My daily life on the Club consist basically of roaming around threads and engaging into topics that grabs or needs my attention. After all this time, curiosity finally starts to set in on who Motohide Miwa is. I hear him attending/managing events, contacts with D1 drivers, going to agenda meetings at Toyota, etc etc. This, all-in-all, makes Moto sound like a very important/famous person to me and I would like to know who he is and if at all possible, finally meet him one day and get his autograph... and then tell him i'm his son.

So if you don't mind Moto, please introduce yourself to me and to those who don't know you.

Kudos,
Henry

Modified by Moto-P at 5:53 AM 5/19/2007

I owe you a long due introduction I guess. Maybe I haven't done that since 1998 when this website was started.

I'm a resident of Southern California

My primary occupation is tending to my own restaurant, MIFUNE in Torrance, CA.

Serving noodles and other Japanese foods as fourth generation of noodle making business owner. If that’s what “GumballF355” means by Noodle Prince…well being an heir to this small shop, I guess I am in a way.

I have been a nut for cars since before I was born (perhaps).
Anyway, having owned and driven many cars as this nutcase, AE86 was always on my shopping list, as its inaugural year was also the year I got my driver's license at 16. I couldn't afford a new AE86 back then as a teen, but I have always planned on getting one. Many cars have come and gone in my driveway since my first car, a 1985 Honda Civic S.

In 1993, I finally came across an AE86 which was in the form of a scrapped car, which I built bit by bit. Drove it everyday and loved it for years. No AC and No radio.

By 1991 I was already almost two years into my marriage with my wife, and I was also about to have a daughter. So things sort of went on economy mode for a while.

By 1995, however, I owned 3 AE86's for parts, practice driving, and to make one good car.
1998 was my 5th one, the very same one I own as a Levin today.

Anyway, to document the AE86 build and to develop a then, fairly new hobby of web-making, I started a website called Club4AG. I did this primarily for putting my own blog up, and hopefully gather some insight with others who started to embrace the internet revolution.

About this time, I was also heavily into attending track events, competitions in SCCA Solo2, and sometimes car shows. It’s where I made hundreds of acquaintances and friends who shared a very cultish passion of AE86. Guys like Taka Aono, Hiroo Sumida, and dozens of others who raced and enjoyed Corollas.

(continued...)

By 2000, I had about 600 or so members in a forum within Club4AG, and one of them, Naoki Kobayashi approached me about starting a track event organization entity. We named it Drift Association, as we just wanted to introduce this sport to the US.

It wasn't big at all, back then... Everyone laughed and couldn't really see anything grow, and only a few who embraced videos and what's going on in Japan, appreciated it. We did events called Drift Day first in slots of regular track days, but later as stand alone events as population slowly grew.

Then, in 2002, D1 Grand Prix's producers from Japan and publishers of Option, SUNPROS approached us and hired us in the creation of a test market drift event. We couldn't believe the timing, and we learned what real drifting was... Ken Nomura, now a D1 legend, showed us hands on. Why us? Perhaps we were the only group of guys who didn’t laugh at drifting in the USA. Hard to imagine but you should have been there then… No one really understood or cared.

Few months after, Falken Tires approached us to oversee the track management of Falken Drift Showoff. A new motorsports event and the first real spectator drift event in the USA. Drift Association of Naoki and I soon was busy catering services to almost all of the drifting events in the USA, which happed mostly in Southern California for the first few years…

In 2003 D1 Grand Prix officially held a first round of exhibition here in the USA, and we were there to run it. A year later, Formula D emerged from local promoters of first D1, and we were there. RSR and Falken put on a Tour of drift events all across the USA, and we were there too.

Few years went by and by 2005, drifting was everywhere in the media. Industry embraced it as drag racing was starting to cost too much and aging as anything fresh.
Through working in a whole new dream world, I had a chance to meet many people, entities, and a hobby became a dream to be lived. Demanding, yes, with almost no days off for months out of the year, but enjoyable.

Now in 2007, after I’ve taken a quiet break for close to a year from many of the events, I had handed off Drift Association LLC to Naoki. He still continues our legacy and focus of making drifting accessible to all. I’m back in the industry as consultant to many events, and advisor to D1 Grand Prix Series for upcoming 2008 season.

It’s timely that you asked who I am… As in a few weeks, if all details come together smoothly, I’ll be touring the USA with D1 Grand Prix USA for few years ahead, working with many talented industry people to try and improve the world for drifters and those who cherish motorsports and automotive hobbies in general.

Club4AG? Well it’s now 200,000 members strong and growing yet. And I would have never dreamed that it would be blessed with all of you who gather to share your passions. It’s my treasure, this web community and I hope you can call it that too. It belongs to all of us and I will try my best to keep it alive between duties of my life.

Thanks, all of you.

Sincerely,

Motohide “Moto” Miwa
Webmaster, Club4AG, and many other hats of my duties to you all.
And a father of 3 daughters, and love to my wife, who puts up with this busy life of mine.

Moto's knowledge of cars still amazes me to this very day...

Fast and Reliable = Not cheap

Reliable and Cheap = Not fast

Fast and Cheap = Not Reliable

we spent long nights wiring my stand alone ecu in his garage since my japanese lacks in every department.

without his help and Inspiration, i would not be where i am today.

LOL! Haha, you got me there! And most of you who still use AE86 as commuter, date wheels, and other more unusual purposes I don't even want to know... Perhaps though, it is my love of cars in general, or even to say anything on wheels from airplanes to go karts... I have a particular urge to try a new driving experience on regular basis... So my daily driver gets replaced as quickly as my credit line for loans and cash savings replenish. An I enjoy any car, minivans, deisel trucks, vintages and big sedans too.

