Category: Press Releases

Rhys Millen is Victorious at Formula DRIFT Round 6: After Dark

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Rhys Millen is Victorious at Formula DRIFT Round 6: After Dark;
Championship Will Come Down to Final Event of the Season

Long Beach, Calif. – August 26, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Round 6: After Dark. Rhys Millen in the RMR / Hankook Hyundai Genesis Coupe takes the victory and moves up to third place in the overall points standings leading into the final event of the season.

Round 6: After Dark brought drifting back to Sin City and treated fans to a night spectacle that included the Vegas ProAm championship, Slammed Society car show, Targa Trophy display of vehicles and more. The Driftstream saw an estimated 150,000 viewers in a 24-hour period.

“The Las Vegas round of competition is always one of the most action-packed, but with a completely new course it challenged the drivers and excited the fans,“ said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Each year we have seen an increase in attendance and have accommodated with the addition of extra grand stands. This was a very exciting event to lead into the championship round in October. This was another tight championship chase with three former champions in the top five.”

A new track configuration was added to the event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway giving an extra challenge for the drivers to adjust to the new course along with the weather conditions of the desert. Robbie Nishida in the Bridges Racing / Achilles Tires Lexus SC300 faced points leader Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Ford Mustang in a battle for third place. Gittin took the win and secures his point lead in the chase for the championship. The final battle pitted second place qualifier, Rhys Millen, fresh off his record setting victory at Pikes Peak in the same Hyundai Genesis Coupe that he competed in at this event, against the number one qualifier, Frederic Aasbo in the Need for Speed / Hankook Scion tC. On his lead run, Aasbo met the wall to give the advantage to Millen. On the second run Millen kept a consistent line to take the victory moving him to third place overall and within striking distance of the point leaders.

“It was an incredible victory for our entire crew at RMR, for Hyundai, Pulse and Hankook. To come here from Pikes Peak in the exact same car in a different configuration and in a different driving style and to do it back to back,” said Rhys Millen, winner of Round 6: After Dark. “This is a true drivers course and suits the car well and we were flawless all day long. Unfortunately, some of our competitors gifted us a couple wins, but at the end of the day we put the pressure on them to run deep and fast.”

The chase for the championship is as tight as it has ever been and will be decided at the final event of the season. The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship Round 7: Title Fight on October 12-13 at Irwindale Speedway. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased on the Formula DRIFT website.

Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale;
Final Event of the 2012 Season at Irwindale Speedway on October 12-13

Long Beach, Calif. – August 15, 2012 – Tickets for the finale event of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season are on-sale now. Round 7: Title Fight on October 12-13, 2012 will be held at Irwindale Speedway.

Formula DRIFT will be the first major event to return to Irwindale Speedway since the new management group has taken over the day-to-day operations of the venue. The event has sold out for the past two seasons and to accommodate the growth in attendance expanded seating will be made available. Tickets are on-sale now and available on www.formulad.com. Tickets are expected to sell-out again and early purchase is highly recommended.

“Irwindale Speedway is hallow ground for drifting, something that we made it to be. So it’s significant not only to our Series but to the world drifting community,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We are both proud and excited to be able to continue to hold the finale of our ninth season at Irwindale and look forward to closing our tenth season there as well.”

Ticketing options include the following:

Main Grandstands
– $28 for Saturday Only when purchased online
– $33 for 2-day pass when purchased online
– Includes assigned / reserved seat

Start Line VIP
– $45 for a 2-day pass when purchased online
– Includes exclusive restroom and concession access for start line grand stand ticket holders and a FD gift

Trackside VIP
– $65 for 2-day pass when purchased online
– Includes exclusive restroom and concession access for trackside grand stand ticket holders and a FD gift bag

Skybox VIP
– First time access for Formula DRIFT fans available
– $5,000
Includes:
– 30 passes to the event and access to the skybox
– 10 parking passes
– FD gifts
– Non-alcoholic beverages (NOS, SmartWater, and Vitamin Water)

With less than 63 points separating the top 5 drivers leading into Round 6: After Dark at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the chase for the Championship is as close as it has ever been. Round 7: Title Fight will also feature the revealing of the 10 year anniversary logo, announcement of the Tires.com Triple Crown winner, the Slammed Society car show, the Formula Drift ProAm All Star competition along with much more.

Vaughn Gittin Wins His Second Consecutive Event at Round 5: Throwdown

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Vaughn Gittin Wins His Second Consecutive Event at Round 5: Throwdown;
Takes The Lead in the Pro Championship Points Standings

Long Beach, Calif. – July 21, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to the Pacific Northwest at Evergreen Speedway for Round 5: Throwdown. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang takes his second consecutive victory and the lead in the Pro Championship Points Standings.

