Benson Hsu : The SileightyMania Podcast

Drifting Interviews with OGs and Trailblazers

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Benson Hsu

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sileightymania

Drifting nerd since '97
Host of The SileightyMania Podcast
Girl dad

One year after doing a major refresh on my paint a

One year after doing a major refresh on my paint and aero, it's finally growing on me.

Have you ever made a change to your car that made it hard to look at for a while? That's how it felt for me.

Shout-out to @mr2mivin for taking these amazing photos of my car. I can't believe I've owned this thing for 27 years now 😳

#240sx #180sx #nissan #schassis

2001 vs 2026. I still get a lot of questions abou

2001 vs 2026.

I still get a lot of questions about my sileighty - this is the same car. This is the first car I ever owned. I bought it in '99 for $4k with 91k miles and other than tanabe shocks, it was bone stock.

It's how I met my wife, how I got into drifting, and why this account and podcast is called Sileighty Mania. It's a blessing to be able to still enjoy this car and it's rad that it's still introducing me to new friends. Sentimental much?

It's a prime example of how a car can change a person's life.

#sileightymania #schassis #180sx #sileighty #socalschassis

Today was the funeral for @driftqueen 's grandmoth

Today was the funeral for @driftqueen 's grandmother Sachiko Toyoda. Since her passing and Alex Pfeiffer's passing, I've been thinking a lot about legacy this week.

For Grandma Toyoda's funeral reception, I made some dishes that she often made for us - kinpira gobo, inari, and sukiyaki. I learned from her a few years ago, before the dementia made it too difficult for her to cook. She was an amazing cook, and a selfless host. The legacy she leaves with me is how to be of service to the people you care about. Do it humbly, without the need for recognition, and to do it joyfully.

The thing about legacy is that it doesn't happen without other people. You can't have a legacy if nobody takes it and carries it on for you. History is intertwined with the idea of legacy, so really, the entire premise of our podcast is legacy. I am so glad that I could help in @battleversion legacy through the podcast. It reminds me that I have to keep doing it as a service to the sport that I love and everybody who is and has been involved in it.

Is there somebody's legacy you carry with you in your daily life? Please comment and share. I'd love to hear about it.

Please everybody take care of yourselves and tell somebody close to you that you love them.

I can't believe I'm saying this. Rest in peace Ale

I can't believe I'm saying this. Rest in peace Alex Pfeiffer 🙏🙏🙏

EDIT: In case people misunderstood what I wrote - Alex did not take his own life.

There are so many thoughts running through my mind, but I'm overwhelmed by sadness. I knew this day was coming but I ignorantly thought you were gonna just keep going. You were my big brother in drifting... Who am I kidding? You were EVERYBODY'S big brother in drifting. In 2001, nobody could do half the things you were doing. You were fast, aggressive and so danged advanced. It was like watching some of our Japanese heroes that came over in the early days. You were so far ahead of your time and I'll shout that from the rooftops until I'm gone too. Your favorite thing was "talking story" and I will always love telling people about what a great driver you were and the things we experienced together.

I'm sad about the way you passed away. I'm sorry you were lonely and how tough life has been for you. But I'm glad you're no longer in pain. I'm also glad I spent more time talking to you in the past few years than I ever did when we were driving together. I'm especially glad that I got to spend time recording you on the podcast so that your voice and your stories can live on forever.

My biggest hope is that you'll be remembered for all the good things you've done and that you'll be forgiven for the bad. I pray that your soul is at peace.

OTD in 2007 We didn't have great jobs and we were

OTD in 2007

We didn't have great jobs and we were in debt. We rented a deteriorating house and we parked our cars outside in this carport.

But life was great, and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

#loveandcars #s13 #nissan240sx #schassis #240sx

24 years ago on this day in 2001, we had one of th

24 years ago on this day in 2001, we had one of the earliest sanctioned drifting events in the USA.

#drifting #driftinghistory #s13 #schassis #socalschassis #nissan180sx #nissan240sx #nissans13 #sileighty #sileightymania

Irwindale's Two Sides: Parking Lot Drifting vs. Th

Irwindale's Two Sides: Parking Lot Drifting vs. The Bank #kengushi #drifting #driftinghistory

Virtually everybody who drove with me in the begin

Virtually everybody who drove with me in the beginning moved on from their original car or destroyed it. I somehow still have mine after 26 years. It's amazing and I'm grateful.

Thanks to everybody who showed up and donated at the @puristgroup charity event yesterday. And thanks to everybody who visited us at the @sachikogoesracing booth!

