Category: FD News

Papadakis Racing returns to Formula Drift with Rockstar Energy Drink Fredric Aasbo debuts Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Scion tC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2015

Papadakis Racing returns to Formula Drift with Rockstar Energy Drink; ​Fredric Aasbo debuts Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Scion tC

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (April 1, 2015) – Papadakis Racing and driver Fredric Aasbo are returning to Formula Drift this season with an exciting new partner. On Wednesday, the team unveiled the bold new yellow, black and gray color scheme on their 800-plus horsepower 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Scion tC.

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“We’re excited to be back in action with our longtime partners Hankook Tire and Scion Racing,
and we’re very happy to renew our partnership with Rockstar Energy Drink as they come back to Formula Drift,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “We’ve got a strong team and we’re ready for the season to begin.”

The 2015 Formula Drift season starts next week with the Streets of Long Beach competition, April 10 and 11.

“We’re happy to welcome Fredric Aasbo into the Rockstar Energy Drink family,” said Rockstar Energy Drink Marketing Director Mike Kelso. “It’s awesome to be returning to the Formula Drift Championship this year with Fredric and Papadakis Racing.”

Driver Aasbo enters the 2015 season as an early favorite for the title. Runner-up in the 2014 Formula Drift championship, he earned the “Top Gun” award for having the highest battle win rate, and the “Ace Driver” nod for having the best overall winning percentage. The Norwegian driver campaigns a full international competition calendar and also won the Formula Drift Asia championship last year.

“This will be my fifth season with Papadakis Racing and it’s amazing to see how much we’ve progressed together in that time,” said Aasbo. “After getting so close to the championship last season, we’ve definitely got our A-game ready.”

Team owner Papadakis said Wednesday he is confident that the team’s battle tested Scion tC will return to the top of the field. The nitrous-boosted, turbocharged four-cylinder machine is a fan favorite, producing more than 800 wheel-spinning horsepower and spitting flames through a wastegate dump that exits from the hood.

The team will again rely on sticky Hankook Ventus R-S3 tires this season. Papadakis Racing helped to propel the company to the tire manufacturer’s championship in 2014.

“After winning the Tire Manufacturer’s championship and scoring a one-two finish last season, we’re excited to be back for another season of Formula Drift,” said Paul Jho, Motorsports Marketing Manager at Hankook Tire America. “We’re pleased to return to the Scion tC with Papadakis Racing in 2015 and we’re looking forward to another successful year.”

The seven-round Formula Drift championship begins with qualifying on Friday, April 10 in Long Beach, followed by Saturday’s main event. For the 10th year in a row, Drivers will attack turns 9, 10 and 11 of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach street course, offering showy, technical driving to the roaring crowd. The race is a popular start to the season, and is an annual sell-out.

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways in judged trials. With origins in Japan, it is one of the the fastest growing forms of motorsport.

In 2015, the series will offer live coverage on Driftstream, considered the most widely viewed motorsports live stream in the world. During the course of an online broadcast, it boasts over 1.5-million unique viewers. Formula Drift also makes the move to CBS Sports Network for 20 half-hour programs this year. The fast-paced action featuring bracketed head-to-head match-ups will anchor 13 episodes, with an additional seven shows featuring a brand new behind-the-scenes program, Formula DRIFT Insider.

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2015 FORMULA DRIFT SCHEDULE:
Streets of Long Beach: April 10-11
Road Atlanta: May 8-9
Orlando Speedworld: June 5-6
Wall Speedway: June 26-27
Evergreen Speedway: July 24-25
Texas Motor Speedway: August 21-22
Irwindale Speedway: October 9-10

ABOUT FREDRIC AASBO
Fredric Aasbo returns to Papadakis Racing in 2015 for his fifth season with the team. The Norwegian driver finished the 2014 Formula Drift championship in the runner-up position and earned “Fan Favorite of the Year” for the third year in a row. Earlier this year, he released the first video in his DreamrideYouTube project, #DreamrideLA.

The two-time Nordic Drifting champion (2007, 2008) made his U.S. debut at a global drifting invitational in 2008 and turned heads when he won the 2010 Formula Drift Rookie of the Year title. He has rapidly progressed through the drifting ranks around the world and has established himself as both a fan favorite and proven championship contender.

Aasbo is originally from Ski, Norway, and now splits his time between his native country and Southern California. He campaigns a full international season, in 2015 running the full Formula Drift schedule as well as select events worldwide in Europe and in Asia.

ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING
Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.

The team earned multiple records and championships in the discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.

The Papadakis Racing team began drifting in 2005 and has shown impressive results in seven years of Formula Drift competition, earning two championship titles with driver Tanner Foust (2007, 2008). The team finished in the runner-up position in the 2010 championship with driver Fredric Aasbo. The Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Scion tC is the team’s latest competition build.

