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STILLEN

Before we dive directly into the crazy action that went down this Saturday in Long Beach, I’d like to first thanks John P and everyone over at Formula D for accomodating us with press passes for the event. We had a wonderful time and we are already stoked for the next one.  Secondly, I’d like to say it’s amazing to see how much the sport has grown over the past six years. Cars are getting faster and faster (even with the new tire size rules) and drivers keep pushing the limits of their vehicles I can’t wait to see how much farther Formula Drift will go before the end of this season.

Our day at the Streets of Long Beach started rather early which gave us a good amount of time to get some test shots in and walk around the event before the mayhem ensued.

Our first destination was the car show area presented by FATLACE / SLAMMED SOCIETY because we wanted to check out as many cars as we could before too many people got in the way.

As soon as we crossed the bridge to the car show area, we noticed a beautiful widebody s2000 that happened to be running some serious AP RACING brakes.

It’s very hard to beat that set up in terms of looks and performance. I especially love the road debris still stuck on the sideskirts from the drive in.
After we were done drooling over the widebody glory we noticed a very clean 350z

The “It’sJDMYO 350z was running an equally as clean Supercharger set up that was tucked in the engine bay very well.
Right in front of the Supercharged Z was a fine example of what happens when you combine the best of two world’s when it comes to car design.

American muscle plus Japanese flavor make for a very clean and mean set up courtesy of JonSibal and Dodge.

After we walked our way through the car show, we noticed something you don’t see at too many car shows and we were extremely stoked to see it.

A sectioned off skate area that had everything from mini ramps to ledges to fun boxes made for some unexpected action. I almost ran to the car to grab my Psycho Stick and join in on the action until I saw this guy bust a Tail Blunt to varial and kill all my confidence. 🙂

There were some AMAZING cars on display that day and there were some cars that made us wonder if the owner just entered the car show for a good parking spot.  After we were done geeking out over show cars we directed our attention and lenses to some practice sessions.

As you could see the guys were wasting no time getting used to the track before qualifying sessions started and the crowds showed up. Darren Macnamara and Frederick Asbo were going hard all day long.

Everyone’s favorite new kid on the Block Daigo Saito was getting used to the car, the track, and judging his gaps all at the same time in a few of his first outings in his new car.

Saito wasn’t the only Japanese Driver laying down some heat early in the day. Daijiro Yoshihara was getting himself warmed up for qualifications as well.

After we were done watching the crazy practice sessions, we took it as a good opportunity to walk the rest of the midway and grab some lunch.

Ever get sick of driving in traffic on your way to work? Why not just drive OVER it?

After we were done stuffing our faces and getting some refuge from the sun, it was time to announce the top 16 drivers.

Everyone’s favorite new kid in town Daigo Saito was getting a lot of attention before it was time for him to strut his stuff.

Chris Forsberg was quite literally taking his driving to a whole new level for the top 16 round.

SPOILER ALERT!!: Justin Pawlak was looking to repeat his success in 2011….. He ended up achieving that goal and taking home the W.

Matt Powers was also looking to repeat last year’s results. He gave it his all against number one qualifier Ryan Tuerck and he ended up securing himself 4th place for the weekend.

Tyler McQuarrie can just about drive the pants off anything and judging by the insanely small gap between him and Ryan Kado I’d say he was wearing his not afraid pants that day.

Ken Gushi was showing off what the new GREDDY built FT86 could do, and it was looking great all weekend.

After all that was said and done with, the 2012 Long Beach Formula Drift podium ended up shaping up like this.

1ST JUSTIN PAWLAK

2ND DAIJIRO YOSHIHARA

3RD DAIGO SAITO

We are extremely excited to see how the rest of the season shapes up and we can’t wait to see our products in action for the rest of the year.

