Working with ASD for the 2011 season was the best opportunity that I have ever been presented with in my three years of drifting; I learned so much both about chassis setup and the “behind the scenes” aspect of drifting. Because I only had prospect status in 2011, I was fortunate enough to be asked back to be a full member of the 2012 Mob. One of the many benefits that comes with being a Mobster is the annual chassis seminar that is held at ASD headquarters in Charlotte, NC. This year’s seminar was held January 6^th-8^th.

The morning of the 6^th I was up bright and early because I had to catch a 6am flight to start my journey. After getting through security at sea-tac, I met up at our gate with two other 2012 Mob members, Brody Goble and Nikki San Miguel. Soon we were 30,000 feet up headed to North Carolina, it was a long day with a couple flights but we were all so excited that it didn’t matter!

Once we arrived in Charlotte, we met up with the rest of the mob members and Dave and Eric from ASD, who were there to pick everyone up and take us to the shop. When we got to the shop, I’m sure everyone’s minds were blown by the cleanliness of the shop and the craftsmanship that becomes apparent when you look closely at the Falken Tire/ASD Motorsports pro drift cars. There is a reason why this team is so dominant in Formula Drift, the attention to detail in the builds is second to none. After a quick shop tour we headed to dinner as group, and then back to the hotel as the next day is when things got serious.

The chassis seminar was scheduled to start at 8am on Saturday, so I woke up around 6:30, got some breakfast and met up with Ian Stewart and two other members at 7:30 to head to Starbucks, then the shop. The seminar started on time, as per usual with things at ASD.  The seminar was amazing, and I feel very lucky to have been able to attend twice because the second time around I understood things much better and I feel like I was able to retain more of the information that was shared with us. We also were fortunate enough to have a very special visitor, none other than Monster Energy/Falken Tire driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. He took time out of his crazy schedule to come hang with us for the day, and for me that was very special. He is after all the most successful driver in Formula Drift and possibly drifting in general. It was awesome to see someone who has “made it” and it definitely motivated me to keep working hard towards my drifting goals.

I’d like to thank everyone that helps make the Mob program possible, Ian, Dave, and the whole ASD/Falken Tire crew, Clayton Triggs, all of our partners, and thanks again to Vaughn Gittin Jr for spending the day with us. 2012 is shaping up to be even more awesome than 2011 and I can’t wait to get back out on track!