Category: Behind the Wheel

Behind the Wheel – Life of FD Drivers / Teams

Tanner Foust Takes on Celebrity Race at Long Beach Grand Prix

News

Posted on

Foust to race Keanu Reeves, Tony Hawk, Jimmy Vasser and more

LONG BEACH, California (April 15, 2010) – Racing and stunt driver Tanner Foust will take on a packed field of high-profile competitors this weekend during the Pro/Celebrity race, part of the 36th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

A field of 18 drivers in the charity contest includes a host of media and entertainment personalities, actor and defending celebrity champion Keanu Reeves, skateboard pro Tony Hawk and radio personality Adam Corolla among them.

Racers including 1996 CART Champion Jimmy Vasser, IMSA GT Champion and STILLEN founder Steve Millen will join Foust in the pro category.

“The Pro/Celeb race has a stacked field,” said Foust. “Jimmy Vasser has competed on the streets of Long Beach 17 times and stood on the podium here five times, Steve Millen has arguably the most door-to-door experience —
and that’s not even counting the list of very quick celebs!”

Drivers will get behind the wheel of identically prepared, race-ready Scion tCs in what has become the world’s longest-running, most prestigious celebrity racing event. The pros will give the celebrities a 30-second head-start and it’s expected the on-track action will be fierce.

The 10-lap race on Saturday (April 17) follows a 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach in Southern California, and is one of six featured events during the weekend.

Toyota will donate $5,000 to the Racing for Kids charity in the name of each celebrity racer, and another $5,000 to the winning racer’s charity of choice. Racing for Kids is a national non-profit program benefiting
children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County, Calif. On behalf of the race and its participants, Toyota has donated more than $1.8 million to various children’s hospitals since 1991.

“Both the Long Beach and Orange county Children’s Hospitals are amazing facilities that perform a vital role in their respective communities,” said Foust. “I’m looking forward to meeting the kids and watching their reaction to shaking hands with the stars, like Keanu Reeves.”

A $15,000 donation is also made in conjunction with the 13th annual People Pole Award. Sponsored by People magazine, the award honors the pole-position winner of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race qualifying session on Friday, April 16.

The event follows Foust’s 2010 debut in the Formula Drift championship. The two-time champion achieved a podium finish in his Rockstar Energy Scion tC, finishing the event in third-place overall.

In addition to running a full Formula Drift season, Rockstar Energy driver Foust’s 2010 competition schedule will also include a packed schedule of European Rallycross events, ESPN’s Summer X Games and select rally events. His next competition is the Portugal stop on the European Rallycross tour, May 1-2.

Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team setting up at IZOD’s “Race to the Party” Event in Hollywood

News

Posted on

The Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team setup up the Mazda RX8 earlier this morning in preparation of IZOD’s “Race to the Party” event in Hollywood at 6PM tonight. Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto pilot Joon Maeng will be performing drift exhibitions during the event in promotions for the Long Beach Gran Prix. The exhibition will occur immediately in front of world famous Mann’s Chinese Theatre. Thousands of spectators are scheduled to attend as well as numerous media. “What a better place to hold a major press event for The Long Beach Gran Prix this weekend. It is simply amazing to see
the Full Tilt Poker Mazda RX8 in front of Mann’s Chinese theatre and on top of that a few steps away from the Kodak theatre. This is truly the center of Los Angeles. Maybe we’ll run into some movie stars and take them for a ride in the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8!” Said Ron Bergenholtz Team Manager of Bergenholtz Racing.

Right after the IZOD event in Hollywood, The Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team will make its way to downtown Long Beach where it will compete in Formula Drift’s Team Drift competition in front of over 175,000 fans. In conjunction with the Long Beach Gran Prix, The Full Tilt Poker Drift Team will also be doing exhibition runs on all three days of the Gran Prix. “It is quite an amazing spectacle to be competing and exhibiting at the Long Beach Gran Prix. The fans love the drifting and can’t get enough of it during the event. It should be awesome!” Said Ed Bergenholtz Chief of Data
Analysis for Bergenholtz Racing.

Details for the great event can be viewed with this link: www.racetotheparty.com

Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Tire Drift Team meets TV/Movie star Patrick Dempsey

News

Posted on

The Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Tire Drift Team met TV/Movie star Patrick Dempsey at the Long Beach/Formula D Media day in Long Beach. An avid Mazda enthusiast as well, Patrick Dempsey participated in the media event turning in practice laps in TriPoint’s World Challenge Mazda 6. In addition, Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team was also giving ride-alongs to media people in the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8. Both Mazda race teams operated media day under the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift trailer. “I must admit I was pretty awe struck at first to meet Mr. Dempsey. Beyond his A-list Star power, it was just cool talking to a fellow Mazda racer. We talked about racecar dynamics, driving technique, and our own Mazda racecars we were piloting.” Said Joon Maeng pilot of the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8.

The media event was quite successful for the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team. Several high profile media companies were given exciting rides in the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8. Everything from TV media “E” Entertainment, The Best of Korea Channel, to media periodicals: Performance Racing Industry Magazine and The Korea Los Angeles Times experienced the outright exhilaration and thunderous sound of drifting in the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8. “Joon just about scared some of them on the racetrack. Some others wanted to go again and again as if though they were on a roller coaster. Overall, the media will crazy good things to write about and cover about the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team.” Said Brian Benson Crew Chief of the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team.