JOON MAENG, NEW BERGENHOLTZ RACING Formula D Driver

[INFO]

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[INFO]

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[Amanda]

Congrats Joon!! The nicest and most deserving korean person I know!

[INFO]

Press Conference Speech

First of all, I want to recognize and thank my Drift Alliance Brother Chris Forsberg, Kevin Wells, and Sergio Ramirez for their constant support and guidance, especially during last year’s season. Some of my best moments last year wouldn’t have been in existence if it weren’t for them. I’m so indebted to you guys and, soon, I hope that I’ll be able to return the profound kindness you have given me.

Now, I would like to take this time to thank from the bottom of my heart Bergenholtz Racing, for offering me a position on their exceptional team. Even as I stand before you to make it official, I still can’t get over the fact that I’m chosen to represent such an amazing group of people whose passion for this sport is bar none. People grow up and live life wanting a chance to prove themselves but, here I am with one of the best drift teams out there providing me a platform to do just that.



The first contact I ever had with Ron, believe it or not, was with his voice at Long Beach in 2007. His pit area was right across mine and his voice transcended the noise of the event itself. I remember asking myself, “How does that little man have such strength to yell all the time? Is it vitamins?” Even still, I remember through his voice that his passion for this sport is what fueled him and I wondered what I needed to do to have a team like his back me.


Now, 3 years later, I’m on his team. No, actually, I’ve become a member of his family. He has not only embraced me and my shortcomings but also taken it upon himself to teach me and supplement what I lack in knowledge and experience. I’ve learned so much from him already in the short time we’ve been together, one in particular being, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” After hearing this, I knew I was on the right team because I felt like he understood my history and struggles during the 3 years I’ve been drifting professionally and my objective in Formula Drift.
Words cannot describe the gratitude in my heart and I hope and pray that I’ll make them proud. So, thank you Ron and Bergenholtz Racing for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to add a new dimension to myself as both a driver and a person. What I promise you in return is to drive my heart out at every event, represent the team’s morale and integrity, and, at the end of the day, be true to who I am.

With that being said, I’ll like to officially announce the driver of Bergenholtz Racing: Joon Maeng.

[shubinette]

Joon

BIG congrats Joon. Hard work pays off!!
Samuel Hubinette

[GoukiS14]

Congrats Joon!

[B.Young]

I first met Joon at the HIN in Phoenix December 2008, and talking with him really kept my heart and spirit in the right direction when my car was in pieces and loosing faith. Congratulations and best wishes in the 2010 season.

[Piner]

Couldn't have gone to a nicer guy, congrats Joon!

[INFO]

Content From;http://www.joonmaeng.com/2010/02/06/...ak-of-br-rx-8/

Text by JOON MAENG



It’s crazy how efficiently and effectively Ron Bergenholtz works out of his 2-car-garage home. Just last week, the Nitto Mazda RX-8 was on its bare chassis that had been powder coated sterling silver. Ron tailored the Sparco racing seat, the steering wheel, the e-brake handle, and pedal assembly to my liking. Since they’re customfit to my proportions, I’ll be able to steer and drive faster! Yea~ I sat inside the car for awhile to adapt to it while thanking my lucky stars.

k1-ron-wires

Here is Ron cleaning every wire, plug, bolt, etc.; everything on the Mazda RX-8 looks brand new. Every square inch of the vehicle is spotless. This is one of the many similarities we share and it’s evident that Bergenholtz Racing and I are going to be like peas in a pod.



k1-8-interior

Here is a sneak peak of the interior. After the dash and other components were installed in the car, I got a better perspective on how it feels from the driver’s seat. It’s very important to feel connected with the car. Hopefully, after a couple of practice sessions, the car and I will be in sync!

k1-exterior-8



By the beginning of this week, it already looked like a car! In less than a week, the vehicle is nearly fully assembled with the new Mazda Trix 3 Rotary engine, Tial turbo, and the HKS Sequential 6 spd transmission. Now the vehicle is getting wrapped. Looking forward to driving the roaring RX-8!

Bergenholtz Racing Nitto Mazda RX-8 Specs.



