Category: Press Releases

Formula DRIFT Announces 2011 Television Program Schedule on VERSUS

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Formula DRIFT Announces 2011 Television Program Schedule on VERSUS;
Premiere Episode to Air on Sunday August 14 (5:00 p.m., EST)
Long Beach, Calif. – June 27, 2011 – Formula DRIFT announces the 2011 television program schedule on the VERSUS network. Premiere episode to air on August 14 at 5 PM (EST).

For the third consecutive year, Formula DRIFT will air the television program titled, “Formula DRIFT,” on the VERSUS network. The 14 half-hour long episodes will run for 14 consecutive weeks on Sundays at 5 PM (EST) beginning on August 14, 2011 with re-airs showing on Fridays at 5:30 PM (EST) beginning on August 19, 2011.

“We are delighted to be back on VERSUS, the home of such properties like UFC, Tour de France, IndyCar and NHL. It will be interesting to be part of the Comcast/NBC merger and the positive implications of VERSUS becoming part of the NBC Sports family. As our relationship with VERSUS has grown, so have the ratings of the Formula DRIFT programming,” said Ryan Sage, vice president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “VERSUS’s 75+ million households combined with an additional 300 million household distribution internationally, we are glad to continue to not only be the leader in drifting programming, but a real force in motorsports and entertainment.”

The episodes will document all 7 Championship rounds and 1 invitational competition that took place in Qatar. The programs will be hosted by Formula DRIFT co-founder, Ryan Sage along with Formula DRIFT announcer, Jarod deAnda.

The Formula DRIFT program is scheduled for national and international distribution.

Formula DRIFT International Television Distribution to include:

BAND SPORTS
Brazil

SPEED CHANNEL
Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvadore, Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, Columbia, Venezuela, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Peru.

MOTORS TV
United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, Holland, Estonia, Germany, Macedonia, Serbia, Russia, Portugal, Latvia, Greece, Slovenia, Romania, Cyprus, Belgium, Ukraine, Spain, Malta, Hungary, Iceland, Sweden, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, and Switzerland.

SPORT TV
Portugal

AUTO TV RUSSIA
Russia

In addition to the TV programming, Formula DRIFT can be also seen streaming each competition live on the internet at www.formulad.com/live. Also scheduled to air in the coming months is the Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach event in 3D on DirecTV’s n3D channel.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com

Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results;
Conrad Grunewald Wins at Wall Speedway

Long Beach, Calif. – June 18, 2011 – Formula DRIFT returned to Wall Speedway for Round 4: The Gauntlet. The capacity event was action packed with Conrad Grunewald in the Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro taking the victory. This marked Grunewald’s first victory in Formula DRIFT history and second podium since 2005.

Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway was another exciting event where the combination of the banking on the track and the competitive nature of the drivers pushed them to the limits. As a result a few of the vehicles were damaged in competition in dramatic fashion keeping them from advancing to the later rounds. The fans witnessed a true showing of world class drifting.

“Despite the brief storm that caused chaos after qualifying on Friday, the Formula DRIFT community pulled together to help one another to put on another great event,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Fans came out to fill the capacity of the venue on Saturday to showcase the ever growing sport this season.”

The final four vehicles gave a tremendous show for the fans with the first battle pitting number one qualifier Ryan Tuerck in the Mobil 1 / Gardella Racing Chevy Camaro against Conrad Grunewald in the Hankook Chevy Camaro. Tuerck went high on the banking, making impact which damaged his vehicle taking him out of the competition and automatically giving him fourth place. Current points leader Justin Pawlak in the Falken Ford Mustang faced teammate Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Nissan 240SX to meet Grunewald in the finals. Yoshihara lost the battle and took third place due to Tuerck’s damaged vehicle and moved into second in the Pro Championship points standings. The finals saw a battle of American muscle with Pawlak facing Grunewald. Grunewald edged out Pawlak for his first victory of his career. Pawlak remains the points leader with this third podium finish of the season.

