BONDURANT CHEATED Formula Drift Team

[drift-avengers]

I own the Drift Avengers, a professional Drift team. I bought a license for James Bondurant because he couldnt qualify on his own. I bought him a drift car, spend over 150,000 on modifying it for him and hired a full crew for him. So far he has not made top 30 and yet, I had faith in him, as I thought he was my good friend. Last Friday, I awoke to find James and his possessions in garbage bags and he said that he was done with drifitng and left town. As a team owner and friend, I am devastated that I was used and cheated by a driver, especially using his Grandfather's name to boast about his abilities.
I am very disillusioned with people now, yet love the sport of drifting. We are interviewing drivers now , but my heart has been broken and I dont know if I can continue.
Please share any James Bondurant stories with other members please, and maybe they wont be cheated by him.
Just to clear up a few things I did pay James 3000 a month and he had his own room in my home in Hollywood hills plus a Ferrari to drive. I didn't ask for anything in return . He promised to finish the season. He bragged that he was the best drifter in the world. My mistake was believing him. He took what he wanted and left without warning . That's why we are cheated. A team without a driver . He is a man without a heart.
Ruth
(yes I am a female)

[Rhoad Racing]

Call me crazy, but if I was going to invest that much money, you can bet your a$$ there would be a contract involved.

[MonkeySlide]

I own the Drift Avengers, a professional Drift team. I bought a license for James Bondurant because he couldnt qualify on his own. I bought him a drift car, spend over 150,000 on modifying it for him and hired a full crew for him. So far he has not made top 30 and yet, I had faith in him, as I thought he was my good friend. Last Friday, I awoke to find James and his possessions in garbage bags and he said that he was done with drifitng and left town. As a team owner and friend, I am devastated that I was used and cheated by a driver, especially using his Grandfather's name to boast about his abilities.
I am very disillusioned with people now, yet love the sport of drifting. We are interviewing drivers now , but my heart has been broken and I dont know if I can continue.
Please share any James Bondurant stories with other members please, and maybe they wont be cheated by him.
Thank you

Drama train never stops in drift town.

Ya know, by the short synopsis of the situation that you gave it doesn't really sound like he "cheated" you.

Realistically speaking...no driver would go into anything with the intention to fail.

I don't think he cheated you because he didn't make top 30...maybe he didn't make top 30 because hes just off his game right now or isn't clicking with the car..etc..etc.

If he had all this support and still couldn't break top 30 after several attempts then maybe he just decided it was time to phone it in and head home.

If he was living with you and had to pack his stuff in garbage bags then that kind of speaks to the situation.

Obviously you weren't ready to give up on the effort but he was.

Did he take the car that you bought? Were you paying him to drive for you? If so THEN I could see how you would be "cheated".

If not then...well..it just looks like one side gave up before the other side was ready.

Not really the best thing to do to a friend but hey we're only hearing one side of the story.

I understand that you're upset and hurt but you shouldn't let this situation affect the professional integrity of you and your team.

Coming on this forum and telling everyone to spread the story that James is a cheat doesn't really reflect too well upon you.

I'm not knocking you or anything..I'm just saying...don't go online to talk trash about him...instead be the bigger person...find yourself a new driver...a passionate driver..and then go for it again. You obviously have the desire to want to succeed at this so there's no reason why your reputation and efforts should suffer because James left your team.

Then later on when you are breaking the top 30 and maybe even top 16 anyone who left your team will then see that they possibly made a mistake.

Best of luck to you in the future man

[Slapshotnerd]

Was there a performance clause in the contract? was there any clause in the contract? what could you possibly spend $150k on with a 240?! Bill Sherman's car was available in top 16 trim for $25k (and was sold for Team Retaks with a few things removed for MUCH less than that). Even the most expensively-built SR20 would be around $15k.

Even if that is the case, there are plenty of drivers who would be capable of taking a well-built car into top 16 on a consistent basis. You'd be hard-pressed to convince me that you can't find a driver to drive the car and get you into top 16 if you paid him $3k a month to focus on their driving, and gave them a few rounds to do it. And I bet your entire budget would be less than 100k including purchasing the car.

There were multiple teams that finished in the top 16 last year and spent less than $100k, car included, for the entire season.



On the whole, if you need help getting the team back together, I may be able to help you.

