The 2025 Racing Season Begins!
Updates from F1, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and more to start the year in motorsport.
HAPPY RACE DAY! especially to Sir Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion (and noted GT-R fan) visited his new team at Ferrari this week.
We’ll get our first look at Hamilton behind the wheel during a three-day testing session in late February to kick off the 2025 F1 calendar.
Culture Roundup
Racing is here! Sports cars are up first with the Rolex 24 this weekend.
Qualifying starts on Thursday and the race starts on Saturday.
You can find a complete TV and broadcast listing here.
Here’s a great introduction to the series history and major players to know:
Earlier the Tokyo Auto Salon dominated social media with big crowds and wild builds. This show celebrates the Japanese aftermarket and has helped build many iconic shops and garages across the country. This year the biggest show-stopper was a Lamborghini Miura from famed (some would say blasphemous) custom bodyshop Liberty Walk. Scroll through our author Larry Chen’s feed for more TAS goodies.
Bonhams holds its annual Scottsdale Auction this weekend. There are lots of great cars, but check out:
this ‘84 Group A Nissan Skyline (est. $150-200k);
and this stunning ‘87 Calsonic Skyline (est. $200-275k).
Amazing to see vintage Nissan racers treated with such reverence.
Ask An Enthusiast: Kaden Elisaldez, 21
Kaden, better known on social media as @steezy33_, has become a must-follow for his enthusiasm, creative on-camera style and ability to seemingly be everywhere. To kick off 2025 he traveled to Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon, the country’s largest auto show that we covered last year and was started by Option founder Daijiro Inada. Fresh off the plane and back in the U.S., I caught up with Kaden to see how it went.
The vibes in Japan were crazy energy. People are in town from all around the world, looking for the next underground meet or photoshoot. We had one night that was a total goose chase trying to find a meet. Finally we ended up at the right place right time, then someone pulled up and yelled “Keisatsu!” I only know limited Japanese but I know that means “Cops!” Everyone started running and we decided we had our 15 mins, let’s be safe about it and go home. I’m not trying to see the consequences. But later my friend told me he stayed out until 4:00am and was sad that we left early. If you’re a trooper and willing to run from the cops all night that’s what they’ll do. Hit spots and dip, hit spots and dip. It’s a different level than the US for sure.
For the show itself, the part that I’ll remember is meeting up with friends I hadn’t seen since last year. The craziest story is my friend who owned my Skyline before it came to the U.S. He lives in Yokohama. That’s where the show was the most fun for me. Of course the cars are amazing, but the show is so crowded it can be hard to enjoy. It makes it very hard to shoot content. It gives you a chance to just be there but you’re pushing through crowds of people. It definitely feels more crowded than SEMA. In the future I’ll 100-percent try to get early access with a media outlet.
Online, people are really connecting with relatability. They like to see you building a car they can afford, or having the same problems they have. All creators are people too. The more they can relate to you the better. You can have a creator with Lambos and Ferraris and there’s 100% a space for it — they’ll follow because you do cool stuff. But being relatable and down to earth gets you the lasting effect with your followers. Talking, responding to DMs, liking their videos. I know it’s made a big difference for me. It’s your responsibility as a creator to give back a little bit of love.
I just finished all my required credits for a degree in marketing. One more semester left and then what’s next? I wish I had a straightforward answer — the truth is I’m still figuring it out. The last few years I’ve put my fingers in a lot of different pies: working with Nissan, writing and doing research for Donut Media, all these little things and I’m hoping one of those doors can open up into a full-time thing. It’s all in the marketing sphere so I’ll be happy getting to use that degree in some case. Cars is my passion for sure. If it’s a more corporate road I’d love to stay in cars and if I stay more independent and see if I can make it work as a content creator, then cool. But either way I’d love to stay in automotive. Hey, whatever allows me to drift.
And Finally…
Author and auto journalist Elizabeth Blackstock started a car-themed book club and the first reading is The Sebring Story by Alec Ulmann. I would love to join the fun at some point this year. Maybe we can send a Race Day delegation to the club.
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