Category: FD News

Team Drift This Weekend at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

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For more info visit Grand Prix of Long Beach

Schedule of Events

Art of Formula D: A 2009 Season Retrospective Photo Gallery
Will be open to the public during the Grand Prix Weekend.
150 The Promenade N. – corner of Broadway and Promenade
10 AM – 6 PM – April 16 – 18

Friday, April 16
9:35 AM – 10:00 AM – Team Drift Practice

Saturday, April 17
8:55 AM – 9:20 AM – Team Drift Practice

Sunday, April 18
3:40 PM – 3:55 PM – Team Drift Competition

Team Drift Participants

Team 1 | Drift Alliance
Chris Forsberg
Justin Pawlak
Joon Maeng

Team 2 | Team Awesome
Kyle Mohan
Patrick Mordaunt
Cyrus Martinez

Team 3 | The Rollaz
Yasu Kondo
John Russakoff
Taka Aono

Team 4 | Wild Side
Matt Powers
Cody Parkhouse
Tommy Roberts

Team 5 | Team America
Samuel Hubinette
Andrew Picard
Alex Pfeiffer

Team 6 | Team Canul / Essa / Pina
Casper Canul
Michael Essa
Dan Pina

Past Team Drift Winners

2009 | Drift Alliance
Chris Forsberg – Nissan 350Z
Justin Pawlak – Mazda RX-7
John Russakoff

Race to the Party – Formula DRIFT Demo on Hollywood Blvd

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The IZOD IndyCar Series is celebrating racing, fashion and music during this FREE event:

Thursday, April 15, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. PST
Hollywood & Highland Central Courtyard

· IZOD IndyCar Pit Stop Challenge (12:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) – Witness the speed and agility of an IZOD IndyCar Series pit stop challenge, learn how races are won and lost in the pits during this live demonstration

· Formula DRIFT Show (6:00 p.m.) – Watch as Formula DRIFT drivers compete down the world famous Hollywood Boulevard

o List of Drivers (tentatively):

· Samuel Hubinette | 2010 Dodge Challenger

· Mad Mike Whiddett | 2003 Mazda RX8

· Joon Maeng | 2003 Mazda RX8

· Justin Pawlak | 1989 Mazda RX7

· Michael Essa | 2008 BMW 350R

· IZOD IndyCar Driver Autograph Session (7:30 p.m.) – Meet the stars behind the cars of the fastest race in the world

· Hollywood Blvd Concert

o Rival Sons (7:30 p.m.) – Los Angeles based four-piece rock band that’s sweeping the nation with their soulful rock performances

o Camp Freddy (8:30 p.m.) – The greatest rock stars playing the greatest rock songs featuring Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction), Billy Morrison (The Cult), Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction, Alanis Morissette)

· Life-size Hot Wheels cars – (All day) Guests can get their pictures with life sized Hot Wheels cars and the IZOD IndyCar 2-seater, experience the fan zone featuring vintage cars throughout the decades, and much more

Formula Drift Star Tyler McQuarrie set to debut in World Challenge at Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

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April 12, 2010 (Newport Beach, Calif.) – Formula Drift star Tyler McQuarrie is already familiar with three of the turns on the eleven-turn temporary road course of downtown Long Beach, but next weekend he’ll have to figure out eight more as he makes in debut in the World Challenge series, part of the 2010 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 16-18.

In so doing, McQuarrie will become the first driver to compete in both the Formula Drift Pro Championship’s Streets of Long Beach event – which utilizes turns nine, ten, and eleven of the TGPLB circuit – as well as a professionally sanctioned road race at the TGPLB in the same year. While other Formula Drift drivers have competed in the weekend’s Pro/Celebrity race, none have ever contested the Formula Drift round as well as a professionally sanctioned road race at the Grand Prix.

McQuarrie, from Walnut Creek, Calif., will contest in the GTS class in a Lotus Exige Cup that is supported by LPL Motorsports, Dynamic Racing Solutions, SwitchCars.com, and the Lotus Challenge Series. LPL Motorsports will provide trackside support and technical assistance throughout the weekend.

Although he is now best-known as one of the top wheelmen in Formula Drift, McQuarrie’s driving resume includes time spent in England racing Formula Vauxhall, FF2000, USTCC, American Le Mans, several runs in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill – in which he won his class in 2009 – and a championship in Redline Time Attack.

As part of the Falken Tires team in Formula Drift, McQuarrie finished third in the 2009 championship and is considered a favorite for the 2010 championship, as well of one of the sports’ most recognizable personalities.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have the chance to compete in the World Challenge race in Long Beach,” said McQuarrie. “After being away from professional road racing for some time, I am thrilled to get behind the wheel of the Exige in Long Beach. The Long Beach Grand Prix is simply one of the best races in North America, and one that every driver wants to compete in. After how exciting the Formula Drift opener was in Long Beach last weekend, I can’t wait to see how exciting the Grand Prix weekend will be.”

For more information about Tyler McQuarrie, visit www.tylermcquarrie.com. Fans can receive updates throughout the race weekend at twitter.com/tylermcquarrie (@tylermcquarrie).

The World Challenge race will start at 4:45pm PST on Sunday, April 18 and will air on VERSUS May 1, 2010, from 4:30pm-6:00pm.

Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results

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Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results;
Vaughn Gittin Jr. Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Championship Standings

Long Beach, Calif. – April 10, 2010 – Formula DRIFT returned to the Long Beach Grand Prix Street Course to kick off its seventh season. Vaughn Gittin Jr. takes the Round 1: Streets of Long Beach victory and the early lead in the Pro Championship Standings.

The Long Beach Grand Prix Street Course hosted the first competition of the 2010 season of Formula DRIFT. The venue was packed with reserved seating selling out before the main event opened the doors and the crowds filled the grandstands, pits, and paddock. The event also provided plenty of additional features and attractions that included the debut of the new Miss Formula DRIFT, Melyssa Grace, the One of One Car Show produced by Fatlace, and MetroPCS / Sanctioned brought out celebrity guest and world famous tattoo artist Mister Cartoon. The thousands of fans were treated to world class drifting with over 13 countries represented in the competition.

“Currently there is no true world series of drifting, but today’s event was as close as you can get,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “With drivers from 13 nations and 12 current and former drifting champions, Formula DRIFT continues to grow drifting globally with the most diverse field of competitors than any other drifting series in the world.”

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach started the 2010 season off in exciting fashion with the debut of new drivers, sponsors, and vehicles to the series joining all of the returning teams. 2-time Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust piloting the Rockstar Energy Scion TC met rookie Fredric Aasbo in the Japan Auto / FSR Toyota Supra in the consolation round for third place. Foust outmatched the rookie and secured his third place finish. The finals came down to veteran drifters Rhys Millen in the RMR Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Vaughn Gittin in the Monster Energy / Falken 2011 Ford Mustang. Gittin secured the victory with aggressive driving of his brand new vehicle to earn the victory and the early lead in the Pro Championship Standings.

“What an insane event!,” said Vaughn Gittin, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. “Big thanks to Falken for providing incredible tires, Ford for the new car and engine, and my team at ASD for putting together a competitive vehicle despite being brand new. This is unbelievable.”

For the first time a Live Stream provided by YoParts.com was made available to all fans that could not be at the event in person and gave them the ability to catch a glimpse of all the live action.

“This is the first event to launch the live stream and it was very succesful,” said Tom Masiero, founder of YoParts.com. “Over the 2-days the live stream was active we had over 29,000 unique viewers. This does not even include the viewers on mobile applications, which we do not have the statistics for yet. We look forward to bringing all the 2010 Formula DRIFT live action to households across the globe.”

The action continues on May 7-8 for Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta. Tickets are available on-line. For more information and details visit the Formula DRIFT website at: www.formuladrift.com

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2010 Point Standings

1. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 108 Points
2. Millen, Rhys RMR / Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe 100 Points
3. Foust, Tanner Rockstar Energy Scion TC 82 Points
4. Aasbo, Fredric Japan Auto / FSR Toyota Supra 72 Points
5. Tuerck, Ryan Mobil 1 / Maxxis Tire / Gardella Racing Pontiac Solstice 65 Points
6. Hubinette, Samuel SHR-Dodge / BF Goodrich Dodge Challenger 64 Points
7. Mordaunt, Patrick Brian Crower / PM Racing Nissan 350Z 62 Points
8. Deane, James Falken Tire Nissan S15 61.50 Points
9. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Saturn Sky 60 Points
10. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / CFR Nissan 350Z 56 Points
11. Miki, Ryuji APEXi / Hankook Tire Mazda RX-7 56 Points
12. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 56 Points
13. Brakohiapa, Tony Cooper Tire / Sam’s Autoboy Ford Mustang 54.50 Points
14. Verdier, Stephan Royal Purple / Crawford Performace / Cooper / Subaru STI 54.50 Points
15. Wang, Forrest BF Goodrich / K&N Infiniti G35 54.50 Points
16. Takatori, Michihiro BF Goodrich / Exedy Nissan S15 54.25 Points

