I am Ryan Tuerck, professional Formula Drift driver and star of the popular Drifting show Tuerck'd on Network A - AMA!

How did you get into drifting?

I got into drifting on accident. I had a mustang and was screwing around practicing car control. I found out what I was doing was drifting from downloading videos on Kazaa. This was back in 2002.

How do you feel about the judging being terribly inconsistent this year in FD?

The best part about the judging this year is that they can now tell you how and why they made the call.

Do you think Formula D will ever add in more stops? I'd love to see some professional drifting out on the streets of Detroit.

YES, they definitely will eventually. FD wants to add more stops most of the drivers want more stops but the issue is our budgets from sponsors won't support any more stops at this time. Most teams run on a 7 round budget and it's difficult to get sponsors to pay more than they already are to help with an 8th or 9th round. Like I said it will happen eventually but not sure how soon.

Do you and all the PSI guys have your FRS rear end issues sorted out? What diff, stub shafts, and axles were you running?

Good luck at Evergreen next week!

Hey man. We are hoping so. We got a set of bigger splined axles from driveshaft shop so we are hoping they are up to the task. We won't know till we hit the track at Evergreen.

Why do you have to be so fucking cool? -Ross Fairfield

ROSSSSSSSSS!!!! your the shit buddy.

what was your favorite event in the game of drift?

My favorite event in the game of drift was probably the watermelon smashing. It was fun and extremely challenging trying to hit all of those on the first try.

I heard your brother Justin is a better hockey player than you. Have you been working on your slapshot?

hahaha. I we ain't no hockey players. I'll stick to watching the Bruins on the couch.

Will there ever be a time where you do little amateur practice events? Such as Sonoma Drift. A few fd drivers come such as ryan kado, matt field and Luke lonberger have made appearances, would you ever make it out to cali to an event like that?

I'd love to make it out there for an event but all my cars are on the East coast. Makes it difficult and very expensive to transport cars around the country. It would be cheaper if you just came to a Clubloose event in NJ where me and all the other Drift Alliance guys get to play.

can we trade places for a day?

Your going to have to ask Network A.

If you could own any car in the world, what would it be?

There are too many to list. Prob start out with a Porsche 964, Then go to an 88 BMW M5. Then to some newer stuff like an e92 M3.

what is the best way to get started.....im not rich by any means so do I. build the 240 on my own dime? look for sponsors to help? and what should I have / do to appeal to sponsors? and last question....... wanna sponsor a car? ....sike.....thanks sir

You can't get sponsors without having a car. Your first step is build a car on your own dime (Most grassroots drifters have already done this) You appeal to sponsors by going to competitions and doing well. Make a name for yourself on and off the track. Look at what all the pros do and try to mimic them IE, Driving skills, representation, and social media.

What happened to your s13.5 from previous years?

I have driven more than one you need to be more specific on what years.

If you had to get a FWD car what would it be?

Man, tough question. What is even good? If it was FWD it would be a daily driver so probably something good on gas........... How about a 97 Honda civic?

HUGE fan,and i live almost next door! bring your brothers and friends and come have a cookout with me and my roomates! :)

haha right on. Where you guys at? I thought all the people around here were retired old people or families.

what all is done to the sr in your missle car?

It's a stock SR with t28 Garrett turbo charger. Nothing else is done to it besides an oil cooler and bigger oil pan.

Who currently running in the pro-am circuit should we be watching?

I'm not sure to be honest. Most of my homies have either already made it pro or quit.

whats your opinion on european drift scene? i saw you competing in latvia few weeks ago and it didn't seem that you pushed 110% hard as you usually do.

New car, New track, and I wanted to be invited back haha. If you want to be invited back you can't wreck the car. Also alot of those guys were really good and I had an absolute blast over there.

What got you interested in drifting? Or even cars themselves?

I grew up racing motocross so I was always interested in cars and motor sports. Cars were just the next step and being able to learn how to control a drift was just the progression of me challenging myself.

Hello Ryan. Do you ever see yourself jumping into another form of motorsports ie open wheel, grand am, spec miata? or is it drifting till the day you die?

I would jump at any opportunity to race anything in motorsports. I am a big fan of everything.

Hey Tuerck. Any plans to come to CT and hang out with the guys at 240sxmotoring and Wiring Specialties?