Round 5: Throwdown continued the success of the season to a capacity crowd at Evergreen Speedway. The Driftstream saw an estimated 175,000 viewers in a 24-hour period.

“This has been one of the most exciting events of the season,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The chase for the championship heats up as we head into the final two events of the season and it is still anyone’s to take with only 62 points separating the top 5 drivers.”

The action on the track showcased the true competition of the Series with many close battles and upsets throughout the event. Ken Gushi in the Greddy Performance Scion FR-S faced Hankook teammate Rhys Millen in the RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe in a very close battle. Millen took the victory for third place and his first podium appearance of the season. The Finals pitted Ryan Tuerck in the Retaks Nissan 240SX against Vaughn Gittin, Jr. After a tightly fought battle Gittin took the win and the lead in both the Pro Championship points standings and in the Tires.com Triple Crown, while Tuerck moves up to fifth place overall.

“I am just so pumped right now. We have been working so hard and have overcome the minor issues we had earlier this year and I owe this to my team and all my partners,” said Vaughn Gittin, Jr., winner of Round 5: Throwdown. “It just feels so good to re-focus and drive my heart out and stand on top of the podium!”

The competition is as close as it has ever been with only two remaining events remaining and the championship still up for grabs. The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship Round 6: After Dark on August 24 – 25 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Vaughn Gittin Takes the Victory at Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway

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Vaughn Gittin Takes the Victory at Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway;
Yoshihara and Forsberg Round out the Podium

Long Beach, Calif. – June 23, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to Wall Speedway for Round 4: The Gauntlet. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang takes the victory.

Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway saw a sold out crowd continuing the successful season. The Driftstream saw over 200,000 total views in a 24-hour period.

“The drift fans from all over the North East are die hard and came to watch the action until the very end,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “With many of the top drivers hailing from the area, the North East fans saw two local drivers with Vaughn Gittin, Jr. and Chris Forsberg on the podium.

The competition was fierce at the half-way point of the season. Finding the podium was the past three season champions. Top 4 competition saw a repeat of the final round from Round 3, with the 2009 champion, Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z battling against Formula DRIFT rookie Daigo Saito, in the Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430, who currently sits in second place in the overall standings. Forsberg got his revenge and was able to defeat the rookie ending up in third place and moving him up to fifth place overall. The final battle pitted the current 2011 Formula DRIFT champion, Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan 240SX against the 2010 Formula DRIFT champion, Vaughn Gittin, Jr. Yoshihara had a major correction on his chase run which gave the win to Gittin, for his first podium of the season and improving to fourth place overall. Yoshihara found the podium for his second consecutive event and remains in third place in the standings.

“It took me a little longer than expected to harness this brand new 2013 Monster Energy / Falken Ford Mustang,” said Vaughn Gittin, Jr., winner of Round 4: The Gauntlet. “My team and I worked extremely hard and overcame the challenges and got back on the podium and it feels amazing!”

The competition increases with only a few points separating the competition on their way to becoming the next champion. The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues with Round 5: Throwdown on July 20-21, 2012 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA.

Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway

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Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway;
Pawlak Remains in the Pro Championship Points Lead

Long Beach, Calif. – June 2, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway for the second consecutive year. Rookie Daigo Saito in the Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 takes the victory and closes in on the points leader Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang.

Round 3: Invasion saw an increase in attendance in the second year of competition at Palm Beach International Raceway. The Driftstream saw over 200,000 viewers in a 24 hour period.

“We’re happy to be able to run the original track configuration due to the improvements by Palm Beach International Raceway which made for an improved event for the fans,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Additional grandstands were brought in to accommodate for the increase in fan attendance. The dedication and investment by the venue shows their support for our Series and look forward to returning next season.”

Points leader and winner of last year’s Palm Beach event, Justin Pawlak and the 2011 Formula DRIFT Champion, Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan 240SX faced off in a battle for third place. Yoshihara took the win after Pawlak spun out on his chase run and moves into third place overall. The final match of evening pitted Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z against Formula DRIFT rookie Daigo Saito. After a close battle Saito was crowned the winner and has now found the podium for the third consecutive event and increases his chances to win the coveted rookie of the year honors.

“This is the first time being in Formula DRIFT and I was able to take the victory and am extremely happy about that,” said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 3: Invasion. “I want to thank everyone and my sponsor Achilles Tire. All my runs weren’t perfect, but I am happy with the final outcome.”

The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues with Round 4: The Gauntlet on June 22-23, 2012 at Wall Speedway.