Praxis Productions Auto Gallery Car Show

Praxis Productions Auto Gallery Car Show

The “DaYUUM Crew” turned out in force to support Jimmy Doan of Praxis Cars for the inaugural Auto Gallery Car Show on a beautiful Saturday in Huntington Beach, California. Jimmy is one of the best guys out there in the SoCal car scene so it was truly a pleasure for us to be a part of it all.Jimmy and his lady Linda Sy are not your average show promoters by any stretch of the imagination. I understand the myriad of reasons for wanting to put on a car show, but the bottom line is making money and that’s why there’s so many of them. Jimmy and Linda wanted to put on a successful show too, but for altruistic reasons that go far beyond personal gain. They simply wanted to give back! We’re talking about two humanitarians with philanthropic hearts who just happen to love cars. ‘Giving back’ to Jimmy and Linda means being a benefactor to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and they’ve been doing that for six years now. It’s a non-profit hospital that depends on the donations of others to help heal sick children. They provide over 97,000 children with pediatric health care each year and also serve as a research hospital. There was absolutely NO WAY that the “DaYUUM Crew” was going to miss this one!!!My coffee and I rolled in about 6:30am thinking I’d probably be one of the first ones there…“WRONG!!!” Jimmy and his Praxis Car Crew had already been there for about an hour and a half before I even got there. “WOW!” They were seriously efficient and their organization just blew me away. The main stage was already set up and Jimmy was directing everything like a traffic cop in the middle of Manhattan. I could tell that he wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. Mark Fontecha was wheeling Jimmy’s Toyota FJ around the lot with Jimmy standing on the running boards shouting out directions to everybody. I wasn’t even totally awake yet and that was still a very funny scene!Mornings at the beach are always great and this one was no different. Joggers running by, National Park Rangers driving by, and Life Guards dressed exactly like police officers…just your typical day at the beach. (LOL) One of the first sponsors to roll in was the PM Racing Team, and if you’re into Formula Drift then you should know who these guys are. At 21, Pat Mordaunt is the youngest of the 154 professional drivers in Formula Drift racing. He was driving the truck that was pulling their full size trailer and he was helping everybody else setting up their display area. This guy was no prima donna and you could tell that he didn’t mind getting his hands dirty either. Pat was really nice guy and told me that he has been racing professionally since he was 14 years old. I also got to speak with a gentleman by the name of ‘Masaki,’ who is the Crew Chief and you could instantly tell that he is a ‘super gear head!’ Both him and Pat were totally excited about the the new Lexus 430 SC V8 that they’re campaigning this season. This ride is running with an actual 430 engine that’s rated 750HP at the wheels! We really want to wish you guys some “DaYUUM” good luck this year!!!Around this time, Liza and Regi rolled in from Island Motor Sports. For the uninformed, Island Motor Sports has been around since 1995 and is still one of the most complete aftermarket supplies, service and repair shops around. They were totally multi-tasking at the show. Island Motor Sports and DaYUUM.com shared a prime space together and Liza and Regi’s motor home served as Auto Gallery’s “model central” for wardrobe changes and the official make-up trailer. Needless to say, all of the modeling activity was properly supervised by Nilo! (LOL) There were two booth cars and one of them was my 2005 Honda Element EX “Darth Raider,” known as “The Island Element,” that received the “1st Place Honda” award. And the other car was Rodney Esteban’s beautiful 2010 Toyota Prius. It has Air Runner Suspension, running 5Axis custom wheels, a Powerbase 1000 set-up in the rear, and a Clear Pro invisible bra. Rodney’s ride made a “DaYUUM” fine impression!I started walking around checking out all the new arrivals and the long line of competitors waiting to get into the show. That’s when I ran into a gentleman I not only respect, but he’s also one of the most serious competitors