Category: Press Releases

Formula DRIFT Announces Content Partnership with Streetfire.net

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Long Beach, Calif. – August 17, 2010 – Formula DRIFT has announced a partnership with Streetfire.net. Streetfire will host all of the drifting sanctioning body’s archived television programs and provide an interface for viewing the content on the Formula DRIFT website via the All Access section.

“Streetfire.net will bring Formula DRIFT content to millions of users globally and extends the reach of the Series outside the drifting community and into the mainstream automotive world,” said Ryan Sage, vice-president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We are also excited to bring all of this content directly to the Formula DRIFT fans via the website’s All Access section.”

The partnership will feature past archived footage of Formula DRIFT programs along with exclusive content from around the globe. This includes international coverage where Formula DRIFT has had a presence. Streetfire.net has also designed an interface for viewing all of the content through the Formula DRIFT All Access page of the website www.formuladrift.com.

“We are happy to be working with Formula DRIFT to distribute their exciting drift series to the millions of StreetFire users around the world while also powering the video experience on the Formula DRIFT website,” said Glenn Rogers, CEO of CarDomain Network. “StreetFire is part of the CarDomain Network, the largest auto enthusiast network in the world reaching over 5 million car fanatics every month. Formula DRIFT is the premier organizer of Drift events in the US and we are very pleased to be in partnership with them.”

Formula DRIFT continues the 2010 season with Round 5: After Dark on August 20-21, 2010 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For more information, visit www.formuladrift.com.

Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 4: Throwdown Results

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Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 4: Throwdown Results;
Tanner Foust Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Tires.com Triple Crown

Long Beach, Calif. – July 10, 2010 – Formula DRIFT entered Evergreen Speedway for Round 4: Throwdown in Monroe, Washington. Tanner Foust takes the victory and moves into second place overall in the Pro Championship standings, while taking the lead in the chase for the Tires.com Triple Crown.

Evergreen Speedway hosted Round 4: Throwdown to a packed stadium. Fans gathered to watch the exciting competition under the clear skies and warm sun. Attendance increased from past seasons proving the growth and popularity of the sport in the Pacific Northwest is as strong as ever.

“The drifting fans in the Pacific Northwest prove to be some of the most diehard and enthusiastic in the nation,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The drifting market is thriving in the area as was evident by the increased attendance from last season, despite two major sporting events occurring simultaneously.”

Round 4: Throwdown brought exciting drifting action back to the Pacific Northwest with Tanner Foust in the Rockstar Energy Scion TC taking his first victory of the season moving him into second place overall in the Pro Championship standings. Foust also takes the lead in the second event of the Tires.com Triple Crown with the win. The final battle paired Foust with Ryan Tuerck in the Mobil 1 / Maxxis Tires Pontiac Solstice, Tuerck crashed into the wall coming off the banking on the second run giving Foust the victory. The consolation run showcased Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Saturn Sky against Michihiro Takatori piloting the Drift Emporium / BF Goodrich Nissan S13. McNamara edged out Takatori to take third place.

“This was an epic event and took a lot of work to get this victory,” said Tanner Foust, winner of Round 4: Throwdown. “After running multiple “One More Time” battles we almost ran out of Hankook tires, but to advance against competitors that put on such clean tandem battles made this victory even more sweet.”

Round 3: The Gauntlet Results

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Long Beach, Calif. – June 6, 2010 – Formula DRIFT continued the season at Wall Stadium for Round 3: The Gauntlet. Daijiro Yoshihara wins his second event in a row, while Vaughn Gittin, Jr. podiums for the third straight event and retains the Pro Championship leader

Wall Stadium hosted Round 3: The Gauntlet to a packed venue. Fans were treated to clear weather and an action-packed weekend. The level of competition has increased forcing multiple “One More Time” calls from the judges, which gave the fans more head to head action.

“The seventh season continues to be unbelievably strong with the depth and skill of the driver pool,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We want to give it up the drivers for putting on another great show and to the fans for their continued support.”

Round 3: The Gauntlet showcased exciting tandem action that had Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 take his second consecutive victory by beating out Falken teammate Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tires Ford Mustang in the Finals for the second time in a row. Gittin has now found the podium in each of the 3 events this season with a victory at Round 1 and two second place finishes at Round 2 and Round 3 and retains the Pro Championship points lead. The consolation round placed last season’s winner Darren McNamara in the Falken Tires Saturn Sky against 2-time Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust in the Rockstar Energy Drink Scion tC with Foust edging it out for third place at the event.

“I’ve got my mojo back!,” said Daijiro Yoshihara, winner of Round 3: The Gauntlet. “This feels incredible to win back to back events and I could not have done it without the help of my team and sponsors.”

The season continues on July 9-10, 2010 for Round 4: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway. Tickets are available on-line. For more information and details visit the Formula DRIFT website at: www.formuladrift.com

Over 238,500 Unique Viewers Tune-In for DriftStream’s coverage of Formula DRIFT Round 2: Road to the Championship

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Long Beach, Calif. – May 13, 2010 – Formula DRIFT continued the new DriftStream with YoParts.com at Round 2: Road to the Championship registering a massive 238,500 unique viewers watching the event live. Formula DRIFT and YoParts.com partner with Justin.tv to distribute the live stream. Over 128 countries tuned in to watch the action at Road Atlanta.

