LZ World Tour 2023: A Tire Streets Recap
The LZ World Tour, held on May 12-13 in Englishtown, New Jersey, was a surreal experience for us at Tire Streets. We were thrilled to be part of such a significant event in the drift segment, and we're eager to continue exploring future involvement.
Setting the Stage
Our activation alongside 144 Printhouse was made possible by key partners Nate Hamilton, Grant Anderson, Evan Shanks, Chris Rudnik, and Jimmy Oakes and the Front Street Drift Club. Thanks to Nate Hamilton's connection, we had fruitful discussions with James Harvey, Manager of LZ MFG, and agreed to supply nearly 300 tires to competitors at the event.
Thursday: Arrival and Networking
Our journey began when on Thursday, we arrived in town and met the 144 Racing Team at Englishtown Raceway Park. We secured our tent and confirmed the arrival of the tires we had shipped for the event. The rest of the day was spent networking with the arriving teams and individuals. We had the pleasure of taking Nate Hamilton and Hert out for dinner, where we discussed potential collaborations with Hert and Nappy Boy Automotive.
Friday: A Day of Filming, Coaching, and Conversations
Friday morning started with Drew attending the mandatory media meeting following the driver's meeting. As the track went hot, Drew spent the day capturing various aspects of the event. The pits were buzzing with activity as we set up shop at the 144 Racing hauler and hosted Evan Shanks. It was a unique opportunity to connect Evan and Nate/144 in person, given their close geographical proximity but limited interaction. Evan was appreciative of the driving insights provided by Nate, the Accelera Brand Ambassador.
A significant part of the day was my conversation with Jimmy Oakes about his relationship with Tire Streets and the future of our partnership. Jimmy expressed satisfaction with the 651 Sport and excitement about our upcoming product offerings for the drift segment. We also discussed his addition to the Front Street Drift Club team and potential collaboration for the Final Bout in September. This could involve supplying the three Front Street Drift Club members with tires for their championship battle, a prospect that requires further discussion and planning.
The day concluded with a 16-driver battle for the last three spots in Saturday’s main event, The driving was exceptional, and the 651 Sport performed consistently, as expected.
Saturday: Fantasy Battles, Car Show, and Top-16 Final
Saturday was a blend of fantasy battles, a massive car show hosted by Clean Culture, and the top-16 final. The turnout for the car show was overwhelming, with a long line of attendees waiting to get in. I spent some time with Nick, the owner of Clean Culture, and managed to distribute our discount cards to show attendees and merchandise buyers. Bryan from Drift HQ also helped distribute the cards.
The main event saw Grant Anderson, Nate Hamilton, and Josh Deliz advancing through the bracket. Unfortunately, a serious collision occurred between Grant and Aaron Losey during their top 8 battle, but thankfully, both drivers were okay. The final battle between Nate Hamilton and Josh Deliz showcased the consistency and reliability of the Accelera 651 Sport, regardless of whether it's a 600-horsepower pro-style drift car or a 350-horsepower street-style car. Nate Hamilton emerged victorious after a fierce battle, marking a fitting end to the event.
Reflections
The LZ World Tour was of wind whirl networking, content creation, and showcasing our product at a high-profile event. We are proud of our direction as a company and team, and we're committed to being the people's champ.
