The May, 2010 issue of RIDES magazine has just hit the stands, and a shoot that I did at the beginning of March is featured within. The car, a Lexus LS, was painted an amazing candy pink by Alps Auto Body in Memphis, TN, and is rolling on 24-inch chrome spinners. Click past the jump to see a few more photos from the shoot, and pick up a copy to see what else got featured along with this beauty.

Special thanks go to the owner of the car, and to Alps Auto Body for their support with the shoot. I’d also like to thank fellow Nashville photographer Corey Gibb who was kind enough to assist.

Strobist info: Alienbees B800 x4, triggered using RadioPopper JrX series.

While I was up in New Jersey covering the Formula Drift event for Performance Auto and Sound Magazine, I was also able to get the full scoop on Kyle Mohan’s latest creation for the same publication. This past year was the debut of his new Mazda RX-8 drift car. It’s quite a beast, and the white/camo livery carries on the tradition from his previous FC nicely. Pick up the Dec. ‘09 issue (cover above), or head on over to the website to get the full story. Follow me after the jump to see more photos from the shoot, including one that nearly cost me a camera!

The only time available to photograph the car was on Friday when things had been rained out. So, I strapped the rain sleeves on my cameras and decided to make the most of it.

And here is the man himself. He and his father were very accommodating during the shoot, and didn’t mind the car getting a little wet. Apparently it helped them find a leak or two on the interior!

But, that is not where this story ends. I had my rig with me, and was eager to use it since I had lugged it on the plane all the way from Tennessee. The result was a pretty neat shot, but I had to put my camera upside down beneath a dripping awning. By the time we got the shot, a few of the buttons on my 40D had stopped functioning. Luckily, I went at it with a blow drier as soon as I got home from the track, and everything was back to normal. Phew!

It’s time to close the book on 2009 as I look ahead to 2010. I was privileged to work with Performance Auto and Sound magazine on the Formula Drift Wall, NJ event, and the coverage went to print in the Oct. issue (shown above). I’ve noticed that some magazine racks run a little behind schedule, so be sure to check your local Borders or B&N just in case there’s a few of these still around.

Click past the fold to see some of my favorite shots from the weekend.

Friday’s practice session was cut short due to a large downpour that hit the whole NY/NJ area in the afternoon. I could see the clouds looming as I crossed the George Washington bridge in the morning on my way to the track. That didn’t stop a few drivers from putting on a show for the press photographers such as myself who braved the elements – the practice was not open to the public. I asked Robbie Nishida (below) afterwards what he thought of the conditions, and despite both his front and rear bumpers being torn off in the puddles, he thought it really wasn’t that bad.

NJ is home turf for Falken ace Vaughn Gittin Jr. and he was on fire the whole weekend.

Joon Maeng also had an outstanding weekend, beating out Ryan Tuerck in the round of 32. This ended up having huge implications on the overall points standings for the season, as Tuerck finished 2nd to Forsberg by only 6 points!

On Saturday during the early practice session there was still a little bit of standing water off-line on the track. This made for some cool reflections, as in the shot below of Kyle Mohan’s RX-8.

Tanner Foust didn’t have the best run in his Rockstar Scion tC, but it sure did look good when he had it sideways.

As the sun set in the afternoon, only one could stand atop the podium. That one was Irishman Darren McNamara in the Falken Saturn Sky. Gittin, and McQuarrie managed to make it a sweep for the tire sponsor in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Although I managed to catch a cold from standing in the rain all day Friday, the event was a blast and I look forward to attending again this coming summer.