Formula Drift Star Tyler McQuarrie set to debut in World Challenge at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

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April 12, 2010 (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Formula Drift star Tyler McQuarrie is already familiar with three of the turns on the eleven-turn temporary road course of downtown Long Beach, but next weekend he’ll have to figure out eight more as he makes in debut in the World Challenge series, part of the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 16-18.

In so doing, McQuarrie will become the first driver to compete in both the Formula Drift Pro Championship’s Streets of Long Beach event – which utilizes turns nine, ten, and eleven of the TGPLB circuit – as well as a professionally sanctioned road race at the TGPLB in the same year. While other Formula Drift drivers have competed in the weekend’s Pro/Celebrity race, none have ever contested the Formula Drift round as well as a professionally sanctioned road race at the Grand Prix.

McQuarrie, from Walnut Creek, Calif., will contest in the GTS class in a Lotus Exige Cup that is supported by LPL Motorsports, Dynamic Racing Solutions, SwitchCars.com, and the Lotus Challenge Series. LPL Motorsports will provide trackside support and technical assistance throughout the weekend.

Although he is now best-known as one of the top wheelmen in Formula Drift, McQuarrie’s driving resume includes time spent in England racing Formula Vauxhall, FF2000, USTCC, American Le Mans, several runs in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill – in which he won his class in 2009 – and a championship in Redline Time Attack.

As part of the Falken Tires team in Formula Drift, McQuarrie finished third in the 2009 championship and is considered a favorite for the 2010 championship, as well of one of the sports’ most recognizable personalities.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have the chance to compete in the World Challenge race in Long Beach,” said McQuarrie. “After being away from professional road racing for some time, I am thrilled to get behind the wheel of the Exige in Long Beach. The Long Beach Grand Prix is simply one of the best races in North America, and one that every driver wants to compete in. After how exciting the Formula Drift opener was in Long Beach last weekend, I can’t wait to see how exciting the Grand Prix weekend will be.”

For more information about Tyler McQuarrie, visit www.tylermcquarrie.com. Fans can receive updates throughout the race weekend at twitter.com/tylermcquarrie (@tylermcquarrie).

The World Challenge race will start at 4:45pm PST on Sunday, April 18 and will air on VERSUS May 1, 2010, from 4:30pm-6:00pm.

Nitto Tire Announces Formula D Team Sponsorships

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NITTO TIRE ANNOUNCES FORMULA DRIFT TEAM SPONSORSHIPS

Cypress, Calif., April 8, 2010 – Nitto Tire proudly announces four team sponsorships for the 2010 Formula Drift racing series. Joon Maeng of Bergenholtz Racing will campaign a Mazda RX-8; Michael Essa will campaign a brand-new BMW 350R; grassroots racer, Matt Powers, will campaign a Nissan S14, and Alex Pfeiffer of Tanaka Racing will campaign a C5 Corvette. All four teams will use Nitto’s NT05, a max-performance street tire.

Nitto plans to extend its racing heritage by partnering with talented teams. Joon Maeng, who is supported by Bergenholtz Racing and Full Tilt Poker, is relatively new to Formula Drift. Nonetheless, in his 2009 rookie season he finished an impressive 17th place overall. For 2010 he will campaign the Bergenholtz Racing/Full Tilt Poker/Nitto Tire Mazda RX-8. Its tri-rotor 20B engine, built by Mazdatrix, was fully ported and powered by a custom-matched turbocharger to produce 600 hp at the wheels with a rotary engine scream. Maeng stated, “In drifting it is crucial to have tires that can handle harsh driving conditions. The NT05s provide plenty of traction and predictability.”

Michael Essa will debut a brand-new BMW this season. Under the hood Essa shoehorned a more powerful M5 V10 powerplant built specifically for drifting in place of the stock in-line six motor. Essa is the first driver to campaign an E92 BMW in the series. To accommodate the switch, GSR Autosport rerouted piping and parts throughout the engine bay. His career highlights include being a drift instructor, race car fabricator and professional drift driver. “The Nitto NT05 is a great tire; it’s incredibly consistent and has tons of grip,” said Essa. “They give me the confidence to drive the car at the limit, sideways, next to walls.”

Matt Powers is a longtime grassroots racer who made his way into the professional arena in 2009. In the four events in which he competed in his rookie year, he finished three of them in the top 32. During the series break, he teamed up with Team Need for Speed added some serious power upgrades to his Nissan S14. All of this newfound power will be transferred to the pavement via Nitto’s NT05 max-performance tire. Powers said, “I love the insane smoke and awesome grip of the NT05. My car is an animal and it feeds on NT05s.”