PAPADAKIS RACING IS PARTNERED WITH
Rockstar Energy Drink (www.rockstarenergy.com);
Hankook Tire (www.hankooktireusa.com);
Scion Racing (www.scion.com);
KMC Wheels (www.kmcwheels.com);
AEM Electronics (www.aemelectronics.com);
Berk Technology (www.berktechnology.com);
SPC Performance (www.spcperformance.com);
Gatebil (www.gatebil.no)
RS-R (www.rs-r.com);
Torco Advanced Lubricants (www.torcousa.com);
BorgWarner (www.borgwarner.com)

Formula DRIFT Continues Partnership with GoPro for 2015 Season

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Formula DRIFT Continues Partnership with GoPro for 2015 Season

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 31, 2015 – Formula DRIFT and GoPro continue their partnership for the 2015 season. GoPro will remain the exclusive and official camera partner for the Series.

“The partnership with GoPro has helped elevate the fan experience through their state of the art technology,” said Ryan Sage, vice-president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Fans can now feel like they are sitting shotgun for a ride-along, see the vantage point from a clipping point, and watch on television and online some of the most captivating and dynamic content produced with the HERO line of cameras.”

GoPro, maker of lightweight, wearable and gear-mounted cameras that transform the way consumers and professionals capture and share meaningful content, is the exclusive on-car and in-car camera during official competition. As the official camera, GoPro enables Formula DRIFT to offer its fans an immersive, unique experience that enhances the excitement of the Series. The versatility of the HERO line of cameras allows for angles and perspectives otherwise unattainable.

Additionally, GoPro has provided the judges of the series more perspectives and insight helping them to review the performance and evaluate the competition.

“Formula DRIFT and GoPro are the perfect combination to showcase the talent of these skilled drivers. The immersive capability of the camera and the incredible action on the course makes for unreal content for both fans and newcomers to the sport to enjoy,” said Rod Rojas, Motorsports Marketing Manager at GoPro.

Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT

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Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT;
Introduces Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 19, 2015 – Ford has expanded its involvement in professional drifting as an official partner of Formula DRIFT with the introduction of the new Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance. The center will be available to all credentialed media guests and will feature amenities such as lockers, refreshments, working space, and live streaming broadcast, and will debut at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11.

“We are excited to have Ford back in the series as an official partner and even more excited in their initiative and investment that will help introduce a brand new media center to our sport,” stated Ryan Sage, co-founder and vice-president of Formula DRIFT.

Ford will have significant presence at events with displays in the vendor paddock and signage throughout the venues. Ford will continue to make an impact on the track supporting drivers Vaughn Gittin, Jr., the 2010 Formula Drift champion, and Justin Pawlak.

The Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance will be a custom media center that will travel to all seven rounds of the Formula DRIFT Championship. The new media center will also include WI-FI, a food and beverage area, and two on-site media managers. A photo rendering of the media center is below.

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“We’re proud to support the journalists and media guests with an on-site place they can consider ‘home’ while working Formula DRIFT events. They have a tough job to do and we are confident the enhanced media center will help them do it even better,” said Mickey Matus, Marketing and Communication Manager at Ford Performance. “Our partnership with this series is key to connecting with its young audience, and it’s a relationship that we value highly. We’re really looking forward to this expansion of the partnership.”

Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets and can be purchased through www.formuladrift.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office.

Formula DRIFT Signs Multi-Year Television Deal With CBS Sports Network

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 10, 2015 – 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 7 shows featuring a brand new behind-the-scenes program, “Formula DRIFT Insider.”

“We are very excited about this new relationship with CBS Sports Network,” said Ryan Sage, Vice President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT. “We have expanded our programming to nearly double the episodes and our new schedule is amazing! We look forward to exposing our sport to this national television audience in order to grow the sport and expose the new faces of Formula DRIFT.”

“Formula DRIFT” on CBS Sports Network premieres Wednesday, May 6 at 8:30 PM, ET. The Formula DRIFT schedule adds to CBS Sports Network’s already robust lineup of motorsports programming, which includes 400 hours of coverage throughout the year.

CBS Sports Network is available to more than 99 million homes across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, including a full programming schedule and how to get CBS Sports Network, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaDrift.

Tanner Foust Returns to Formula Drift for Partial 2015 season

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Tanner Foust returns to Formula Drift for partial 2015 season

Busy calendar includes rallycross, drifting, and short-course off road competition

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. (February 23, 2015) – Rockstar Energy Drink driver Tanner Foust will make a return to Formula Drift competition for three rounds this season as part of a stacked schedule that will see him challenge for the Global Rallycross Championship title while also racing in select stops of the FIA World Rallycross Championship, Formula Drift and the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.

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“My competition focus is on winning the Global Rallycross Championship for Volkswagen in 2015 but I’m also excited to be able to get back into drifting,” said Foust, whose last Formula Drift competition was the 2010 season-ender. “The fans, the tracks, and the driving in Formula Drift are really something unique in the world of motorsports and I’ve missed being part of it.”