Engine Mazda 3-rotor engineered and assembled by Kyle Mohan at Mazdatrix; Star Mazda three-stage dry sump setup with Peterson three-gallon sump tank and Baker Precision bearings; 600cc stage one/1,000 cc stage two injectors; custom Steen Chassis intake manifold with GM Z06 90mm throttle-body and Burns Stainless turbo manifold; NGK spark plugs and wires; TiAL GT40XSPL turbo (configured by Tod Kaneko), blow-off valve and 60mm wastegate; HKS intercooler; Mishimoto radiator and oil coolers; AEM air filter; Product Engineering fuel pump; Aeromotive fuel regulator; Stewart water pump and recovery tanks; Baker Precision Ultralite plumbing lines



Transmission HKS 6-speed sequential transmission; 1.5-way LSD; Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and 1,000hp custom axles with hubs

Engine Management MoTeC M800, dual CDI-8, Power Distribution Module (PDM) and full wiring; tuning by Eric Hsu at XS Engineering

Power 600 hp with 480 lb-ft at 14 lbs of boost



Suspension & Chassis Chassis work by Ron Bergenholtz and Steen Chassis; 3-way competition adjustable KW coilovers and rear sway bar; Speed Source front sway bar and custom adjustable rear arms; Steen Chassis rollcage, custom upper and lower arms



Wheels & Tires ENKEI PF01 Nitto NT05

Brakes Brembo Brakes

Exterior paint by Sam’s Auto Land, Gardena, CA; APR GTC-500 wing with Steen Chassis mounts; Seibon fiberglass doors and trunk lid; custom door sills and quarter panels by Troy Sumitomo at 5Axis; custom Steen Chassis hood

Interior Sparco seats, seatbelts and Champion steering wheel; McKenzie’s wink mirror; MoTeC ADL instrument cluster; ATI 10 gallon fuel cell

[INFO]

BY JOON MAENG

3 Rotaries Are Spinning

Once the engine fired up, Bergenholtz Racing got the alignment and KW suspension dialed in. I had the chance to experience the HKS sequential transmission for the first time whiling loading the car! It feels and sounds astonishing!



Even in the engine bay, everything had to be perfect. Ron Bergenholtz lives up to his name every day and second of his life; he’s a perfectionist!

[INFO]

JOON MAENG
http://twitter.com/JoonMaeng

"Mazda RX-8 is on the dyno with Bergenholtz Racing, Brian, Nathan @ Motec, Eric the tuner, Chan & I. So far 604 h.p. 486 torque. "

[INFO]

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[Bebop]

This is the prettiest ugly car in formula D history

and yes that is a compliment

lol

I really hope Joon can rip the hell out of this thing.

[INFO]

JOON MAENG tested the BERGENHOLTZ RACING RX-8 for the first time on March 2nd at Willow Springs from around 8AM-4PM

They plan to test again next week but the location has not been set.

[INFO]

1st Test Day

Content by Joon Maeng
http://www.joonmaeng.com/2010/03/06/our-1st-test-day/


On Tuesday, March 2nd, I gladly got out of my bed at 3 in the morning to head out for my first date with the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX-8! Ron and I loaded up the vehicle along with spare parts, my new Sparco Racing gear, camera, etc. and got on the Freeway towards Walt James Oval Race Track!

Driving to Willow Springs is reminiscent of those days when I drove my stock S13 coupe to the track at 4AM hearing those bolts vibrating loose from the turbo flange. Something always had to be fixed before the start of the event so, I had to leave extra early to tend to that and whatever else that spontaneously came up. Also, there were times when I had to drive it back home after a Drift Day or Just Drift event whether it be with a dead turbo or a semi-functional transmission.



Ed Bergenholtz and Derek Ige from Mazda Speed was patient enough to follow us to the track, especially while we drove approximately 55 MPH. My heart was full of thanks to Ron, Ed, and Derek because they not only made it possible to test this early but also took time off work to make this happen.

I was very happy to see Brian Benson, my Crew Chief, and Kevin Wells from LS AUTO/CFR join us for our very first test session of the RX-8! I’m so fortunate and blessed to have passionate, dedicated, and amazing friends!