 

 

 

Often times we get customers who stop by to pick up parts they purchased from our online store and they aren’t aware of our fully functioning service bay.  Heck, it even surprised me when I first showed up here. We know that in this day and age it’s very rare to have an actual shop that allows local pick up of purchased parts and it’s even MORE rare to have a kick ass service bay attached to that shop that will install those parts for you.  We pride ourselves in providing both to our customers.

That was actually the case for the customer with the Ford Mustang Boss 302.  Being an avid ford enthusiast, he has more than one Ford vehicle in his driveway, a (550 hp) Ford GT, a “plain old” (400hp) Mustang GT , and this (440hp) Ford Mustang BOSS 302 are a few of the ponies in his stable.  Guess which one he takes to track the most?

boss_302_mustang_brakes

 

Yeah, I wouldn’t take my priceless FORD GT to the track that much either, and the Mustang GT I would probably let the wife use to get groceries and roast boy racers on the weekends. Which leaves only one option… BOSS!

Having a weekend warrior track car usually means that you burn through items such as brake pads and tires pretty quickly, and the only shop he trusts to do all his maintenance work is, yeah you guessed it, STILLEN.

We threw the thoroughbred BOSS 302 up on the lift and swapped out the Brembo brake pads and added new brake fluid in a jif, so our customer can spend more time at the track with rock solid brakes and less couch time.

boss_302_mustang

Newmarket Infiniti/Nissan’s latest build: this stylish 2012 Nissan Maxima.

Parts List

 

Nissan Maxima Body Kit

Newmarket Infiniti/Nissan Maxima with Hi-Flow Intake and Front Lip

Newmarket Infiniti/Nissan Maxima with Cat-Back and Roof Wing

 

If you’re in Ontario, Canada and want to check out this modified Maxima and others like it, stop by New Market Infiniti/Nissan or call Tom @ (905) 895-8785

Our friends over at Newmarket Infiniti/Nissan in Ontario, Canada have made getting quality aftermarket parts straight from the dealership possible for Nissan and Infiniti owners in Newmarket.

Newmarket Nissan's STILLEN Customized 370Z with Cat-Back Exhaust & Intakes

 

These 370Z’s don’t just look fast, they are fast; outfitted with Stillen performance cat back exhausts, Gen III intakes and more.

Newmarket Infiniti Nissan is a fully authorized Stillen performance center, offering a full line dealer of all Infiniti and Nissan models.

If you have a Versa, 307Z, G37 M37 or anything in between, Newmarket will make it look great and go fast.

Call Tom in the parts department at (905) 895-8785 and he will get you all the STILLEN style and power you need!

To make your 370Z look like this, pick up the STILLEN 370Z Fascia or Full Body Kit.

Few things stick out in my life as such happy times as ripping open the giant Slot Car box at Christmas with the TYCO logo and the huge “Zero Gravity Cliff Hangers” or “US1 Trucking” emblazoned on the side, shoving aside other gifts and wads of torn and crumpled wrapping paper to clear enough room and take over the living room.

Getting the track set up, plugged in, the hum of the power supply, finally jamming a finger down on the trigger and watching the little car shoot down the track at what seems like 900mph with tiny sparks visible under the chassis, not having a chance in the world at making the turn and spiraling off somehow getting airborne and disappearing in the depths and darkness behind the Christmas tree in the corner.. Controller surprisingly hot in my hand and a curl of smoke coming up through the vents..

For those who hung on to those good times and continued on with Slot Car Racing, no doubt Scalextric is a name you’ve heard of and trust. They specialize in bringing realistic vehicles to the slot car world, and this year they’ve taken on recreating the STILLEN R35 Nissan GT-R in striking detail.

The Nissan GT-R is done in a 1:32 scale, and even be modified just like the real thing, changing anything from tires to gears to swapping motors. Check out the detail in the pictures below:

Steve Millen and STILLEN have a history with Scalextrix, as they also did the STILLEN Ford GT a couple of years back after it competed in the New Zealand Targa:

So if you are a slot car enthusiast, or know of one, this is a perfect Christmas item to add to the vehicle fleet!