“I’m really happy for the team,” stated Conrad Grunewald, winner of Round 4: The Gauntlet. “We overcame a lot to get to this position this weekend. And I am overwhelmed to be on top of the podium for my first time and especially to do it by beating a Ford Mustang.”

The Formula DRIFT Championship continues for Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway on July 22-23. Tickets are available to purchase online.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com

Daigo Saito emerges champion as the cream rises to the top

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Daigo Saito emerges champion as the cream rises to the top
Team Spark Motorsports wins first Team Championship trophy at VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial

Singapore, 12 June 2011 – Daigo Saito of Team Spark Motorsports joined the pantheon of champions, becoming only the third driver to take the much-coveted crown of the fourth edition of VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial at the F1 Pit Building today.

It was a double victory for the team, with the Japanese champion and third-place winner Ken Gushi (USA) propelling Team Spark Motorsports’s charge to take home the inaugural Team Championship trophy with 183 points. Singapore is the first formula drift championship in the world to introduce the award for the best team performance.

Following two days of intense competition and volatile weather, Daigo showed consistency and the highest level of precision and car control, conquering the challenging track. Going neck-to-neck with Thai Saranon Pornpatanarak of Team M150 in the final face-off, the Japanese set the tone in the first tandem battle, chasing Saranon and staying mere inches from the Thai – drawing a huge round of applause from the crowd. In the second run, Daigo sped ahead to create an impossible gap for Saranon to match his competitor’s move, securing his first victory in Singapore with aplomb.

Recounting the competition, Daigo said, “Happy for the win as it is the first leg of the series, and I am happy to have gotten off to such a great start. It is amazing to be racing on an F1 circuit and the crowd really got behind Formula Drift. It was an encouraging victory, considering that none of them have competed in Singapore before. I am planning on keeping up my performance for the whole series this year with the Spark Motorsport team.”

The Thai ace driver will be hoping to carry this form into the remaining rounds of the Formula Drift Asia Championship, which will continue on to Indonesia, Thailand and finishing the year off in Malaysia. Saranon rued his chance missing out on the top prize, and said, “I came here expecting to be on the podium and am happy with my position in the race. To lose to someone like Daigo who is usually racing in D1 and competing against the best in the world is not so bad.”

Gushi won the final place on the podium with a dominating performance over Malaysian Ivan Lau from LTM Bridgestone. Said Gushi, “Formula Drift Asia is a phenomenal series, with highly skilled and competitive drivers, I hope to get more chances to compete against them and raise my own game in the car.”

Said Lau, “Ken had a slow start, and I came in too hot in the straight. I slowed down on the first clipping and missed a gear. I had to then upshift to fourth – that mistake cost me the third place today.”

Bright sunshine made for a welcome change from yesterday’s thunderstorms, as fans were once again treated to a world-class display of drifting prowess. With engines revving high and tyres burning furiously, the crowd had lots to cheer about as the tandem battles began in the morning. Unlike qualifying yesterday, which was based on the driver’s individual runs on track, today’s format was the tandem drift battles where drivers do two laps in tandem, each taking a turn to lead and fighting for the best score across two runs. The drivers were judged on their speed, style, and ability to maintain their drift angle for as long as possible. Battles are always tight and nail-biting, with chasing drivers pushing the limits and trying to better the lead driver.

Organised by ESPN STAR Sports Event Management Group, the Singapore event is the first of a four-leg series for Achilles Asian Drift Series which will be followed by events in Indonesia in October, Thailand in November and the year-end Grand Finale this December in Malaysia.

Please visit www.formuladriftasia.com for more details about the event.

Formula DRIFT Round 3: Invasion Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 3: Invasion Results;
Justin Pawlak Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Standings

Long Beach, Calif. – June 6, 2011 – Formula DRIFT entered Florida for the first time for Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway. Justin Pawlak takes the victory in the Falken Tires Ford Mustang and regains the lead in the Pro Championship standings.

Round 3: Invasion brought the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship to Florida for the first time in the eight seasons of competition. The action packed weekend showcased the best drifters in the world at a new venue. The new course was technical and fast giving the drivers a challenge to adjust to.

