula DRIFT Professional Championship at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.