Hypebeast’s latest Garage Visits series puts the spotlight on car culture hub Race Service, some of its Hispanic content creators, and the new Toyota GR Corolla.
Race Service is an LA-based creative agency that has revolutionized the way car content is produced for social media and other digital platforms. Through its signature action cinematography, viral-worthy concepts and glossy documentary style cuts, RS has ushered in more dynamic ways of filming, photographing and telling stories of the cars, people and brands that make up car culture globally. Additionally, Toyota, a brand continually profiled by Race Service and a name that’s been synonymous with street car culture, brings its new GR Corolla to RS for a quick spin and closer look.
What makes Race Service naturally run its course are the people involved behind the scenes, creating magic that has audiences worldwide captivated by its videos and authentic storytelling. Senior Editor Carlos Uriostegui and Cinematographer Jorge Ramos are two Hispanic content creators that have immensely contributed to RS’ success.
Uriostegui, who is of Mexican descent has been around cars all his life which was a natural progression to where he currently is in his career with Race Service. “I grew up loving cars,” he explains. “Born and raised in South Central LA, you’re surrounded by car culture – lowriders, muscle, Japanese, you see it all, so I naturally gravitated towards cars and became a fan.” Cinematographer and editor Jorge Ramos, who is also Mexican-American, is driven by the love and closeness of family which is an important aspect of his Hispanic heritage. His desire to work for a company that values family was paramount to Ramos so he’s happy he found that with Race Service. “Family is the most important aspect of my Hispanic culture,” Ramos says. “So naturally I would look for a family vibe in my career workplace. Being at RS reminds me of a little family, away from my family. My culture also places a strong emphasis on hospitality and the importance of welcoming guests into our home. Race Service does exactly that, whenever we have anything going on at the office we make sure the experience for everyone is 110%.”
In his role as Senior Editor, Uriostegui lends his vision and input to various projects, from concept to execution. As RS’ “employee number one,” he’s been vital to how the company creatively runs. “My day-to-day is a mix of things, but I also love supporting and guiding our other creatives with their projects,” Uriostegui says. “Being at RS from the beginning and seeing every project come to life, I can offer insight into what feels authentic to our brand and the client.” Social media was also a main factor for how Uriostegui launched his career. He used it as a tool to get noticed and network with important people in the industry. “With the emergence of social media and content creation in the early 2000s, I started to shoot what I loved,” Uriostegui says. Social media played a major role in getting me to where I am today. Showcasing my work online, I saw a positive reception that pushed me more. I made friends and connections with people I would not have otherwise made, being from my background and demographic.”
As for cinematographer and editor Jorge Ramos, he applies his sharp eye and creativity to a number of RS initiatives and thrives on being able to multitask. “One day I might be heads down, headphones on in the office focusing on an edit,” Ramos says. “The very next day I might be hopping on a plane for a film production across the world in Abu Dhabi. It’s pretty much my dream job as a creative if you ask me.”
With the new Toyota GR Corolla at Race Service, Uriostegui felt nostalgic about the car and how the brand has been a part of him in his career and upbringing. He also credits the brand’s reliability as a factor for how Toyotas have become sought after in his culture. His father owned Toyota pickups growing up and was able to learn to use stick shift from driving them. These days, Uriostegui drives a 2018 Toyota RAV4 SE for its enduring reliability. As a content creator, Uriostegui is quite impressed with the new Toyota GR Corolla. “The design is striking, bold, and it looks fast standing still,” he explains further. “I love the GR-FOUR AWD system, the circuit-tuned suspension, and above all else, the 6-speed manual transmission. As a content creator, hearing the car exhaust note come through the screen and grab your attention is key. The GR Corolla’s triple exhaust system not only looks great, but they also have an aggressive note that translates on screen.”
Through Ramos’ eyes, he sees the reason why Toyota resonates with his culture amongst others is the brand’s value and reliability. Most recently, he was able to create content with the new Toyota GR Corolla in the LA canyons and was thoroughly pleased with its look, handle and dependability for filming. “After spending a day with the Toyota GR Corolla with Ryan Tuerck ripping the LA canyons, I can honestly say that I love it,” Ramos adds. “It’s the perfect sporty and fun-to-drive car. Fitting 4 people with camera gear all over was no problem.”
Race Service has also featured Toyota cars in some of its video creations, so the synergies between Toyota, RS and its content creators have come organically. Professional drifter Ryan Tuerck who is a partner at RS and drives a Toyota GR Corolla in the U.S. Formula Drift series, created one of the platform’s most-watched videos alongside Uriostegui. Tuerck expertly drove his Toyota Gumout GT4586 build on a challenging public road in Portland – the video has garnered almost 22 million views on YouTube. Tuerck puts a lot of trust on RS’ content creators and praises them for their ambitious concepts. “There’s a lot to say about the creative team here,” Tuerck says. “It’s just that they’re all very professional and extremely talented. They understand motorsports and how things are supposed to be shot and come together. I have the utmost confidence that they’re going to put together the best piece of content that we’re out there to shoot. Carlos and Jorge we just kind of understand and get each other and there doesn’t have to be much communication involved to really get the point across in what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Race Service has already established itself as a premier car content creator. It’s also a fashion brand, event space and cultural connector. Most importantly, RS is described by those in-the-know as a hub, where auto enthusiasts can meet, create, collaborate and share things that go even beyond the world of cars. The future also looks promising for the automotive platform and looks to grow the brand through more partnerships and adding in more exceptional talent like Uriostegui and Ramos. “Race Service, starting as an automotive car culture hub and creative agency, has now grown into a global brand,” Uriostegui explains. “It’s a brand that leverages our identity, style, and partnerships with other brands (in other industries such as fashion, media, art, music, etc.). This part of RS is huge and exciting to watch as it grows into the future.”
For more information about Race Service head on to raceservice.la and for more information on the new Toyota GR Corolla, visit toyota.com/grcorolla.
