Category: Press Releases

Formula DRIFT Announces Further Details on the 2015 World Championship

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 11, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced additional information on the 2015 World Championship that include details on event rounds and locations, competition format, confirmation of all Formula DRIFT Pro licenses to be valid for the World Championship and the petition process for international drivers. In addition, Formula DRIFT has confirmed that three rounds of the World Championship will offer a separate Triple Crown prize purse with a possible USD $100,000 up for grabs.

The World Championship will encompass all US Formula DRIFT Championship rounds plus two to three international rounds. The select international rounds will be vetted by Formula DRIFT through the 2014 season with all existing Formula DRIFT international rounds to be considered, including previous international venues.

The competition format will be based off the traditional top 32 head-to-head format. Formula DRIFT also confirms that all Formula DRIFT Pro Licenses are considered valid for the World Championship as well as selected Formula Drift Affiliate Series drivers will be eligible as well, while all other international drivers will need to go through a petition process in order to qualify. Additionally, three selected rounds of the World Championship will constitute its own Triple Crown with a prize pool of a possible USD $100,000.

“We have laid out the groundwork to complete this ambitious task in front of us in an effort to help bring the sport of drifting to the next level,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT.

Formula DRIFT recently completed the first event of the 2014 season with Round 1: Streets of Long Beach with over 20,000 fans in attendance and a Driftstream live broadcast shown to over 235,000 unique IPs/individual connections with over 1 million views.

Newegg Renews Formula DRIFT Sponsorship for 2014 Championship

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Newegg Renews Formula DRIFT Sponsorship for 2014 Championship;
Sponsorship Includes Official Livestream and 2013 Champion Michael Essa

Long Beach, Calif. – April 10, 2014 – Newegg today announced it is renewing and expanding its sponsorship of the 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship. In addition to the event’s official Livestream, this year Newegg is sponsoring 2013 Formula DRIFT Championship winner, Michael Essa. All of Formula DRIFT’s 2014 Livestreams can be viewed at www.formuladrift.com/live.

“Newegg is thrilled to sponsor Formula DRIFT’s Livestream broadcast again this year,” said Soren Mills, Chief Marketing Officer of Newegg North America. “It’s a great privilege to sponsor 2013 Champion Michael Essa in this year’s event. His driving skill, automotive knowledge and do-it-yourself approach align perfectly with many of Newegg’s tech and automotive enthusiasts.”

From now until April 19th, Newegg.com will feature a landing page dedicated to Formula Drift activities. Viewers can watch a livestream of Formula DRIFT events and shop great deals covering a huge selection of automotive products.

Jennifer from Newegg TV will host a series of newscasts throughout the season to keep viewers up to date and engaged in the Formula DRIFT season. The scheduled event coverage includes:

• April 4: Excerpts from Formula DRIFT Media Day
• April 11: Streets of Long Beach
• May 9: 2013 Formula DRIFT Champion, Mike Essa Documentary Part One
• October 14: Formula DRIFT Final Fight
• October 17: P2013 Formula DRIFT Champion, Mike Essa Documentary Part Two
• TBD: Coverage of the Montegi: Super Drift event at the Long Beach Grand Prix

“We are happy to have Newegg back with Formula DRIFT for the 2014 Championship,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT Holdings, LLC. “Newegg’s custom computer builders, gamers and digital lifestyle early adopters are a great fit with our tech-savvy audience.”

Newegg is the e-commerce destination of choice for automotive enthusiasts, offering more than 1.6 million products from top brands including Bilstein, K&N, KW Suspension, Motul Lubricants and Wilwood Brakes. The company’s vast automotive marketplace sources competitive deals on car electronics, performance parts, accessories and replacement parts to empower Newegg’s DIY-minded customers to keep their cars race-ready without breaking the bank.

Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results;
Chris Forsberg Takes the Opening Round Victory of 2014 Pro Championship

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Long Beach, Calif. – April 6, 2014 – Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro kicked-off the first event of the 2014 season with Round 1: Streets of Long Beach to a sold out crowd. Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370 Z takes the victory and the lead in the chase for the championship.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach started off the eleventh season of Formula DRIFT to a sell out crowd. Over 20,000 fans gathered to experience the drifting action and excitement on the famous Streets of Long Beach Grand Prix course. The Dailymotion Livestream partnership saw over 230,000 unique viewers watch the Driftstream over the event weekend with over 1 million views in a 24 hour period.

