In Part 1 of our Hawaii series brought to you by In4mation, our good friend Layton Takaesu gives us one propah kine podcast intro, teaches us some Pidgin and then recounts some of his memories seeing early drifting on Oahu when he was a kid.
Our 3 guests in episode 10 are all pioneers of drifting in the USA in the early 2000s. Not all of them drove competitions, but what they were doing was noticed across the Pacific Ocean on the mainland and in Japan.
Royce Fujimoto, known for his blue and then later brown ae86, recounts what it was like in the first Drift Session events, Ueo drifting his car in 4th gear, and “finding the land mine” on Hawaii Raceway Park (HRP). He gives us some sage advice about competing against yourself.
Justin Kikkawa, known for his stylish burgundy AE86, talks about cool Japanese car style, street drifting on Tantalus, buying SSR Modex Dori Dori wheels brand new from the factory, and his car was a result of Hawaii’s rich history of modifying Toyotas.
Barry Wong was Benson’s Team KAAZ teammate in Formula D, and also an OG in Hawaii’s drift scene. He’s now the father of 2, but he shares his memories of starting with the locally popular Toyota pickup truck, then his ae86 and the S13 hatchback that he keeps ready for drifting to this day.
Please check our IG (@sileightymania) to enter our giveaway brought to you by In4mation.
Hint: Listen until to the very end of the episode for some extra culture. It’s good for you!
