The SileightyMania Podcast - Drifting Interviews with OGs and Pioneers

Nick Fousekis wasn't always the Director of Advertising and Promotions at Falken Tires. He was a street racer and import car enthusiast from San Diego who had a job opportunity and an idea.

After acquiring an entry level position at Falken Tires, he dreamed up the idea that Falken should make a name for themselves by being the first American tire company to support drifting.  He spearheaded the effort and soon, Falken became the title sponsor of Drift Association's Drift Day grassroots events. In 2003, Falken was the title sponsor of Drift Showoff, bringing Yoshinori Koguchi and Seigo Yamamoto (and their cars) from Japan for the biggest drift event on US soil to-date.

Nick talks about working his way up from the bottom at Falken, his experiences with Koguchi, and how he's partnered with Formula Drift for 17 years.

Thank you to Lucky Labo for sponsoring this episode.  Please follow @sileightymania on Instagram for giveaway details!

Ken Gushi is on his 17th year in his career as a Formula Drift professional athlete, a stunt driver, and a level 40 Pokemon Master on Pokemon Go.  He is well accomplished celebrity, and rightfully so - he is on the Toyota website!  But when we first met him, he was just a 14 year old kid who had a love for cars and drifting.

We reminisce about his days as a young kid, his run-ins with the law while street drifting, some of his favorite early moments of Formula D, and his fondness for brown S13 interior and Snapple Facts.

Thank you to Koyo Racing for sponsoring this episode. We will be announcing details for our giveaway on 5/7 on our Instagram page @sileightymania

Mark Hutchinson and Dave Scholz met in the late 90s and became America's first drift team known as Slide Squad. In this episode, hear about their adventures both in Japan and the USA with infamous people like Nobushige Kumakubo, Hideo Hiraoka, and Hiroshi Takahashi. They recall the drama of the first Super Street article introducing us to drifting on American soil featuring their team. Mark and Dave preached that drifting should be fun and not serious from day one. Combine that with their love for 80s nostalgia, off-the-wall humor, deep passion for motorsports and their bravery to do things not done before, and you have Slide Squad.  Thank you to Thrash Racing for sponsoring our first podcast!

In this introduction episode, get to know the hosts Benson and Nadine Hsu and sound engineer Marc Mondoy.  Learn about why this podcast was created and what to expect in future episodes.