Category: Behind the Wheel

Behind the Wheel – Life of FD Drivers / Teams

Joon Maeng Produces Video of First Test Session

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT pilot, Joon Maeng has just produced a video of his first test session with the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8. Joon warmed up quickly to the racecar and enjoyed the endless power the Mazdatrix turbo 3 rotor was able to deliver. “I was astonished with testing the Full Tilt Poker MAZDA RX-8! First time driving a vehicle with 604 WHP and 486 TORQUE! Those phenomenal Nitto NT05’s were smoking up the entire track and had plenty of traction and predictability! Bergenholtz Racing did an amazing job building this machine! I’m still trying to adapt with this powerful Mazda Trix 3 rotor Tial turbo Motec M800 setup.” Said Joon Maeng pilot of the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX8.

Overall, the test session for the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team went well and the team is currently making improvements. “We found a number of gremlins in the car that Joon managed to shake out of the Mazda. Joon did really good and despite the gremlins was able to practice and burn through 12 Nitto NT05’s. I know he’s going to get even crazier when we address and remove all the gremlins. I know it’s going to be a great Formuila Drift season!” Said Ron Bergenholtz Team Manager of the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto Drift Team.

Intec Racing partners with Dean Kearney and Announces Marketing Partner 2010 Formula DRIFT Season

News

Posted on

Intec Racing partners with Dean Kearney and announces marketing partner V-LEDs.com for the 2010 Formula D Season

March 4TH, 2010 – (KENT, WA) – After an initial appearance at the Formula D Irwindale event in October 2009, Intec Racing and Dean “Karnage” Kearney are proud to announce a partnership which will extend for the duration of the 2010 season. Fresh off his 2009 Pro Drift Super Series championship, Kearney was able to get a taste for the level of competition in Formula D, and knew it was where he wanted to be for the 2010 season. Team Owner Lawrence Ojas is proud to continue his relationship with Kearney for 2010. “When we saw Dean drive our car in the week leading up to Formula D Irwindale, we knew he had the skill level to compete with the best of the best. If it wasn’t for some untimely bugs we ran into, there’s no doubt in my mind that Dean would give the other drivers a run for their money. Now we have a chance to prove ourselves for the 2010 season” says Ojas.

Intec Racing has partnered with V-LEDS.com for the 2010 season to promote the company’s LED and HID products. “V-LEDS has a great product, and our race cars have always been a blend of function and fashion which fits perfectly with the goals of V-LEDS . We couldn’t have asked for a better sponsor” speaks Lawrence Ojas. V-LEDS will join fellow sponsors Silk Road suspension, Exedy Clutches, Seibon, S Gear, VP Racing Fuel, Carillo, Drift Monkey, Sparco, APEX-I, CP Pistons, Brian Crower, Buddy Club, Baller Bolts, Circuit Sports, Garrett Turbo, and Konig wheels among others on the 2010 Chassis that Kearney will be piloting.

Dean Kearney adds “I’m excited to continue my relationship with Lawrence and Intec Racing. We really didn’t feel that we had an opportunity to show our full potential at Irwindale, and with the help of V-LEDS, we will come out strong for the entire 2010 Formula D season.”

For 2010, Ojas and his Intec Racing team are currently overhauling the S14 chassis originally built for Japanese sensation Mitsuru Haraguchi. Many of the current team members, including crew chief Jun Kurihara, have been with the Intec Racing team since well before their 2007 win at Long Beach with Haraguchi as pilot. Ojas speaks highly of the team. “We have what it takes to win and stand on the podium in Formula D. Dean has proven himself in Ireland, and our team has proven ourselves in Formula D. This is a dream team for us.”

The Intec Racing V-LEDS S14, piloted by Dean Kearney, will begin testing later this month before making it’s promotional debut later in the month. The team and car will make their 2010 competition debut on April 9 and 10th in Long Beach, California before continuing on to Atlanta, GA, Wall, NJ, Seattle, WA, Las Vegas, NV, Sonoma, CA, and Irwindale, CA for the Formula D season.