[Mars]

*Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* I need a job. I'll do it for $2k a month and give me a focus to drive

[brainfood]

Yeah I think the problem is a lot of teams find guys that are good in other forms of motorsports and think hey that drifting thing is easy I can do it. But really to be competitive with the big boys it takes a real drifter and a lot of dedication.

[Bebop]

Hey, i will drive for free

dont even buy me a FD licence

let just let me do the pro am thing and see where it goes from there... I will never quit and will do a bunch of outrages things for TV time.

Cameron Jones is not a quitter!!!












couldnt hurt to try

[RAM GARAGE]

WOW that harsh to bail after so much has been provided .

I had to go with new sponsors this year that gave me cash to run . day and night . dont understand why a driver thats been taken care of would do such a thing it took me 3 years to get were i am now and its not even close to what he had and im still using my own car. thats driving on the streets at times to work lol

good luck on finding a new driver im sure there is a few out there with out rides at this time .

[Bebop]

WOW that harsh to bail after so much has been provided .

I had to go with new sponsors this year that gave me cash to run . day and night . dont understand why a driver thats been taken care of would do such a thing it took me 3 years to get were i am now and its not even close to what he had and im still using my own car. thats driving on the streets at times to work lol

good luck on finding a new driver im sure there is a few out there with out rides at this time .

^^^^

This guy can probably drive for you, and actually scored points in last years season.

There is a lot of quality privateers that deserve a chance

Colin Frost (very good privateer)
Just Pawlak (has his own team but could probably use some extra help)
Dan Pina(good versitile driver)
Nate Brasz (has been MIA after the fallout of the dunlop team)
John Rusakoff (made top 16 in Vegas)


Thats just a few i pulled from the top of my head....

There are a bunch of dudes that have the heart and the skill and just need some more support. Sounded like this guy had stupid amounts of support and just couldn't hang.

[drift-avengers]

reply to contract

Call me crazy, but if I was going to invest that much money, you can bet your a$$ there would be a contract involved.

That would have been the way to go if he were not my friend, but I actually thought he was my friend and after knowing him for five months, I truly wanted to help him live his dream of drifing without ever once thinking he would run away.
I met him through a friend last summer. He had no job, no money, but a passion for drifting. He had been drifting for a few years but didnt have a license and didnt have a car. I became his sole sponser because I believed in him, first as a friend, then as a driver. I guess I was wrong on both. I was just trying to do a nice thing. He kept telling me I needed to add more things to the car....

[Piner]

Wow that sucks to be used so thoroughly, I feel for you dude. Amazing how some people can just cut and run.

Man he was living the life I can only dream about and he just walked away? seems odd. Are you sure you aren't leaving something out?

[drift-avengers]

he was living a dream

Wow that sucks to be used so thoroughly, I feel for you dude. Amazing how some people can just cut and run.

Man he was living the life I can only dream about and he just walked away? seems odd. Are you sure you aren't leaving something out?

I am a single mother with a 12 year old son. At first James was like a big brother to my son and a kind man. I am the kind of person who helps others that I care about. James not only abandoned me and the rest of the team, but abandoned my 12 year old son.

Nothing was left out except I also let him drive my ducatis. He totaled my porsche 997 for wreckless driving.... I paid for his attorney fees... I could go on and on, but Ill just cry.

[Brian]

haha

what?



this is worse than my fake thread about JR's new "mustang"


but in reality..... jesus, that baby blue s14 looks like GARBAGE.
Whoever designed that must have been in some sort of drug induced hysteria.
an awesome car turned into something that resembles the port-a-johns at Willow Springs after ASB4


And why in the hell would anybody even hire that guy to drift? give me a break.

[RAM GARAGE]

its was wierd me and john were testing up at balcony for our test day and of course we low budget tunning at balcony but yeah same day Bondurant team was out there at horse theif and streets of willow privately . i was like dam wish we cuold have test days like that lol BALLER !!!

[Toycoma]

Nate Brasz (has been MIA after the fallout of the dunlop team)

He was with dunlop last year?? and what team did dunlop ever have??? they never transported any cars for any pro drivers in 06 as far as I know. I actually helped with the truck at the 06 NJ FD event since the team I was on at the time was sponsored by them and they helped no one with anything at the event who was sponsored by them.
Nate didnt run in nopee this year?