Zucru

Name: Ryan Venzon

Username(s): venZon

Age: 24

Occupation: Composite Technologist

Current Ride: 2008 Lexus IS250 6MT

Past Ride(s): 2004 Subaru Impreza TS

How long have you been in ZuCru?: About 3 ½ years

How did you first hear about ZuCru?:When I first really started getting into cars I was searching for info on the Winnipeg tuner scene on the internet and it brought up the ZuCru website.  I was formally introduced to the cru through my friend Lamska.

What does it mean to you to be part of the ZuCru Team? and what have you learned so far?:Simple…  ZuCru = Family

No matter where we go or who passes through Winnipeg I hear the same thing time and time again.  “Your car club is one of a kind.  I’ve never seen such a tight group of people.”

You recently sold your Subaru Impreza and picked up a 2008 Lexus IS250, why the big change?: Well honestly I never thought my Impreza would sell.  Even though I took good care of it and invested a lot of money into her it still had high km and well its Winnipeg.  I put her for sale at a price I though no one would buy.  Then I had an offer on the table I just couldn’t refuse.  It was sad to see her go since I didn’t get to “finish” her but with all the impreza’s being imported from the US I was lucky to sell it for the price I got.

With the Impreza gone I knew I had to step up my game.  I was looking for something a little more grown up but still me.  Originally I planed to stay in the subie family and pick up a 2008 Subaru Legacy GT.  Somehow I started looking into the 2IS and joined a Lexus forum to get more info on in.  Once I saw some of the cars on there I was in love!  I’ve always been a fan of the VIP scene and the 2IS was a perfect platform for me to start my new project.

Tell me, do you have any big plans for your car in the future? and what are they?:
Don’t worry about it…

Many of us on the ZuCru forum have seen your superb photography skills, tell me how you got started in that and what you like most about taking photos?:
Well I’ve always wanted to get into photography but for some reason I was scared to take the plunge.  My cousin Gail just started last year and I’d always bug him to go for photoshoots.  He convinced me to get one and I planed to get one in the spring.  But before that my girl got me one for my birthday/xmas.  Thx Babe!  Right after I got it I got Gail to give me his 5 min how to take photos and have been learning from there.  I’ve only been shooting about 10 months.

What I like most about taking photos is that you can capture so much emotion and almost tell a whole story with one single image.

People tell me you’re a big drinker and can out drink most of us at the bar, true or false?and why?
Sure…  Why?  Because I’m Kool Aid Man!  Ohhhhh Yeeeeeeaah!  The funny thing is I’m actually allergic to alcohol.  That’s why I turn so red after one drink.  But I can drink with the best of them.

Can you tell the readers something that they don’t know about you?any special skills?: ok this is not really a skill but I once drank alcohol and ipecac together in one shot and let me tell you, that is one drink I will NEVER drink again.

Most memorable moment in all your years in ZuCru?:
One memory that sticks out was my first trip down to P10…  All I can say is F*ing RAGE!  LET’S PLAY SOME DICE!

Any special shout outs you’d like to say?:Shout outs to my homeboy Lamska for really bringing me into the car scene and introducing me to the cru.  DJ MM for helping work on my car countless times in my garage.  And of course MJ for putting up with my constant photoshoots and car shows.  Thanks for the awesome xmas/bday gift babe!

Local promoter Stephen Hua is a big friend of the ZuCru.  From his early begining as the owner of Sweet Escape, he has supported the Zu and to this very day we still park at the Sweet Escape parking lot on Portage Avenue and Dominion on Sunday nights.

He has supported the local sport compact/import scene by bringing in Sasha Singleton and hosting many events that we have all enjoyed.

Recently, Stephen’s club AM was broken into and equipment/cash were stolen.  Stephen was not insured for this.

In true Winnipeg spirit, there will be a fundraiser this coming Friday at EEC for Stephen.

Always a standup guy and straight shooter, we here at ZuCru would like to invite everybody to come out and show some love.

Stephen has done alot for Winnipeg in terms of making it a better place to live, so now we have to step up and let Stephen know that his work is not going un noticed.

