Category: FD News

Formula DRIFT Continues Partnership with GoPro for 2015 Season

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Continues Partnership with GoPro for 2015 Season

FD-GoPro-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – March 31, 2015 – Formula DRIFT and GoPro continue their partnership for the 2015 season. GoPro will remain the exclusive and official camera partner for the Series.

“The partnership with GoPro has helped elevate the fan experience through their state of the art technology,” said Ryan Sage, vice-president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Fans can now feel like they are sitting shotgun for a ride-along, see the vantage point from a clipping point, and watch on television and online some of the most captivating and dynamic content produced with the HERO line of cameras.”

GoPro, maker of lightweight, wearable and gear-mounted cameras that transform the way consumers and professionals capture and share meaningful content, is the exclusive on-car and in-car camera during official competition. As the official camera, GoPro enables Formula DRIFT to offer its fans an immersive, unique experience that enhances the excitement of the Series. The versatility of the HERO line of cameras allows for angles and perspectives otherwise unattainable.

Additionally, GoPro has provided the judges of the series more perspectives and insight helping them to review the performance and evaluate the competition.

“Formula DRIFT and GoPro are the perfect combination to showcase the talent of these skilled drivers. The immersive capability of the camera and the incredible action on the course makes for unreal content for both fans and newcomers to the sport to enjoy,” said Rod Rojas, Motorsports Marketing Manager at GoPro.

Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT

News

Posted on

Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT;
Introduces Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance

FORD_Perform_350x113

Long Beach, Calif. – March 19, 2015 – Ford has expanded its involvement in professional drifting as an official partner of Formula DRIFT with the introduction of the new Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance. The center will be available to all credentialed media guests and will feature amenities such as lockers, refreshments, working space, and live streaming broadcast, and will debut at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11.

“We are excited to have Ford back in the series as an official partner and even more excited in their initiative and investment that will help introduce a brand new media center to our sport,” stated Ryan Sage, co-founder and vice-president of Formula DRIFT.

Ford will have significant presence at events with displays in the vendor paddock and signage throughout the venues. Ford will continue to make an impact on the track supporting drivers Vaughn Gittin, Jr., the 2010 Formula Drift champion, and Justin Pawlak.

The Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance will be a custom media center that will travel to all seven rounds of the Formula DRIFT Championship. The new media center will also include WI-FI, a food and beverage area, and two on-site media managers. A photo rendering of the media center is below.

FDfordCANOPY-comp2-700x453

“We’re proud to support the journalists and media guests with an on-site place they can consider ‘home’ while working Formula DRIFT events. They have a tough job to do and we are confident the enhanced media center will help them do it even better,” said Mickey Matus, Marketing and Communication Manager at Ford Performance. “Our partnership with this series is key to connecting with its young audience, and it’s a relationship that we value highly. We’re really looking forward to this expansion of the partnership.”

Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets and can be purchased through www.formuladrift.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office.

Formula DRIFT Signs Multi-Year Television Deal With CBS Sports Network

News

Posted on

cbssn_onlight_269x76

Long Beach, Calif. – March 10, 2015 – Formula DRIFT has announced a television agreement with CBS Sports Network for 20 half-hour programs throughout the year. The fast paced action featuring bracketed head-to-head match-ups will anchor the coverage and be featured across 13 episodes. Coverage also includes an additional 7 shows featuring a brand new behind-the-scenes program, “Formula DRIFT Insider.”

“We are very excited about this new relationship with CBS Sports Network,” said Ryan Sage, Vice President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT. “We have expanded our programming to nearly double the episodes and our new schedule is amazing! We look forward to exposing our sport to this national television audience in order to grow the sport and expose the new faces of Formula DRIFT.”

“Formula DRIFT” on CBS Sports Network premieres Wednesday, May 6 at 8:30 PM, ET. The Formula DRIFT schedule adds to CBS Sports Network’s already robust lineup of motorsports programming, which includes 400 hours of coverage throughout the year.

CBS Sports Network is available to more than 99 million homes across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaDrift.

