Welcome back to Morimoto in Motion. This is day two of our two-part behind the scenes series for our July promo, and after getting dirty earlier in the series, we traded dirt for asphalt. We loaded up the trailer, hauled out our drift machines, and pointed everything toward Braselton, Georgia for a day of smoke, sun, and shenanigans. If day one was about dirt play, day two was all about asphalt play, and we brought the Morimoto four banger lights along to show how they look when the car is sideways and the tires are screaming.
Day Two at Lanier Raceway
For this shoot we headed out to Caffeine and Octane’s Lanier Raceway in Braselton, Georgia, which sits right across from Road Atlanta. We rented out a portion of the track to do some drift demos and have a little fun in the sun. It was a hot one, so the first order of business was backing the trailer up, getting our cars unloaded, and getting the day started before the heat got worse. Having a track to ourselves is a rare treat, and we did not take it for granted.
Lanier Raceway is a busy place. They run Friday Night Drifts every single week, plus a lot of special events like exotic car meets and oval racing. As we put it on the day, if you have a car, they usually have an event for you. Not many racetracks out there will let a crew come in and film a promo like this, so a big thank you goes out to Caffeine and Octane Lanier Raceway for letting Morimoto come out and make this happen.
Meet the Cars
First up, we caught up with Curtis Anderson and his 2001 Honda S2000. Curtis was out there to have fun and make some cool stuff happen, and he was honest about the car being right fast in a way he probably shouldn’t admit. The S2000 is basically bone stock, with everything you see on it being factory. The twist is that there is a turbo waiting at home, so this thing is headed for a boosted future very soon. For now, it is still the hubby’s baby, and it showed up looking clean.
Then there is the star of the show, a 1989 Nissan S13 that you may have spotted in a couple of our vlogs already. This one is built for track duty. Under the hood sits a little RB25, and while we may not be able to call out the exact series off the top of our head, we can tell you it is wearing the goodies. We are talking a GTX3071 turbo, 1000cc injectors, and an ISR manifold. It is the kind of combination that keeps a drift car happy lap after lap, and it was the perfect platform to show off our lighting.
Morimoto Four Banger Lights on the S13
Of course, no Morimoto build would be complete without lighting, and the S13 was fitted with the Morimoto four banger lights for the shoot. What we love about these pods is how flexible the mounting is. On this car we ran a set of custom mounts, but we also used the universal mounts so you could see both approaches on track. That versatility is a big part of why these pods work so well on something as personal and purpose-built as a drift car.
If you are new to the lineup and want to see how the different beam patterns compare, there are a lot of options to dig into. You can check out the 4Banger HXB Wide Beam LED Pods if you want to throw a broad spread of light, or step over to the 4Banger NCS Flood Beam pods for a different style of coverage. Both are part of the same family that makes mounting on a custom car like the S13 so straightforward.
For folks who want to get deep into the background on this product family, our friends over at Head Light Revolution shared HR’s take on the 4Banger lineup, which is a great read when you are weighing your options. We also broke things down ourselves in our Off-Road Reinvented breakdown of the 4Banger, so between those two you can get a full picture of why these pods have earned their spot on so many builds.
Getting the Drift Shots
With the cars staged and the lights mounted, it was time to put some tires to work. The plan was simple: when a driver starts spinning, we call action, and when we are done, we flag them down. Sounds easy enough until you are the one who has never gone drifting. One of us joked about a lifetime of drag racing and a top speed of 200 miles per hour, yet zero experience going sideways. The solution was to hand the wheel to someone who knows what they are doing.
That someone was Scott, who took over driving duty for the day since one of our cars was already fighting an overheating issue. After Scott ran his passes, we lined up Jay and then Garrett so every driver got a turn and we could collect all the cherries, as we like to say, for one massive highlight reel. Having three capable drivers meant we could keep the smoke coming and the camera rolling.
Once the solo passes were in the bag, the game plan shifted to some rolling shots to include all the cars and create some content variety. We even put the crew to work, with Jonesy stepping in as a hand model and everyone just thriving out there in the sun. Getting the whole Lanier Raceplex to ourselves with no traffic is the kind of rare occasion that makes a day like this special, and we tried to make the most of every minute.
The Rolling Burnout That Went Up in Flames
The last activity on the list was the big one. The idea was to do a rolling burnout with fireworks positioned right beside the car for a dramatic Fourth of July themed shot. Even going in, there was some hesitation, because burnouts in this particular car are not exactly a favorite. But a burnout is a burnout, right? With fingers crossed, we went for it.
The first part of the burnout looked right, and the last pass actually went well. Then came the words no one wants to hear on set: water, water, water. The car caught fire. The crew jumped into action, grabbed water, and got the flames knocked down quickly. Zane earned a solid job for the quick response, and after a beat we had a good laugh about going out with the flames. It was not the ending we scripted, but it sure made for a memorable wrap to the shoot.
Wrapping Up the July Promo Shoot
Between the clean S2000, the RB25-powered S13, the drift passes from Scott, Jay, and Garrett, and a burnout that quite literally caught fire, day two gave us everything we needed for the July promo. The best summer deals and the Fourth of July content were all coming together, and we got to show the Morimoto four banger lights doing their thing on a real track car rather than a studio table.
If this behind the scenes look has you thinking about your own build, the 4Banger family spreads well beyond what we ran at Lanier. There are Honda-specific options like the 4Banger fog lights for Honda, and if you want a tighter throw you can look at the 4Banger HXB Spot Beam pods at TRS. Whether you are running custom mounts or the universal option like we did on the S13, there is a configuration that fits.
Huge thanks again to Caffeine and Octane Lanier Raceway for the access, to our drivers for the smoke, and to the whole crew for keeping a cool head when things got a little too hot. Keep an eye out for the finished promos, because the footage we captured on this two-part Morimoto in Motion series turned out even better than we hoped.
Frequently Asked Questions
What event is featured in this Morimoto in Motion video?
The video covers day two of a two-part Morimoto behind the scenes series filmed at Caffeine and Octane’s Lanier Raceway in Braselton, Georgia, across from Road Atlanta, for a July promo shoot.
What cars appear in the video?
The video features a 2001 Honda S2000 that is bone stock aside from a turbo waiting to be installed, and a 1989 Nissan S13 with an RB25 swap, a GTX3071 turbo, 1000cc injectors, and an ISR manifold.
What Morimoto product is shown on the drift cars?
The S13 is shown running Morimoto four banger lights mounted using custom mounts as well as Morimoto’s universal mounting option.
Did anything go wrong during filming?
Yes, during a rolling burnout segment the car caught fire, and the crew is shown putting it out with water right after the burnout.
Why did the team film at Lanier Raceway?
The transcript notes that Caffeine and Octane Lanier Raceway hosts Friday night drift events and other special events, and the team thanks the track for allowing Morimoto to film the promo there since few tracks allow this kind of access.
Meet the Experts Behind Morimoto
Jimmy Nguyen – Engineering Manager
Jimmy leads engineering at Morimoto, bringing experience across customer support, supplier management, design engineering, and validation testing. His work ensures Morimoto lighting systems are engineered for real-world reliability and long-term performance.
Mike Hicks – Quality Control Manager
Mike oversees quality assurance at Morimoto, with a background spanning returns testing, RMA analysis, vendor quality control, and manufacturer scorecards. His focus is continuous improvement and accountability across the product lifecycle.
