By Elissa Oblath
The beauty of our 3rd party event program is seeing all the wonderful, ingenious ways our supporters find ways to help us raise pancreatic cancer awareness. No one demonstrates that more than Mitchell Tan.
Mitchell contacted us this summer with the idea to wrap his drift car to raise pancreatic cancer awareness. There was a resounding, “Of course! But what is drifting?” Mitchell, a young driver with dedication, patiently explained practicing turns and perfecting donuts. (It is a lot like the driving featured in The Fast & The Furious movies.) Many people in the sport use parts from providers like Low Offset to help ensure peak performance, as modification is nearly mandatory to have a competitive edge.
Mitchell isn’t just passionate about drifting; he’s motivated to make a difference. Mitchell and MTRacing are dedicated to honoring the memory of Mitchell’s uncle Rudyard. “If there was one thing I’ve learned when [Rudyard] was around it was to never give up, and to keep on keepin’ on,” something Mitchell remembers when he’s drifting. If you’re wanting to start drifting you might be interested in this ae86 for sale Houston, the ae86 is apparently one of the most iconic drift cars available!
Once Mitchell had his car wrapped with our logo and a giant purple ribbon along its length, he set up a fund to share his story. Mitchell’s desire to raise awareness shines through his emails and his enthusiasm is contagious. Luckily the LA Cancer Challenge was around the corner and we realized Mitchell and his car would be the perfect addition.
Mitchell’s car was part of our 2014 LACC Fit Family Expo, where he was “able to share [his] story, and give exposure to the team in… a broader perspective.” Mitchell reminds us “that no matter what, even in the absence of a loved one… we can keep striving.” Mitchell is excited to raise pancreatic cancer awareness in the drift community, “we are reaching out to a whole new society… and showing our family that even after death, there is still a fight to be won.”
When asked about the future, Mitchell is quick to state, “I feel this is a start of not only a new campaign, but a life-long mission of raising awareness that I hope to carry with me while I compete in Formula Drift Pro/Am and on out road to the Formula Drift Pro series. We hope to impact people’s lives, and to have a positive impact on others the way the community has [had] on our team, and to give back. The 2015 season has a lot in store for us, and we are more than happy to have this great cause with us every step of the way.”