Category: Press Releases

Ford Continues Support of Formula DRIFT with Mustang Teams Running in Top-10

News

Posted on

Ford Continues Support of Formula DRIFT with Mustang Teams Running in Top-10

• Ford brings sweepstakes for custom EcoBoost®-powered Fiesta ST to 2014 Formula DRIFT series

• Former champ Vaughn Gittin Jr. and past winner Justin Pawlak competing in Ford Mustangs

• Gittin Jr. and Pawlak both advanced to the final eight at 2013 Monroe event

Long Beach, Calif. – July 15, 2014 – Following success in the first four Formula DRIFT events of the 2014 season, Ford Motor Company is leading the points in the manufacturer’s standings through the efforts of Mustang drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Justin Pawlak, ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the driver’s championship. Gittin Jr. and Pawlak will compete in customized Ford Mustangs in Monroe, Washington, this weekend, July 18-19, in round five of the seven-event series.

“We’re excited to be first in the manufacturer standings heading into the final rounds of the 2014 Formula DRIFT season,” said Steve Ling, Ford North America car marketing manager. “Having competitive drivers who value performance as much as we do at Ford makes these last three rounds even more thrilling.”

Ford has supported drivers in Formula DRIFT since 2005, when the sport triggered a successful Ford Racing Performance Parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 crate engine.

“Fans love seeing Ford involved on the track and in the paddock,” said Mickey Matus, Ford Racing marketing communications manager. “Last season, the two Mustang drivers consistently finished at the top, keeping Ford in the hunt for the manufacturers’ cup throughout its first year. Now, following Vaughn’s recent victories in rounds two and three in Atlanta and Miami, we’re confident our drivers will continue to show the Formula DRIFT world that Ford and Mustang are winners.”

Amidst the excitement of North America’s foremost professional drifting championship, Ford is giving fans the opportunity to enter to win an EcoBoost®- powered Fiesta ST. Anyone can enter the contest online while watching the hot action each weekend at www.formuladrift.com

“With only three events remaining in the 2014 season, Ford looks to continue their success and keep the lead on their way to their first manufacturer cup championship,” said Ryan Sage, Formula DRIFT vice president and cofounder. “Formula DRIFT fans can get in on the action by entering to win a custom Ford Fiesta ST during the remaining events this season.”

“The hot new Fiesta ST featuring the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine is a huge hit, especially among the younger crowd,” said Ling. “So we partnered with Formula DRIFT to create an innovative way to give one to a lucky fan. We added a Ford Racing Performance Parts exhaust and some cool new wheels and touches to make this a true, one-of-one car. We displayed it at the season opener in Long Beach and will have it at the series finale in Irwindale, California in, October.”

The first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting enthusiasts from all walks of life. Highly-skilled drivers maneuver high-powered cars into controlled slides at high speeds through a marked course. Judged on speed, execution and style rather than fastest time, drifting is a crowd pleaser that’s often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross.

This season’s competition features pro drivers and teams running seven events. Judged on speed, execution and style rather than fastest time, drifting is a crowd pleaser that’s often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross.

The 2014 Formula DRIFT season will continue with Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Raceway on July 18-19. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaD.

Formula DRIFT Japan Results

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Japan Results;
Masao Suenaga Takes Event Victory

1E5C7389-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – July 10, 2014 – Formula DRIFT entered Fuji Speedway for the first Formula DRIFT Japan event for Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Asia Championship. Japan’s own Masao Suenaga takes the inaugural event victory.

Formula DRIFT continued global expansion into the land of the rising sun holding the first ever Formula DRIFT Japan event at Fuji Speedway this past weekend. The event embarks on a three-year deal between the Series and MSC Co, Ltd.

The event had sixty-nine entries in which fourteen of those were Formula DRIFT Asia regulars. Six of the fourteen finished in the Top 16. Participating drivers represented eight countries.

“In 2003, I was here to announce that professional drifting was venturing outside of Japan for the first time,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Today, we came back to the birthplace of this sport to stage the first ever Formula DRIFT competition. To top it all off, the competition was awesome!”

Formula DRIFT featured ancillary events including: the Offset Kings car show, World Time Attack exhibition, Mazda Fest, 180 & Silvia Meet, FMX demos and Supermoto racing. Over 150,000 viewers watched the event worldwide via the Driftstream.

Formula DRIFT Results:

Winner = Masao Suenaga
2nd Place = Masashi Yokoi
3rd Place = Fredric Aasbo

The 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season continues to Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway on July 18-19. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaD.

Formula DRIFT and Club Dominicano de Corredores de Drift (CDCD) Announcement

News

Posted on

CDCD-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – July 3, 2014 – Formula DRIFT and the Club Dominicano de Corredores de Drift (CDCD) announced an extension of the agreement between the two organizations to help develop drifting in the Dominican Republic.

“We value our relationship with organizations such as the CDCD, in an effort to help to not only grow the sport of drifting globally, but also to help bring the highest level of driving talent into Formula DRIFT,” says Jim Liaw, president of Formula DRIFT.

The relationship with the two organizations dates back to 2009, with the start of the Dominican Drift Series, and includes support from Formula DRIFT with staff and judges for the Dominican Drift events. It also includes the chance for eligible drivers in the Dominican Series to have a chance to obtain their Formula DRIFT Pro Championship license to compete in Formula DRIFT.

“Formula DRIFT is the largest drifting organization in the world, with drivers of all nationalities competing including our local, Jhonnattan Castro,” says Carlos Rodriguez, president of the Club Dominicano de Corredores de Drift (CDCD). “In our Dominican Drift series we have had drivers from different countries including the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Cuba.”

