Category: Behind the Wheel

Behind the Wheel – Life of FD Drivers / Teams

First renderings of Rhys Millen’s Hyundai-powered Pikes Peak challenger

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Autoblog has published the first renderings of Formula DRIFT champion Rhys Millen’s Pikes Peak vehicle.

Last week, we learned that Rhys Millen has been busy preparing a new unlimited class challenger to try to recapture the overall Pikes Peak Hill Climb record that his father held for over a decade. At the time, all we knew was that it would be Hyundai powered, and we assumed that it would bear at least a vague resemblance to a Genesis Coupe.

Instead, these first official renderings suggest that the Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis PM580 looks more like a Le Mans prototype than some of the cartoonish looking Suzuki or Toyota racersdriven by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima or Rod Millen – let alone one of the more traditional open-wheel buggies that long dominated the Peak.

The PM580 uses a steel tube frame chassis wrapped in a carbon fiber skin. A turbocharged 4.1-liter Hyundai V6 producing up to 750 horsepower will put power down through an active all-wheel-drive system. The rear wing also has active trimming out on the straights to reduce drag, and it can tip up to generate additional downforce in the corners. Millen’s goal is to set the first ever sub-10 minute time for the 12.42 mile “Run to the Clouds.” Since you’ve got until June 27 until the green flag drops, why not check out the high-res gallery of renderings below and the official press release after the jump?

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Tyler McQuarrie Gives Lotus Long Beach Win

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SCCA Pro Racing

Tyler McQuarrie, of Walnut Creek, Calif., won the GTS class race of the Toyo Tires World Challenge at Long Beach Presented by Bondurant. Nick Esayian, of San Diego, Calif., was second.

McQuarrie, making his World Challenge debut, cruised to a 49.535-second flag-to-flag victory in his No. 19 LPL/DRS/Switcars/LCS/Dayco/M&T Lotus Exige S.

Starting on pole, McQuarrie got a jump on the field on the first lap, aided in part by the poor luck of Peter Cunningham in the No. 43 Acura/RealTime Racing Acura TSX. Following contact with another car, Cunningham’s hood opened into the windshield of his Acura on lap one, forcing him into the pits that put him a lap down and ended any challenge the Series’ all-time wins leader could have given McQuarrie.

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“I had a great start and actually got by a couple of GT cars,” McQuarrie said. “I didn’t have a working radio in the race, so I didn’t actually realize who was behind me. I looked up at the screen on the second lap and saw one of the Acuras head to the pits with the hood up. I dialed it back just a little bit when I felt I could.”

McQuarrie also competed in last week’s Formula Drift event at Long Beach.

“I have to really thank the LPL and DRS team. They only got this car about five weeks ago and really did a fantastic job with it. To be able to run it here at Long Beach—to run both weekends, is really awesome. I think April in Long Beach is a little bit like May in Indy. It’s a special time and to win here is just awesome.”

Cunningham, the GTS points leader, finished sixth.

The GTS win was the first time a Lotus had won a race of any kind at Long Beach since Mario Andretti won the 1977 Formula One event in a John Player Lotus.

Acura/RealTime Racing’s Esayian finished a distant second to McQuarrie in the No. 34 Acura TSX for his third podium finish in as many races on the season. Michael Pettiford, of Louisville, Colo., finished third in the No. 41 Go4It Racing Schools/Hawk Chevrolet Corvette in finishing third.

Charles Espenlaub, driving as a replacement driver for Grey’s Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey, finished fourth in the No. 03 Mazdaspeed/Stoptech/ProParts MAZDA3. Dempsey practiced on Friday and Saturday, but was unable to make the race because of commitments to filming the television show.

Gary Tolar, of Corona, Calif., finished fifth in the No. 86 GMG/GT Racing LLC Porsche 996.

Cunningham remains the GTS Drivers’ Championship leader with 358 points over Esayian (317) and Pettiford (275).

The race from Long Beach will be broadcast May 1 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT) on Versus.

McQuarrie raises eyebrows in opening World Challenge session

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April 17, 2010 (Long Beach, Calif.) – In the lone World Challenge practice session held on Friday, Formula Drift driver Tyler McQuarrie, from Pleasant Hill, Calif. surprised the World Challenge paddock with his pace in the LPL/DR/Switch Cars.com Lotus Exige S.

Despite being mired in traffic throughout the session, and a lengthy pause in the session due to a red flag, McQuarrie was able to hang on toP2 until the checkered in a competitive GTS class. Only multi-time series champion Peter Cunningham was able to turn a lap time quicker than McQuarrie.

