Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Nick D’Alessio from Elite JDM in Philadelphia Pa. For those of you who have not heard of Elite JDM in Philly, then I must let it be known they specialize in getting you any & every impossible to find part whether you have a drift machine or just an import in general, Nick & Elite are a name that you need to have in your roledex, iPhone, or Blackberry. Nick has been instrumental in helping me with my personal S13, not to mention, instrumental with helping Death Machines grow as a brand. He is a grassroots drifter and exceptionally popular within the Northeast Clubloose Drifting Association

For those of you who may not know Nick he was featured on DM a while ago. His Elite JDM S13 made a cameo appearance in the Red Cafe / Fab video “Im Ill” anybody who didnt get a chance to see it, make sure you give it a look.

Last week I logged onto my facebook page, and the first thing that I noticed was that Nick had posted a video of his qualifying run from the Streetlife Tour at Kilkare Speedway in Xenia, Ohio. I was really impressed by how far his driving skills have come around since I had met him a few years ago. So i wanted to share the video and also give Nick a chance to express his thoughts. This is what he had to say:

“In order to become a seasoned competitor it is crucial to get maximum seat time, since 2008 I have been attending all of the Club Loose Events to fulfill my addiction for drifting. My confidence and skill level have increased over this time, so this year I decided to build a custom Formula D spec rollcage so I would be able to compete in all events associated. The project was completed prior to the Clubloose Hot Moves event, I was slightly intimidated by competing in the “A Class” during that event, since it was the first time i had stepped up to that level, and considered that a learning expierience. Two weeks later I was back at it again, the event was Freedom Moves. This is event was a completely different story, I felt way more confident, and my driving style became more aggressive. I felt as if I was finally getting to know my ride again.
The following weekend there was a Street Life Tour event in Xenia, Ohio at Kilkare Speedway, and I couldnt help but figure out a way to get out there. I have heard in the past its an incredible facility, and the party afterwards is always epic. So I loaded up the truck and trailer and made the trek from Philly to Xenia, arrived late Thursday night, and was ready to practice Friday afternoon.
When I arrived at practice there were only 8 to 10 cars in the field which enabled me to get a lot of seat time, so I concentrated on mastering the infield, and then later on, worked on my entry which linked the infield. Saturday’s practice we added fresh rubber, which helped in acheiving faster entry speeds, and kept me high in the backstretch.
Later in the afternoon during tandem practice the hot pipe on my intercooler kept blowing off, limiting me to only 4 tandem practice runs. My first run during qualifications was enough to send me in as the 7th seed. My top 16 matchup was against Kyle Krebs in his V8 powered Toyota Corolla, but I brought enough heat in my follow up run to win the round, and move on to the Top 8. I was paired with Milo Ovcharik in this round, (at Freedom Moves the week before we had a couple of tandem runs so we were familiar with each others driving style), and in the judges eyes we were toe to toe, or should I say, door to door, and they called for an OMT (one more time). Miro led first, I entered the bank kind of high, and running an outside line which gave him a signifigant amount of space. On the second round I ran a shallow line on the bank causing me to spin on the manji and Miro advanced to the Final Four.
All in all, i had a great time and advanced to the Top 8 during my first ever competition, and I am most definitely looking forward to my next event. With the season coming to and end Im not sure when or where the next event will surface but I will keep Rich G, up to date, and it will be posted on one fo my favorite sites. DEATHMACHINES.NET”