Buckle up. Las Vegas-based George Kiriakopoulos let us ride shotgun as he showed how the Garrett GTX3582R keeps his drift – when a driver intentionally over-steers to lose traction – game strong.

 Here’s some behind-the-scenes scoop:

How long have you been drifting? I have been drifting since 2008 when the import scene really took off here in Vegas. We have a lot of local drifting venues that have open track nights and allow racers to fine tune their skills. My friends and I are all in to the sport so it keep things exciting.

What do you do when you are not drifting? I own a shop called Modified Performance. We specialize in modifying race cars for drifting, road racing, and street use. Our specialty is engine performance and turbo upgrades.

What are your plans for the 2017 race season? I will compete in the local amateur series here in Vegas called Vegas Drift. I got my Pro license for the Formula Drift series so I will also go to some Formula Drift Pro 2 races.

What’s your current drift vehicle? I own a 1994 S13 Nissan 240SX with a LS7 engine and a Garrett GTX3582R Turbo that makes 650HP.

Why that turbo? Reliability has been the name of the game. Using the Honeywell Garrett turbo has allowed me to do just that. The turbos have never let me down!

Any last thoughts? I was recently out at the Garrett Boost Festival Event and had a chance to do some demo runs on Horse Thief Mile at Willow Springs Raceway so I strapped a 360 camera to the inside of my car to get some cool video footage. Check it out and follow me on my social media pages for more updates: https://www.facebook.com/gkiriakopoulos