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Throughout the year, the automotive enthusiasts of southern california have reasons to put everything aside and set time for events that us, gear heads, live for. Some of them including Formula Drift, ALMS at Long Beach, Bimmerfest, SoCal Euro, etc. But recently, what started out as a small event has, since its introduction, gained momentum and is revealing itself as a friendly competition between big named tuners from all over the country. I am of course speaking of Shift-S3ctor’s Airstrip Attack.

My first time at Shift-S3ctor was made possible by Lab22 and Gabriel Milori Photography. Lab22 is a BMW Specialty shop located in Portland, Oregon. It was formed in the spring of 2013. They specialize in high horsepower BMW applications and plan to produce performance parts for BMW M Cars once their operation is fully underway. The owners are John Truong and Ryan Champ. Gabriel Milori is a automotive photographer that started in February of 2011 and was covering the event for Lab22.

goldRush Rally were one of the sponsors for the Shift-S3ctor event. goldRush Rally was established four years ago and is responsible for organizing super-car rallies across the country. From what I hear, each goldRush Rally event is a once in a lifetime experience, and I cannot wait to go on one.

At the Airstrip Attack event, I got the chance to meet Jason Huang who, alongside Ryan Fisher, are the co owners of Shift-S3ctor. Later on I was able to ask Jason a few questions:

S: When was Shift-S3ctor first organized?
J: We started in June of 2011.
S: What drove you guys to start Shift-S3ctor?
J: Our primary goal, (Ryan and myself) was to set up roll race events, with the addition of other types of track days sprinkled in, like road course, drift etc. We wanted to take what we were doing on the street which was basically street racing and find a way to do it legally.
S: What are some future goals for Shift-S3ctor?
J: Ryan and I do this on the side, he’s in law school and I own a business. Thus, our goal has never been for this to make a lot of money necessarily. We do however want to see the event continue to grow. We would also like to start bringing the Airstrip Attack series out of state.
S: This is the first shift sector even that I have attended, do you feel that the events are getting better each time?
J: Is this really the first for you? Yes, each event gets bigger and is more organized as we continue to learn from past events and we take driver feedback very seriously.
S: What are some of the most memorable moments you have from a Shift-S3ctor event?
J: You know each event really does have it’s own unique experiences. I would say our Airstrip Attack is definitely the big favorite amongst most people. I remember our first Airstrip Attack… standing there watching the cars flying by… seeing the excitement on the faces of the spectators… I knew that very first one that we had something special.
S: What is your dream car build?
J: My dream car is a Porsche Carerra GT, black on black, with one modification. Straight pipes.

I definitely had a fantastic time. Even though the big power cars that Lab22 brought, were unable to run at full boost, I had the pleasure of riding in Dexters extremely clean Alpine White E46 Turbo M3, with 670 rwhp. It was incredible how fast and smooth the power delivery was and it was mind blowing hitting almost 160 mph in just under half a mile. I can barely imagine what it would be like to be in the Lamborghini Gallardo that managed 224 mph at the same event. It was great to see fellow tuners helping each other out with parts, equipment, and advice in order to reach their goals of going as fast as possible. Going to Shift-S3ctor or any other car related event, always serves well for the mind and clearing things out and enjoying our passion for anything motorized. I enjoyed going on ride alongs, watching the drag races, being with the Lab22 group, and absorbing the racing atmosphere; the smell of race gas and burning rubber, the sound of turbos spooling, and exhaust back firing. Can’t wait to be at the next event hopefully with my own fast ride.

Here are a few pictures I took at the event: