Category: FD News

Need For Speed: The Run (Demo Trailer)

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdBfCSdX8-8[/youtube]

Race for your life in the Need for Speed The Run Demo. You start in the Desert Hills of Nevada where you find yourself at the heart of the pack. Battle the unforgiving desert heat and technically demanding terrain as you use your skills to fight your way to the front of the pack in the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni. Once past the desert, you face a treacherous shortcut in Independence Pass. But the clock is ticking, a mountain is crumbing in front of you and a rival is one step ahead. Be one of the first to experience what it’s like to be behind the wheel of the 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S.

Eric O’Sullivan to compete in AutoWeek America Adventure

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Press Release

October 19th 2011, Howell, New Jersey.

For Immediate Release

Eric O’Sullivan to embark on Autoweek American Adventure.

On October 26th Gardella Racing driver, Eric O’Sullivan, will cross the starting line of the 2012 Autoweek American Adventure in Seattle. The Autoweek American Adventure is a 6 day treasure hunt and race-track based rally starting in Seattle, Washinton and finishing at a live press conference during the SEMA Convention, Las Vegas.

Competing alongside team mate Steve Vander Griend of ICM, Inc., the team will spend 6 days traveling throughout diverse American countryside following clues, accepting track based challenges and completing missions.

Competing for daily prize keys, at the SEMA finish line each key holder will be invited on stage and given the chance to start the grand prize, a 2011 MOPAR Dodge Charger.

Speaking about the event, Eric O’Sullivan was looking forward to making his way to Seattle and embarking on the adventure. “Everything about this whole event sounds fantastic” explained O’Sullivan. “It’s going to be a lot of fun navigating our way through 6 days of clues and countryside, and the track based challenges will really mix things up. I’m looking forward to the fun and relaxed atmosphere of the event, but make no mistake, Steve & I will be pushing for those daily keys so that we are the ones driving out of the SEMA convention behind the wheel of the MOPAR Charger!”

Steve Vander Griend from ICM, who will be driving with Eric, has spent the last few years collecting data from various sources that center on ethanol as a fuel.  Recently, ICM conducted   testing at a facility in Detroit that also gained support of two OEM’s in which ethanol was simply added. When asked about the AutoWeek American Adventure Rally, Steve said “I am looking forward to the challenge and thrill of this rally.   This will be a great opportunity to not only promote and educate about ethanol but to learn more about a group of auto enthusiasts that appreciate vehicle and fuel performance on the road.”

The car chosen for this event is a 2006 Dodge Daytona Charger, a vehicle which was the first of several vehicles Flex Fuel US certified with the EPA for being a FFV. This car not only handles very well, it performs even better when ethanol is in the tank.

Progress of the Autoweek American Adventure can be followed online via http://www.theamericaadventure.com/ or by following Eric O’Sullivan on Twitter @ericosullivan.

 

SEMA News: Team Falken’s ‘Dai’ Yoshihara Crowned 2011 Formula Drift Champion

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Team Falken’s ‘Dai’ Yoshihara Crowned 2011 Formula Drift Champion
At the final event of the Formula Drift season, Team Falken veteran Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara, driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, took his first championship in the Formula Drift series, completing a year which saw either his name or that of his teammate, Justin Pawlak, consistently atop the leader board. Pawlak took second in the championship.
 
Falken’s Tyler McQuarrie successfully attacked the competition at the “Title Fight” and earned the final win of the season, the fifth victory out of seven for Team Falken in 2011. As a result, McQuarrie moved up to finish sixth in the standings. Teammates Darren McNamara took fourth overall, while defending Formula Drift Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. placed 11th.

The final round of the series concluded the most successful season in Formula Drift history. The sold-out crowd eclipsed attendance records for Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, known as “the House of Drift,” and is now the largest event in the history of this sport.

 While Falken held onto the top two spots in the championship, a small gap in points separated the top five competitors. The 2011 season turned out to be the closest and most competitive chase for the championship in the history of Formula Drift. In addition to winning the title, Yoshihara also won the Tires.com Triple Crown, marking the first time in the series that a Discount Tire driver took home this award.

On hand to witness this event within Falken’s hospitality were 465 dealers and retailers, including special guests from Ford Racing, Discount Tire, Monster Energy and Sears Auto Center. In addition, Falken hosted a limited-edition T-shirt giveaway promotion through Facebook.

SOURCE: SEMA

MotoIQ Radio Episode 13: Formula Drift Final Event And Season Recap

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Be sure to tune in to MotoIQ Radio tonight at 7pm PST/10pm EST. Justin Banner will be back riding shotgun on this drift show. As of right now, Tyler McQuarrie, winner of the event, Vaughn Gittin JR, 2010 champion, Jim Liaw, Co-founder of Formula Drift and Jarod DeAnda, the voice of drifting will all be on the show!

CLICK HERE to listen live at 7pm PST/10pm EST!

Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Results;
Daijiro Yoshihara Wins the Championship and Tyler McQuarrie Takes the Event Victory

Long Beach, Calif. – October 8, 2011 – Formula DRIFT returned to the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale for the final event of the 2011 season. Daijiro Yoshihara in the America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 won the championship, while Tyler McQuarrie in the Falken Tire Nissan 350Z took the event victory.

Round 7: Title Fight concluded the most successful season in Formula DRIFT history. The sold out crowd eclipsed attendance records for the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale and is now the largest Formula DRIFT event in history.

“First of all we would like to congratulate Dai on his first championship. He has worked hard for over 8 years and has consistently had good results and its awesome to see it pay off for him,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “You couldn’t script the finals to be any better capping off the season with excitement and drama and ending on a high note to a sell out crowd to be the largest drifting event we have ever produced.”

With the championship decided in the Final 4 competition, the event was far from over. Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z defeated Darren McNamara in the consolation round to secure third place for the event and also move him up into third place overall. The final battle of the evening pitted Rhys Millen in the Redbull / Hankook Hyundai Genesis Coupe against Tyler McQuarrie. After an intense battle McQuarrie took the victory moving himself up to finish in the fifth standing position for the season.

“To win in Irwindale is massive for any driver and to do it under the circumstances surrounding this week is incredible,” stated Tyler McQuarrie, winner of Round 7: Title Fight. “This victory paints a better picture and gives me the momentum heading into the off-season.”

The results of the event could only be described as the ultimate finish to crown a champion. This event was the closest and most competitive chase for the championship in Formula DRIFT history, with 5 drivers entering with a chance at the title. Rookie of the year honors went to Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis. Many scenarios played out with such a close gap in the point standings. Daijiro Yoshihara entered with the point lead and was taken out early in the Top 16 opening the door for the others to take the championship. Yet, the stars were aligned for Yoshihara and by a narrow margin he was able to hold onto the lead to win the 2011 Formula DRIFT Championship along with the Tires.com Triple Crown. Marking the first time in Series history that the champion also wins the bonus prize.

“It’s a great feeling and a dream come true,” said Daijiro Yoshihara, 2011 Formula DRIFT champion. “After 8 years of driving it finally paid off. I owe a lot to my team and sponsors. My new goal will be to defend the championship and win it outright during the event.”