The team is still seeking a tire sponsor for the 2010 season.

Kyle Mohan and Nexen Tire Partner for 2010 Formula Drift Season

News

Posted on

March 8, 2010 (Signal Hill, Calif.) — Kyle Mohan is proud to announce that his team will have a new identity and a new look for the 2010 season. Mohan will partner with Formula Drift’s newest tire sponsor, Nexen Tire, and will compete in the No.99 Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 in the Formula Drift Pro Championship.

Mohan, also known for the rotary engines that he builds at Mazdatrix that power drift, race, and street cars around the country, has emerged as a leading Mazda driver in Formula Drift since he first competed in a Mazda RX-7 FC3S in 2006.

Coming off of a breakout 2008 season, where he finished a career-best fourth at the Streets of Long Beach and qualified 10th at the Red Bull Drifting World Championship, Mohan debuted a brand-new Mazda RX-8 at the beginning of the 2009 season. After a full season of development, that RX-8 has been developed extensively in the off season, and will be arriving at the Streets of Long Beach with more power, more noise – and a new tires, courtesy of Nexen Tire USA.

“This is really great news for my team, and for all of the sponsors and partners that have supported us over the past four seasons,” said Mohan. “Adding Nexen Tire as our title sponsor will help us elevate our program and give us what we need to continue to compete in Formula Drift. We have already tested their tires and were very impressed with the grip and wear that we got out of them, so I am really looking forward to getting back on track this season.”

Nexen Tire is new to Formula Drift, but has competed in Ireland’s ProDrift championship, and have become large supporters of grassroots drifting in the United States.

“We are very excited to become a part of Kyle’s Formula Drift program,” said Michael Meeiem, Motorsports Marketing Rep. for Nexen Tire USA. “We have had our eye on becoming involved in Formula Drift for a while, and as long as we’ve been talking about it we have had our eye on Kyle. His performances at the end of 2010, and the fact that he and his small team have competed in their RX-8 at such a high level led us to select KMR to be our flagship team.”

The new-look Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 will debut at round 1 at the Streets of Long Beach on April 8-9.

Jeff Jones FD3S Formula DRIFT Car Build

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT driver Jeff Jones posted on Drifting.com about his new vehicle for the season. Check it out.

Formula D 2010 season is just around the corner and I have been given the opportunity to once again rejoin my fellow rotary enthusiasts. Not long ago I decided to leave my always-favored FC3S for a 240 SX to use in competition for Formula D. This was not an ordinary SR-powered S13 but one with a 1JZ transplant. The 2009 season was an exhilarating and a new experience for me but it was time to “Go Big”…

This year has already shows better promise as Rotary Works has offered to build my team, Jeff Jones Racing, a monster drift machine to compete in for the 2010 season. We have chosen the FD3S chassis to build up and make custom to our needs. It wasn’t enough to leave the factory 13BREW engine in it to build on so we opted for the maximum cool factor… a Turbo charged 20B engine that we expect will make over 500+ WHP and deliver when put to challenge. Only days into our build, Rene Franco, engineer and fabricator of Rotary Works and founder of RMS (Rene’s Motorsports), began designing a tube-chassis style front end from scratch nonetheless.

The purpose of this thread is to share my personal experience in building a car capable of competing against factory-backed cars in the world of pro drifting that is Formula D. This is all possible with the help of my sponsors which include Rotary Works, CX Racing, EBC brakes, Clutch Net, Comp Turbo, K&N, to name a few. With all that being said I have decided to share some pictures of progress and will continue to do so until Rd.1 in Long Beach where I hope to meet some of my supporters and fans.

I will be putting out a official press release soon of all my 2010 sponsors.

(It always begins with a car on a trailer making its way to a tuner garage)

Read more and see photos HERE