Ask NADINE TOYODA Something!

[NadineToyoda]

Originally posted by RyanHampton
Hey Nadine,

First off I would like to compliment you on your tenacity with drifting pretty! I think there are a lot of people that are jeleous of what you have accomplished in a short amount of time. I don't think they understand what it takes to do what you do. Also, I feel your efforts will be very successful!

My questions:

1) Would you like to go racing?

2) Do you need some contacts for racing?*

*Cathryn Nunn is starting an Indy team for women...2 cars...

3) How often do you so called "grip" drive?

4) Do you autocross?

5) Do you open track drive?

6) How would grip driving help a girl starting out in drifting?*

*I'm not hounding you, just trying to get you to explain it in girl terms.*

*See my wife for "girl terms" definition.

Sorry for so many questions! Tell Benson I am also in Love with him, and thank him for the JIC advice......

Hi Ryan! Its nice to hear from you ...thanks for the questions, now here's your "cute" answers!

1) Yes I love racing

2) Yes I would love some contacts for racing. I want to definitely talk to other women in the racing sport and see what their experiences were!

3) I grip drive at Speedtrial USA events usually either at Buttonwillow or at Willow Springs at least 4 times a year. I love it.

4) Yes I autocross. I try to go whenever it doesn't conflict with my drifting practices.

5) Yes I open track drive on the street hahaha, or do you mean like at Willow or Buttonwillow, wheel-to-wheel? Yes its fun.

6) Grip driving would help a girl starting out in drifting by teaching her the fundamentals of racing. The importance of racing line, learning the limits of your car, learning different techniques of braking, the affects of different tire pressures....stuff like that, all apply to drifting. You need to know those fundamentals to be good at drifting! You get judged on line, speed, control, etc in drifting...all that stuff that you first learn from grip driving. Being on an open track with other cars is a great first experience. I drove my first Speedtrial Grip event in the pouring rain and learned immediately how to avoid oversteer hahahaha. That was so fun. When I do lil' go-kart racing at Irwindale, I still learn even there! Grip driving is fun and a hell of a lot easier than drifting was for me hehehe. So if you're a girl that wants to get into drifting...first drive a "grip" event like a SCCA Solo2 Autox or Speedtrial USA road race event. .

I haven't gotten any questions from a women! Are there any here on drifting.com? I would love to hear from you gals!

[FC_RAUL]

1)Who are your favorite drifters?
2)What women have inspired you in motor sports?
3)Would you ever switch to a different car?

[mav1178]

Nadine,

Finally I have a question for you.

Your bf Benson (who has a nice *Censored**Censored**Censored*, BTW) often talks about crashing, how every good driver has to crash at least once.

After experiencing such an event a few days ago, I now know the feeling of it.

How do you feel towards your first crash? And when I mean crash, I don't mean soccer moms hitting your car in a parking lot.

How do you prepare mentally for it?

And what advice (if any) would you give to aspiring drifters (especially women who look to you as a role model) on the crash course on crashing?

-alex

[ma67_drifter]

Nadine will you accept my challenge to a circle drifting battle at the next event of your choice?

heres what your up against. a short but sweet performance.
http://www.geocities.com/hanzomotors...edrift.wmv.zip

[NadineToyoda]

Originally posted by FC_RAUL
1)Who are your favorite drifters?
2)What women have inspired you in motor sports?
3)Would you ever switch to a different car?

Sorry for the late reply! Again, thanks for keeping this thread goin!

1. I have some favorite drifters...
Kumakubo - because he openly supports women in drifting by helping Team Kumakazoku in Japan (an all woman drifting team). I've also gotten to talk to him a several occasions and even got to ride with him while doing tandem with his Team Orange teammates...he is a nice person, and he isn't all into himself. His quote "drift with your smile" is something that I believe in myself. I look up to him.

I also like Ueo, again I've talked to him on several occasions, and he is another driver from Japan that is very down to earth and a positive, nice individual. Oh yah, and cuz he's kinda cute.

I Love Benson Hsu...not only as a person, but as a driver. He hasn't let this drifting craze go to his head. He maintains a positive attitude in drifting and doesn't drive to promote himself, he drives for the fun and excitement of drifting.

2. I've seen a few women in motorsports, of course in other forms like Indy...I haven't paid too close attention, because its hard to find them. It really is a shame that more companies don't help put their names out. I respect the women out there that are racing professionally, myself knowing from first-hand experience, I know that it is a challenge to be one of the first women out there. The odds are against you! I'd like to get to know more women in other motorsports...I have so many questions for them.

3. Switching to a different car...I would. I would always keep my car, but I think change is good. I think challenging yourself with different cars will help you become a more solid driver.

