Category: Press Releases

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

Samuel Hübinette Announces Change of Focus for 2012 Formula DRIFT Season

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 15, 2012 – The 2-time Formula DRIFT champion, Samuel Hübinette has announced today that he will not be returning for the full 2012 Formula DRIFT pro championship season.

After 8 seasons with the Series, Hübinette will not be competing in the full Formula DRIFT schedule due to sponsors’ changing interest. Team Samuel Hübinette Racing will continue to participate in Formula DRIFT international demos and is still working on participating in some Pro Championship events. Hübinette will concentrate on other racing opportunities for 2012.

“Two of our main sponsors changed their marketing direction, so we decided that the best thing to do with the Dodge Challenger SHR drift car is to focus on doing demos. For competition, we’re pursuing opportunities in rallycross and off-road truck. We hope to run a round or two of the Formula DRIFT competitions for 2012, but won’t know for sure until things settle down,” said Samuel Hübinette, professional driver and team owner of SHR. “It has been such a good time to be part of the Formula DRIFT Series from day one and to be the inaugural Series champion means a lot to me. Drifting and Formula DRIFT has given me many opportunities in my career including stunt driving in movies and car commercials. “

In 2011, Hübinette drove in both Formula DRIFT and the Traxxas TORC Series ending up with a few conflicts that resulted in missing a couple rounds in Formula DRIFT. The highlight of the season was gaining a first qualifier spot in the Samuel Hübinette Racing Dodge Challenger at the —– round. With 2 championships and 9 event victories, Hübinette maintains the record for most Formula DRIFT victories.

“We will miss having a competitor like Samuel this season,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We know that when the funding and sponsorship re-align, Samuel will be able to return to the Series and continue to be a competitive driver.”