Posted by Admin on November 24, 2008
The Specialty Equipment Market Association show more commonly known as SEMA has become an annual “staple” for anyone in the worldwide automotive aftermarket industry. Held every fall in Las Vegas, Nevada, this annual 4-day event attracts parts and equipment manufactures, specialty car builders, tuning/hot rod shops, race teams and car manufactures from around the globe. Even in these challenging economic times, this year’s show was an amazing display of what’s hot in the automotive world. Over the past few years “drift cars” have made up a large portion of the vehicles displayed as companies use them to help convey their cutting-edge style and overall company excitement and this year was no exception. What was different this year, however, was the inclusion of our very own DVM Mustang, which was placed in a prime spot. Our car was displayed directly in front of the main hall, right next to Maguire’s Car Crazy television stage.
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Posted by Admin on November 5, 2008
Falken Tire drivers Doug Van Den Brink and Vaughn Gittin, Jr. were at it again “slide’n”
their Mustangs around The Barrett-Jackson Auto Sale this time in Las Vegas, NV. The
drifting demo event was held in conjunction with Ford Performance Parts marketing group
and Falken Tire. From Vegas, Doug was on his way back east to compete in the final round
of the Street Life Tour at Xenia Ohio’s Kil-Kare Speedway. These together with stops at
Irwindale Speedway in California and New Hampshire speedway have made it a real busy
month for our “Carolina traveler.”
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Posted by Admin on August 25, 2008
Falken Tire drivers Doug Van Den Brink and Vaughn Gitten, Jr. made their way to Dearborn,
Michigan, just outside of Detroit, to do a little “slide’n” on behalf of Ford Performance Parts
last week. The drifting demo/ride-along event was part of an “employee appreciation day”
that Ford’s marketing group put together in conjunction with Falken Tire. Continue reading »
Posted by Admin on August 11, 2008
Last season, when D’Vanz Motorsports rolled into South Carolina for the Elite
Summer Nationals everything went nice and smooth right up to the time to start the
tandem elimination rounds. Their bright red Ford Mustang overpowered its clutch
and on a day that had started off with such high expectations was over in an instant
with a car stuck in neutral. Fast forward to present day and those expectations and
hopes for success were completely fulfilled and “all is right again in the world.”
“Last year’s event really made me sad.” DVM’s driver Doug Van Den Brink said.
“This year we left nothing to chance. The car was fresh, I was fresh, well rested,
and we really focused on the “big picture” all day.
With Ben Bryant on the headset helping Doug make the calls on the car, the team
made the right adjustments to keep them at the front of the pack all day long. When
it came time to qualify the 38-car field, Doug went out about midway through the
qualifying session and threw down 2 blistering runs back-to-back that put the
Mustang at the top of the charts in the minds of the judges and everyone else’s for
that matter.
“I really wanted to put on a good show this weekend and do my job to the best of
my ability,” Van Den Brink said. “With the car working as well as it did, I was able to
concentrate on hitting my marks and be accurate with the car placement.”
Once the “Top-8” tandem rounds came, Doug picked-up where he left off,
aggressively attacking the course and his competition. In the “Top-4”, Doug battled
Andy Sapp in his black BMW. These longtime friends have slid together many times
and it showed by how close they ran to each other giving the crowd a real
demonstration of what drifting is all about with the Mustang (this time) coming out
on top. In the Finals, Doug went up against Chris Orsini in his smartly prepared
Nissan. With Doug leading the first pass, he laid-down a Falken Tire smokescreen
that Chris later said was a struggle to see though. Once the two drivers swapped
positions for the second round Doug gave the crowd something to see as he
pushed the Nissan for all it was worth. In the end, the DVM crew came out on top
and put the ghost of last year’s event to rest with a decisive victory.
“Today was a really fun day and a reminder of why we work so hard to do this sport.
Out here sliding with good drivers in good cars is what it’s all about. Not to mention,
further demonstrating to everyone that all the companies behind our program offer
great products that really perform when the heat is on”, Doug added.
Next up for DVM will be a big surprise that we’ll share with everyone this time next
week… Here’s a hint, Ford, airplanes, Detroit, Falken, fun…. Stay tuned…..
