Category: Press Releases

Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results

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Justin Pawlak Wins the Season Opener for the Second Consecutive Season

Long Beach, Calif. – April 7, 2012 – Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang earns the victory at the first event of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season. Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Nissan 240SX takes second place while Formula DRIFT rookie Daigo Saito, in the Achilles Tires / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 rounds out the podium.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach kicked off the 2012 season to a sold out audience. The largest driver pool participated in the two-day event with the largest rookie field of any season with 19 rookies.

“Starting the season to a sold out crowd is a great feeling,” says Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The drivers stepped up and provided a highly competitive event that sets the tone for the rest of the year. We’re looking forward to how the season will unfold.””

Justin Pawlak found the top of the podium for the second consecutive season in Long Beach taking the lead to start the 2012 Pro Championship season. Pawlak battled the 2011 Formula DRIFT champion, Daijiro Yoshihara, in a hard fought battle to win the event. Yoshihara defeated Formula DRIFT Asia champion and rookie Daigo Saito in the Top 4 to move on to Finals eventually taking second place. Saito defeated Matt Powers, who finished in third place in 2011, in the consolation round to find the podium in his very first Formula DRIFT Pro Championship event. Saito is now leads the new X-Mini Rookie Challenge.

“Its just amazing to come back to Long Beach and put down another win 2 years in a row,” said Justin Pawlak, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. “This is a great way to start the season and go for the championship.”

The 2012 Pro Championship season continues for Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta on May 11-12. Tickets are available to purchase online now.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2012 Point Standings After 1 Event

1. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 106 Points
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 92 Points
3. Saito, Daigo Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 78.50 Points
4. Powers, Matt Need for Speed / Nitto Nissan S14 69.50 Points
5. Tuerck, Ryan Team Retaks Nissan 240SX 66 Points
6. McQuarrie, Tyler Mobil 1 Camaro 64 Points
6. Millen, Rhys Hankook / Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe 64 Points
8. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z 63 Points
9. Gushi, Ken Scion Racing Scion FR-S 62 Points
10. Moen, Kenneth Lutz Performance Nissan 350Z 61.50 Points
11. Grunewald, Conrad Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro 57 Points
12. Aasbo, Fredric Need for Speed / Papadakis Racing Scion TC 57 Points
12. Kado, Ryan Ryan Kado Racing Nissan 350Z 56 Points
14. Mohan, Kyle Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 55 Points
15. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis Motorsports Nissan 240SX S14 54.25 Points
15. Yoshioka, Toshiki RS*R Nissan Silvia S15 54.25 Points

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results

1. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang Winner
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 Second Place
3. Saito, Daigo Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 Third Place

Formula DRIFT Announces Live Stream Expansion for the 2012 Season

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 10, 2012 – Formula DRIFT has announced today that they will continue to air all domestic Formula DRIFT rounds through the Driftstream program that will expand for the 2012 Pro Championship Season.

All on track action will be shown via the Driftstream, located on formulad.com/live, including the first practice through to the last tandem competition on both Friday and Saturday event days. With an average viewership of over 150,000 unique IP’s in 2011 Formula, Formula DRIFT has signed a number of agreements that will expand the distribution of the already popular live stream. In 2012, Formula DRIFT will be distributed live through Justin.tv, Metacafe Live, Dailymotion Live and Youtube Live.

“Formula DRIFT worked diligently in the off-season to reach out to our existing partners and develop new relationships that will help make our live broadcasts more attractive. We feel that we are leading the charge of what is a progressive and new way to reach and develop a fan base.,” said Ryan Sage, vice president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Additionally, with partner Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation, we are excited to be expanding our coverage of the events as well, making the live experience better to watch from home or work. We will start with a few shots of the competition on Friday and expand to a full broadcast by main day. We will also be adding a live half-time show and new graphics.””

Additionally, Formula DRIFT has signed a deal with Flingo, as a new “on-demand” option providing content to all Web-enabled televisions that carry the Flingo application. There are currently 10,000,000 of these devices in the U.S. and 40,000,000 world-wide and include Insignia, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Sanyo, Western Digital, as well as Netgear devices – covering more than 8.5 million screens in 118 countries worldwide. The combined viewership of all the 2012 Driftstream partners is over 200,000,000.

“The FormulaD app offers a window into the exciting world of drifting, one of the fastest growing categories of extreme motorsports. FormulaD pioneered drifting in the United States, and it’s not surprising to see them become a pioneer in the Smart TV arena,” said Ashwin Navin, CEO and co-founder of Flingo. “Our partnership enables FormulaD to reach millions of people in their living rooms with the convenience of a TV remote control at any hour of the day with a more dynamic, engaging viewing experience than traditional broadcast.”

