Category: Behind The Scenes

Behind the Scenes – Life of FD Staff

CGR Partners with Replay XD and Always Evolving for 2015 Formula DRIFT Season

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Press Release: CGR Partners with Replay XD and Always Evolving for 2015 Formula DRIFT Season

 

Long Beach, CA – March 19, 2015 – Conrad Grunewald Racing is set to enter the 2015 Formula DRIFT Championship season with the announcement of a new partnership for the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro with Replay XD and Always Evolving.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this Formula DRIFT season getting started,” said Conrad Grunewald. “We have been working tirelessly during the winter to put this program together and I can’t thank everyone enough. We have exciting new partners, a fresh look for the team and now it’s time for me to focus on Long Beach and the season ahead.”

“As we continue to develop our Motorsports platform, we couldn’t be more pleased to be associated with Conrad and Formula DRIFT,” said Erik Davis, Chairman Always Evolving. “The platform is exciting and targets the millennial audience which is our target market for both of our brands – AE and Replay XD. We look forward to continuing to develop this relationship with Conrad and the series bringing a unique experience to the fans though our technology suite.”

The ReplayXD/Always Evolving Camaro will be signed up to compete on GT Radial tires for the 2015 season. The CGR team is confident about the performance and reliability package that GT Radial provides.

“I am very excited to welcome CGR to the GT Radial formula drift team for 2015,” said Mike Meeiem, Motorsports Marketing Manager, Giti Tire USA. “We were very comfortable with signing on the veteran driver. We are looking to make an impact in the series this year using our Champiro SX2 tire.”

Conrad Grunewald Racing has unveiled a project build drift car with Chevrolet Performance and Scoggin Dickey Parts Center. With support from BRE Motorsports, the Chevrolet Camaro features a twin-turbo with an LSX 376. This second car will be used for media and event appearances and will be on display at all seven of the Formula DRIFT events at the CGR paddock.

The highly anticipated season will kick-off on the Streets of Long Beach on April 11 and will visit six other venues nationwide, including Road Atlanta, Orlando Speedworld, Wall Speedway New Jersey, Evergreen Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and the big finale at Irwindale Speedway on October 10.

Formula DRIFT has announced a television agreement with CBS Sports Network for 20 half-hour programs throughout the year. The fast paced action featuring bracketed head-to-head match-ups will anchor the coverage and be featured across 13 episodes. Coverage also includes an additional seven shows featuring a brand new behind-the-scenes program, Formula DRIFT Insider.

Conrad Grunewald Racing is also proud to continue partnerships with Megan Racing, Top 1 Oil and MAHLE. For more information on CGR please visit www.conradgrunewald.com and follow @ConradGrunewald on Twitter and Facebook.

About Replay XD:
Replay XD was designed by a group of racing professionals with over 50 years of experience in the high performance racing industry. The development team forever revolutionized Action Cameras, creating the smallest, lightest, ultra-rugged, and most versatile cameras. Replay XD Action Cameras endure and capture never before seen video from human and machine in the most extreme environments on Earth. We create the finest Action Cameras on the Planet. For more information visit, www.replayxd.com.

About Always Evolving:
Always Evolving Enterprises (AE) is the next generation digital broadcast media company for the hyper-connected world. As an iconic lifestyle brand with deep roots in entertainments and motorsports, Always Evolving has been featured in major motion pictures; broadcast television programming, leading print sources and numerous news articles since 2007. Building on this early success, Always Evolving has developed into a multifaceted provider of hardware, software and data infrastructure solutions that is actively changing the way live events are captured and shared. For more information please visit, www.alwaysevolving.com.

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THURSDAY NIGHTS GO “SLIDEWAYS” at IRWINDALE Speedway April 2, 2015

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April 2nd TND

Thursday night April 2,  Irwindale’s own Formula DRIFT open practice sessions will resume on the course that the entire civilized world now knows as the legendary “House of Drift” … aka: Irwindale Speedway right at the top of the 605 freeway.

2015’s action-packed Thursday night under-the-lights practices will be held monthly with events now set for:

  • April 2
  • May 14
  • June 11
  • July 19
  • August 13
  • September 10
  • October 1
  • November 12
  • December 10

Each of the Thursday night sessions will start with a (public invited) technical inspection for the competition vehicles at 4PM and drift practice will run flat out from 5 to 8PM. The fan gates open at 4PM and there’s plenty of close-free parking.

 Open to the public (fans can watch from the stands and visit the pits as well) admission is only $10 per person. These will be nights when fans can see some of the best of the best getting tuned-up for the 2015 season as well as catching the acts of some of new, upcoming Drift talent as they test their driving skills and machines against the established pros.