Still, the fact that I haven't been without an AE86 for over 17 years, is a statement of how much I love it. And I'll probabaly never sell my AE86 unlesss the focus is to own another in replacement.

Thus, Club4AG will live as long as there's internet and me.

club4ag is a great place where corolla heads can help and talk with each other. other online forums are crazy flame wars.

i dunno what im talking about, its late (early?) and all that alcohol is finally starting to hit me....

i guess in short, thanks moto!

i said YES!

ill never forget that...thats the main key why im a corolla owner...FUN

simple question but meant so many things ...

"From all the years , I learned not everyone in a AE86 corolla is automatically your friend ...A car doesn't make someone automatically a TRUSTED person "

-------OEM Manual Rack sets or Hybrid sets ---- hmu thru pm < RACK CITY

-------OEM non-cruise throttle cables for sale ----
http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=64669

-----------------15x10 wheels for sale------------------------
http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=112591

Long live Moto....Long live Moto...!!!!

ebay items:
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/me...sopZ1

Moto is Japanese, owns an AE86, runs a noodle house, loves to track his car...

Hmm, I can definitely see some similarities there. Moto, are sure your not Takumi in disguise??? Minus the stickers...

Getting all anime here now... LOL!

Fast and Reliable = Not cheap

Reliable and Cheap = Not fast

Fast and Cheap = Not Reliable

He's actually spot-on in theories of ideas and technologies about automotive sports. Only that translated version to cartoon anime, then again to English... Without knowlegable, experienced, automotive racing people in the anime industry, get totally lost in translation.

The animated version is good entertainment but loses much of really good contents for enthusiasts, if you know the book version. Exaggerated for entertainment, it's not bad...but people ridiculing his work as such is not fair at all, because his comic book series was nothing like the anime or the screwed up English and Chinese versions.

Imagine Fast and Furious 3 and it's difference to actual life of a drifter in Japan... Similarities stop beyond cars going sideways... It's the same deal here... But I give anyone credit for making the sport popular. Just now, we are all responsible for understanding the real forces and dedication as a person, driver and teams trying to make a life outside of that fantasy-land.

Our Club4AG is one of many places where we can spread the word about real people's real passions for cars, driving, and competitions. AS such, I spend time trying to get through to all the innocent newcomers that sees motorsports as appealing, and to teach them how to stay entertained and educated for life.

I'm the writer's generation of people and in native Japanese language. Shigeno in Inital D and his previous works "BariBari Densetsu"... One would begin to understand that the writer himself is a very seasoned fan and participant of the motorsport.

Anyway, thanks for the nice words!

I even organised an AE86 meet with the hopes of introducing drifting in Ireland, like Moto had done with DD1 stateside.
http://www.skynet.ie/~eireae86....html

Through Club4AG I discovered figures like Tsyuchiia who were pro racers who loved the AE86. In Europe where Ford and other makers have their racing idols asociated with teh car it was nice to discover a similar "CULTure" among other AE86 enthusiasts the world over.

I hungered for more AE86 media and asked Moto if he could someday send me some AE86 VHS goodness from Japan :D After collecting many copied BM/HotVersion tapes over the course of a year I recieved a package in the post from the USA. BM31, from Moto, it took a year but he still remember to look out for me :D

I even went to DD13 to give back the tape and meet you but you were promoting an event in Atlanta :'( next time maybe.

Due to not getting a job after college, and the rise in AE86 prices here it took some time before I finally got one in good enough nick.
I've attend my first two drift practise events, with more to come.
Cheers to Jerry from "Team HINGA" for the tuition ;D
http://www.skynet.ie/~eireae86/MyAE86/
http://www.skynet.ie/~eireae86...ftDay/
http://www.skynet.ie/~eireae86/MyAE86/DriftDay2/

I dont spend as much time posting on the forum as I did back in the day, but I find that Im spending more time DOING things myself rather than reading about others :D I think thats a good thing!
Ive learned a lot from Club4AG and am proud to be a long time member!

Moto, Im still hoping to bump into you Stateside someday and say thanks for everything!

Rock on Club4AG!

---Holy Crap Moto, I didn't know you knew "Humpty Hump" (SF hat) from Digital Underground. That's some old school Shizzle yo! He do the Humpty Slide? haha.

Chris
TeamHinga-Okinawa

HAHA AL = Humpty Hump!

Moto,
I too have been here since late 90's and have learned so much from you and your website. I even donated the 1 time you allowed donations. I would donate again to help support this site. Thank you, Moto. By the way, I walked right past you a few years ago in front of your noodle shop. I was going to say hi, but you looked busy and I figured you get 50 fanboys a day saying hi to you. I also was going to say hi to you at the Chicago event a couple years back, maybe more, but you were definately busy then.

Keep up the good work!

Al, where is Tupac?

Check out my website for drifting in Indiana http://www.indianadrifting.com

http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/ USE it!

I've been wrong before... and at somepoint in time, I'll be wrong again

Such a noob back then, haven't really been able to drift since, but i've gotten into tearing down my little sr5 and rebuilding it with some gusto lets say.

I wonder if he still remembers me, it's been a while

All i could think of is the parents finding the cardboard box under the bed labeled "porn" and opening it up to find bootleg AE86 videos and being somewhat disappointed in me.

SwangBiz Chassis Products
http://forums.club4ag.com/zero...age=1
MFactory Longer T50 5th Gear Group Buy
http://forums.club4ag.com/zerothread?id=113077
Loud Pipes Save Lives -Swangbiz

Honda Master Technician/ASE Master Technician

It this a good thing?? Or a bad thing??