The Formula DRIFT Driftstream begins broadcasting tomorrow at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 6-7 starting at 10:00 AM (PST).

Formula DRIFT Announces New Judge for the 2012 Pro Championship

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Formula DRIFT Announces New Judge for the 2012 Pro Championship;
Brian Eggert Added to the Panel of Judges

Long Beach, Calif. – March 28, 2012 – Formula DRIFT has announced Brian Eggert as the new judge for the 2012 Pro Championship. Eggert will be the third judge joining Andy Yen and Ryan Lanteigne on the panel.

Brian Eggert is an experienced drifting judge having worked with the USDrift Series and several other regional events. Eggert has also worked alongside Drift Association helping to co-create the Pro-Am Series for Formula DRIFT. Since 2003, Eggert has helped create regional chapters across the country in an effort to make safe and legal drifting accessible for enthusiasts of all skill levels. Through USDrift and NASA, Eggert has helped promote the sport of drifting and sanctions 8 organizations hosting events in over 20 states.

“I am very honored to be given the opportunity to work with Formula DRIFT and look forward to being able to continue help progress the sport of drifting,” said Brian Eggert, Formula DRIFT judge. “The skill level in Formula DRIFT is unmatched and being able to work with the current judges will be a great experience. The judges in the Series have been made up of a remarkable group of people and I look forward to continuing my role in the Series.”

Eggert will begin his role as judge at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 6-7. He will be taking the position of Tony Angelo, who stepped down to return to the driver’s seat and will be joining the current judges Andy Yen and Ryan Lanteigne.

“Brian is a great addition to the Series and the judging panel,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “His extensive experience and passion for the Sport will make him an asset and help make the proper judging calls throughout the season.”

The 2012 Formula DRIFT season kicks off on the Streets of Long Beach on April 6-7.

Formula DRIFT Announces the Return of Yokohama as an Official Tire Supplier for the 2012 Season

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 21, 2012 – Formula DRIFT has announced the return of Yokohama Tire Corporation as an official tire supplier for the 2012 Pro Championship.

Yokohama will showcase their ADVAN Neova AD08 tire and the technology driven performance of the Yokohama S.drive on competition vehicles within the Series.

“Yokohama has a long history in the sport of drifting and was among the first tire brands embraced by the pioneers of the sport,” said Matt Johnson, Yokohama Performance Marketing Supervisor. “In addition, the first 2 Formula DRIFT championships were won by drivers using Yokohama tires. The Yokohama brand is synonymous with performance and we look forward to showcasing our products in 2012.”

In the inaugural and second season of Formula DRIFT, Yokohama found success and was the tire on both championship-winning vehicles.

“Yokohama’s proven success within the Series will make for an even more competitive competition in 2012,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We are excited to have one of the original sponsors of the Series return and make a run at another championship.”

X-mini™ Increases Support of Formula DRIFT in 2012

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 20, 2012 – Formula DRIFT has announced the continued support from X-mini that will include the introduction of the “X-mini Rookie Challenge.”

The X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ is the leader in pocket-sized portable speakers hailing from Singapore and currently sold in 80 countries around the world.

Ryan Lee, CEO of Xmi Pte Ltd, the company behind the X-mini™ Capsule Speakers™, said, “X-mini™ is proud to be a partner of Formula DRIFT and we are thrilled to offer support to the growing talent pool competing in the Formula DRIFT circuit.”

X-mini™ will continue as an associate sponsor of the Series through the 2012 Pro Championship Season and will introduce the new “X-mini™ Rookie Challenge.” Any Formula DRIFT rookie driver placing two X-mini™ Rookie Challenge decals for the season will be eligible for the bonus prize. For every Formula DRIFT X-mini™ Capsule Speaker™ sold via Formula DRIFT, five dollars will be placed in a pot. X-mini™ will match the Formula DRIFT pot dollar for dollar. The eligible rookie with the most championship points will win the entire earnings at the end of the season. Additionally, the Driftstream will provide updates on the X-mini™ Rookie Challenge standings throughout the live event.

“We are excited to continue our relationship with X-mini™ and also to have them support the young guns of drifting,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “This will be a great incentive for the 2012 rookies to compete for.”

Later this season Formula DRIFT and X-mini™ will release a limited edition branded speaker. The speaker will feature Formula DRIFT logo and traditional red and black colorway.

For more information visit: www.formulad.com
www.X-mini.com