Thanks! :-)

[NHDrifter]

Hello Nadine,

well first off i wanna say how beutiful you are, and i think Drifting Pretty is a wicked awsome thing to do for girls...most guys think girls cant do much but myself i think differant, girls can drift as well if not better then any guy out there...and you are a very good driver ...oh yeah i met you and Benson at HIN in Boston Mass it was really cool to meet such wicked cool people....thanks for the awsome memories guys...and gals

[NadineToyoda]

Originally posted by mav1178
Nadine,

Finally I have a question for you.

Your bf Benson (who has a nice *Censored**Censored**Censored*, BTW) often talks about crashing, how every good driver has to crash at least once.

After experiencing such an event a few days ago, I now know the feeling of it.

How do you feel towards your first crash? And when I mean crash, I don't mean soccer moms hitting your car in a parking lot.

How do you prepare mentally for it?

And what advice (if any) would you give to aspiring drifters (especially women who look to you as a role model) on the crash course on crashing?

-alex

Being a woman in drifting, I know that I think about crashing a lot more than your average male drifter. Its in my nature to think about the worst case scenario and worry about it. I know there are many other Drifting Pretty gals that have the same worries.

I feel that Drifting and crashing go hand-in-hand. You can't take up drifting and expect that you will never wreck your precious car.

Up until this year, crashing was a big worry for me. I was scared. Scared of the walls and polls on the tracks. For a lot of us...drifting is a big mindgame. I would drift a course thinking about how much I worry about crashing, look at the polls and walls and totally screw up and almost hit them at times. Hahahaa. Its funny now that I think about it, but then it was a major issue for me. Since then, I've conquered my fears and worries about crashing.

How I got over it? I thought about crashing. Even dreamed about it. I put myself in a hypothetical situation, of totalling my car and thought about what i would do. I looked at my precious car. I love her...but she is a piece of metal! She is unique, in a sense that I've had her a long time, but I can build 50 copies of her. Its all in my head. So what, I destoy my precious car...I walk away from a wreck learning what I did wrong, making me a more experienced driver and I start over with another cute car. Things happen for a reason, so when i wreck, I know it was meant to be. The expectation is there now. I've already been concerned and sad about crashing in advance...come time I wreck my car, I'm already ready to move on and rebuild. Life goes on. Now I am taking crashing lighter than before and know that its a part of drifting and I've mentally prepared for it as much as I could.

On the track now, I don't look the polls and walls. I treat cones like they're walls...meaning, I don't hit them! I try my best to feel my car and learn as much as I can about controlling it. I ask a lot of questions, and I watch crash videos with Ben and he explains, if they could have, what the person could have done different to save it. At the woman's drifting competition Drifting Pretty had earlier this year, I almost hit a fence in Bensons car (shh don't tell him), it was all caught on video btw hahhahaa, and when the car stopped an inch from the fence I was laughing hahhaha!! Maybe I was laughing because it was Ben's car hehehe. I Love You Ben!!!! Anyways...

sorry about your car Alex, you're a dork. Its still sitting in my driveway. I look at that mangled thing and laugh at it like everyday hahhah!!!!!

[NadineToyoda]

Originally posted by ma67_drifter
Nadine will you accept my challenge to a circle drifting battle at the next event of your choice?

heres what your up against. a short but sweet performance.
http://www.geocities.com/hanzomotors...edrift.wmv.zip

Sure why not, but don't forget I'm the doughnut queen. I lived at the skid pad for years hahhaha!!!

[ma67_drifter]

i dunno... ive heard very different things. how about a secluded parking lot way up in the angeles forest, instead of an event?

[MK2SupraDrift]

Hahaha this is so funny most of these guys are so kissing up to you Nadine.

Anyway I haveint seen you at any of the events lately have you been going to any lately?

[360-d1]

I NadineToyoda:
knuff respect to u girl, just do your thing girl u hear!!!

[SilverGhost]

ive always wondered one thing, how much money do you and benson have in your cars? cause they are really nice, im just curious. thank you.

[mav1178]

Originally posted by ma67_drifter
i dunno... ive heard very different things. how about a secluded parking lot way up in the angeles forest, instead of an event?

You're an idiot.

-alex

[mav1178]

Originally posted by 360-d1
I NadineToyoda:
knuff respect to u girl, just do your thing girl u hear!!!

Thanks! Will do

- Nadine Toyoda

[NadineToyoda]

Originally posted by MK2SupraDrift
Hahaha this is so funny most of these guys are so kissing up to you Nadine.

Anyway I haveint seen you at any of the events lately have you been going to any lately?

I'm fortunate to have a lot of nice fans, peers, and friends here. Thank you everyone .

I've been still driving practice events, some private ones too, but all in a different car...Benson's car. I got my car repainted and took it all apart myself, so I've been putting back together piece by piece myself for a past few months. As far as competing, I will start next year, and debut with my new team. For now I have to finish my car...I think today will be the day , do som e photo shoots, have it on display at the JGTC/D1 event and then I'll be ready to beat on her at the track yay!!!