“More than anything, being quick out of the box is a great thing for the crew that has worked extremely hard to get this LPL/DRS. Switch cars.com Lotus ready for World Challenge,” said McQuarrie. “Since this was the first appearance of the car in World Challenge, we just wanted to stay out of trouble and learn about how the car works on this track. We learned quite a bit, but we also realized that the team had done their homework since the car was very good from the beginning.”
As this race weekend marks the first appearance for McQuarrie, as well as the first appearance for the Exige S in World Challenge’s GTS class, the first practice left the team full of confidence for the rest ofthe weekend. While the Exige S excelled in the right confines of the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit, McQuarrie also excelled
in the concrete canyons of the track – no doubt due to his experience in drifting on the same course, inside the same walls.

“It’s like flipping a switch, going from drifting here lastweek to driving the Lotus this week,” said McQuarrie. “After spending all of last weekend scraping the walls with my back bumper, driving this car is almost like a piece of cake. It feels great to get back into a roadrace car, especially in the Long Beach Grand Prix. I can’t wait for qualifying.”

Tuerck Doesn’t Win the Birthday Prize, But Does Finish Fifth in Long Beach

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~Debut of Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice promises many good things to come~

HOWELL, NJ(April 15, 2010) – On his 26th birthday Ryan Tuerck was hoping to earn the best birthday present, a win, while competing at Formula Drift’s Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on Saturday. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but he did leave with a fifth place finish as he debuted the Gardella Racing Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice.

Tuerck nearly took out the eventual event winner Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Great Eight round. He had a nearly flawless first run while being the chase car where he mirrored every move of Gittin Jr.’s and almost outdid him with what everyone
thought was perfection. In the second run against Gittin, Tuerck knew that he just needed a good run to move on to the Final Four. He came around the first turn smoothly, but as he was moving the car into position for the first clipping point he kissed the wall with the right rear Maxxis tire. While the damage to the car was minimal, the damage in the judges’ eyes was overwhelming. The team thought they would earn a ruling of “One More Round,” but it was unanimous for Gittin Jr.

“It was great out there this weekend,” said Tuerck. “I was feeling so good on that first run. I went up in the bar too high and knew that the line was close (to the wall), but I didn’t think it was that close.”

Tuerck’s run to the Great Eight was quite simple.

To start the weekend he qualified sixth. It wasn’t the position he hoped for, but there were some issues with the transmission that the Gardella Racing team had to overcome. Plus, for whatever reason Tuerck always has a way of holding back on qualifying day.

The Round of 32 was simple enough for Tuerck. His opponent, Jeff Abbott spun out as Tuerck was the following car. He professionally continued the run smoothly. On the second run, Abbott was right on Tuerck’s tail but it was too little too late, and Tuerck continued on.

Ryugi Mikki was Tuerck’s next victim in the Round of 16. With Tuerck leading in the first run Miki followed closely, but Tuerck ran a beautiful line around the course. On the second run Tuerck was the follower. He had a little too much of
a gap which he closed as Mikki had problems towards the end of the run. The judges ruled that it should be decided with ruling of “One More Run.” On the third run Tuerck was the leader and Mkki hit the wall coming into the infamous exclamation turn in at the end of the Long Beach course. That sealed his fate. Tuerck chased Miki in the fourth run and held on to advance to face Gittin in Great 8.

While he didn’t get the win, Tuerck did leave Long Beach enroute to Round 2: Road to Championship at Road Atlanta in fifth place in the Formula Drift driver standings.

“We are going to work hard getting ready for Road Atlanta,” Tuerck said. “I love that course. It is my favorite track. I have finished third there the past two years.”

This was the initial appearance of Mobil 1 as title sponsor on the Solstice. Mobil 1 had a tremendous presence at the race. They were passing out many fine freebies to fans. The overwhelming favorite was giant Mobil 1 foam fingers. Fans everywhere were wearing them. And they came in handy when the fans wanted to let the Formula Drift judges that they wanted the drivers to run “One More Time!”

Stay tuned for upcoming information as Tuerck, Gardella Racing and the Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice prepare to go to Road Atlanta, May 7-8.

This Saturday, April 18th the team will be headed to New Jersey Motorsports Park with their road race Solstice to run some licensing laps with the NASA series. Tuerck will be looking to get his competition license to compete as Gardella Racing is looking to get more involved with road racing in the SCCA and possibly in the Grand Am series this season.