Not at the moment. I usually don't know what my schedule is until a few days beforehand.

bring formula d back to texas

We are going back to texas. Check the damn FD website.

Are you going to drift at Gatebil in Norway this year? By the way, i'm the dude with batman shirt, we met in Riga and i asked to get a picture with you. Saw it my own eyes, you drive awesome.

Yes! I booked my flight today. I get into Oslo at 9AM on Friday. See you there.

Howdy Tuerck. If there was one car competition you could get yourself into, what would it be? Perhaps Chilean Formula Citroneta? Combine harvester demolition derby? Bathtub racing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h6iEFfEkqg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idk3t-OYu9c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVOInHgwqAs

HAHA. Thanks for the question Raphael. That is a tough one to answer. I think I would make up my own competition. It would be a fun relay race filled with tasks of explodsions and destroying things. I think I just came up with another Tuerck'd Episode.

who is your favourite drifter from ireland?

Probably EOS. We were teammates for a little while and he is a solid dude.

Hey Ryan big fan, just wanted to ask do you think the popularity of v8 engine swaps into cars is ruining drifting a little? It seems that they have an avantage in formula D overall. Good luck in the next round!

I really hope not. There is always two ways of looking at things. The grassroots fans who love turbos are def not impressed but we are probably bringing in a different fanbase at the same time that have a V8 background. I think there is enough diversity in the FD field for everybody to be stoked on.

What was your first car?

my first car ever was an old toyota camry. I think it was an 88. Had no exhaust and was loud as hell.

What did you eat for lunch?

Chipotle and a fresh raw veggie juice.

When did you realize that you wanted to become a professional formula drifter?

I didn't. It was never a realization for me. When Formula D came around it was very early on for me. I had won most of the local stuff in my area and FD was the next step. For me it was like, Ok well this is the next thing to try and do so I went and made it happen.

Personally a fan of all your tattoos! What's your most meaningful one? What inspires you to get more done?

none of my tattoos have any meaning really. I got them because I like traditional tattoo work. I'd say the most meaningful one is my 13 tattoo that is a jason mask with an axe going through it because I got it on Friday the 13th.

Which offseason's video did you have more fun filming?

They were both equally stressfull on different levels. Offseaons 2 was the more gratifying one when we finished.

Would you consider to drift a german Car like an old BMW (e28, e30,e36, e34)? and if you don't why not?

haha. Yes of course. I love BMW's. One of my favorite cars of all time is the e28 M5.

Hey there Ryan! My name is Carl, founder of a large Norwegian car club and magazine.

We are getting ready for Gatebil in Norway, and rumors has it that you might be coming? Is this true?

Hey Carl, Nice to meet you Via Reddit. The rumors are true. I just booked my flight today. I fly into Oslo Friday morning. Extremely excited to be apart of it this year.

Mr. Ryan tuerck would you ever coming to Mississippi to try some of those crazy antics? Mainly I would just like for you to come kick it with me in the sticks? You would love it I'm sure. It's like up there but no snow EVER:)

I would be down but it all depends on what kind of activities you have to offer.

Do you ever do local events in NH like drift spot at NHMS or ready set drift in Ct? I was thinking of getting into it recently. I love hanging cars sideways and autocross right now and will you drink PBR's with me ?

I have done some last year but I have been too busy to get to any this year so far. If you come to freedom moves in NJ for Clubloose there is a good chance I will drink a PBR with you.

Do you drift an old 80's Ferrari in Season 2?

No but if you provide one I will definitely hop in it.

hey ryan how do you not getting dizzy with all these crazy stunts? love your show btw

Thanks man. I don't know I guess I have gotten used to it from driving so much over the years.

What spring rates and tire sizes do you run? How do you see the frs in the future of fd? Like will it be the next 240? How do you like it compared to other chassis?

We are still playing around with spring rates so we aren't set on just one yet. We run a 275/35/18 Mazzis Ma Z-1 Drift tire. I see it becoming a popular car in FD for sure. It might become the next 240 in 10 or so years from now but not anytime soon. It's a solid chassis with a very good starting point.

do you play a lot of games to practice?

No, I dont really play any games. If I'm bored I usually just go screw around in my driveway.

What advice can you give someone aspiring to drift competitively? Are there just some things that people don't know about the competitive side of drifting that might be valuable to new comers, and Pro AM competitors alike? Thanks!