Although Kevin has a full time job as Chris Forsberg’s Crew Chief , and building Zs as well as with hundreds of other projects that are in line for him, he still made the time to come and support the new car that I’ll be driving in the 2010 Formula Drift Championship.



Here, Bergenholtz Racing walking the walk by double checking the vehicle to make sure everything is still the same as the day on the dyno-tune. Witnessing everyone working so hard to have a productive and successful practice made me ask myself how I came to be so lucky and, instantly, I thanked God because it truly is a dream come true. I was and still am accustomed to relying on myself to work and prepare the car before any driving session, but now I can actually spend more time on improving my driving skills; I typed up a to-do list for the RX-8 to check off and/or note what worked or needed improvements.



Buckled into the Sparco Rev Racing seat, I started warming up the track with the blow torch on the rear of the vehicle.



I was astonished with testing the MAZDA RX-8! First time driving a vehicle with 604 WHP and 486 TORQUE! Those phenomenal Nitto NT05’s were smoking up the entire track and had plenty of traction and predictability! Bergenholtz Racing did an amazing job building this machine! I’m still trying to adapt with this powerful Mazda Trix 3 rotor Tial turbo Motec M800 setup.

It’s a plus that we’ll be on the ACT clutch setup soon. The clutch should last the full Formula Drift season, if not longer, with the brand new reliable/bullet proof ACT clutch. I’ve been running on them since my inception to drifting. I have total faith in their products cuz it’s the good stuff!



Testing out the angle and the limits of the RX-8. Because of a few bugs around the power steering area, I was sore from steering all day. It was a great workout though. Good thing I’ve been karting at K1 to help with the extra strength needed to counter steer.


I was enjoying every bit of the new, extremely powerful ride, while remaining focused on my to-do list. I was pushing the vehicle more and more with each lap so that I could give as much feedback as I can give to my team.



Brian checking to see if everything is going smooth and discussing what needed adjustments.



While I was pitting in, it took me by surprise to see Dirk S., Daniel S. from ACT! They came by to show support and took a few shoots of the vehicle in action! Dirk and Daniel enjoy being involved and taking in the the track ambiance every time I meet them. They are always enthusiastic about the sport of drifting!



It’s time for a break and lunch. Yet, we couldn’t stop staring at the car and thinking of what to do next to make it hyper-competitve. All this was done while munching on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tacos, and burritos. Lunch was good!

Derek, Kevin, Ed, and Daniel were filming and taking pictures while I was on the track. I appreciate all the pictures they provided cuz I couldn’t have made this blog w/o them!



Brian on the left, Kevin underneath the right fender in action, and myself trying to figure out why my flip was dying even with new batteries. The RX-8 felt even better after the change. It’s amazing what a small change can do.

In the 2007 inaugural season of F.D., I make the decision to avoid making any adjustments on the S13; I just drove it as is and told myself to adjust to the vehicle. But I noticed that I could only go so far with that strategy. Lesson learned: constant change and adjustments are needed on the car in order to obtain maximum performance from both the driver and the car.



I can’t emphasize enough how much I love and respect this team! Although Ron, Ed, Kevin, Derek, and Brian know so much about race/drift cars and have their own perspective on what works and doesn’t work, they stay humble and listen to each others’ concerns and advices so that what’ s best can be implemented on and with the car. It feels like we are invincible!



More changes on the KW Suspension were made by my crew chief, Brian Benson. It was great to have Chris M. @ KW Suspension join and support us! It got better and better every time I tested it out! Thanks Brian!



Went through 12 Brand new Nitto NT05 Tires at the end of the day. The Enkei PF01 wheels are so light and durable that it felt just right compared to the preceding sets of wheels. Never before in my drifting career have I had the opportunity to practice as much as I did before Formula Drift round 1! If I was lucky, maybe one short practice session, but, normally, I’d get none. ”Practice,” in its broadest form, came mainly from imaginary test sessions in the garage while sitting in the driver’s seat.

We will be working hard and training as much as we can during the rest of the off-season! I’ll do my very best to deliver an awesome experience!