In all honesty I would like an answer. Not in anyway trying to be a dick or rain on anyones parade etc. I mean I really wish all parties involved the best of luck. Its been a topic of frequent discussion and I personally am courious. SO.. On to the preposed post/question at hand..

Matt (or Enjuku/Owners),

I've noticed, and Certianly admired all the new upgrades with the facility, new two car rig and trailor, etc.. I'm wondering. As a business man my self and starting a new company you have to come from nothing to something. This Im aware of. Believe me I am. You have to spend money to make money.

Seeing all the new upgrades One would think that Enjuku has been around the block and back in the New and still infantile drift craze in the US.

Has Enjuku ever won any MAJOR drift event ? If so which.

How much track time has been spent preparing for the upcoming season ? Practice makes perfect.

Does Enjuku feel they are on the same level as other Cali/Major drivers out there ?

Its obvious that you must qualify even before D1. Ego's aside (I know its hard to ask) theres alot riding on a potentionally short D1 season for both Matt and Rob if they do not qualify. Not to mention they will be competing against each other !

Im sure Enjuku takes this pertty seriously or I would hope so. Im just courious as to what training is going into all of this if any at all. You cant expect to jump into a 350+ HP car and do like its nothing.

Give us some insite Matt as to what you and Rob are doing for training. Mentally and physically. What you expect to happen or how you expect to do.

Again I wish you both the best of luck. Im always down for home town heros.

 

this is exactly what i was talkin about at bennigans last night.....

 

there not doing D1 mike there doing Formula Drift

 

am i the ony one thats sick of this?

two driver from tampa got picked to be a team and take fl to the next level

 

Formula Drift, D1, Rancho Kukamonga Drift contest...

Anything OTHER than a bunch of kids sliding their daily drivers at OGP.

Im betting on HUGE egos getting crushed. Does that leave Fl's would be Heros to continue to play Hero to locals at OGP ? Stay tuned ...

 

i'm not saying anything else
in on page one

 

So was that supposed to be a positive or negative thread?

Sounds like

 

Hopefully I can answer some of these questions,

Regarding you asking about the level that I am at, I can tell you that I did not come to the conclusion that I was ready to be a pro driver on my own accord.

I was invited to D1GP this last February by Ricky over @ D1GP personally. I was also invited by Moto P from Drift Association to represent Drifting in the United States because I was ranked as one of the Top Four drivers on the East coast of the US as of last September. I also scored 83/100 points in the Homestead D1Drivers search, enough to Tie a Falken car that was also competing. However since I was not a fully sponsored driver, nor did D1 really have a way to determine a tie breaker, they took the Falken car. I don't blame them, we weren't ready at the time to travel to CA and all that, and the car wasn't nearly competitive. The fact that I made it to the finals and stayed competitive with the 219 hp car that I had was a feat to say in it's own. Every other car that got into the finals had clutch type lsd, stiffer coilovers, 280+ hp, full suit and roll cage, etc.

I also had the opportunity and was invited, all expenses paid by Drift Association over in California, to go to Bristol Motorspeedway for a Drifting Demonstration. I drove with three other pro-driver's Tony Schultz, Erik Jacobs (both of team Toyo), and Ben Schwartz (Motorsports Dynamics, Falken Tire). I was still un sponsored at the time and simply driving for Enjuku Racing. However the car was a little bit more competitive, and in a very tight area I more than held my own with the demos. It was at this time that C&R Racing saw us, and felt that we had what it takes to get to the next level, and they signed on as a sponsor.

The ER FD2004 and ER FD2005 both have 400 horsepower output, I have been driving a car with similar output since DDAY3. I've also driven it at Hialeah speedway, Ocala a few more times at a private event or what not, and at other facilities that Enjuku Racing has been private testing out as of recent.

In going to SEMA 2004, I met with many companies of whom I’d been contacting via phone or internet alone. Finally being able to put a name to a face and a voice really goes the distance in establishing a relationship with those companies. After meeting Kumho tires, and getting to know the guys over in the motorsports department, we thought that while Kumho has a really large portion of the autocross and road race market that SCCA has, it would only make sense to get them involved in the SCCA sanctioned drifting that would take place in 2005, with Formula D. As you can see, things are going quite well with this relationship, and I spent an evening this past week meeting with Team Kumho and Miracle Motorsports for dinner, as we discussed motorsports, drifting, and life in general down at Sebring before the coveted 12 hour race.
Lets see here


Has Enjuku ever won any MAJOR drift event ? If so which.
There has never been a major drift event competition to come to FL. Enjuku Racing did not see a need to go out of state in 2004 in order to compete.

How much track time has been spent preparing for the upcoming season ? Practice makes perfect.
I have about 20 hours driving time logged on my chassis. Rob has about 1 hour logged on his chassis.

Does Enjuku feel they are on the same level as other Cali/Major drivers out there ?
This is a tough question. When I was driving with Ben Schwartz, Erik Jacobs, and Tony Schultz up in Bristol, TN, I personally feel I was in between those drivers in terms of skill. My car still wasn’t as prepared as it could have been, but I was managing. This year the cars will be much more competitive, but so will everyone else’s. If you’re asking If I feel I’m at a competitive level for Formula D, then the answer is yes.

Its obvious that you must qualify even before D1. Ego's aside (I know its hard to ask) theres alot riding on a potentionally short D1 season for both Matt and Rob if they do not qualify. Not to mention they will be competing against each other !
I’m not sure I understand what you mean. There is no D1 series in the USA.

Give us some insite Matt as to what you and Rob are doing for training. Mentally and physically. What you expect to happen or how you expect to do.
As far as training goes, I’ve been driving this same setup for about the last year or so, possibly more. I’ve been driving sideways for the last seven years. Yes. Seven years. I turned 15, bought my 300ZX, and have been driving in the rain sideways ever since. I learned how to drive sideways before I knew it was called drifting; my dad taught me how in the Albertson’s parking lot right by my house. I’m also the chief builder on both chassis, so I have a very good understanding on what exactly the cars are capable of doing.


Hope I answered your questions.

Matt

 

awesome !!!!!!!!!!!

 

yah, i hope you get used to 90mph sideways matt
thats the only thing im thinking of
you and rob both dont have any highspeed under your belt
but i know you both should take it up quickly