Host Benson Hsu was one of the pioneers of drifting in the USA in the late 90s and early 2000s, known by the website about his car, SileightyMania.com.
Benson Hsu came up with the idea to start a podcast during the pandemic in 2019. He observed that the pre-smartphone era of drifting and import racing was largely undocumented and that its history was preserved by word of mouth or by the memories of those who lived through it.
His wife Nadine Hsu and good friends Marc Mondoy and Steven Nakamura, who all drifted in the early 2000s, came together to form the team behind The SileightyMania Podcast. Their goal is to record the stories directly from the mouths of the OGs and pioneers. Their hope is that all of the first-hand accounts from the interviews could form a patchwork quilt of experiences representing drifting and import racing history.
Some of our listeners enjoy reliving fond memories of their past. Others enjoy learning about the people that came before them who helped shape the culture that they are so passionate about today. Either way, the team hopes to not only to give back to the culture that gave them so much joy, but to entertain you as well.
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The Team
Benson Hsu fell in love with drifting when he discovered it via Option Video in ’96. He bought his S13 in ’99 and turned it into a Sileighty with an SR20DET swap in 2000. He used his website SileightyMania.com to spread knowledge about Japanese drifting culture in English, and get in touch with many people around the world who shared the same passion.
Benson met other influential people on his journey to become better at drifting, such as Slide Squad Dave and Mark, Moto Miwa, Taka Aono, Andy Yen, Alex Pfeiffer, Hiro Sumida, and Ken Gushi. After several grassroots events and competitions like Option Ikaten, Falken Drift Showoff, and RS-R Drift Festival, American professional drifting was established in 2004, so Benson competed in Formula Drift and D1 Grand Prix. He only drifted professionally for 1 year, but he never forgot the special moments he witnessed as one of the original drifters in the USA, nor the people who helped pave the way for future generations of drifters.
Drifting and S13s allowed Benson to meet all of his closest friends such as audio/video engineer Marc Mondoy, graphic designer Steven Nakamura, but most importantly his wife and co-host Nadine. His desire to record the podcast comes from his want to give back to drifting a small fragment of what it has given to him.
Nadine is one of the first female drift racers in the USA and founded Drifting Pretty in 2003 which is an organization for the advancement of women in racing. She’s mentored over 100 female drifters and produces The Drifting Pretty Podcast.
Marc first became a fan of drifting after seeing his first Option Video in ’96, leading him to get his first s13 in ’97. His first official drift event was at Drift Day 3 in ’02, and has stayed involved as a driver, instructor, track staff and fan ever since.
Steve’s interest in cars began in 1992 with the purchase of his first car, a 1985 Corolla GTS(AE86). He’s a fan of many forms of car racing, his favorite being drifting.