Well, the week long Targa rally has come to a close here inNew Zealand.  It was a great week and Steve and Jen did a very good job.  Before arriving for the start of the week we installed larger fuel injectors, a new tune, and some stiffer springs in the shocks.  We figured this would be a fairly natural and reliable progression.  We had no idea what the other GT-R teams had in store!  Tony Quinn arrived with bigger turbos and an engine that had been bored and fitted with larger pistons, 410mm brake rotors and more.  Proctor had a stroker motor with stock turbos as well as larger brake rotors.  Steve said that as Proctor’s GT-R launched off the line he would spin all four wheels.  Dodson’s R35 also came in with heavy modifications and increased horsepower.  Last year, we were all on a similar playing field and ran tight all week.  This year everyone brought the big guns.

Steve and Jen pushed hard all week and were able to bring the car home with a fourth place finish.  The event winner, Tony Quinn in his R35, won the event for his fourth time.  Glenn Inkster in his high horsepower Mitsubishi Evo 6 came home in second place just a few seconds behind Quinn despite having a couple of offs and having to take a tire penalty.  Glenn Smith rounded out the top 3 in his 600+ horsepower Mitsubishi Evo X which looked like it had just come out of a video game!

Steve was pushing hard the last day of competition and had a bit of an off.  He was able to carry on with the stage and never actually stopped moving.  We don’t think he lost more than a few seconds after it was all said and done.

These Targa rallies are a great way to test as well as develop new products.  This year we brought down a few new STILLEN products like adjustable camber arms and some other performance components as well as the new generation Dunlop Sport Maxx tires.  These Targa events are run on roads that would normally be open to the public so you can really see how the parts are going to perform in all conditions in the real world.  The new Dunlop tires are an amazing tire and proved to work well all week long.  In an event like the Targa where you only get 8 tires to last the week it’s important that your tires will offer supreme grip without wearing too quickly.  The Dunlop Sport Maxx tires worked great in the wet and dry conditions all week long!

The 2011 Targa New Zealand rally ran the way these rallies are supposed to be run.  There were hot days, there were rainy days, and all in all it was a lot of fun!  Steve and Jen did a great job and really fought hard for a top five finish!  On the drive North after the rally was over we had already started planning for next year and coming with ways to improve the car to make it even more competitive for next year!  We have some pretty wild ideas forming and we’re excited to show you all what we come up with!

Check out the video below for a taste of the action, and more photos below!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUYTzOKVisI

 

All 2011 Targa New Zealand Coverage

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Fourth day down and one to go!  New Zealand Targa rallies are generally ran in both wet and dry conditions.  It is extremely rare for the entire rally to go completely dry, however last year it did happen!  This year however, the weather has arrived and brought with it some more carnage.

Hopper has officially retired from the rally.  We found out last night that the car may be a total right off.  Initial conversations were that it wasn’t too bad but apparently the car endoed and the coil overs were relocated through the hood!  I’m sure we’ll see Leigh back next year though.  The white Maserati performed some its own air show this morning.  The story is the car went flying off the road completely missing a turn.  According to reports around the rally the driver said they flew a solid thirty feet in the air and the car kept going for about 200 meters down a hill before coming to rest at the bottom of another hill….thanks to the assistance of a tree stump!  Apparently the car isn’t too bad though and may be back in the morning if they can find a new radiator.  Best of luck to them!

Inkster also had a couple of moments today with one or two spins and a slide off the road and into a bank which re-designed the right rear corner of his Mitsubishi.  No worries though as Inkster comes from a gravel rally background where these situations are common place.  The crew pulled out the hydraulic spreaders and bent it back into shape again.  He didn’t miss a single stage and is still running strong.

Today we traveled to the town of Marton which is home of the infamous “cop corner.”  A few years ago a local police officer decided to blow the road closure after the sweep car went through but before the rally cars started.  The story goes that the rally organizers tried stopping him but he informed them of his official position in the region and took off anyways.  He ended up getting his just deserves as he blew through the 90 degree left hander and launched his car into the paddock beyond…Hence the name “cop corner.”