Last but not least, Alex Pfeiffer teamed up with Tanaka Racing for the 2010 season. His career includes stints in the SCCA road race series, and 2-1/2 years as a Formula Drift judge before he returned to the driver’s seat in 2009, piloting a Lexus SC300. This year he will campaign a completely different vehicle, the 800-hp C5 Corvette. This is the only Corvette running in the series this season to date.

All four teams will use Nitto’s NT05 max-performance radial. The NT05 was created using advanced computer simulation and extensive on-track testing. The result is a tire that provides precise and responsive handling and performance, which are needed for the grueling demands of drifting. See Nitto, the NT05 and all four sponsored teams in action at the 2010 season opener held in Long Beach, Calif., on April 9-10.

Nitto Tire develops performance tires for all uses, including racing, off-road and street. Using state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing facilities in both Japan and the United States, Nitto provides innovative and high-quality performance tires for the most demanding automotive enthusiasts. For more information about Nitto or its products, visit the company’s web site or contact the company directly. Nitto and Fueled by Enthusiasts are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nitto Tire U.S.A., Inc., located at 6021 Katella Ave., Ste 250, Cypress, CA 90630.

Formula DRIFT Releases Codes and Applications for This Weekend’s Live Stream

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Formula DRIFT Releases Codes and Applications for This Weekend’s Live Stream

Long Beach, Calif. – April 7, 2010 – Formula DRIFT has released the codes and applications for the YoParts live stream that will go live this weekend at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 9-10.

Last month Formula DRIFT announced a ground breaking relationship with YoParts to live stream the Formula DRIFT events in entirety from the first driver to qualify to the last tandem battle on Saturday. The first round of Formula DRIFT takes place this weekend April 9-10 on the historic Long Beach Grand Prix Street Course. Formula DRIFT and YoParts have invested in cutting-edge technology, different avenues, and social applications to view the live stream. The following are different ways fans, media, webmasters, teams and just about everyone can view the live stream.

1. Live on the Formula DRIFT Website home page and on the landing page www.formulad.com/live

2. Facebook Application

3. Mobile Application– Just load the URL into your applicable mobile phone’s browser or Text “yo” to 53000

4. Direct landing page on Live Stream host website: Live Stream Website

Any webmasters that are interested in the Direct Iframe Embed and custom sizing for their particular website can contact [email protected]

Coverage commences on Friday, April 9th at 12pm for the first session of qualifying during Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 9-10 on www.formuladrift.com.

DRIFT ALLIANCE ACE BRIAN WILKERSON TO DRIVE BMI RACING 4-ROTOR RX-8 IN LONG BEACH

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TORRANCE, CA (April 4th, 2010)- BMI Racing is happy to announce that Drift Alliance Ace Brian Wilkerson will drive the BMI Racing 2009 Mazda RX-8 4-Rotor drift car at Formula Drift Round 1: Streets Of Long Beach on April 9-10th.

Brian Wilkerson has been a constant presence in the east coast grassroots drifting scene for years, competing in several amateur and semi-professional events since 2006 with impressive results. Brian has renewed his Formula Drift competition license for 2010 and is looking to punch a hole in the pro-drift circuit and show that he has what it takes to be a serious contender among the world’s best drifters in the top level American drift series.

BMI Racing is currently finishing up prep-work on their one of a kind 2009 Mazda RX-8 powered by a rare 4-Rotor engine. BMI Racing is the first performance shop to successfully install a 4-Rotor engine into an RX-8 chassis. Since the car’s completion it has been an internet sensation and has received over 80,000 video hits combined on YouTube.com and StreetFire.net as well as over 200,000 total impressions due to coverage on Autoblog.com and Mazda USA’s corporate website.

While both BMI Racing and Brian Wilkerson have years of experience in their respective specialties both parties are relatively (Brian competed in Round 2 in Atlanta in ’09) new to Formula Drift and expect tough challenges ahead. However, Brian and BMI Racing are also confident that together, they can make a strong impression at Long Beach.
For further information on BMI Racing and Brian Wilkerson you can visit http://www.bmiracing.net and www.brianwilkerson.com.
If you have any inquires on BMI Racing feel free to contact Andrew Beckford ([email protected])

ABOUT BMI RACING:
BMI Racing consists of Adam and Sarah Burgess a happily married couple that moved from Australia to the USA to pursue their shared passion for motorsport, and with over 25 years combined experience they have built extreme and diverse performance vehicles.
BMI Racing has successfully built the World’s only 2009 Mazda RX-8 4 Rotor, a naturally aspirated beast that has a unique engine sound that can only be compared to that of a Formula One car. The RX-8 4 rotor has been well received wherever it has been on display, including shows such as Seven Stock 12 held at Mazda Headquarters Irvine, the final round of Formula D at Irwindale, and the world largest automotive show – The SEMA show held in Las Vegas.