 Anyone can run their properly-equipped* car for $75 and they can register right at the track on Thursday night.

Thursday Night Drift Requirements

c

 Group C Requirements:

  • Helmet: No open face, SA2010, SA2005
  • No loose items: Interior, trunk
  • Fire Extinguisher: secure mount, 2lb min
  • Fluid Leaks: No Fluid Leaks
  • Catch cans: Coolant, Oil if non OEM
  • Gas Cap: Present and sealed
  • Fuel line: check hose clamps and fittings
  • Battery: Secure mount, positive covered
  • Brake light: Min 2 functioning
  • Brake pedal: good feel maintain pressure
  • Key or Master cutoff operation, location marked
  • Lug nuts: Present and secure
  • Steering: Smooth, no binding
  • Tow hooks: Front and rear (OEM at own risk)
  • Hood and Trunk: Securely latched
  • Windshield: OEM or Lexan secure mounting
  • Seat: OEM with stock belts or FIA with harness

b

Group B Requirements: plus listed above

  • Suspension: Coilovers or Non OEM suspension
  • Differential: Welded or clutch type
  • E-Brake: Functioning, cable or hydro

a

Group A Requirements: plus listed above

  • 6 point roll cage: 5”x0.095 DOM
  • Door Bars: Nascar or X on both doors
  • Harness bar and Diagonal
  • Seat belts: 5 point minimum required
  • Fire Suit: SFI 3-2A/5 with fire resistant gloves and shoes

For Technical Inquiries: [email protected]

 

Formula DRIFT Powered by Fast & Furious 7 Panama Demo next weekend

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Photo Mar 17, 12 26 38 PM

Formula DRIFT Powered by Fast & Furious 7 will be held at the Figali Convention Center, Panama on March 28-29, 2015.

Panama has a growing car culture of enthusiasts and a large fan base for drifting, who first saw professional action 4 years ago.  The drift demo held by professional Formula DRIFT drivers is held to help continue the promotion of the sport within the region with the goal to hold a professional event at a racetrack.  Panama is a major focal point for commerce around the globe with over 14,000 ships, carrying over 300 million tons of cargo through the canal each year.

Formula DRIFT drivers that will be participating include Joon Maeng, Corey Hosford, Chelsea Denofa, & Jeremy Lowe.

Essa Autosport 2015 Formula Drift Program Update

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DKAR-3783We’ve been busy here at Essa Autosport, and our 2013 SLP Camaro that will debut at the Formula Drift season opener in Long Beach has come a long way. In our first and previous update, we had just pulled the Camaro in for a few shots before the teardown. Fast forward to the present, the car has been stripped and cleaned, caged, and we are starting to piece together what we feel will be a competitive machine for the 2015 season.

DKAR-3772SLP – Street Legal Performace‘s amazing support of our program continues. Supporting us in being competitive in the power field, SLP sent a set of their long tube headers over to accompany their supercharger kit on top of the LS3 that will be going back in the car. We are going to need all the torque we can get to run the walls in Long Beach, and these parts are great additions to the build.

DKAR-3582BMR Suspension has come aboard the program, providing the parts that will enable the Camaro to be driven to its full potential. Thanks to BMR, we have a full setup of rear adjustable control arms, rear subframe bushings, front and rear sway bars, and a very solid set of engine mounts. The suspension is going to be rock solid paired with Suspension Techniques coilovers.

DKAR-4015Forgestar Wheels continues their support of our drift program. The Camaro will be running a pair of Forgestar CF5V 19×9 wheels with Yokohama Advan AD09R 245/40/19 tires in the front, and 19×10 CF5V wheels with Yokohama Advan AD08R 275/35/19 in the rear.

DKAR-3546Clutch Masters is handling the task of sending the supercharged power to the rear with an 850 Series Twin Disc system custom set to our specs, activated by a Clutch Masters internal slave. Down the line, the stock rear subframe was modified to fit a Speedway quick change diff. The Clutch Masters setup should put all that power through the diff and result in plenty of tire smoke.

DKAR-3820Long Beach is a brutal track. Our FD legal cage with NASCAR door bars will enable Mike Essa to feel comfortable to put on a show in the pilot’s seat. Safety is a big part of professional drifting, and our number one goal is to give our sponsors and fans the best performance possible, and go home at the end of the day.

DKAR-3566Michael Essa and the Essa Autosport team would like to thank all the companies that stepped up to the plate to make this year possible. The support has been fantastic, and our fans that stuck with us are amazing too! We cant wait to see what this machine and its parts are capable of. Stay tuned for more Essa Autosport updates, and be sure to stop by and cheer us on at Formula Drift Round 1 – Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11.

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