📸 @stvnnakamura

#240sx #180sx #s13 #rps13 #180sx #schassis #nissan180sx #nissan240sx #nissans13 #socalschassis

Yes, you should drift tandem with your soulmate ❤️

Yes, you should drift tandem with your soulmate ❤️

Photos taken on this day in 2005 at Willowsprings Walt James Oval during a Just Drift event.

#drifting #s13 #schassis #240sx #nissan #nissan180sx #nissan240sx #nissans13 #socalschassis #drift

Irwindale is WHY Ken Gushi Drives SO CLOSE to the

Irwindale is WHY Ken Gushi Drives SO CLOSE to the Wall! #drifting #irwindale

My favorite view of my car from the @sachikogoesra

My favorite view of my car from the @sachikogoesracing booth at @japaneseclassiccarshow

I can't believe I've owned this thing for 26 years. I went grocery shopping in it, took my wife on dates in it, and dropped my kids off at school in it. I took it drifting at touge before anybody knew what drifting was, I drove it in Formula D Irwindale, and its the vehicle (pun intended) that allowed me to meet so many people. This car is my entire adulthood.

📸 @ocl.foto

R.I.P. @thedangelo

#180sx #240sx #nissan240sx #nissan180sx #nissans13 #s13 #rps13 #schassis #socalschassis #falkenspotting

Just passing through. #falkenspotting #240sx #nis

Just passing through.

#falkenspotting #240sx #nissan240sx #nissans13 #180sx #nissan180 #s13 #nissans13 #rps13 #schassis #socalschassis

JCCS was so busy I didn't even have time to take a

JCCS was so busy I didn't even have time to take any photos so here's one in my neighborhood 😂

Thanks to everybody who stopped by the @sachikogoesracing booth to say hi!

I guess this is my official reveal of the car.

Thanks @franklin_ca @onismogiri @threesracing @meng.tea for helping me get the car ready! I drove it there and back and it performed like a champ 💪💪💪

#nissan240sx #240sx #schassis #socalschassis
#s13 #nissans13 #180sx

The Irwindale Wall: @daiyoshihara D1GP Rookie Mist

The Irwindale Wall: @daiyoshihara D1GP Rookie Mistake #drifting #irwindalespeedway #driftinghistory #d1 #d1gp #d1grandprix #daiyoshihara

Happy 19 years to my favorite person in the world!

Happy 19 years to my favorite person in the world! We both loved cars first and that helped us find each other. We get older and we continue to evolve individually, but the constant has always been love + cars. Sounds like a movie 😂

I'm so grateful for the life I get to live with you. A 10 year old me would never believe that I'd grow up to be the luckiest man alive. I can't wait to celebrate our big 2-0 next year!

#loveandcars

V8 SUCKS: The Sign That Went Viral in the Early Da

V8 SUCKS: The Sign That Went Viral in the Early Days of Formula D #drifting #formuladrift

Better late than never! We just dropped the uncut

Better late than never! We just dropped the uncut interview with @teddydanh ok YouTube, Spotify, and everywhere else you can download podcasts.

He talks about how he found out about Irwindale Speedway, how he went from loving FNF Eclipses to drifting and S-chassis, becoming a videographer for D1 at a young age and we discuss the infamous V8s SUCK sign 😂

To watch/listen check out the link in the bio!

3 sileighties owned by 3 different podcast staff m

3 sileighties owned by 3 different podcast staff members. I guess we got sileighty mania.

@factionmotorsports WYA we want all the smoke 💨

#sileightymania #sileighty #schassis #nissan180sx #nissan240sx #s13 #s13hatch #nissans13 #socalschassis #schassis

I finally had the chance to replace my cracked exh

I finally had the chance to replace my cracked exhaust manifold. So far this year, I've:
✅ Fixed the broken transmission
✅ Replaced all the aero, fenders, hood
✅ Repainted the car
✅ Replaced my exhaust manifold + my old Trust down pipe (from '99 lol)

There's still a lot to do, but I hope this is making up for all the years of neglect!

Thanks to @meng.tea @threesracing for your expertise and taking great care of my car!

I'm excited to finally have one of these nice @partsshopmax cobra downpipes 😁

#schassis #s13 #nissan240sx #nissans13 #socalschassis #sr20det #180sx #nissan180sx

Next step: put on Barry White #schassis #s13hatch

Next step: put on Barry White

#schassis #s13hatch #nissan240sx #nissans13 #socalschassis

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