Tanner Foust Returns to Formula Drift for Partial 2015 season

News

Posted on

Tanner Foust returns to Formula Drift for partial 2015 season

Busy calendar includes rallycross, drifting, and short-course off road competition

RLY_TannerF_0617-PL-MID

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 23, 2015) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust will make a return to Formula Drift competition for three rounds this season as part of a stacked schedule that will see him challenge for the Global Rallycross Championship title while also racing in select stops of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Formula Drift and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-S9C8NODRA[/youtube]

“My competition focus is on winning the Global Rallycross Championship for Volkswagen in 2015 but I’m also excited to be able to get back into drifting,” said Foust, whose last Formula Drift competition was the 2010 season-ender. “The fans, the tracks, and the driving in Formula Drift are really something unique in the world of motorsports and I’ve missed being part of it.”

Foust’s first Formula Drift competition of 2015 will take place at the season opener, Streets of Long Beach, April 10 and 11. There, he will debut a brand new drift machine: the 900 horsepower Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat.

“I think it is safe to say, the return of two-time FD champion Tanner Foust highlights the most anticipated Formula DRIFT season to date,” said Ryan Sage, series co-founder. “Some of the best battles in series history have featured Tanner and our fans are going to be thrilled to see him back in the mix in 2015 in a brand new Rockstar Energy Drink machine.”

The two-time series champion is also slated to compete in Atlanta in the Road to the Championship, May 8-9, and at the season-ending Final Fight in Irwindale, Calif., October 9-10.

It is a much-anticipated return to drifting for Foust, who is the only driver ever to win back-to-back Formula Drift championships (2007 and 2008). He scored the runner-up position in 2010, his last season of Formula Drift competition. More details on the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat drift car will be available in the coming weeks.

“I’m going back to my roots with drifting, racing in rallycross, scraping the rust off some road racing skills, and continuing to learn more about off-road racing,” said Foust. “For me, it’s important to stay in touch with these different disciplines — especially as I’m working with Volkswagen on developing some exciting new project cars.”

Foust debuted the first of these projects, the RAUH-Welt Begriff Volkswagen Beetle, at SEMA last season.

The Rockstar Energy Drink driver recently appeared with Volkswagen at the Chicago Auto Show to confirm plans to return to Global Rallycross (GRC) for a second full championship season with the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross (VARX) team, alongside teammate Scott Speed. The team is also expected to return to X Games in Austin this summer when the action sports festival returns to Circuit of the Americas June 4-7.

Foust will also make a return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for four stops this season with Sweden’s Marklund Motorsport team. The versatile driver is also planning to appear in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for a select campaign of events in the in the Pro-2 class.

In addition to his competition career, Foust is also a stunt driver and television personality. He is one of the hosts of Top Gear, airing on the HISTORY channel, and new episodes of his documentary series Life in the Foust Lane are coming soon to the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/RockstarEvents

TANNER FOUST: 2015 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Global Rallycross Championship (Full season):
GRC Tampa: May 31
GRC Daytona: June 21
GRC Military Base: July 5
GRC Detroit (I): July 25
GRC Detroit (II): July 26
GRC Washington, D.C.: August 15
GRC Seattle: August 30
GRC Los Angeles (I): September 12
GRC Los Angeles (II): September 13
GRC Barbados (I): October 3
GRC Barbados (II): October 4
GRC Las Vegas: November 4

X Games
Rally (Circuit of the Americas): June 4-7

FIA World Rallycross Championship (Select appearances):
World RX of Great Britain: May 22-24
World RX of Canada: August 7-8
World RX of France: September 4-6
World RX of Spain: September 19-20

Formula Drift (Select appearances):
Streets of Long Beach (Long Beach, Calif.): April 10 – 11
Road to the Championship (Braselton, Ga.): May 8-9
Final Fight (Irwindale, Calif.): October 9-10

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (Select appearances)
Dates TBD

ABOUT TANNER FOUST
Tanner Foust is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control and a proven track record of podium placements, national championships and world records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007).

He has also held multiple world records including for the astonishing Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare, which saw Foust drive a car through a 66-foot loop-the-loop. He also scored the indoor speed record for TV’s Top Gear USA, and set a distance jump record with Hot Wheels when he made a 332′ ramp-to-ramp leap in a truck at the Indy 500.

A dominant driver in the sport of rallycross, Foust is the only American driver ever to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He made his rallycross debut overseas in 2010 with a select campaign and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three. At home, Foust has been a leading driver in the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in 2010, and in 2014 won the New York round of the Global Rallycross Championship for the new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team.

His varied competition experience includes multiple years of open wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, off-road truck competition, various types of sports car racing and the SCORE Baja. He has represented the USA in the annual Race of Champions three times, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008, Travis Pastrana in 2009, and Mick Doohan in 2010.

When he isn’t racing, the professional driver also performs in films and on television. He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel. Episodes of his online documentary series, Life in the Foust Lane, are available on the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel.

Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in the Need 4 Speed film, as well as other major releases including the Bourne Legacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2 movies.

Formula D Canada Unveils 2015 Calendar A series of 3 events and the Formula D World Championship

News

Posted on

FD Canada

Montreal, January 27, 2015. – Formula Drift Canada today unveiled the schedule for the season 2015. The series will include a total of three events, respectively, in Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières.  Formula D Canada will also present before the last round of the Formula Drift World Championship at Autodrome St-Eustache on 6 and 7 September. Last year, Formula D Canada held a first round of demonstrations in partnership with Formula DRIFT team at Autodrome St-Eustache. “With more than 25 pilots and 10 000 spectators, it is the leading drifting event ever held in Canada,” says Alan Labrosse, owner of the track and president of Formula D Canada. 18 drivers in the Formula D series Canada will take on the pros Formula Drift The Formula D series Canada held this year three events on Canadian soil. The top 16 drivers in the Formula D series Canada will each receive a license to participate in the ninth round of Formula D World Championship, to be held on September 6 and 7 at Autodrome St-Eustache. The public will also be invited to vote for the addition of two additional drivers on the websitewww.formulad.ca . In total, there are 18 drivers in the Formula D series that Canada will have the chance to compete against the pros Formula Drift.   Calendar Formula D Canada 2015 (times subject to change)

  • Round 1: June 21, Autodrome St-Eustache
  • Round 2: July 18, Autodrome Montmagny
  • Round 3: August 7-8, Trois-Rivières Grand Prix
  • World Championship: September 6-7, Autodrome St-Eustache

The Formula D World Championship is an international series of 10 events – 7 held in the USA and 3 held in Japan, Canada, and China respectively.  Currently, all drivers holding a Formula D pro license are admissible to the Formula D World Championship.  ‘In order to accumulate points in the World Championship, Formula D pro drivers will have to participate in at least 1 events outside of the US (Japan, Canada, or China),’  explains Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula Drift.  Also, the winning drivers of a World Championship round, as well as the top 8 drivers in the general class following the Canadian round will have their transportation fees to the final World Championship round in China in November 2015 covered by the Formula D organisation.  It is during this event that the champion will be crowned.  The victor of the World Championship series, the winner of each championship round, and the ‘Triple Crown’ trophy recipient will share a prize total of $300 000. 

‘The inauguration of Formula D Canada with a World Championship round held on Canadian soil represents a whole new step in the evolution of drift in Canada.  This expansion is only possible due to the passion Quebecers and Canadians hold for the sport,’ – Ben Woo, vice-president of sales and marketing for Formula D Canada.

In order to welcome the large number of spectators expected for the Formula D World Championship, the St-Eustache Autodrome will augment its seating capacity.  The event will also be live streaming on the Formula D website: www.formulad.com./live/

SCION CANADA – Formula D Main Sponsor

Scion Canada has been supporting Formula D Canada since its inception in 2014 and has become its main sponsor in 2015.   Scion Canada also supports drift pilot Pat Cyr and his Scion FR-S.  In 2015, his race car will be receiving a brand new 2JZ-GTE engine capable of 1000 horse power.  It also possesses a Wisefab made exclusively for the FR-S which produces an exceptional power and direction.

About Formula D Canada

Launched in 2014, Formula D Canada is a Canadian drift racing series officially sanctioned by Formula Drift.  The organization is comprised of a team with much experience in automotive sport and drift:  Alan Labrosse – president, Ben Woo – vice president of sales and marketing, David De Somma – event director, and Alexandre Crépault – director of communications.  For more information, visit www.formulad.ca

About Formula Drift

Formula Drift is currently in its 12th season and is renowned and recognized as the international leader of drift championships.  After having started in the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved to become a worldwide automotive sport which challenges driver skills in vehicle control.  Formula Drift provides a platform for professional dirft racers to compete on a national level to claim the coveted Formula Drift champion crown.  As the world leader in drift racing, Formula Drift pushes the sport to its extreme and attracts all levels and types of auto enthusiasts.  To obtain more information on the calendar of events and tickets, visit www.formuladrift.com.