Enjuku Racing Original Series Kicks Off

Enjuku Racing Original Series Kicks Off

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Our friends over at Enjuku Racing have been working on something cool. They have been documenting and producing their own video episodes from the beginning of this season. They take you behind the scenes on their journey from receiving product and building their drift cars right through to the events they attend and compete in.

We are proud to be partnered up with Enjuku Racing and their drivers (Nate Hamilton, Kevin Lawrence, Josh McGuire, and Road Racer Savannah Little *more on Savannah coming so soon!* ). So sit back and enjoy the first of their new episode featuring Nate Hamilton as he preps for Import Alliance with his Blue Nissan S13 Demo car in this initial episode.  Nate keeps his demo car up to par with help from his sponsors such as Fortune Auto & Konig Wheels.  

We have placed their videos into this post right below. Make sure to check out their YouTube Channel for more awesome videos and if you’re looking for parts or Konig Wheels (HINT HINT), they are a great source!!!

ENJUKU RACING WEBSITE

Stay tuned for more coming soon!!

Pat Mordaunt Formula Drift – Wall, NJ

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Although Pat Mordaunt did not get the result everyone was hoping for, he did get some notice for a “chase run for the ages”, as noted by Wrecked magazine ( you can check that out here in the article “10 Things I learned from Formula Drift New Jersey Round 4” by Joey Redmond of Wrecked Magazine.  You can also view that run here (its awesome!): Fredric Aasbo vs Pat Mordaunt

Formula Drift – Wall Speedway, N.J. Recap:

Mordaunt came into Round 4 of Formula Drift at Wall Speedway with high hopes for the weekend.  The steep bank and challenging layout at Wall has been know to wreak havoc on even the best drivers.  During Friday qualifying, Patrick and the team were struggling to find the right setup for the big bank and challenging infield course at Wall. Patrick did get down two solid runs and qualified 28th, with a first round match against reigning champion and points leader Fredrik Aasbo.  On his chase run, Patrick put down an amazing run, staying right on Aasbo’s door from the initiation on the bank all the way through the infield to the final clip and finish line.  This run was called “one for the ages” by Wrecked magazine (details above ^).  On his lead run, Mordaunt came off the line and into the initiation aggressively with the goal to knock off the top driver in the series.  Unfortunately, he came in too strong and scraped the wall on initiation, ending his competition for the weekend.

It’s a tough break but sometimes you have to go big or go home.  Still a great job by Mordaunt and his team.  Man, when everything clicks you’re going to see some serious results from Pat.  Keep an eye for him!

 

For more pictures make sure to check out Wrecked Magazine’s Main Event Gallery from Formula Drift, Round 4, Wall, NJ!

Nate Hamilton Formula Drift Orlando Pro2 Round 2 Recap

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY NATE HAMILTON ****

Family, Friends, Team members, Employees, Acquaintances, Sponsors all coming into town to support and create the environment we race in. Round 2 of Formula Drift was hosted in my current home town, Orlando Florida. Its safe to say its one of the most important rounds of our Pro2 season.

here we go:

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As a team our goal was simple, prepare and create positive results. We worked hard in-between Round1 and Round2, making sure I’m comfortable, fixing and adapting issues we ran into at Round1 Road Atlanta. Our crew Chief, Bub Robarge knows the importance of comfortability for Kevin and myself behind the wheel. Its our job to put on the best show possible for our fans and sponsors. We went into this round with confidence.

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Day One: Thursday, Practice and Qualifying

Practice was progressive, smooth lines and consistent laps. The car was on point and I was ready. After two practice sessions we ran into qualifying, I landed myself in 4th place with score of 83. Thanks to my dude, Ant Rupchand for guiding me on line and angle.

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Day Two:  Friday, Main Event

Friday, the day we get to show everyone our focus and hard work. This is the busiest day of the weekend for us. All the eyes are on Pro2 competition. With the help of Fortune Auto and Matt Purvis we had everything in place for my first battle in the Top16.

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My first battle was underway, I would be competing against Dan Burkett. I felt calm and ready for this battle, I felt I had the speed to follow him and stick it to his door. Being that I qualified higher than Dan I would lead first.

This is the part of the story I hate, ha!

I took my lead run and had “a clear advantage” said Ryan Sage representing the Formula Drift’s judging panel.

Although once I completed my run it was clear I had a de-beaded rear tire.  For those who don’t know what that means, its the basic idea that our tire’s mounted on our rim and on certain tracks or rare occasions we can bust the bead from the tire causing all the air to release from the tire. Meaning we have no air pressure and the tire is able to fall off the rim. Our team did what was natural, we used our 5 min competition time out. We brought the car back to the hot pit and thats when we got hit with a swift kick of reality. My Falken Tire de-beaded coming off the bank, I finished my run strong, but unfortunately once you de-bead a tire in competition your day is done. You are NOT allowed to air the tire back up, You are NOT allowed to change the tire, You are also NOT allowed to run a de-beaded tire for safety reasons, literally there is no option.

