Ask ROB FLEMING & MATT VASSALLO from ENJUKU RACING Something!

[MATT BACK VASS]

One for Matt, where did the "Back" come from? It's not your middle name is it?

no, it's not my middle name.

i was wondering if somebody was going to ask me this question.

the nickname mattback started when i was 16 or so. i was an IRC nerd, and would talk in a #300zx chatroom back on irc.atrocity.org. anyway. my nick on there was matt. the cool thing to do was to /nick matt-away if you were out of the house or out somewhere.

when i returned one time, i named myself matt-back. which stuck, and modified itself into mattback. mattback became my nickname that somehow survived and thrived in high school, out on saturday nights while street racing, and even into more online forums.

fast forward to D1 driver's search. I wrote my name in as Matt Vassallo. I was kind of done with the whole mattback nickname. I made it to the finals, but didn't move on and get a D1 license.

when I got the option video 2 months later, Keiichi called me ' MATT BACK VASS ' - where the hell did keiichi know my nickname from !?!?!?!?!!

And thats where my new nickname comes from. But yeah, my real name is Matthew Vassallo, and back is Not my middle name. Not even close.

[gogg]

when I got the option video 2 months later, Keiichi called me ' MATT BACK VASS ' - where the hell did keiichi know my nickname from !?!?!?!?!!

Keiichi was an op on #300zx

[Rob Fleming]

Keiichi was an op on #300zx

HAHAHAHAHHA

[MATT BACK VASS]

fall off americans

[MrRiceRocket]

Enjuku Racing is obviously taking the 2005 season seriously. Can you explain a little bit more about Enjuku Racings 'dive' into professional drifting?

Also, Enjuku Racing seems to be the only 'Shop' that has put forward a 'professional' effort on it's own (with 2 nearly identical cars), while Kumho seems to be a large sponsor, Enjuku itself seems to be the 'Primary Sponsor'. How did you get involved with Enjuku (and will they let me drive one of their cars ? )

Another question. I've seen the Enjuku website. Obviously there is more to Enjuku than just a e-store. Do you have pictures of your facility? Maybe of your Tow Rig that you use to transport the cars.

Okay...Final question (I think). What other types of racing does...or has Enjuku participated in?

....okay I lied. Can I drive one of the Enjuku cars (please!)

[Cade]

haha man. You guys have come along way since the old WM days. Proud to see you up there w/ the pros. So is NoAnts written off as history? and whats the story on old members like Bill?? info bishes!, info.
<33Mattback&ROBBBB<33

[Rob Fleming]

Enjuku Racing is obviously taking the 2005 season seriously. Can you explain a little bit more about Enjuku Racings 'dive' into professional drifting?

Enjuku has always been owned and operated by enthusiasts. Its very important to be active in what your selling, and who you're selling to. When swaps first became popular, enjuku created a drag car. Once drifting became popular, and with the help of Matt, the first drift car was created. We're now on our 3rd drift car for the shop (#1 was sold, #2 was the drag car...now matts car #33).

Enjuku wants enthusiats and customers to know that we're serious about the products and services we sell. It is an entire shop effort.

Also, Enjuku Racing seems to be the only 'Shop' that has put forward a 'professional' effort on it's own (with 2 nearly identical cars), while Kumho seems to be a large sponsor, Enjuku itself seems to be the 'Primary Sponsor'. How did you get involved with Enjuku (and will they let me drive one of their cars ? )

Matt has been a big hand at the shop for a while now. He also brought the drifting bug to the table, and has helped form the drifting venture you see today.

Matts expertise has always been a mix of driving and tech, and is very specialized in Nissans. Matts been at the shop for about a year now. I came in as an addition to the team, even though I dont work at the shop directly, I do what I can from my Tampa residence, and when Im on the road.

No u cant drive the cars.

Another question. I've seen the Enjuku website. Obviously there is more to Enjuku than just a e-store. Do you have pictures of your facility? Maybe of your Tow Rig that you use to transport the cars.

along with the expansion of the new drift team and equipment, we've also upgraded facilities to a better and larger Orlando location. With a large show room/office area, and a huge rear tech/inventory area, the new 4500sq ft facility is just what we've needed. We can also park the trailer of the rig inside the shop and still have lots of room for everything else.

sure, here are some shots of the tech bay area:







and the rig:

Okay...Final question (I think). What other types of racing does...or has Enjuku participated in?

....okay I lied. Can I drive one of the Enjuku cars (please!)

Enjuku is a large supported of other motorsports, like drag, auto-x, etc. Currently we're not active in much more than drifting, but we've toyed with the idea of the drift cars also being used for some time attack runs.

and do to longest post ever, no you may not drive the drift cars. but thank u for asking though!!!