Taken directly from the Facebook group created by ” We The People”

On Sunday, January 4th, Stephen Hua’s afterhours spot, “AM,” was broken into and as a result, he incurred a loss of thousands of dollars in sound equipment as well as a chunk of cash.

It is sad that this had to happen and it’s really a terrible way for Stephen to start this promising new year.
As many of you already know, Stephen is an amazing human being and I am proud to call him no less then my brother. He always helps where he can and his biggest contribution to date has been what he has done for us all in the Winnipeg club and event scene. For years now, he has put together events at every club and venue imaginable…even when he cuts a loss. His determination and loyalty to our scene is admirable and deserves recognition.

With this in mind, a few of us have decided to put together a fund raiser for Stephen as he was not insured for this loss. Everyone involved is donating their time and all that we ask is that you come and show some support this Friday at the EEC.

We have not put a cover charge on the night but we ask that you donate what you can at the door and anything will be appreciated. We are proud and thankful for the dj’s who have donated their time, music and skills to this event…DJ Diggs, DJ Hectic and DJ Alphagroove. All are fantastic at their craft and will provide the spectrum of sound needed for an amazing night.

Really, think about any event and any celebrity our city has hosted. As much as this is a business, I’m sure Sound Republic and Stephen do this for us, the people. Join the group and/or show your support by attending the fund raiser with your friends. See you there and here’s to many more events c/o our local promoters!

Fundraiser For Stephen Hua
Start Time:
Friday, January 9, 2009 at 9:00pm
End Time:
Saturday, January 10, 2009 at 2:30am
Location:
Exchange Event Center (the E.E.C)
Street:
291 Bannatyne Avenue

The Zucru Family would like to extend our warm wishes to you and your family.

Best of Luck to Everyone in 2009!

http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk…of%20the%20WRC

Subaru has announced its decision to withdraw from the 2009 World Rally Championship.

Prodrive, the company which runs the team on behalf of Subaru, broke the news at 0900hrs this morning. It said the decision was sudden and had been made in response to the economic downturn currently affecting the automotive industry.

Yesterday Suzuki confirmed it would not be back in 2009 for similar reasons.

The Subaru World Rally Team was established in 1989, when the Japanese manufacturer teamed up with British based motor sport specialists Prodrive. Since then the team has won six World Rally Championship titles - most recently the drivers’ title with Petter Solberg in 2003. In recent years, however, the team has struggled to find its previous rally winning form. It last won a rally on the stages in Mexico 2005.

“This is not only sad news for Subaru and the team, but also for millions of rallying fans around the world,” said Prodrive chairman David Richards.

“Subaru’s departure from the World Rally Championship is a great loss as it is one of the sport’s icons. The Subaru World Rally Team has created true champions such as Colin McRae and Richard Burns and its absence will be felt by many the world over. Although this decision closes a significant chapter in Prodrive’s history, our focus now turns to the future.”

While the Subaru World Rally Team historically represented a significant part of Prodrive’s business, today it accounts for no more than 20 per cent of turnover. Prodrive says it will look to redeploy as many of the rally team as possible in other areas of its business operations.

There is no news yet from Subaru about how the decision will affect Subaru’s driver Petter Solberg/Phil Mills and Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot, or whether the company plans to return to the sport in the future.

Prodrive, however, is already lining up its own rally return saying “2010 will see the introduction of new World Rally Championship technical regulations, which provide Prodrive with an opportunity to prepare for re-entering the championship with a new team and build on its 24 years of World Rally Championship experience and success.”

Prodrive also pledged to support its own customer rally teams for 2009 and beyond. Over the past 15 years, Prodrive has sold close to 500 rally cars to more than 400 private competitors and independent rally teams in 47 countries.

——————–

Sad news indeed as alot of the ZuCru enjoy the WRC.

Discussion here:
http://s93364263.onlinehome.us/public_html/showthread.php?p=11334#post11334

Fellow ZuCru member Jesse and his clothing company The Masses is inviting y’all to:

Back in August I contacted my homies out at PASMag to do a feature on Tony Swartz’s S2000.  The car is well built and really stands out due to the quality of parts and Yoshio Pink paint scheme.