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results

1. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 1st Place
2. Millen, Rhys RMR / Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2nd Place
3. Foust, Tanner Rockstar Energy Scion TC 3rd Place

Nitto Tire Announces Formula D Team Sponsorships

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NITTO TIRE ANNOUNCES FORMULA DRIFT TEAM SPONSORSHIPS

Cypress, Calif., April 8, 2010 – Nitto Tire proudly announces four team sponsorships for the 2010 Formula Drift racing series. Joon Maeng of Bergenholtz Racing will campaign a Mazda RX-8; Michael Essa will campaign a brand-new BMW 350R; grassroots racer, Matt Powers, will campaign a Nissan S14, and Alex Pfeiffer of Tanaka Racing will campaign a C5 Corvette. All four teams will use Nitto’s NT05, a max-performance street tire.

Nitto plans to extend its racing heritage by partnering with talented teams. Joon Maeng, who is supported by Bergenholtz Racing and Full Tilt Poker, is relatively new to Formula Drift. Nonetheless, in his 2009 rookie season he finished an impressive 17th place overall. For 2010 he will campaign the Bergenholtz Racing/Full Tilt Poker/Nitto Tire Mazda RX-8. Its tri-rotor 20B engine, built by Mazdatrix, was fully ported and powered by a custom-matched turbocharger to produce 600 hp at the wheels with a rotary engine scream. Maeng stated, “In drifting it is crucial to have tires that can handle harsh driving conditions. The NT05s provide plenty of traction and predictability.”

Michael Essa will debut a brand-new BMW this season. Under the hood Essa shoehorned a more powerful M5 V10 powerplant built specifically for drifting in place of the stock in-line six motor. Essa is the first driver to campaign an E92 BMW in the series. To accommodate the switch, GSR Autosport rerouted piping and parts throughout the engine bay. His career highlights include being a drift instructor, race car fabricator and professional drift driver. “The Nitto NT05 is a great tire; it’s incredibly consistent and has tons of grip,” said Essa. “They give me the confidence to drive the car at the limit, sideways, next to walls.”

Matt Powers is a longtime grassroots racer who made his way into the professional arena in 2009. In the four events in which he competed in his rookie year, he finished three of them in the top 32. During the series break, he teamed up with Team Need for Speed added some serious power upgrades to his Nissan S14. All of this newfound power will be transferred to the pavement via Nitto’s NT05 max-performance tire. Powers said, “I love the insane smoke and awesome grip of the NT05. My car is an animal and it feeds on NT05s.”

Last but not least, Alex Pfeiffer teamed up with Tanaka Racing for the 2010 season. His career includes stints in the SCCA road race series, and 2-1/2 years as a Formula Drift judge before he returned to the driver’s seat in 2009, piloting a Lexus SC300. This year he will campaign a completely different vehicle, the 800-hp C5 Corvette. This is the only Corvette running in the series this season to date.

All four teams will use Nitto’s NT05 max-performance radial. The NT05 was created using advanced computer simulation and extensive on-track testing. The result is a tire that provides precise and responsive handling and performance, which are needed for the grueling demands of drifting. See Nitto, the NT05 and all four sponsored teams in action at the 2010 season opener held in Long Beach, Calif., on April 9-10.

Nitto Tire develops performance tires for all uses, including racing, off-road and street. Using state-of-the-art manufacturing and testing facilities in both Japan and the United States, Nitto provides innovative and high-quality performance tires for the most demanding automotive enthusiasts. For more information about Nitto or its products, visit the company’s web site or contact the company directly. Nitto and Fueled by Enthusiasts are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nitto Tire U.S.A., Inc., located at 6021 Katella Ave., Ste 250, Cypress, CA 90630.