in the car show scene. I am talking about “Big Mike” and I immediately asked him where his ride was. He told me that he wasn’t competing in the show and that he had been asked to be one of the judges. All I can say is that this brought the Auto Gallery Car Show an even higher level of respectability that I had already rated it in its infancy. Just a word to the wise, Mike’s 1992 Honda Prelude will be the 'cover car' for Honda Tuning Magazine’s October 2012 edition. So when that comes out, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy!I have always loved aerodynamically challenged vehicles and that is probably why I drive a Honda Element. (LOL) So I do love the Scion xB, the Honda Odyssey, and all the boxy vehicles they don’t even import here from Japan. So it comes as no surprise that one of my favorite rides I saw was Andy Valles’ 2009 Nissan Cube. This is truly an exceptional ride and has already been picked up for SEMA this year. I would dare to say that I’m not the only one who sees the uniqueness of this vehicle and the tasteful nature of the build itself. It was also a true pleasure to meet Andy’s lovely wife Anna. It’s always refreshing to meet a lady of the house who understands and supports all the creative efforts going on in the garage! (smile) Your ride is pretty “DaYUUM” nice Andy!Even though Mark ‘Taz’ Graves couldn’t make it his one-of-a-kind 2012 Scion iQ was on hand and took home some winning hardware. I further had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jeff Maldonado. I'm always impressed with young, dynamic people who have the ingenuity, creative energy and the drive to get out there and make it happen.  Jeff also introduced me to Thomas Musante and Alfred Aquiniga of ‘Logan Built’ who were displaying a beautiful blue Scion FR-S. They also own a black 2010 Cube SL that I viewed on DaYUUM’s video coverage of Wekfest, San Francisco.Now what kind of show would this have been without the gorgeous models that are as much a part of the car scene as the cars themselves?!! I can promise you that the Auto Galley Car Show was absolutely no different. I immediately saw a few of my favorites. They would be the effervescent Miss Holly Lee, the always lovely Miss Emma Rose (aka, the S2K_Grl), and the crowd pleasing Miss Dianna Lushus! Hey, what’s not to love here?!! (LOL)Not far away, in front of the “VIP Modular Wheels” booth I ran into (from left to right)…Kristy Lei Juan…Melody Quan…Mimi Lee…Jelly Ranger (You don’t think she would make up a name do you? LOL)…and Jessica Fox. Mimi, who has modeled for Playboy and others, served as one of the judges and the Mistress of Ceremonies for the “Miss Auto Gallery” competition. “DaYUUM.com” was very proudly represented by the vivaciously radiant, blue eyed, seriously blonde… ‘Miss Ashley Clark!’ If you want a real treat then go to our website under Profiles and you can learn even more about this home grown SoCal beauty. I not only enjoyed hanging out with Ashley, but I also got to meet Lisa, who just happens to be her Mom. They say that ‘the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree’ and this mother and daughter combination certainly proves that! (smile)I am here to tell you that no matter where you turned there were beautiful ladies everywhere, especially in and out of the "DaYUUM" booth! And one of our visitors was the exquisite Miss Lynn who dropped by to hang out for a while. There was also the alluring ‘Miss Kimberly Jean,’ she and her girlfriend just knew that Nilo needed some cheering up! (LOL)It was a pretty hot day so I headed over to the NOS booth to get an ice cold refreshing drink of energy. Between the ladies and the cars, there was something exciting to see everywhere you looked. When I got to the booth, the energy drinks they were being passed out by the extremely nice looking and charming Sheila. Sheila was the official 'NOS girl' for the event. When she left to go and take some pix, her temporary assistant was even more charming, his was name was “BIG ABE!!!” (LOL hahahaha) When you attend any SoCal event with Big Abe ‘in the house’ you know that people are going to actually think twice about possibly acting stupid!A few feet away from there was the Auto Fashion, USA booth. I knew that Freddie and his Crew would turn out to support Jimmy and this worthy cause. I got to chat a little bit with him and Elroy and you could tell that they’re getting ready for the 6th Annual VIP Festival on November 4th 2012, in San Diego. One of the cars reppin’ Auto Fashion was Ojay Bayang’s beautiful 1991 Lexus 400. It was great to see him there and we got to catch up a little near the “DOGZILLA” food truck. If you love gourmet hot dogs, then let me give you a quick review…“you must find this truck!” (LOL)Later on Big Abe came over and hung out for a while with Liza and Regi, and the “DaYUUM Crew” at ‘model central.’ (smile) As I said before, the “DaYUUM Crew” was there in force. Our ‘starting five’ was Nilo…Denny…Jae…Jayce…and ‘The Chief.’Paul was unable to play that day, but we had Mikey coming off the bench! (LOL) What a “DaYUUM” good group of guys!!!Needless to say, the “bro-mance” between Denny and Neil Tijin of the Tijin Edition Road Show continues! (LOL)Tony Docuyanan, who is part of our Crew, was also representing his friend Gary Shelum and Infinite Auto Design’s Lysholm Supercharged 2010 Camaro. I’m talking about over 600HP at the wheels and sitting on staggered 22” Hamano wheels that are usually only found on custom BMW’s. This is one aggressive Camaro! Sal's Vortech Supercharged "Last Ride" was also on display.Shortly after that I ran into Tony Lee and the guys from It's JDM Yo and their show display looked like an outdoor showroom. There are obviously some nice Scion boxes out there but Ellison Punzalan’s 2005 xB has got to be one of my favorites. It’s so easy to see all the work he’s put into the build and that extra helping of love also shows! Everything from the beautiful black metallic paint job and the entire VIP style flavor of the interior and exterior of the ride says…”Come check me out!”The center piece of their display was Michael Mao’s awarding winning twin-turbo Acura NSX. I think that all sports organizations usually like to build their teams around at least one ‘super star’ Well, car show displays work the exact same way and Mike’s car is definitely a “SUPER STAR!!!” Of course you already know that Michael walked away with the “1st Place Acura” honors! (smile)There were so many sweet rides and such a tremendous turn out, there is just NO WAY in the world that you would have imagined that this was a first time show! It was pretty “DaYUUM” exciting!!!When I saw Jimmy ridding his beach cruiser headed toward the main stage I knew it was time to find out who “MISS AUTO GALLERY” was going to be! They had an ongoing pageant going on all day with the bikini competition; the after five wear, and even a personality portion of the show. So by this time everyone was pulling for their favorite, but it was time for the Judges to decide who the winner was. ‘Drum roll’…and the winner was…“Miss Amy Ames” of Los Angeles, California!!! After that Jimmy and the Praxis Car Crew started handing out awards to the First, Second and Third Place winners in each category and acknowledging the sponsors that made the show possible.The one sponsor who just made me go “WOW” was the one that was donated by Anthony Quanq, Director of Marketing for VIP Modular Wheels. When you custom order a set of two and three piece forged wheels from the top tier wheel companies you can expect for your pockets to be lighter by anywhere from $5K to $7K on the average. The prize they donated to the Auto Gallery Show was a custom ordered set of “VIP MODULAR WHEELS!!!” That lucky ticket was purchased by Al Perez of Barstow, California, and I can promise you that I’ve NEVER seen a happier winner!All-in-all, it was a beautiful Southern California day and the “DaYUUM Crew” was able to get out and have a great time and contribute to a great cause! We want to thank Jimmy and Linda and the entire Praxis Crew for inviting us. If this is what your very first effort looks like then we can’t wait to see what you’ll have on tap for us next time! We are always out there representing the whole “DaYUUM” community and continually trying to bring you the best of what’s out there…and we will NEVER let you down!So until next time, please stay ‘tuned’ and always remember that…I’ll see you out on the streets!!!Chief DéMarks

Here is a Mikey Dang Video
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFEi598wGeg&w=540&h=330]

Chris Tran's 1993 RX-7 - FD

Chris Tran's 1993 RX-7 - FD


Beats 'n Pieces - LA

Beats 'n Pieces - LA