Round 2 of the Dominican Drift series was held on Saturday, June 28 at the Autodromo Mobil 1 and Jhonnattan Castro took the event victory. Formula DRIFT judge Ryan Lanteigne presided over the event with judge Brian Eggert scheduled to attend Round 3 and judge Andy Yen to attend Round 4.

Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results;
Fredric Aasbo Takes His First Career Pro Championship Victory

RD4-Podium-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – June 21, 2014 – Formula DRIFT returned to Wall Speedway in New Jersey for Round 4: The Gauntlet. Fredric Aasbo in the Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC takes his first Formula DRIFT Pro Championship victory.

Round 4: The Gauntlet provided the sold out crowd to an exciting event experience complete with hard fought battles throughout the competition. Friday attendance saw exponential growth from the previous season making this the most attended Formula DRIFT event at this venue.

“9 years ago we invested in Wall Speedway, when we paved the infield and it continues to prove to have been a wise decision as we experienced the biggest Wall Speedway crowd ever this weekend,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “This part of the country has become an integral and established stop for the championship.”

For the fourth consecutive event, Chris Forsberg, the number one qualifier in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z, found the podium finishing in second place and retaining his championship point lead. The final battle between Hankook Tire teammates, Forsberg and Aasbo was a tightly fought battle, but one mistake by Forsberg helped Aasbo take his first career Formula DRIFT event victory, moving him into second place in the chase for the championship. The podium was rounded out by Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in the Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX taking third place in the event, which is also his first professional career podium.

“This has been such a long time coming. This is my dream from ten years ago when I first started watching Formula DRIFT,” said Fredric Aasbo, winner of Round 4: The Gauntlet. “I want to thank my team into turning the Scion tC into such a championship contender. We have had our trials and tribulations, but this is proof that I have the best team in the business.”

The 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season continues to Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway on July 18-19. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaD.

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2014 Standings After Four Rounds
1. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 353.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 294.00 Points
3. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 288.00 Points
4. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 242.00 Points
5. Bakchis, Aurimas Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 189.50 Points
6. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 173.50 Points
7. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire / STR Racing Nissan S14 164.50 Points
8. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Nissan S14 153.00 Points
9. Nishida, Robbie Achilles Radial / Bridges Racing Lexus SC300 151.50 Points
10. Grunewald, Conrad Megan Racing / Top 1 Oil / BRE Chevrolet Camaro 141.50 Points
11. McQuarrie, Tyler GoPro Mobil 1Chevrolet Camaro 134.50 Points
12. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper SRT 134.00 Points
13. Essa, Michael Essa Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 131.00 Points
14. Tuerck, Ryan Retaks Maxxis Tires Air Force PSI Scion FR-S 125.50 Points
15. Field, Matt CX Racing / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 119.50 Points
16. Ng, Charles Speedhunters / Achilles Radial Infiniti G37 118.00 Points

Round 4: The Gauntlet Event Results
1. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC Winner
2. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 2nd Place
3. Bakchis, Aurimas Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 3rd Place

Manufacturers Championship Standings After Four Rounds
1. Ford 461.50 Points
2. Scion 451.00 Points
3. Nissan 442.00 Points
4. Chevy 276.00 Points
5. BMW 246.50 Points

Tire Championship Standings After Four Rounds
1. Hankook 647.00 Points
2. Nitto 525.50 Points
3. Achilles 453.00 Points
4. Falken 345.50 Points
5. Yokohama 167.50 Points

Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale;
2014 Season Finale to be Held at Irwindale Speedway on October 10-11 

Long Beach, Calif. – June 18, 2014 – Tickets for the final event of the 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season are on-sale now. Round 7: Title Fight on October 10-11, 2014 will be held at Irwindale Speedway. VIP Experience ticket options are available.

The 2014 Formula DRIFT season will come to a close on October 10-11, 2014 at Irwindale Speedway. For the past five seasons the event has sold out and early purchase is highly recommended. Tickets are on-sale now and available HERE.

Reserved seats are available in the main grandstand and trackside grandstand for Saturday or Two-Day including Friday and Saturday. New for this season is the option to purchase a VIP Experience which includes a reserved seat ticket in either the main grandstand or trackside grandstand, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for the driver autograph session held on Friday, express entrance and a collector’s edition credential. Additionally, the main grandstand sky box VIP suite is available to a limited 24 people that will include a seat in the sky box, food and drinks for both Friday and Saturday and the benefits of the VIP Experience.

“For the past five seasons, the finale at Irwindale Speedway has been our largest event,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “To ensure that fans do not miss out on the action and reserve the seat they want, we suggest fans to purchase their tickets early. The last event of the season has always been a remarkable experience with the chase for the championship coming to an end and a champion being crowned.”

Ticketing options include the following:

Main Grandstand Reserved Seating
– Saturday Only
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located in the main grandstand

VIP Experience Main Grandstand Reserved Seating
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located in the main grandstand, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

Trackside Reserved Grandstand
– Saturday Only
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located on in-field of track, private bathrooms and concessions

VIP Experience Trackside Reserved Grandstand
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located on in-field of track, private bathrooms and concessions, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

2-Day Skybox VIP Suite
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes sky box seat in air-conditioned sky box above main grandstand, private bathroom, buffet dinner and drinks (Friday and Saturday), Driftstream live feed inside sky box, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

The championship chase continues into Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway this weekend, June 20-21, 2014. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaD.