Category: Featured

Jeff Jones Racing team for Formula Drift

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Big news out of The Jeff Jones Racing team for Formula Drift USA:   Jeff Jones has a new title sponsor for the 2016 FD season, doc energizing drink.  doc is an energizing soda with a powerful pepper taste that’s crafted for renegades and enjoyed by all.  If you want to grab a doc and go rouge you can stop by and say what’s up to the team in Long beach, CA this weekend.  Jeff Jones Racing has also teamed up with a few new sponsors, ACT, CPR Engines, and Sticker City who laid down the beautiful wrap.   JJR also wants to thank our long-time supporting sponsors who will be returning for the 2016 season, Traklite Wheels, Garret Turbos, BC, CP, drift knuckles, and Sinister Designs.  Finally, JJR racing has launched a brand new website, Drifthacks.com, along with a grand opening of the Jeff Jones Racing drift modification shop in Sun Valley, CA.  If all that was not enough, the team has also launched a Drift 101 video series with new videos every month

Formula DRIFT Announces Partnership with Network A to Launch First Digital and Mobile Channel Dedicated Exclusively to Drifting

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 6, 2016 – Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue has announced a partnership with Network A (www.networka.com), the leading global action-sports channel, to launch the first digital and mobile channel dedicated exclusively to drifting. The Formula DRIFT channel will feature livestreams of all of the North American events as well as select events from Japan and around the world. It will also offer a full line-up of highlights, interviews, classics, and original programming featuring the greatest drift drivers and cars. The livestreams, video-on-demand, syndication, and social-platform video distribution will all be powered by the Sportsrocket media platform.

“We are very excited to join forces with Network A on this new initiative for fans of Formula DRIFT,” said vice president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT, Ryan Sage. “The partnership will usher in a new era of access and programming innovation for our sport.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Formula Drift to bring exclusive access to the most entertaining series in motorsports, said Brian Bedol, CEO of Sportsrocket, the parent company of Network A. “Network A audiences have asked us for more drift programming, and this was an opportunity to step up in a big way. Our Sportsrocket sports media platform allows us to provide big-league level services to emerging organizations like Formula DRIFT.”

The channel will officially launch later this spring, but will provide a preview through www.formulad.com and www.NetworkA.com for the launch of the 2016 season from the Streets of Long Beach, April 8 and 9.

For more information visit: www.formulad.com, www.NetworkA.com , and www.Sportsrocket.com . Find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Formula DRIFT Announces Blackvue Bonus Prize Money

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 5, 2016 – Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue has announced that it will offer $25,000 additional dollars in prize money to the any driver that wins three specific events. Those events will be Long Beach, Evergreen Speedway and Wall Speedway.

“The new Blackvue relationship has allowed us to invest further in developing the series and this additional prize purse is one of the many things that people will see this year,” said Jim Liaw, President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT. “Blackvue will also be giving cameras to each podium winner this year.” Formula DRIFT Round 1, Long Beach kick-offs this weekend, April 8-9. The sell-out event showcases the world’s best drifters competing on the wall-to-wall course of the Long Beach Grand Prix street track. All festivities are open to the public and each day will also be broadcast live at www.formulad.com/live.

Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 8-9, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets. Tickets can be purchased through www.formuladrift.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. to Debut All-New Competition-Spec Ford Mustang RTR at Round One of Formula Drift: Streets of Long Beach

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On April 9th, 2016, World Champion drifter and Professional Fun-Haver, Vaughn Gittin Jr, will debut his new 2016 Competition-Spec Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR at the first round of the Formula Drift Championship in Long Beach, California.

Vaughn had this to say about the 2016 season, “I cannot wait to battle it out with the world’s best at Formula Drift with my brand new competition-spec 2016 Ford Mustang RTR. The new Ford Mustang is so much fun to drive in its stock form and with only 1 year of development in the new car, my team has really turned it up to 11 by making this the most exciting car I have ever been behind the wheel of. This Mustang RTR is a 900 horsepower, nine-second drag car that can turn left and right on a dime — who wouldn’t have fun behind the wheel of it?”

In late 2014, Ford started shipping the globally-available and new-from-the-ground-up Mustang. Aside from the fresh body, the Mustang received a new suspension configuration that includes Independent Rear Suspension (IRS). The introduction of the IRS in the 2016 Ford Mustang presented the team with some new positive engineering opportunities in comparison to the previous generation’s solid rear axle.
Power-wise, the Ford Mustang RTR is utilizing a 436 cubic-inch Ford Performance/Roush Yates Racing engine making over 900 horsepower. The team gained about 100 horsepower over previous years by simply switching to  VP Racing Fuels C85 product.
In addition to increasing horsepower and optimizing the all-new suspension to utilize the massive grip provided by Nitto NT05 Tires, shedding pounds was a big focus for the team to maximize performance. Utilizing light-weighting processes similar to what Ford is deploying in its production vehicles, the RTR Drift Team utilized composites as well as stronger and lighter alloys throughout the build allowing it to weigh in at under 3000lbs.
After just one year of development, a recent test at NCCAR was the first real opportunity for the team to open the car up and stretch its legs with long sweepers and technical sections. Following the test, Vaughn and the RTR Drift Team had huge smiles on their faces as it seemed all the long nights and hard work had paid off.
“I was a bit nervous about where we would end up initially,” says Vaughn, “as we have had over 10 years of development of the previous generation S197 Mustang and it was dialed. But following this final test, that nervousness has turned into confidence.”
April 9th marks the first round of the Formula Drift 2016 Championship in the streets of downtown Long Beach California. Vaughn and the RTR team are pumped to get back into competition mode with their eyes set on a podium finish.
“We know we are going to continue learning and adapting to what this new Mustang likes out on the track,” says Vaughn. “I feel very good about where we are after only 1 year of development and we just cannot wait to battle it out with the world’s best and leave it all on the track. We are Ready to Rock!”

If you can make it out to the Formula Drift event, swing by the RTR Drift Team booth to slap Vaughn a high-five and check out the car in person. If you can’t make it out, follow along on Vaughn’s social media (links below) or watch the Formula Drift live stream HERE.