Category: FD News

Formula DRIFT Announces Details on Canadian Events

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Formula DRIFT Announces Details on Canadian Events;
Autodrome St-Eustache Speedway in Quebec, Canada to Host

Long Beach, Calif. – May 6, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced information regarding Formula DRIFT Canada which will be composed of two events; Formula DRIFT Qualifier and Formula DRIFT Challenge at Autodrome St-Eustache located just outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The Formula DRIFT Qualifier will be held on June 8, 2014 at the Autodrome St-Eustache in Quebec, Canada. The goal of the Formula DRIFT Qualifier is to see which non-Formula DRIFT licensed driver will have the chance to compete against some of the best drifters in the world. The top 8 placed drifters and 2 wild cards chosen by the event promoters will be invited to compete at the Formula DRIFT Challenge on Labor Day weekend. Tickets will start at $25 and can be purchased online or at the gate. The event will feature a vendor village and car show.

“The Autodrome St-Eustache, commonly referred to as the Canadian House of Drift, is extremely honored to have been chosen by the world’s leading Professional Drift Series, “ stated Alan Labrosse, owner of Autodrome St-Eustache. “As exclusive host to the inaugural Formula DRIFT Invitational Competition to take place in Canada, we continue to show our commitment to the evolution of the sport of drifting in this country. Competitors, fans, and sponsors from across Canada and the USA will have the opportunity to be a part of history and enjoy the excitement of world class professional drifting.”

The Formula DRIFT Challenge will be held on August 31 – September 1 at the same venue. For the first time ever Formula DRIFT drivers will be stepping foot on Canadian soil to compete in a top 16 competition against the best Canadian drifters. Tickets will start at $20 for on-site Sunday entry, while Monday’s on-site price will be $35. Tickets for both days will be $50 at the gate and $40 online for the weekend pass. The event will feature a vendor village, skateboard demo, and Offset Kings car show.

“To be able to bring Formula DRIFT to the Autodrome St-Eustache, Québec’s most popular motorsports venue, during their 50th anniversary is a great milestone for us,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Canada has a great drifting culture and to be able to help grow the sport in this region is a major accomplishment.”

More information can be found on www.formuladriftcanada.com and www.facebook.com/formuladriftcanada.

Formula DRIFT Releases Comprehensive Fan Study

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 24, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has released a comprehensive fan study compiled from thousands of live event attendees from each round of the 2013 season. The study reveals that Formula DRIFT fans are nearly exclusive to the Series and a majority of fans have watched the online live stream.

The report was produced by surveying thousands of Formula DRIFT live event attendees over the course of the 2013 season. The study has found that nearly 50% of Formula DRIFT fans did not attend at least one other major league sports or major motorsports event in 2013 showing the exclusivity of the audience. The closest sport that had a quantifiable overlap was Major League Baseball at 16.62%, while the closest motor sport was Supercross at 12.73%.  Another finding shows that over 80% of Formula DRIFT fans have watched the “Driftstream,” in 2013.  The full report can be seen below.

“This study clearly demonstrated what we have thought all along about our audience,” says Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “These are not just average event goers. The event attendees of Formula DRIFT are exclusive to the brand, not only in terms of general events, but more importantly, our fans are highly preferential to us in the realm of motor sports. Further, when not attending a Formula DRIFT event, the fans follow the brand by watching our live stream. These statistics infer a highly engaged, highly exclusive fan.”

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A’PEXi Racing- FORMULA DRIFT 2014 – ROUND 1-LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA RACE REPORT

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 21, 2014

A’PEXi Racing- FORMULA DRIFT 2014 – ROUND 1-LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA RACE REPORT

ORANGE, CA – The 2014 Formula Drift season kicks off a new season with a new beginning for the A’PEXi Racing team with seasoned D1GP driver, Kuniaki Takahashi behind the wheel of the Lexus SC430. During this offseason, the crew was at work making changes to the SC430 machine that were geared towards Takahashi-san’s vehicle settings, including converting the vehicle to right-hand drive to assure the driver acclimation process to be as efficient as possible. Takahashi is known for his aggressive “all out” driving style driving Toyota chassis’ such as the JZX100/ Mark II and his current vehicle in the D1GP series, a Toyota Mark X, he is no stranger to the Lexus SC430.

The twin-turbocharged Lexus SC430 on Yokohama ADVAN Neova AD08-R tires put down a couple of practice runs during practice, but unfortunately ran into mechanical issues during the session, and the crew hustled to get the machine back out on track in time for qualifying sessions, however, the limited seat time was not enough to result in a Top 32 qualifying score out of an estimated field of 60 cars. On the following weekend, the team was back out for the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge during the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, Qualifying in the 11th position, and faced up against 2013 Formula Drift Champion and Yokohama Tire teammate, Michael Essa in his turbocharged BMW 3-series. Though, not able to advance into the Top 8 competition bracket, the potential of the vehicle with Kuniaki Takahashi behind the wheel was witnessed immediately during the tandem Top 16 round, and the team is anticipating a successful 2014 season.

During the back to back competition race weekends we were proud to introduce this year’s team and partners: A’PEXi Racing x Up Garage x Yokohama Tire with Kunny’z, rest assured that the team is hard at work preparing the SC430 to be the dependable and competitive machine that it has lived up to be the past few seasons. In addition, to developing and dialing in the vehicle to Takahashi’s specifications.

We would like to thank all of our 2014 partners for their continued support as the team gears up and prepares for the upcoming Formula Drift Round 2: Road to the Championship event hosted by Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA on May 9-10, 2014.

 

Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge Results

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Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge Results;
Daigo Saito Takes the Victory

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 12, 2014 – Formula DRIFT hosted the Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge during the 40th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Daigo Saito in the Achilles Radial Lexus SC430 takes the victory.

The Motegi Racing Super Drift Challenge for the second consecutive year brought motorsports action under the lights during the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach with a filled capacity within Turns 9, 10, and 11 of the famous street course. Sixteen of the top Formula DRIFT drivers competed for a $25,000 prize purse. Eight vehicle manufacturers and seven tire companies were represented in the competition.

“It is an honor to be able to bring drifting to the masses during the 40th annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach,” stated Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “And to be able to showcase our sport for the second year in a row under the lights on the city streets is something special.”

The action under the lights along with ever changing track temperatures proved to be a test of driver skill. Number one qualifier, Forrest Wang in Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire Nissan S14 finishes in third place. Daigo Saito met teammate Kenny Moen in the Bridges Racing / Achilles Radial Nissan 240SX in the finals. Saito, the 2012 Formula DRIFT champion, was able to edge out Moen to take the victory. For the second consecutive weekend, Moen takes the second spot on the podium.

“Last weekend at Round 1 of Formula DRIFT was no good for me, but this week with a few modifications on the vehicle I was able to get the win,” said Daigo Saito, winner of the Motegi Super Drift Challenge. “I am happy with the win and look to continue the momentum into the next round.”