This is one of the best drifting videos/documentaries ever produced from the guys at Keep Drifting Fun. It was shot in 2010 as the team traveled across the US interviewing pro and amateur drifters about what the sport meant to them. It's extremely well done and I highly recommend watching the entire video. Make sure to also like their page on Facebook.
Directed by Will Roegge and Joshua Herron
Edited by Will Roegge, Joshua Herron, and Skylar Smith
Motion Graphics by Andy Sapp
ImportMeet.com is happy to announce Passing Lane Performance as the first official sponsor of the website. You may have met Passing Lane Performance at the Spring Show & Shine in April. They are an online performance parts website based out of Stanwood, WA and they carry a large number of different brands of parts. They intend on being active in the community and attending multiple events throughout the summer. They specialize in KSport, Kaaz Differentials, and SPL Suspension but have the ability to acquire parts from just about any brand on the market.
I figured a good way to get to know them was to ask some questions about their business and show images of some of the parts that they carry.
When did you start Passing Lane Performance?
This has been in the works for awhile now, but the company "officially" started at the beginning of this year.
What prompted you to start the company?
Having backgrounds in customer service, we understand that without customers, there is no company. After years of problems and frustration ordering from numerous sources, we thought that we could do better. We would rather lose a sale by being up-front and honest about a delay/backorder, than lose a customer that has been waiting for parts that were "on their way" for several weeks or even months. Problems are inevitable, it is how you handle them that makes the difference.
While it may appear that Project LSX-7 hasn't been touched in weeks, this couldn't be further from the truth. Before diving into the latest update, the first thing I would like to do is introduce Secondbolt Racing as the latest sponsor for the project. Secondbolt Racing was officially created 5 months ago by an Import Meet member by the name of Matt K. (v8rx7guy). Secondbolt Racing designs parts for late-model GM swapped vehicles as well as performing the swaps into import cars.
Nick Poirier is an experienced photographer from Bellingham, WA. Him and his wife Melissa started Poirier Photography in 2010 after spending years developing their hobby into a business. Their business focuses on event coverage and other natural light photography. Recently, their interest in automotive photography has allowed them to master new techniques they may not otherwise use. In the coming months, Nick plans on sharing some of these techniques with ImportMeet.com.
Over the years, I've noticed that it's difficult to find reliable information about photography. Every photographer seems to have a different way of accomplishing the same thing. My goal with these articles is to provide advice to new photographers just getting started in automotive photography. The following article assumes that you're using a digital SLR camera which allows you to manually control the shutter speed.
With this technique, you will be able to freeze water droplets as they splash off of a car.
Depending on your equipment, you're going to want to use the lens with the lowest F-Rating. For these shots, I used my 70-200 F2.8 lens. The lower the F-Rating the faster your shutter speed can be.
To freeze the water off of a fast moving car you're going to want approximately 1/4000 of a second shutter speed. You can go lower (1/2000), but my personal taste is a minimum of 1/4000. To get to 1/4000 of a second, you're going to need enough light. I find the best time to do it during the day after significant rainfall. If you decide to shoot on a darker day or closer to the evening, you're going to need to bring up the ISO enough to compensate. Using a higher ISO can add noise to your photos so make sure you only increase it if you need to. For the shots of my Subaru STi, the ISO was set to 800.
ImportMeet.com would like to officially announce the 3rd Annual Mt. Baker Import Run! Last year, we had over 60 cars in attendance despite the less than ideal weather. Our goal this year is to have over 150 cars cruise to the top of Mt. Baker.
When:
July 28th 2012
Pre-Meet – Sunset Square (Cost Cutter parking lot)
1275 E. Sunset Drive
Bellingham, WA 98226
Meet at 9:00 AM – Leave at 10:00 AM
Just like last year, NOS Energy Drink will be sponsoring the event by providing FREE energy drinks. ImportMeet.com will be providing FREE BBQ food to everyone in attendance (most likely hot dogs).
Who's invited?
All makes and models of cars are welcome, but the primary focus will be on imports. You do not have to be a member of the site to be present, but if you RSVP with the form below you will receive a FREE ImportMeet.com vinyl sticker (limited to the first 100 RSVPs). Register here if you're not already a member.
You are NOT invited if you plan on driving like an idiot. You will be asked to leave and will not be welcome at future events if you do not follow the rules listed below:
No revving, racing and/or burnouts
No speeding
No stealing
No littering
NO PASSING (due to the large number of cars that will be present)
Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/events/257486837682060/
Photos by Robert Bishop – Article by Matt Haugness
We couldn't have picked a better weekend to hold our very first Spring Show & Shine in Bellingham, WA. The weather forecast changed at the last minute which helped us reach a total of 63 pre-registrations before the show even started! Sehome Haggen was very generous and let us use a good portion of their lot for the afternoon. Since this was technically our second show at this location, we knew what to expect and how many cars we could fit. Parking for spectators and customers was as issue this year, but most people found spots within walking distance.
In total, we had 74 high quality cars register for the show. The proceeds from the raffle and food donations totaled over $600 which went directly to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. Gramophone Company was our DJ for the show (the same DJ as last year) and they did a great job playing a variety of music.
Last summer, PGP Motorsports Park was one of busiest tracks in Washington for amateur drifting and lapping days. It was an affordable location where enthusiasts could spend time with their friends and safely enjoy their cars. Recently, operations have been restricted to four-stroke go karts by King County. The full details regarding the Conditional Use Permit can be read here.
As expected, many car enthusiasts in the area are upset about the ruling. ImportMeet.com was approached to organize a meet to show support for PGP during these difficult times. Our goal for this meet is to bring out every make and model of car (import and domestic) and have a large meet at their facility. PGP has held so many great events that it's our turn to show them that we will continue to support them.
When:
May 26, 2012 – 11am – 5pm
Where:
PGP Motorsports Park
31001 144th Ave SE
Kent, WA 98042
Map
ImportMeet.com officially launched on April 16, 2011. At the time, the site had approximately 5 members (a few real life friends) and I had made about 5 posts on the blog. April 16th was an important day because it was the day that I started to actually market the site.
Today, after over 80 blog posts and over 16,000 forum posts, I can confidently say that the site is growing at a rate that I'm satisfied with. The amount of people viewing the site daily is doubling every month and the number of members continues to increase rapidly. Keep in mind, all of the members on ImportMeet.com are REAL members and not fake accounts or spammers trying to create backlinks. These accounts have been deleted as they are created so all of the current 262 members are legitimate import car owners.
Over the past year, I have met so many great people from this site and I'm excited for what this summer has in store for all of us. Thank you to everyone who has been with the site every step of the way and for contributing daily. I appreciate all of your feedback and help in growing the site to its current level.
My goals for the next year are to bring on blog authors, more photographers, and to continue to plan events in the region. I would also like to average at least 3 new posts a week on the blog with at least one a month being a feature car.