This corner can be tricky in the best conditions but the local council just laid down new tarmac last week.  Apparently the term “laying down new tarmac” in this region means…opening a giant bag of rocks and dragging it from one side of the road to the other!  It was nothing but gravel!  Add to that the wet weather conditions and you can imagine how tricky this corner became!  The drivers ran the stage twice today.  The first time around a Ford escort panel wagon about three cars in decided to park it in the grass/fence.  So all of the upcoming cars had to slow way down to avoid them. (Video Below)

A WRX (drivern by Leigh Hoppers helicopter instructor, not kidding!) performed a perfect job of parallel parking as he slid directly between the Escort and the armco for the single lane bridge.  With the assistance of the all wheel drive in the Subie he was able to get right back on the road and continue on.  The Escort meanwhile had to be pulled out after the stage had closed. (Video Below)

After the cars had gone through the first time we heard a report that Proctor was being towed down the transit stage on the back of a tow rope.  Rumor has it he has blown his transmission…Which is a HIGHLY modified unit.  He missed the repeat of “cops corner” which was the last stage of the day.  Hopefully his team can repair the car and get him back out in the morning.

Steve and Jen are doing a great job of pushing hard and doing their best.  We didn’t get off to a great start with the differential issues we had early in the week and that put us in a hole which has been basically impossible to climb out of.  The team is doing well though and we are coming up with new ideas on how to prepare the car for next year!  The car is running well and we had a nice team dinner tonight to celebrate Jen’s birthday.  These races are a lot about competition and winning but the biggest thing is having fun and bringing the car and drivers home safely.

 

Last night more footage was added to the video capturing Steve Millen racing the STILLEN GT-R against Leigh Hopper and his helicoper as well!

Footage from local spectators is beginning to hit the web as well, here’s a quick shot of the STILLEN GT-R rounding a corner on Day 1

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JntzIFKCnkY

 

 

All 2011 Targa New Zealand Coverage

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We are officially past the middle of the week and the car is running very well!  Tonight we swung by a local auto shop to do some simple service work.  Just an oil change, brake pad replacement and general inspection.  Everything looked great and we can’t wait to see how Steve and Jen do the next two days.  Today consisted of a lot of running around and trying to help the service crew and I wasn’t able to get on any stages.  However, i assure you there will be more photos coming in tomorrow.

There’s no lack of support for Steve Millen, as shown by his youngest fan, his grandson Braeden!

There have been quite a few interesting developments over the day.  Quinn was experiencing a damaged oil return line from one of his turbos but that is/was a pretty minor repair.  The car is back in overnight parking now and ready for tomorrow.  Glenn Inkster in the Evo 6 Mitsubishi is still going strong, actually had a bit of an off today on one stage damaging his hood and front bumper.  Nothing too major though as he only lost 15 seconds on the stage!  Rumor is that he actually spun one or two times after that stage and is still able to continue taking time off the leaders!  man, this guy can drive!!!

Leigh Hopper, the guy dad raced in the helicopter yesterday, apparently though he was still in his helicopter…The story is he tried doing a barrel roll on the fifth stage of the day before realizing his car doesn’t fly quite like the chopper…Haven’t seen the car yet but apparently it was on its roof.  Hopper, always in good spirits, was sited on the side of the stage throwing rocks at the Giddy car, good friends of his, as they went by!  Best of luck to team HTR in getting the car back out in the morning.

Overall the car and the team are working well.  Steve and Jen are doing their best and we’re hoping for a good result!

More photos and updates to come tomorrow!

Another angle of yesterday’s GT-R vs. Helicopter drag race

 

Quick interview with Steve Millen at 3:00 in on the official Targa NZ daily recap

 

All 2011 Targa New Zealand Coverage

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