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This single mechanical error caused my entire weekend to end way to soon. We had the momentum building and we had the consistency to really earn some points at this event. Unfortunately this was out of my hands and I was knocked out. Another event, another hard lesson learned. We are really pushing to report good news to you guys, but sometimes motorsports can be a tough game.

I personally want to thank everyone inside our camp for all the hard work it takes to prepare these machines for drifting. Huge thanks to my Family/Friends for lifting me up as I keep working thru a seemingly hard season. We can’t forget the Enjuku Media team, Corey Denomy and Jessie Ann for all the great content being created. Thanks again everyone, Lets make it happen in Texas.

Photo credit: Jessie Ann

Pat Morduant – Formula Drift Round 3 Recap

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Patrick Mordaunt has progressed round by round as the Formula Drift season has pushed on.  Following a top 16 finish in round 2, Patrick entered round 3 with high expectations.  On Friday, he put down two solid qualifying runs which landed him in the 15th qualifying spot going into Saturday’s tandem competition.  Patrick’s first round match was against his good friend Matt Coffman.  In the top 32 match, Patrick put down a solid lead run, hitting all of the marks that the judges were looking for.  His chase run showed great proximity as he closely followed Coffman off of the bank and around the final sweeper, giving Patrick the victory. 

Patrick’s top 16 match was against Ryan Tuerck, one of the top drivers in the series and the #2 qualifier.  Mordaunt’s chase run was one of the highlights of the weekend, following Tuerck closely along the bank and all the way through the course to the finish (link to video: http://formuladrift.networka.com/pat-mordaunt-puts-in-epic-chase-run-takes-down-tuerck-in-top-16).  A solid lead run cemented the victory, moving Patrick into the round of 8, where he was matched up against Kristaps Bluss.  Patrick put down a solid lead run but Bluss followed closely.  On his chase run Patrick came out fast looking to repeat his close chase run from the top 16 match.  Unfortunately, he came off the line and initiated a bit too hot, bumping Bluss who won the match and went on to a second place finish in the event.  After 3 rounds, Mordaunt is now 15th in the overall points standings and looking for another strong event in Round 4 at Wall Speedway on June 17-18.    

Formula Drift Orlando Recap

Posted on by Konig Gfx

With Round 3 of the Formula Drift 2016 Season in the books it is looking to be one of the most competitive seasons with 3 separate winners in each event so far.  In the high heat at Orlando Speed World there was the chance for a lot of the drivers to gain some ground on some of the point leaders who had gotten knocked out early.

Konig driver Pat Mordaunt pulled off some amazing driving to finish in the “Great 8” and place 7th in the Round 3 standings.  In the PRO 2 battle, Konig drivers Kevin Lawrence, Nate Hamilton, and Josh Mcquire had some awesome runs in the top 16 bracket.  Lawrence advanced to the “Great 8” and went to battle with Jeff Jones.  The matched was forced into a OMT (one more time) run and Kevin put in an all out effort which took him high into the bank and ultimately into the wall with irreparable damages for the day.  WATCH THIS DUDE!  Kevin is a force to be reckoned with and the entire Enjuku team are just ready to smash the field!

Check out the Wrecked Magazine gallery below!  It has a ton of images from Formula Drift Orlando.

Additionally check out this run of the Mordaunt vs Tuerck match up!  Super SICK!

Current Formula Drift Standings

PRO: http://www.formulad.com/standings-2016

PRO2: http://www.formulad.com/pro2-standings-2016

 

VIEW WRECKED MAGAZINE’S FD ORLANDO GALLERY

Josh McGuire

Posted on by Konig Gfx

QUICK INFO
VEHICLE: LS7 Swapped Nissan S14
WHEELS: Hypergram

WHY THE HYPERGRAM? 

The Hypergram is a lightweight, 12-spoke design that is motorsport inspired in its construction, appearance and its ability to clear many big brake cars!  Hamilton / Enjuku Racing run these on their vehicles in 17×9 front and 18×9.5 rear!

Josh McGuire Formula Drift Atlanta Pro2 Round 1 Recap

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY JOSH MCGUIRE ****

Day 1: Practice session, we were super excited and nervous at the same time. We looked forward to getting out on track to drive because it’s a track that we had not had the opportunity to experience so we did not know what to expect. Once out on track, we were given minimal practice time, with one practice lap while conditions were dry we put together a blind run to establish whether we needed set up changes or not. I felt comfortable in the car, so we didn’t make any changes. Then it started to rain. The rain was beneficial in a way to see how the track and car handled in wet conditions. We were conservative while in the wet conditions, and we were only one of a few cars that didn’t go off track during these conditions. Going into qualifying: Definitely we were nervous because we were only allotted a couple practice runs. We were able to complete a run that locked us in for 6th position in qualifying.