[Rob Fleming]

haha man. You guys have come along way since the old WM days. Proud to see you up there w/ the pros. So is NoAnts written off as history? and whats the story on old members like Bill?? info bishes!, info.
<33Mattback&ROBBBB<33

ahaha WM!! yeah, i finally sold WM off to the people that wanted it more, but I checked...didnt see anything being done with it.

NoAnts is still around, and IMHO might make a comeback very shortly. Its needed some new blood, and there might be 2-3 new memebers joining in.

Bill is still doing very strong, and whenever he does go pro, hes going to be a very scary person to go against. While a few of us have slowed down, or only been doing track/events, Bill is still practicing where we all learned, parking lots, back roads, etc, and also making the practice events and competitions in Florida. Im always looking for a spot for him with a team.

Taylor has a new shop now, and I believe is planning on building a strong chasis to compete with.

[DRIFTER-M]

Ok, Matt or Rob.
This question is about the new tires. I know they are made different from regular tires, so do they hold up more, like is the durability better than regular tires by any chance? I figure they probably arent, but it's worth asking.
Also, why did you guys change the enjuku cars around from before, most noticebly the graphics. But also the muffler, and other tech parts. just wondering, I liked the original ones alot, when I first saw them at one of the ocala ddays I was like "looks sweet",not that the new ones don't look good the new ones are very cool if not better.
Just wondering.
Thanks.
(Look forward to seeing you guys at dday7.)

[MATT BACK VASS]

Ok, Matt or Rob.
This question is about the new tires. I know they are made different from regular tires, so do they hold up more, like is the durability better than regular tires by any chance? I figure they probably arent, but it's worth asking.
Also, why did you guys change the enjuku cars around from before, most noticebly the graphics. But also the muffler, and other tech parts. just wondering, I liked the original ones alot, when I first saw them at one of the ocala ddays I was like "looks sweet",not that the new ones don't look good the new ones are very cool if not better.
Just wondering.
Thanks.
(Look forward to seeing you guys at dday7.)

drifter m :
the new tires are made different from regular tires, yes, because the compound contains special additives so that it will smoke red. Kumho tried to keep the grip of the tires as close as possible to their regular maximum performance summer radial, the Ecsta MX. The MX-C is very similar to the normal MX in terms of grip and durability. On some surfaces we have noticed the MX-C is a little bit stickier than the normal MX when both tires get very hot. That is generally a good thing for drifting, but under normal driving they are the same, and you can't tell a difference between them. As far as the durability goes, when you are drifting, you can only get about 10 laps out of your tires if you are smoking them as much as we do !

We changed the graphics on the Enjuku cars so that they wouldn't look 'stale' for 2005. Everyone had already seen the cars with the previous graphics, they had been on for over a year, and we just wanted to kind of revise things a bit. Go with a different graphic scheme, a full pro team, and a big rig transport. We are happy with how it came out and have been playing around with different logos to convey a different attitude put forth by Enjuku.

Tech parts were changed based on different parts making more horsepower and being more readily available. The cars now both have cams in them whereas before they were running stock heads. They also both have built motors. (One is Racing Service Enthalpy, the other I built) The mufflers are hot looking and that's why we're running them, with an Enjuku Racing custom catback exhaust featuring them. ($599) You also will notice that the cars are now 5 lug to fit our wheels.

Hope this helps, and Thank you for the questions!



-matt

[DRIFTER-M]

Thanks.

you can only get about 10 laps out of your tires if you are smoking them as much as we do !

Yeah you guys do put up tons of smoke. If anyone hasn't ever seen Enjuku run, you guys are missing alot. Enjuku is amazing!

[Ichi-Go]

Since Enjuku has gone "pro" have you noticed a difference in the type of attitude and planning that goes into making it through an event without any problems or setbacks?

[Rob Fleming]

Since Enjuku has gone "pro" have you noticed a difference in the type of attitude and planning that goes into making it through an event without any problems or setbacks?

we definately have to keep our attitudes in check when things go wrong. when you would normally just be an angry monster and say things, you have to remember to be a good sportsman and put on a good image for the team and ourselves personally.

the planning requires a lot of forsight on our part as we need to try and prepare for random situations that can occur. we put a lot of money into getting where we are, and we want to make sure our time spent at events is on the track instead of broken and sitting by the trailer.

[Rob Fleming]

so were finally here in houston! were stuck in the parking lot right now because they dont have the paddock area setup yet. Here are some pics so far:

matt driving the rig around north florida:


hard parking at reliant stadium:


said stadium:


other hard parkers. i see an SUV/trailer here with a blue s13 hatch with Fixmers name on it. I also see Yoshie's car here. Rhys, cooper, and falken rigs are also here:


mike (one of our techs) rocking some 8bit tetris action (right now the highscore is 70529)


local people you have no excuse...get out here! this should be an awesome event. we'll try and keep up with coverage for everyone to see!

[Rob Fleming]

sorry, robs postwas actually me, matt vassallo, but i forgot my password