Foust’s first Formula Drift competition of 2015 will take place at the season opener, Streets of Long Beach, April 10 and 11. There, he will debut a brand new drift machine: the 900 horsepower Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat.

“I think it is safe to say, the return of two-time FD champion Tanner Foust highlights the most anticipated Formula DRIFT season to date,” said Ryan Sage, series co-founder. “Some of the best battles in series history have featured Tanner and our fans are going to be thrilled to see him back in the mix in 2015 in a brand new Rockstar Energy Drink machine.”

The two-time series champion is also slated to compete in Atlanta in the Road to the Championship, May 8-9, and at the season-ending Final Fight in Irwindale, Calif., October 9-10.

It is a much-anticipated return to drifting for Foust, who is the only driver ever to win back-to-back Formula Drift championships (2007 and 2008). He scored the runner-up position in 2010, his last season of Formula Drift competition. More details on the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Volkswagen Passat drift car will be available in the coming weeks.

“I’m going back to my roots with drifting, racing in rallycross, scraping the rust off some road racing skills, and continuing to learn more about off-road racing,” said Foust. “For me, it’s important to stay in touch with these different disciplines — especially as I’m working with Volkswagen on developing some exciting new project cars.”

Foust debuted the first of these projects, the RAUH-Welt Begriff Volkswagen Beetle, at SEMA last season.

The Rockstar Energy Drink driver recently appeared with Volkswagen at the Chicago Auto Show to confirm plans to return to Global Rallycross (GRC) for a second full championship season with the Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross (VARX) team, alongside teammate Scott Speed. The team is also expected to return to X Games in Austin this summer when the action sports festival returns to Circuit of the Americas June 4-7.

Foust will also make a return to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for four stops this season with Sweden’s Marklund Motorsport team. The versatile driver is also planning to appear in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for a select campaign of events in the in the Pro-2 class.

In addition to his competition career, Foust is also a stunt driver and television personality. He is one of the hosts of Top Gear, airing on the HISTORY channel, and new episodes of his documentary series Life in the Foust Lane are coming soon to the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/RockstarEvents

TANNER FOUST: 2015 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Global Rallycross Championship (Full season):
GRC Tampa: May 31
GRC Daytona: June 21
GRC Military Base: July 5
GRC Detroit (I): July 25
GRC Detroit (II): July 26
GRC Washington, D.C.: August 15
GRC Seattle: August 30
GRC Los Angeles (I): September 12
GRC Los Angeles (II): September 13
GRC Barbados (I): October 3
GRC Barbados (II): October 4
GRC Las Vegas: November 4

X Games
Rally (Circuit of the Americas): June 4-7

FIA World Rallycross Championship (Select appearances):
World RX of Great Britain: May 22-24
World RX of Canada: August 7-8
World RX of France: September 4-6
World RX of Spain: September 19-20

Formula Drift (Select appearances):
Streets of Long Beach (Long Beach, Calif.): April 10 – 11
Road to the Championship (Braselton, Ga.): May 8-9
Final Fight (Irwindale, Calif.): October 9-10

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (Select appearances)
Dates TBD

ABOUT TANNER FOUST
Tanner Foust is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control and a proven track record of podium placements, national championships and world records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007).

He has also held multiple world records including for the astonishing Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare, which saw Foust drive a car through a 66-foot loop-the-loop. He also scored the indoor speed record for TV’s Top Gear USA, and set a distance jump record with Hot Wheels when he made a 332′ ramp-to-ramp leap in a truck at the Indy 500.

A dominant driver in the sport of rallycross, Foust is the only American driver ever to win a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He made his rallycross debut overseas in 2010 with a select campaign and finished both 2011 and 2012 ranked in the top three. At home, Foust has been a leading driver in the sport since it was first introduced to the United States in 2010, and in 2014 won the New York round of the Global Rallycross Championship for the new Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross team.

His varied competition experience includes multiple years of open wheel racing, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, rally racing, off-road truck competition, various types of sports car racing and the SCORE Baja. He has represented the USA in the annual Race of Champions three times, teaming with NASCAR star Carl Edwards in 2008, Travis Pastrana in 2009, and Mick Doohan in 2010.

When he isn’t racing, the professional driver also performs in films and on television. He is an on-air host for the U.S. version of the seminal BBC auto show Top Gear, produced by BBC Worldwide Productions and airing on the HISTORY channel. Episodes of his online documentary series, Life in the Foust Lane, are available on the Rockstar Energy Drink YouTube channel.

Foust also handles stunt driving in numerous popular films, TV shows and commercials. He is featured as a stunt driver in the Need 4 Speed film, as well as other major releases including the Bourne Legacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, Dukes of Hazzard, Red Dawn and Iron Man 2 movies.