“The demand to bring Formula DRIFT from drifting fans to the state of Florida were heard loud and clear,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We are confident that Formula DRIFT exceeded all expectations by showcasing the level of professional drifting competition never seen in the region before and hope we can make this a regular championship stop.”

The action on track saw the top 4 qualifiers make it into the Final 4 of the competition. Number one qualifier Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z battled number 2 qualifier Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Saturn Sky in the consolation round. McNamara beat Forsberg to take third place in the event and also solidify a team Falken Tire sweep on the podium. The final battle was a battle of the Mustang with Falken Tire teammates Justin Pawlak in the Falken Ford Mustang and Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Ford Mustang. Pawlak edged out his teammate for his second victory of the season regaining the lead in the pro championship point standings.

“It feels unreal,” exclaimed Justin Pawak, winner of Round 3. “I knew I had a good chance to win despite a tough ladder of competition, but we brought it home and we are back on top!”

The Formula DRIFT Championship continues later this month for Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway in New Jersey on June 17-18. Tickets are available to purchase online.

More Racing and Rocking Beats Expected at VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial

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May 19, 2011 – Singapore – For the first time, motorsport fans in Singapore can look forward to a thrilling combination of howling engines, screaming tyres, and an electrifying line-up of party beats and entertainment acts as the fourth edition of the VIP Formula Drift Singapore Presented by Achilles Radial returns on 11 and 12 June 2011 at the iconic F1 Pit Building.

In addition to showcasing the region’s top drivers, this year’s event aims to elevate the spectators’ experience with an exciting mix of the best drifting action and entertainment. Organised by ESPN STAR Sports Events Management (ESS) with the support of Title Sponsor VIP Luxury, Formula Drift fans can expect more than just a motoring spectacle with an exciting line-up of musical artistes, promising to keep everyone’s engines revving late into the night.

This is the first time that VIP Luxury is involved with a sporting event, and is looking to make an impact with the drifting event, which has already established a strong following in Singapore. VIP Luxury will be going all out to make sure that guests are entertained throughout the evening, with VIP Rock the Rabbit Festival, pulling out all the stops by bringing down the world famous Playboy Playmate DJs, DJ Roxanne Dawn and DJ Diamond to keep fans entertained for the entire night.

Nick Leese, Chairman of VIP Luxury said, “We are all extremely excited about our new partnership as it combines the energy, attitude and atmosphere that we aim to achieve at all of our VIP Luxury parties. The audience will not be disappointed with what we have lined up for them, and it will definitely set the bar in the sporting scene!”

The Playboy-themed festival will also kick off with a casting call for all prospective Playboy Bunnies, as well as a VIP fashion show and Playboy Art Gallery. The festival will also include a special art gallery dedicated to the legendary Playboy Magazine Covers, as well as interviews with celebrities. VIP guests will have access to the Mansion Hospitality Suites, getting the full Playboy treatment.

“All of us at ESS are eagerly looking forward to this year’s VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial and feel it will be the best one yet with this elite group of world-class drift drivers,” said Mr. Harvey Davis, Vice-President, ESS Events Management Group. “At the same time, we have seen how well entertainment and motorsport have gelled together and we hope that our partnership with VIP Luxury will make for a unique spectator experience that will elicit a greater sense of excitement and energy next month, and elevate the Singapore leg into a prominent event in South East Asia..”

VIP Formula Drift Singapore 2011 Presented by Achilles Radial has established itself on the region’s sporting calendar, attracting top drifting talents and interest from all across Asia. This year’s event continues its strong global flair with more than 45 drivers coming from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, China, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. With top international drivers such as Japan’s Robbie Nishida, Australia’s Joshua Boettcher and last year’s Formula Drift Asian Champion Tengku Djan Ley, the ‘Prince of Drift’, from Malaysia, this year should be one of the most competitive in the event’s history.

The Singapore event is the first of a four-leg series for Achilles Asian Drift Series which will be followed by events in Indonesia in October, Thailand in November and the year-end Grand Finale this December in Malaysia.

For more information please visit http://www.formuladriftasia.com/