Formula Drift Co-Founder Jim Liaw recently spent some time talking to Bill Wood of Tech House & Speed. They cover the hot topic of Irwindale Speedway’s bankruptcy and cancellation of the racing season. Jim sheds a lot of light on how Formula Drift may or may not be affected by this with the information that is available thus far.
We’ll be sure to keep everyone informed on this topic as more information is released from the venue.
CLICK HERE to listen to the interview.
Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Tickets On-Sale;
Ninth Season of Competition Begins on April 6-7, 2012
Long Beach, Calif. – February 15, 2012 – Formula DRIFT prepares to begin the ninth professional championship season. Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 6-7 tickets are now on-sale and can be purchased online via the Formula DRIFT website, www.formuladrift.com.
“We are especially excited to kick-off another season in Long Beach,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “This will be our fifth consecutive year utilizing the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Street Course, which is the only street course in the Championship. With new drivers, new competition vehicles and non-stop drifting action we are expecting another sell-out crowd.”
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach will feature the championship defense for Daijiro Yoshihara, the debut of the Scion Racing FR-S driven by Ken Gushi, and the introduction of a new judge to the Series. New drivers and vehicles will make their debut at this season opener including 2011 Formula Drift Asia Champion Daigo Saito leading the international charge of drivers from 14 nations.
Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 6-7, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets. Tickets can be purchased through http://formulad.com/schedule/tickets/, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office. Ticket prices start at $28 online with reserved tickets available for Saturday’s competition day. 2-day packages are also available along with VIP ticket packages. Save on additional fees by purchasing your ticket at the Long Beach Convention Center box office directly.
“There has been recent news regarding the status of Irwindale Speedway. This situation is still very fluid and there is nothing definitive on the future of the facility or Formula DRIFT’s event there. There are rumors ranging from full closure to “business as usual” with changes only to staff and their in-house NASCAR and drag racing events, again nothing is definitive. The current issue from what we understand is between the facility operators and the property owners. Formula DRIFT will be monitoring the situation at Irwindale and will provide updates via our website and social media channels. As we have proven in the past, no matter what happens, Formula DRIFT will be prepared.”
– Jim Liaw, President and Co-founder of Formula DRIFT
Automotive journalist Chris Harris recently had a short lived opportunity to test drive the highly anticipated Toyota GT 86 on a track in Spain. They put the 86 through the paces to find out whether or not it’ll drift. Most of you already know the answer to this after seeing Ken Gushi hammer on the Scion FR-S in Japan but be sure to check out the Chris’ take on the new Toyota.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the debut of Ken Gushi‘s new car this year so be sure to get your tickets to Round 1: Streets of Long Beach to see it in action!
CLICK HERE to view the video.
Aurimas ‘Odi’ Bakchis unveiled the new design for his Nissan 240 that will be used during the 2012 season courtesy of 702 Graphics, M7, Nexen Tire, DSTROYR and Feal Suspension.
[Photos: Oliver Petalver]
