Staff Bio's >> Joe D. (Kamin)

Drift Forum Moderator
RB Forum Moderator
Road Racing / Auto X Forum Moderator

Car background:
Joe has had a long love of automobiles and going fast since very young. One of his earliest memories is racing around his neighborhood at age 4 in a power wheels and turning the cal de sac into a racetrack. To those that know him it is no surprise where he has wound up. His real automotive experience started at around age 17 performing his first engine swap in a Honda Civic and it has been downhill ever since. Sold the civic in late 2002 and purchased his current track car a 1997 Nissan 240sx. The 240 has gone through an amazing transformation turning from a bone stock SE to basically a track only vehicle. All modifications with the exception of the custom downpipe and exhaust were done by Joe in his own garage with only help from friends and NICO.

A shortened list of modifications:
Series 2 RB25DET engine swap from a R33 Nissan Skyline GTST, Tein SuperDrift Coilovers, Kaaz 1.5way Differential, RPS MAX 6 puck clutch, MINES ECU, MK3 supra FMIC. Full array of electric Autometer gauges, Greddy Profec II boost controller, Blitz turbo timer all in a custom carbon fiber bezel. The car sits on 17x9 +17 MB Motoring Weapon wheels in bronze which you can usually find wrapped in Falken Azenis ST115's at least for a short while till they are gone forever from production. VERY recently all interior and sound deadening material was removed before the Autopower 4pt rollbar was installed then it was followed by a Sparco EVO seat w/ Nagisa rails, Momo mod.07 steering wheel, Sparco 3" 5 point harness. Unfortunately there are no pictures of the seat/rollbar/wheel at the moment. Joe assures me there is a ton more done to that car but those are the big important things.

Joe also owns a 2005 Nissan Titan SE purchased new in August of 2005. This vehicle is stock and will remain that way for a while. When asked why Joe responded with "I know if I modify it, it will go the sane path S14 did." He seems perfectly content using a stock Titan as a daily driver and tow vehicle for the 240. A few minutes later Joe said "Maybe it will see an intake and exhaust." We have a feeling a supercharger is in the not-too-distant future.

Driving Background:
It stated at age 18 shortly after the civic was purchased running autocross events throughout Arizona, That spiraled out of control after the purchase of the 240sx and when he tried his first HPDE (high performance driver education) event and realized his love for road racing. As an avid HPDE driver he took up the sport of drifting in 2004 and was hooked instantly, he has been running drift events and competitions ever since but never forgetting to HPDE. With a tally of 2 amateur drift competition victories in Arizona he is currently sponsored by nobody other than his Visa card but is always passively looking.

Personal Background:
It is very hard to separate personal from car experience because they are very intertwined throughout his entire life. His father used to own Porsches and mother owned muscle cars throughout his early life so needless to say there is a background in cars long before he could walk. His father used to transport Emmerson Fittipaldi's Indy Car around the time he won the Indy 500 so saying Joe was "obsessed" with speed and racing is a bit of an understatement. In 2004 Joe attended Universal Technical Institute in Phoenix AZ and received an Associates degree of Applied Science with an emphasis on Automotive Technology. Joe is currently in school for a completely unrelated field. In his free time he is an avid hockey player and fan. He has been playing since the age of 6 and now at age 23 has no plans to stop anytime soon. He works at an automotive performance shop in Tucson, AZ as a Performance Install Technician/Customer Service Representative. They specialize in racing safety equipment and are one of the largest Sparco dealers in the United States.