“The first live stream had over 78,000 unique IP’s, this one registered 238,500 unique IP’s. These numbers are absolutely ground-breaking,” said Ryan Sage, co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We are talking about a minimum of 238,000 people that chose to watch the broadcast, and not just random clicks. These numbers don’t even take into account anyone else in the room of the specific IP registered. If we were using Nielson TV ratings, these numbers would be closer to 500,000 individual viewers. This is a massive home run.”

Formula DRIFT and YoParts.com have partnered with Justin.tv, the easiest way to share live video, to help feed the DriftStream across multiple channels. Justin.tv specializes in live streaming and helps engage with the live audience.

“Justin.tv is very excited about the partnership with Formula DRIFT. Formula D’s content is a perfect use case of our platform – great, professionally created content that needs an outlet to reach its global fanbase,” said Kevin Lin, COO of Justin.tv. “The test broadcast of the Road to the Championship event in Atlanta on Justin.tv drew over 200,000 unique viewers in the first day. Clearly there are drift fans out there anxious to get access to these live events, and Justin.tv is going to be that source for them.”

“After just two events the future of the DriftStream is looking bright! We were able to deal with some pretty difficult technology challenges and with the help of our DriftStream chat audience we were able to fine tune the stream each day,” said Tom Masiero, co-founder of YoParts.com. “This event we implemented a new feature that that included the behind the scenes audio from the Official Radio chatter that received rave reviews. This event would not have been possible without our sponsors Royal Purple, Mishimoto, Need for Speed, RacingJunk.com and Belle-1 Communications. We are looking forward to Round 3: The Gauntlet in Wall, NJ with some great new features for the Formula Drift Fan base!”

The Drift Stream will continue at Round 3: The Gauntlet on June 4-5 in Wall, NJ when Formula DRIFT returns to Wall Speedway.

Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 2: Road to the Championship Results

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Daijiro Yoshihara Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Tires.com Triple Crown

Long Beach, Calif. – May 8, 2010 – Formula DRIFT returned to the site of the inaugural event at Road Atlanta for Round 2: Road to the Championship. Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 takes the victory and the lead in the first event of the Tires.com Triple Crown.

For the seventh straight season, Formula DRIFT brought drifting back to Road Atlanta and provided exciting action for all the die-hard drift fans in the South. The thousands of fans that came to watch the event were treated to great weather as temperatures dropped dramatically for the main event day. The competition was as exciting as ever with the drivers pushing the limits of their vehicles through one of the best courses for drifting.

“It all started over seven years ago here at Road Atlanta,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Each year the drivers and teams have stepped it up and the level of competition is as tight as it has ever been. This is a great sign of the constant evolution of this still emerging sport.”

Round 2: Road to the Championship showcased intense tandem action that kept fans in their seats throughout the day and into the evening for the final battle. The consolation round for third place was between champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Nissan 350Z and Michael Essa in the Nitto Tires / GSR Autosport BMW 350R. Essa made it the furthest in his career after failing to make the Top 32 during Round 1. Forsberg showcased why he is the current champion and why he won the the event at Road Atlanta last season by beating out Essa for third place. Daijiro Yoshihara earned the victory with solid driving throughout the weekend and made his way to the Tires.com Triple Crown leaderboard. The final battle was between Yoshihara and winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach, Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tires Ford Mustang with Yoshihara edging his way past his Falken Tires teammate. Gittin found the podium for the second consecutive event and retains the lead in the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship points standings.

“I am so excited to be back in the game,” said Daijiro Yoshihara, winner of Round 2: Road to the Championship. “I haven’t been on the podium for two years and I proved to myself that I can compete once again in Formula DRIFT. Formula DRIFT is the most competitive series in the world and it feels great to be on top. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my sponsors at Discount Tire, Falken Tire, KW Suspension, Sparco, and the crew at SPD Metal Works.”

The action continues on June 4-5, 2010 for Round 3: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway in New Jersey. 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 199 Points
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 162 Points
3. Millen, Rhys RMR / Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe 158 Points
4. Foust, Tanner Rockstar Energy Scion TC 148 Points
5. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / CFR Nissan 350Z 137 Points
6. Tuerck, Ryan Mobil 1 / Maxxis Tire / Gardella Racing Pontiac Solstice 136 Points
7. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Saturn Sky 123 Points
8. Hubinette, Samuel SHR-Dodge / BF Goodrich Dodge Challenger 120 Points
9. Mordaunt, Patrick Brian Crower / PM Racing Nissan 350Z 117 Points
10. Grunewald, Conrad Hankook Tire / GM Performance Chevrolet Camaro 93.50 Points
11. Gushi, Ken Scion Racing / RS*R Scion TC 86.50 Points
12. Miki, Ryuji APEXi / Hankook Tire Mazda RX-7 81 Points
13. Pawlak, Justin Ford Racing / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 80.50 Points
14. Maeng, Joon Full Tilt Poker / Mazda / Nitto Mazda RX-8 80.25 Points
15. Petty, Ross Falken Tire / Garage Boso Nissan S15 79 Points
16. Verdier, Stephan Royal Purple / Crawford Performance / Cooper Subaru STI 78.75 Points
16. Wang, Forest BF Goodrich / Drift Emporium Infiniti G35 78.75 Points

Round 2: Road to the Championship Event Results

1. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 1st Place
2. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 2nd Place
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z 3rd Place

Tires.com Triple Crown – Event 1 of 3

1. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 106 Points
2. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 91 Points
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z 81 Points