“It is truly a fantastic feeling to see not only the live event attendance grow steadily year after year, but also the global Driftstream audience,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “We pride ourselves in being able to provide entertainment to such a young, engaged and tech-savvy audience.”

Consistent driving helped propel Chris Forsberg to the top of the podium to earn the season’s first victory and championship points lead. Forsberg faced Norway’s Kenny Moen in the Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX in the final battle and after a close decision the judges awarded Forsberg the win. The top qualifier and 2013 defending champion, Michael Essa in the Essa Autosport / Yokohama Tire BMW M3 rounded out the podium with third place.

“It feels amazing to be on top of the podium, especially here at the first round of the eleventh season of Formula DRIFT,” said Chris Forsberg, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. “We will try to keep the momentum with our new changes and take the championship home.”

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2014 Standings After One Round

1. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 104.50 Points
2. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 84.50 Points
3. Essa, Michael Essa Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 74.00 Points
4. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 68.50 Points
5. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 52.50 Points
6. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire / STR Racing Nissan S14 51.00 Points
7. Bakchis, Aurimas Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 51.00 Points
8. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Nissan S14 51.00 Points
9. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 39.50 Points
10. McQuarrie, Tyler GoPro Mobil 1Chevrolet Camaro 38.00 Points
11. Goodin, Pat Enjuku Racing Nissan 240SX 35.00 Points
12. Tuerck, Ryan Retaks Maxxis Tires Air Force PSI Scion FR-S 35.00 Points
12. Grunewald, Conrad Megan Racing / Top 1 Oil / BRE Chevrolet Camaro 35.00 Points
13. Mohan, Kyle GT Radial Energy-X Mazdatrix RX-8 35.00 Points
15. Baribeau, Mats Gold in the Net Toyota Mark II 33.50 Points
16. Mertzanis, Dennis Hyundai Genesis Legato AR1 33.50 Points
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results
1. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z Winner
2. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 2nd Place
3. Essa, Michael Essa Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 3rd Place

Manufacturers Championship Standings After One Round

1. Nissan 122.00 Points
2. Ford 108.00
3. BMW 94.50 Points
4. Scion 87.50 Points
5. Chevrolet 73.00 Points

Tire Championship Standings After One Round
1. Hankook 157.00 Points
2. Falken 119.50 Points
3. Achilles 102.00 Points
4. Nitto 90.50 Points
5. Yokohama 74.00 Points

For full Standings visit: Formula DRIFT Standings

Formula DRIFT Introduces New Custom Designed Carbon Fiber Trophy by APR Performance

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 26, 2014 – Formula DRIFT will introduce a newly designed carbon fiber trophy by APR Performance at the first event of the season on April 4 on the Streets of Long Beach.

“As we enter a new decade of Formula DRIFT, it is only fitting that we introduce a progressive and custom designed carbon fiber trophy for the drivers to compete for,” said Jim Liaw, President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT. “We worked hand in hand with aerodynamic composite parts manufacturer, APR Performance to create this amazing new prize which will be awarded to all drivers that reach the podium.”

Formula DRIFT first introduced a carbon fiber trophy to the Series in 2009. Carbon fiber is significant to motor sports for its strength to weight ratio and now represents victory and accomplishment.

Follow APR Performance on:

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/aprperformance

Instagram:
www.instagram.com/aprperformance

Formula DRIFT Insider Returning for 2014 Season

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 25, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced that the popular web-based program, “Formula DRIFT Insider,” will return this season. The years show will provide a behind the scenes companion to the live-to-tape NBC Sports Network program. Formula DRIFT Insider will travel with the drivers to their homes, on the road and give an exclusive look from the driver’s point of view of what goes on during the live competition.

“For years, we have wanted to bring this concept to light and now with our online audience being one of the largest in domestic motor sports and with our partnership with Dailymotion, it makes sense to invest in creating this type of show for Formula DRIFT Insider,” said Ryan Sage, vice-president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT.

The Formula DRIFT Insider shows will be released coincident with the NBC Sports Network shows to give fans a chance to watch the live action and then head to Dailymotion for the behind the scenes look at what they just watched on NBCSN.

Formula DRIFT’s NBCSN programming begins on Sunday, July 27th at 2:30 PM (EST).