Day 2: We were excited about our qualifying position and couldn’t wait to battle in top 16 when we went out for practice we had ignition problems with the car that would let the car run for only an allotted time and then it would shut itself down. Knowing this we knew we were gambling to be able to throw down a solid run. This added a stress but my crew members and I tried to fix the problem before our first battle we thought we had it fixed, when I went out on my first run, the car shut itself down at the top of the horseshoe, claiming us a zero. We called 5 minutes to make repairs on the car. Which we were able to complete in the 5 minutes. We then re-lined up to do our follow run, knowing we were at a big fault, it didn’t change my mindset on how I should drive, giving my 100 percent. In our 5 minutes of repair time, track conditions changes immensely, causing the car to grip up, which we had not planned for. So we ended up shallow on our first inside clip, I quickly corrected and fell back into the follow position keeping close proximity for the remainder of the course. It however was not enough to compensate for the zero on the first run.

Over all even though we didn’t advance, it was a great learning experience. We are looking forward to Rd 3 in Orlando, and also to return to drive again at Road Atlanta in 2017.

-Josh

Kevin Lawrence

Posted on by Konig Gfx

QUICK INFO
VEHICLE: RB25 Swapped Nissan RHD S14
WHEELS: Hypergram

WHY THE HYPERGRAM? 

The Hypergram is a lightweight, 12-spoke design that is motorsport inspired in its construction, appearance and its ability to clear many big brake cars!  Lawrence / Enjuku Racing run these on their vehicles in 17×9 front and 18×9.5 rear!

VTEC Academy Wide Body Integra on Konig Milligram

Posted on by Konig Gfx

VTEC Academy – Project Integra on Konig Milligram Wheels

VTEC Academy’s 1993 Integra is a serious creation of skill, power, and all out dreams.  Thats right dreams!  This DA Integra features a wide body front end, a transplanted and SUPERCHARGED K24 powerplant with all of the trimmings of course!  This isn’t just a car for looks, Carter of Hasport runs this car in Time Attack events.  What started out as his daily driver progressed in a short window to this pavement eating, competition abusing monster!  This car has some serious AERO to keep that downforce rightfully placed and with its widebody front end you can find 18×10 Konig Milligrams (Flow Formed) ready to do work!

The car just made its public debut at the 2016 Eibach meet.  Check out some of the video from Hush performance below as well as some images of the car!

Check out coverage from VTEC Academy from Eibach’s annual all-honda gathering!
WATCH:

Eibach Meet 2016 Part 1

 

Nate Hamilton Formula Drift Atlanta Pro2 Round 1 Recap

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY NATE HAMILTON ****

Hey World, Nate Hamilton here, this is my first written recap for Konig Wheels, the first of many during our 2016 Racing season. My goal is to be as honest and transparent as possible. Lets get into it, here we go!

Tuesday afternoon, arriving at our first competitive event of the season. We rolled into Road Atlanta.

Tuesday marks our official technical inspection, this process is mandatory, Kevin Wells representing Formula Drift inspects our Pro chassis. Weight, Subframe pickup points, Tire size, Safety, plus way more is looked over and double checked.   With attention to detail provided during the builds from our lead fabricator, Bub Robarge, our cars were ready and approved to hit the track.

This rolls us into Wednesday, we took the day to dial in our home base/pit operations. While at the same time using the day to knock out media obligations, smile for the Camera say’s Corey Denomy as Kevin, Josh and I filmed the “Faces of Konig” videos, you will see them soon enough.

Driving in the Pro2 class, Thursday is a busy day for our program. We have our First and last practice sessions unfolding right into qualifications. Total practice time: 2 hours, split between 24 drivers. Qualification is 2 runs. This in total was 10 laps on the technical track of Road Atlanta. Writing this and looking back on the day, it really does fly by.

My results shook me up as I was struggling with my car setup. After 8 runs still struggling with the entry/steering. I was forced to lay down my qualification runs. These runs did not represent my team and our hard work over the offseason. I was uncomfortable, without having the seat time in the new chassis to recover from the issues, I was not able to qualify. This was a big hit to our program and was surprising to most. I am forced to look past this performance and chalk it up as a second shakedown with the new chassis.

Looking forward we brought the team together to study film and analyze the characteristics of the car. We wanted to know why I was struggling. With a great group of people in one circle, we found valuable information. A combination of my driving mixed with some front end settings we now have a base outline of what I like and don’t like.

We are now back home located in Clermont, FL working daily at Enjuku Racing. We have the car in the air, making the progressive changes we learned in ATL. We will come back with confidence and more practice in the newly setup 2016 chassis. Our next stop on the schedule: The Hyperfest event located in Virginia at the VIR facility.

Lastly I want to give my upmost appreciation to the whole Team and great group of sponsors we have onboard this season. Thanks to the whole Enjuku Racing staff for making this possible. Also, Thanks to Konig Wheels for supporting our dreams and goals we are chasing, its amazing to have a company striving for the same goals. Until Next time, talk soon guys!

WATCH MORE OF NATE IN HIS FACES OF KONIG VIDEO!