Having worked in the automotive print industry for a few years now, I am often presented with access to special, sometimes private, events. These could be cocktail mixers, privately hosted release parties by various companies in the auto industry, or even pizza parties. Yes, pizza parties. I generally try to attend, even though I often feel out of place and socially inadequate, but I try my best to be an ‘industry guy’ by attending said gatherings. It’s great when I run into my friends there and we can just score free shit and hang-out but there have been times when I have had to work private industry shindigs where I absolutely know zero people…and well…that’s not too fun. But, it’s an experience. I understand that I am privy to the knowledge of these events because I have my share of accomplishments in my field so I appreciate it wholeheartedly when I am invited. So, please invite me so I can stand there with my hands in my pockets, people-watching and thinking someone is waving to me when they are actually waving at someone behind me….

Recently, I was invited to a Forza industry event during E3 and some lady comes up to me and starts chatting with me about some RC car or something that she emailed me about. I believe she may have worked at H______n (You fill in the blanks). She casually interrupts my conversation with someone else and just starts talking. I have no idea what she’s talking about but ‘Industry Joey’ plays along and just nods and goes, “uhhhh I think so..” while she continues to speak. Then out of nowhere, the ACTUAL guy she was trying to talk to approaches and interrupts our conversation and this is like, peak awkwardness. This is the super move of awkwardness. They start talking and I’m still fucking standing in-between them like an asshole. Suddenly I don’t exist. And then she turns to me and makes some awkward-joke about how I was the one to blame and how I was “bad Mark” or whatever because the guy she was trying to talk to was Mark from wherever the fuck…

Let me state now that I NEVER ONCE SAID MY NAME WAS MARK…

And the guy she was looking for was a white dude named Mark. I am neither white nor Mark…

So they just keep talking and then I exit the conversation like I was at fault for falsifying my identity or something. I stayed about five more minutes and then I left after eating some free Prosciutto and downing a plastic cup of free Vodka…

Anyways, I get to see some cool shit sometimes at these events. It’s a trade-off really. I’ll trade social ineptitude for car stuff. I’ve been doing it my entire career, lol. A few weeks ago, I got an email from Sam Du from Super Street about a pizza party he was hosting at the Motor Trend/Super Street offices in El Segundo, California. I haven’t done work for Sam in a while but he still invites me to things and I appreciate it. The crew from SS recently completed their first-ever “Mazda Issue” and decided to team-up with Mazda to host a little social gathering on a Thursday afternoon. They would have some modified Mazdas at the event and a true motorsports legend, the Mazda 767B, sitting inside their photo studio for invited guests to see. There would be delicious, high-quality, pizza (not that $5 Little Caesar’s shit), modified Mazdas, a bunch of young YouTuber people, industry guys, and more young YouTuber people…

It was fun. I even ran into Nads from Hoonigan and Rywire Ryan there. When I say “I even ran into”, I mean I had no one else to eat pizza with so I grabbed a slice and stood next to them while they had a full-on conversation. There weren’t too many cars but I wanted to make sure I got a good photo of the Mazda 767B. I’ve seen it before at the Japanese Classic Car Show as well as its overseas counterpart when I went to Australia but I’ve always been super fond of these racecars. There are only about 2 (maybe 3?) left so I try to get a glimpse of them whenever I have the opportunity. When I pulled-up, I immediately realized that I had blundered and forgot to bring my tripod with me. The 767B was sitting inside the dimly-lit photo studio inside their office so it would be hard to get a clean shot. There were a lot of media people on hand too so I’d have to deal with people running back and forth getting their own photos as well…

I waited and waited, eventually coming to the realization that it was best to steal a photo while everyone was hovering around the free pizza and that I did. When the coast cleared, I walked over to the 767B, laid my Canon dSLR on top of my backpack, and used my bag as the tripod for my photo. I think it came out pretty cool, all things considered. I also like the tire marks and dirt that it brought in with it, being that it was such a sharp contrast against the incredibly clean, all-white infinity walls of the photo studio. It was a fun few hours. Thanks for the invite Sam Du. And thanks for the free pie…

Dennis Smith’s old flared MX-5 Miata, now owned by “Eunos_Manny”, sitting nice and low on 2-piece Work Meister S1 wheels…

Jonny Grunwald’s Pandem widebody Mazda RX-8 running a Bridgeport Renesis II Rotary set-up making close to 500HP…

Nick Fousekis from Falken Tire’s personal Mazda FD3S RX-7 featuring a TBO hotdog hood, Burnout front bumper, and RE Amemiya AD Mirror Type 1…

Always cool to see a clean set of Enkei Racing RS-01 wheels…

Hertlife’s FC3S RX-7 that travels around the country just about as much as I do. I feel like I see this thing more outside of California even though it’s technically from here…

Under the hood of the RX-7 Turbo II is a 13B-REW swap with a Garrett GTX3582R turbocharger and V-mounted intercooler set-up…

The interior of Hertlife’s “Twerkstallion” FC…

Custom Blitz Type-01 wheels, BN Sports Type 1 aero and front fenders along with Hot Line Performance rear over fenders…

Right across from Hertlife’s build was the Angel Motorsports FC3S sitting low on polished Work Emotion XT7 wheels…

Nice to see that the owner also had a 13B Rotary still in his RX-7. How weird would it have been to host a Mazda-dedicated event with an LS-powered RX-7? Lol…

One of the cars that will be prominently-featured in the upcoming Super Street “Mazda Issue” is this yellow FD3S RX-7, built by Enticed Motorsports…

Comp Turbo-equipped 13B also running the traditional V-mount radiator and intercooler set-up…

FD RX-7s are perhaps some of the best-looking factory bodied Japanese vehicles ever-produced and look great with just factory aero…

Here are a couple photos of the Mazdaspeed-built 767B race car, as shot via my backpack tripod and greasy pizza-eating hands…

Fris Cassasola from Lucky 7 Racing’s Pandem widebody FC3S RX-7 build greeted the privately-invited guests as they made their way into the photo studio…

Street-ported 13BT engine from Lucky 7 Racing motivated by a Turblown Engineering 7670 EFR turbo set-up and V-mounted intercooler utilizing beautifully-welded titanium piping…

One more of the Super Street magazine cover car…

Oh shit, that’s all the photos I took that afternoon…

Thanks guys, see everyone at Wekfest San Jose this weekend!!…