Everybody has to start somewhere. Biggest thing you need to do is make sure you car works and works well. No point in showing up to an event if your car is falling apart and is set up like crap. So make sure you do all the maintenance required to make it through a competition event.

what do you use for engine management (tuning) on your 1jz?

I am using the AEM V2.

how much practice do you get in per week?

Not very much. I'd say besides formula D I get to drive 3 times per month on a track and sometimes only 2 times a month.

Although you do this for a living are you ever scared while drifting? I mean I know you do this for a living and have gotten used to it but is there ever a doubt in the back of your mind that something bad will happen?

No, not really. I feel like most of the drivers are too comfortable. I need some super high speed stuff to really make me sweat. We don't have that YET in FD so i'm usually pretty calm and focused about what is going to go down.

Can you do more videos of the drifting challenges, they were so much fun to watch! I love the videos of you just drifting in your driveway btw

We will def do more but not sure if it will be in this season or the next. Thanks for the kind words.

Can you talk a little bit about how you and your crew develop the ideas for stunts and how you execute on making those stunts happen?

I don't know really. We usually bounce ideas off of each other regularly and then explore the idea to see if it can work on paper. If it works on paper it will usually work for the camera wether its properly executed or not.

What would be some tips for someone who never tried drifting and wants to start? It can include anything you think it's important, from cars to mindset.

first thing you need to do is get a rear wheel drive car and start practicing technique. Watch lots and lots of in car footage. I used to watch old Japanese Option videos and then go try to mimic what I learned from those videos.

what is your response to people who say that drifting is not real racing/motor sport?

well its not racing its a judged sport and to get technical its a sport that has motors so its a motorsport by default.

Just seen you're going to be driving at BDC Lydden Hill, awesome news! Which car will you be driving?

I believe im driving the Japspeed is300 with a twin turbo 2jz. Should be alot of fun.

Where do you see the future of drifting going? Does it have a bright future or is it still in a phase of uncertainty?

It's been around for 10 years. I don't see how it's in a phase. I personally see it expanding to bigger better venues with faster tracks and adding more rounds to the calendar.

Nice to hear one of the big drifters started out on a mustang, makes me feel better about using my SN95 as my grassroots drifter. Any basic suspension suggestions? I have some stiffer than norm cobra springs attached to weak coupe shocks, tweaked the front mount points for -camber and +caster and was wondering if I'm just going in the wrong direction. Handles pretty nicely, IMO .

Sounds like your doing it right. Invest in some better shocks when you can then maybe a race seat, harnesses and start burning tires at a local event.

What other hobbies or interests do you have aside from drifting?

I'm really into Motocross and Supercross. I follow it religiously. Other than that I like motorcycles, BMX, Swimming and cliff jumping. Basically I like being a kid.

What are some of the songs on your playlist at the moment?

Yellow stitches, Teenage Bottle Rocket, Strung out, The lawrence arms, Gas light anthem, Blue bloods. I also like some chill stuff like Allah-las.

What is your favorite food?

Chipotle

are we going to get to see you in a rally x car in the near future?

Fingers crossed. I really hope so. It would be a dream come true for me.

What are you doin' when you do not drift? I mean maybe hobbies, job or anything else. Cheers from Russia! Hope we ever see you live!

When I am not drifting I am busy creating content for your viewing pleasure, handling sponsors, doing social media, and working on projects. My hobbies are basically cars, motorcycles, swimming, jumping off cliffs, and bikes.

who is king of the nerds?

Brian Casse. Haha.

Hey, I'm Darnell Beauge I just came to say Hi and that Your my Favorite driver/sport athlete, and that your awesome and my i look up to you I want to start drifting in this thing called Steetwise Drift (I'm still in High School) and going to their drift days Can you please give me some tips?

Hey Darnell, Thanks for the support. If your still in high school and your already attending events your ahead of the game. Your first step is to find a RWD car so that as soon as you can start going to events it will be ready for you.

Hi Ryan! Big fan here and got a interesting question for you, When you were building your personal s13 what made you decide on a 1JZ? I have a s14 and I am looking to do a swap here this winter. Would you recommend the 1JZ? If not what motor swap would you recommend and why? I also love your series on Network A, youre funny as hell and I always look forward to seeing new episodes. But thanks man! Youre the best!

I did the 1jz swap simply because the motor swap was sitting in my garage. If I had to do it again i would go 2jz because it is a 3.0 and can handle more power. Thanks for the support dude.

