Today, we’d like to introduce you to James Bondurant . James was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Brandon Jay.
James , can you walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a young boy both my grandfather and father were professional race car drivers, so for me Auto Racing has always been something I wanted to achieve in my lifetime. My Dad supported me in racing both motocross and downhill mountain biking. This taught me a lot about the preparation and mental strength needed to race. After winning races and winning championships on two wheels, I still wanted to work my way into Auto Racing. In late 2003 I was fortunate to attend the SEMA show in Las Vegas (the world’s largest automotive show). I learned about a new sport called drifting and soon after was given an opportunity to try it at an event in southern California. My background on dirt helped me understand sliding through a corner so drifting came very naturally to me. I did so well that I got sponsored to drift professionally and was even sent to Japan for a month to train with Drift champion Kumakubo. I finished 8th in the Need for Speed finals during the inaugural season of professional drifting in 2004.
After some tough circumstances with drifting in 2009 I ended up back home in Santa Cruz, Ca. looking for a new start in life. Drifting was an amazing experience and something very close to my heart but I still wanted to showcase my racing abilities. The local dirt track in Santa Cruz county “Ocean speedway” hosts some of the best sprint car racing in the country. My drifting and motocross racing skills helped me in sprint car racing. I also lived in the race shop so I could put all my finances into racing sprint cars. I was able to race sprint cars against NASCAR champion Kyle Larson before he ever raced in NASCAR. It was the chance of a lifetime and making the main event against multi million dollar race teams as the local guy was a great experience for me. Finally achieving my dreams of Auto Racing and owning my own team taught me a lot of the financial challenges it takes to win races.
At this point in my career I knew there needed to be major financial backing for me to reach my goals and potential as a professional race car driver. I reached out to Brandon Jay, a talent manager and shared my vision of Entertainment in Auto Racing. His background in music and growing up in the south in the heart of NASCAR country, he understood my vision and had the tools to put it to action. Brandon Jay and I have started a new race team IMA Racing. The team is currently working towards professional Auto Racing and bringing unique Entertainment in 2024.
Please talk to us about your music.
Growing up in Santa Cruz, Ca. I lived in a music house with some talented musicians. During house parties they had me rap the dictionary from A to Z. Over time I learned two key things about rapping. I learned how to rap in 4 bars rhythm and also got a great vocabulary. Writing rhymes is a release for me. Expressing yourself through music is something everyone should have the opportunity to do. My fellow race car drivers nicknamed me JBizzle because of my rap skills. During my career in professional drifting I had the chance to meet Snoop Dogg. He actually invited me to a concert and after the show he did something very special. He actually had kids in wheelchairs do a race battle and then afterwards threw cash into their hands. There was a small ceremony with a hand shake and then I was told I am officially JBizzle. Snoop Dogg is a very cool guy and it’s an honor to be JBizzle the rapper. I have recently signed with IMA Entertainment. CEO Brandon Jay has helped refine my abilities and taught me how to write a song start to finish. We have been working on a project with several songs based around cars. I am definitely excited to share this new music with everyone! We are working on finishing up the project and will have a release date set soon.
So, as we mentioned to our audience earlier, you were introduced to us by Brandon Jay and we really admire them and what they’ve built. For folks who might not be as familiar, can you tell them a bit about your experience with Brandon.
I first started working with Brandon Jay as my talent manager but he is so much more than that. He is CEO of IMA Entertainment and an extremely driven individual to achieve success in whatever he does. Whether it’s writing songs, producing movies, hosting tv shows or building a race team Brandon Jay does not settle for less. He is a huge part of both my Entertainment and professional Auto Racing career. He is also a very stable guy and his relationship with God gives me confidence that we are not only achieving success but doing it with honor and integrity.
Website: www.jamesbondurant.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bondurantmotorsports
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/james-bondurant-30295b31
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bondurantmotorsports
Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCWpSMk_mTvw-4qAgAwvZiJA
Image Credits
Getty images, Antonio Alvendia