After the P10 show in Fargo this year, Gail got together with Tony to shoot it in Fargo.  Well the story is now up on the PASMag website and will soon be in print on the newstands.

Much props to Gail for the shots, Tony for all the hardwork in building the car and Dave Pankew for writing the story!

As Pharoah Monch would say….”Throw your hands in the sky (BO! BO! BO! BO!)”

http://pasmag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=941&Itemid=105

Happy November!

Props go out to my homie and Team SCP teammate: Amee Reehal.  Amee just won the Pirelli Photogaraphy awards for published and unpublished photos of the year.

Been a helluva year for Amee as he just got married and has now won these 2 prestigious awards.  I know alot of Zucru members are into automotive photography, so I thought I’d post up his pics and links.

Amee’s blog: http://blog.ameereehal.com/posts/

Press Release:

Both 2008 Pirelli Photography Awards presented to same
journalist — Amee Reehal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON  - October 23, 2008

The Pirelli Photography Awards are presented to AJAC members each year
honouring the best in published and unpublished automobile photographs.

Photography is part of the Pirelli culture. The company has created one of the
world’s most well known photographic traditions – the Pirelli Calendar.  The
calendar was launched in 1963 from Pirelli’s London office as a gift for privileged
customers, its concept a take-off on the pin-up popular with automobile
manufacturers. But the subtlety of its images and the quality of its photographers
made the calendar a coveted collector’s item.

To his considerable credit, the same AJAC member won both major awards this
year. The 2008 Pirelli Award for Best Un-Published Photograph and the Pirelli
Award for Best Published Photograph go to Amee Reehal of Calgary. It’s worth
noting that the judging is done with the photographer’s name hidden, which adds
to Reehal’s dual win.

In the Un-Published Category, the runners up are Bradley Horn and Brian Early.

In the Published Photography category, Russell Purcell, a first place winner last
year, and Justin Pritchard are the runners up.

In addition to the prestige of the awards, Anthony Paulozza, Marketing Director of
Pirelli Tire Inc presented Reehal with a visit to the Pirelli-sponsored Jim Russell
Racing Drivers School in Mt Tremblant as well as a collector copy of the Pirelli
calendar.

The judges for the award are celebrated photographers Clay Stang and Derek
Shapton of Toronto and Alana Riley of Montréal, all national and international
award winners in their field.

– 30 –

For more information contact:
Anthony Paulozza, anthony.paulozza@pirelli.com  or John Morris,
John@marcovitchpr.ca

Above: 1st Place- Published Category (Performance Auto & Sound Magazine)

Above: 1st Place- Unpublished Category

The October 2008 issue of Performance Auto & Sound Magazine (PASMAG) is a big one for Zu heads. It features a DTP Winnipeg writeup by yours truly and pics of ZuCru friends:

Brent Mills’ G35
Dannie Riel
Danville’s Midori Green Civic
Tony Swartz’s Yoshio Pink S2K
Speedtech’s NSX
Lyndon from AccessWinnipeg

In addition this is also new ZuCru member Gail Tolentino’s(initial_gt) first set of published pictures. Gail shot local tuner Anthony DeGuzman’s (of local Twinz fame) monster G35. The article is written by my good homie Dave Pankiew and he throws in some good comments about Winnipeg.

Big ZuCru issue so you better cop it soon as the November issue will be out very shortly!

DJ Jazzy Jeff will be at Blush Ultraclub on Friday night.   Couple of us are gonna hit it up as it promises to be a good time.

I was at the Scion party 2 years ago during SEMA in Las Vegas and it was probably the hypest party of all that week.  The joints that DJ Jazzy Jeff were throwing down just kept all us hiphop head throwing our hands in the air to give props to the DJ.

TICKETS

$10 at the door

VENUE

Blush Ultraclub : 323 Portage Ave.
18+ ID Mandatory

Bored on a Tuesday? Our friends at soundrepublic.ca are brining in Girlicious with opening acts, Elise Estrada and Danny Fernandes.

This is an all ages event , tickets available at all ticketmaster outlets or www.ticketmaster.ca