Month: April 2013
[CONTEST] The Round to Formula DRIFT Amateur Photography Contest – 2013
The Round to Formula DRIFT Amateur Photography Contest – 2013
We’re proud to announce the Formula DRIFT Amateur Photographer contest has returned for its second year! Last year, we had over 50 entries through 4 intense rounds of very creative and thoughtful photos to pick one winner to join us track side at Formula DRIFT Seattle! This time, we’re doing it again, but making it much harder!
Want to feel the rush of the best drift cars in the world passing you by? Or maybe take the next best photo and get yourself recognized? Starting now and for the first 4 rounds of Formula DRIFT, NWMotiv.com will give an amateur photographer the chance to shoot with us, trackside, at Formula Drift Round 5 – Seattle on July 19-20, 2013.
Compete head-to-head versus other photographers in our four shooting challenges, and the photographer with the most points after round four will be invited by us, NWMotiv.com, to shoot Formula DRIFT Round 5. It’s no secret that approved photographers for the drift series are being cut, so be among the best and learn firsthand what it takes!
[FEATURE] Formula DRIFT: THE FIRST 10 YEARS by Larry Chen
Whether you love it or you hate it, you can’t deny that drifting has had a huge impact on global car culture. It’s been eight years since my first Formula Drift event at Long Beach, but it feels like it was just yesterday. Just like thousands of other fans that day, I was utterly hooked the very first time I saw tire smoke billowing out from the wheel wells of a drift car. Its popularity has certainly changed my life for the better.
Next week, Formula Drift Long Beach will mark the start of its tenth season as a professional championship series. I wanted to have a chat with Formula Drift co-founders Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage about the series and about some of the trials and tribulations they have had over the years, starting with their very first event.
Larry – What it was like in the beginning? What sort of obstacles did you guys encounter that day back in 2004 at the inaugural Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta.
Jim – From what I remember it wasn’t too bad. Ryan and I have already produced a huge event with D1GP and we also had SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) sanctioning the first Formula Drift in Atlanta. They helped us quite a bit to establish a technical foundation.
I do remember distinctly that we were tested from day one. One of the top drivers that committed to the series, who was also sponsored by one of the main sponsors, did not make the Top 16 cut.
Ryan and I were literally sat down by the sponsor and told something to the effect of, “Hey, we understand that you guys want to keep your integrity, but for the sake of the show you have to figure out a way to let this driver in. You guys are at season one, event one, and you really need to put on a good show and make sure your sponsors are getting the most of this.” They told us to go and take some time to think about it before Top 16 intros.
Ryan and I were like,“What the hell is going on here?!” We struggled a bit with this dilemma but at the end we stuck to our guns and we told them, “Rules are rules and results are final, sorry.”
Larry – I guess it wasn’t only a defining moment for you guys because it was your first event, it was a defining moment because they really tested your commitment to the series that you started.
Jim – I think that set the tone, because I know we went into it saying, we are going to be different from the other guys. We are not going to become a secretive dictatorship. We were not going to say, okay look this is what it’s going to be like in Top 16, this is how its going to look, and not really care about anything or anyone else..
Continue reading [FEATURE] Formula DRIFT: THE FIRST 10 YEARS by Larry Chen
[VIDEO] Maxxis Tires Driver Ryan Tuerck 2JZ FRS Test
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0yOLLo8STs[/youtube]
BILSTEIN Spokesperson Jessi Combs To Sign Autographs With Michael Essa at Round 1
Jessi Combs, spokesperson for BILSTEIN’s “Lower it Right” campaign, will be on hand to meet fans, sign autographs and talk shop on Saturday, April 13 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm in the GSR Paddock Area of the Long Beach street circuit. GSR’s co-owner and Formula Drift driver, Michael Essa will also be on hand for this exciting event sponsored by BILSTEIN and GSR. Attendees will have the chance to win raffle prizes and take home free posters autographed by both Combs and Essa.
“We’re thrilled to work with GSR Autosport Racing and Jessi Combs,” said Steven Beaty, Aftermarket and Motorsport President of BILSTEIN. “Jessi’s hands-on skills, along with her genuine passion for motorsports, make her a perfect fit to represent our brand.”
Jessi Combs is co-host of Velocity’s All Girls Garage and Overhaulin’ as well as AOL’s video series The List: 1001 Car Things To Do Before You Die on Autoblog.com. Previous appearances include Mythbusters, Two Guys Garage, TruckU and co-host of Xtreme 4×4 on Spike. Her automotive skills were honed in Laramie, WY at WyoTech where she graduated with a degree in Custom Automotive Fabrication. As spokesperson for BILSTEIN, Jessi helps educate enthusiasts about the importance of lowering their ride with top-quality suspension components from the world’s leader in shock absorbers.
BILSTEIN has partnered with GSR Autosport Racing for the 2013 Formula Drift season for both sponsorship and technical assistance. The two companies have worked together to build a BILSTEIN Motorsport MDS (Modular Damping System) specifically for the GSR Formula Drift BMW E46 M3 that will be driven by GSR co-owner, Michael Essa at it’s debut at the season opener in Long Beach.
“We’re absolutely excited to be working with BILSTEIN on our drift program,” said Nick Richards, President of GSR Autosport. “We have a lot of experience with BILSTEIN products from our road racing and street tuning business. The products are really second to none when it comes to outright performance and they have a storied past of success that backs that up.”
2013 marks the 8th consecutive year that Formula DRIFT has taken over the famous street course exactly one week prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Utilizing turns 9, 10 and 11 of the Grand Prix course, the Formula DRIFT drivers negotiate the turns with lots of sideways action and high-speed entries resulting in non-stop action that only Formula DRIFT can deliver. Gates are open to the public starting Friday, April 12 from 12pm to 5pm and again on Saturday, April 13 from 10am to 6pm.
