Month: February 2011
Tanner Foust Announces Temporary Retirement From Formula DRIFT
February 10, 2011
Tanner Foust Announces Temporary Retirement From Formula DRIFT;
Papadakis Racing and Team Need For Speed Announce the Signing of 2010 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year, Fredric Aasbo
Long Beach, Calif. – February 10th, 2011 – Formula DRIFT has announced that 2-time Formula DRIFT champion, Tanner Foust will temporarily step away from the sport of drifting. In conjunction, Papadakis Racing and Team Need For Speed have announced the signing of the 2010 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year, Fredric Aasbo.
“Tanner’s semi-retirement is bittersweet for the Series as he has become one of the most recognizable drivers on the circuit and is one of the most competitive spokesmen for Formula DRIFT,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “As with the growth and progression of the Series we can expect to see opportunities brought to many of the drivers and wish Tanner more success in his career both on and off the track. His departure will leave a spot open for a future star of drifting to rise, which we are excited to see.”
Foust has announced his temporary retirement from drifting due to a demanding 2011 schedule of European Rally events, X-Games and television responsibilities. The 2-time Formula DRIFT champion and Tires.com Triple Crown bonus winner will be competing one last time in the Rockstar / Papadakis Racing Scion tC on February 25, 2010 during the Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational competition.
“I owe a lot to Formula DRIFT and Stephan Papadakis. This sport, Stephan and his team have been, and will remain, an integral part of my motorsports life,” said Tanner Foust, from his home in San Juan Capistrano. “This was a hard choice to make, but with my schedule looking even busier than last year’s I will not be able to fully commit to the 2011 Formula DRIFT season. However, I am looking forward to competing in the Rockstar Scion tC for one last time in Abu Dhabi this month.” With an open seat, team owner, Stephan Papadakis has enlisted the highly touted and talented driver, Fredric Aasbo. In addition, a newly created partnership with Team Need For Speed has solidified the alliance. Aasbo will be competing in the brand new Need for 2011 Scion tC this season with the competition debut during Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 8-9, 2011.
“Our new partnership with Need For Speed and having Fredric behind the wheel of the new Need for Speed 2011 Scion tC is very exciting,” stated Stephan Papadakis, team owner of Papadakis Racing. “To be aligned with such a top brand in the gaming world is a dream of ours. The synergy between our programs is a natural fit. We build crazy cars for competition and they have the technology for the world to drive them! It has been a pleasure to work with Tanner for the past 5 years and our team thanks him for his hard work and determination and wish him nothing but the best.”
The 2011 Formula DRIFT season begins on April 8-9, 2011 and will mark the debut of many cars, drivers, and teams. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com
Formula DRIFT Returns to Panama City this Weekend
Formula DRIFT will return for the third consecutive time to Panama City for the annual demo that is part of Xtreme Wheels & Drift. The event will be held at the Figali Convention Center on February 12.
Panama has a growing car culture of enthusiasts and a large fan base for drifting, who first saw professional action 3 years ago. The drift demo held by professional Formula DRIFT drivers is held to help continue the promotion of the sport within the region with the goal to hold a professional event at a racetrack. Panama is a major focal point for commerce around the globe with over 14,000 ships, carrying over 300 million tons of cargo through the canal each year.
Formula DRIFT drivers that will be participating include Joon Maeng, Cyrus Martinez, John Russakoff, Charles Ng, Matt Field, and Patrick Mordaunt.
DSPORT Tests 2012 Nissan GT-R
Formula Drift media partner, DSPORT Magazine, gets up close and personal with the 2012 Nissan GT-R. They had the opportunity to meet with the “Godfather of the GT-R,” Kazutoshi Mizuno, who gives us an in-depth look at all of the improvements and changes of the all new GT-R. Full coverage of this test can be seen in issue #102 in May 2011.
[youtube width=”560″ height=”345″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjmtsKdrtkU[/youtube]
Alpinestars & Need For Speed Present “Play a Pro” Sweepstakes
Torrance, CA – Alpinestars and Need for Speed™ are joining forces to bring you a “Play a Pro” sweepstakes, presented exclusively with Tilly’s. Alpinestars is giving you a unique opportunity to play SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED™, the latest entry in the critically acclaimed Need for Speed™ simulation series, against drift driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. at Formula Drift’s first 2011 event. The highly-anticipated SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED will be released March 29th in North America.
One lucky winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the Formula Drift event April 8th-9th with Alpinestars and Need for Speed. They will experience a ride-a-long with Team Need for Speed and Alpinestars Formula Drift driver Matt Powers, have VIP access to Team Need for Speed and Alpinestars hospitality areas, and play SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED against Alpinestars Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. The winner will also receive Alpinestars and Need for Speed prize packs. Don’t miss your chance to enter this sweepstakes!
Enter to Win at www.tillys.com