Hey Ryan, Are you going to Gatebil Rudskogen/Mantorp park, in Norway/Sweden in the near future ? :)

Why yes I am. I will be flying in to Oslo Friday morning.

Are you interested in modifying cars on your own? Or do you just like drifting them? By the way I saw you at formula d, coolest guy ever!

Yeah, I do most of the work to my personal drift cars. I'm not a fabricator but I can put almost anything together and get the car set up pretty well.

What's you dream public place or road to drift? If you where getting you drivers license today what cheap car would you get to go drift?

Not sure on the road. I have seen plenty that i want to drift but not sure the names of them or where some of them are located. I would get an E46 BMW

Do you remember a kid from last year that partied with all the drivers in Vegas and ran up to you on Fremont St (while pretty drunk) and said something like "Dude, your the famous drift driver thats gonna get all up on youtube getting famous"? Nail'd it.

I do not. I was probably pretty hammered as well or you walked up to my twin brother and he was like yeah, whatever.

Hey Ryan, im still waiting for my drivers license. I hope i dont lose it early on, i wont be able to contain myself hehe. Anyways, on to the question:

Would you ever consider drifting a volvo?

I would definitely consider drifting a volvo.

Hey Ryan! What's your best memory so far from competitive drifting and what do you think has been your greatest achievement?

My best memories were some of the tandem battles that I've had over the years but best achievements are definitely winning Long beach and Irwindale.

Hey two questions, whats the favorite part about your car and who would you say is your biggest rival is formula d?

favorite part about the car is the cockpit and I don't really have a biigest rival in FD. Everyone is my rival

Have you been/do you want to drift somewhere in Japan? Also, how do you think you would compare to some of the Japanese drifters? Would they be the toughest opponents?

I want to go to Japan and street drift more than anything else. Those dudes rip and they would def be tough as opponents.

How about an episode of Tuerckd with all 3 Tuercks drifting together? Would LOVE to see that!

I would love for that to happen but my one brother has no car. We will see what happens in the near future.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! Getting #tuerckd 3 times would be awesome! Great question!

hahaa yes it is.

What's your opinion on the continuing trend in FD to go for more and more power (with some topping 1000 now). Additionally, how do you feel about the fact that it has now become rare to see anything that isnt V8 swapped on the grid? Im not hating on either fact, simply interested in your views on the matter

there are more turbo cars coming back. The power thing is whatever. If you can't put the grip down on the track the power doesn't really matter to a certain point. I guess its more for the fans to say you have that much power or something. I'm not really sure. We only have 850 haha.

Would you have Mike Whiddett on an episode of Tuerck'd?

I would love to have Mike on an episode. It's tough to make things happen when your live on opposite ends of the world.

why did you guys decide to go with the JZ engine as opposed to a v8?...Its savage ta see ye went with a straight 6, In my opinion FD needs more RBs and JZs :)

Thanks man. We decided because PSI had a really good 2j engine program and they new the engine much better than a v8 engine.

Ok single man (or maybe not single anymore) how do you handle obsessed fans.....mostly of the female persuasion? I read some Facebook comments and twitter tweets and think YIKES....I'm sure it's flattering but ever get creeped out?

It's not really too crazy for me. I might be used to it by now I guess. but no I haven't been creeped out just yet.

What would you say has been the biggest highlight of your career so far ? Keep up the good work, love your show on Network A!

That's tough to say. Competition wise winnning long beach and irwindale was probably the biggest highlight for me and off track filming Offseasons 2. Other than that just being able to travel and meet new awesome like minded people is the best part.

Hey Ryan just wanted to say that your the reason I got into drifting, I love watching you drift, you videos are awesome and I can't wait to see you at formula d in Texas. Quick question, how did you come upon getting sponsored?

Edit: a word

Thanks for the support man. I got sponsored by doing well at alot of competitions and people taking notice. It's all about getting your name out there in a professional way.

What are the specs to your wheels on the 1jz? Your running overfenders in 50mm? What size lips and barrels do you have? That setup is absolutely ridiculous and I'm super jelly. That car is rowdy af.

And what front fenders do you have that have the wheel cutout at the top of the arch?

wheels are Front 18/10 -8 Rears are 18/12 -9. 50mm overs. Not sure how big the lips are. They are 30MM origin front fenders.