THURSDAY NIGHTS GO “SLIDEWAYS” at IRWINDALE Speedway April 2, 2015

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April 2nd TND

Thursday night April 2,  Irwindale’s own Formula DRIFT open practice sessions will resume on the course that the entire civilized world now knows as the legendary “House of Drift” … aka: Irwindale Speedway right at the top of the 605 freeway.

2015’s action-packed Thursday night under-the-lights practices will be held monthly with events now set for:

  • April 2
  • May 14
  • June 11
  • July 19
  • August 13
  • September 10
  • October 1
  • November 12
  • December 10

Each of the Thursday night sessions will start with a (public invited) technical inspection for the competition vehicles at 4PM and drift practice will run flat out from 5 to 8PM. The fan gates open at 4PM and there’s plenty of close-free parking.

 Open to the public (fans can watch from the stands and visit the pits as well) admission is only $10 per person. These will be nights when fans can see some of the best of the best getting tuned-up for the 2015 season as well as catching the acts of some of new, upcoming Drift talent as they test their driving skills and machines against the established pros.

 Anyone can run their properly-equipped* car for $75 and they can register right at the track on Thursday night.

Thursday Night Drift Requirements

c

 Group C Requirements:

  • Helmet: No open face, SA2010, SA2005
  • No loose items: Interior, trunk
  • Fire Extinguisher: secure mount, 2lb min
  • Fluid Leaks: No Fluid Leaks
  • Catch cans: Coolant, Oil if non OEM
  • Gas Cap: Present and sealed
  • Fuel line: check hose clamps and fittings
  • Battery: Secure mount, positive covered
  • Brake light: Min 2 functioning
  • Brake pedal: good feel maintain pressure
  • Key or Master cutoff operation, location marked
  • Lug nuts: Present and secure
  • Steering: Smooth, no binding
  • Tow hooks: Front and rear (OEM at own risk)
  • Hood and Trunk: Securely latched
  • Windshield: OEM or Lexan secure mounting
  • Seat: OEM with stock belts or FIA with harness

b

Group B Requirements: plus listed above

  • Suspension: Coilovers or Non OEM suspension
  • Differential: Welded or clutch type
  • E-Brake: Functioning, cable or hydro

a

Group A Requirements: plus listed above

  • 6 point roll cage: 5”x0.095 DOM
  • Door Bars: Nascar or X on both doors
  • Harness bar and Diagonal
  • Seat belts: 5 point minimum required
  • Fire Suit: SFI 3-2A/5 with fire resistant gloves and shoes

For Technical Inquiries: [email protected]

 

Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT

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Ford Returns as Official Partner of Formula DRIFT;
Introduces Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance

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Long Beach, Calif. – March 19, 2015 – Ford has expanded its involvement in professional drifting as an official partner of Formula DRIFT with the introduction of the new Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance. The center will be available to all credentialed media guests and will feature amenities such as lockers, refreshments, working space, and live streaming broadcast, and will debut at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11.

“We are excited to have Ford back in the series as an official partner and even more excited in their initiative and investment that will help introduce a brand new media center to our sport,” stated Ryan Sage, co-founder and vice-president of Formula DRIFT.

Ford will have significant presence at events with displays in the vendor paddock and signage throughout the venues. Ford will continue to make an impact on the track supporting drivers Vaughn Gittin, Jr., the 2010 Formula Drift champion, and Justin Pawlak.

The Formula DRIFT Media Center Powered by Ford Performance will be a custom media center that will travel to all seven rounds of the Formula DRIFT Championship. The new media center will also include WI-FI, a food and beverage area, and two on-site media managers. A photo rendering of the media center is below.

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“We’re proud to support the journalists and media guests with an on-site place they can consider ‘home’ while working Formula DRIFT events. They have a tough job to do and we are confident the enhanced media center will help them do it even better,” said Mickey Matus, Marketing and Communication Manager at Ford Performance. “Our partnership with this series is key to connecting with its young audience, and it’s a relationship that we value highly. We’re really looking forward to this expansion of the partnership.”

Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets and can be purchased through www.formuladrift.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office.

Formula DRIFT Powered by Fast & Furious 7 Panama Demo next weekend

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Photo Mar 17, 12 26 38 PM

Formula DRIFT Powered by Fast & Furious 7 will be held at the Figali Convention Center, Panama on March 28-29, 2015.

Panama has a growing car culture of enthusiasts and a large fan base for drifting, who first saw professional action 4 years ago.  The drift demo held by professional Formula DRIFT drivers is held to help continue the promotion of the sport within the region with the goal to hold a professional event at a racetrack.  Panama is a major focal point for commerce around the globe with over 14,000 ships, carrying over 300 million tons of cargo through the canal each year.

Formula DRIFT drivers that will be participating include Joon Maeng, Corey Hosford, Chelsea Denofa, & Jeremy Lowe.

Essa Autosport 2015 Formula Drift Program Update

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DKAR-3783We’ve been busy here at Essa Autosport, and our 2013 SLP Camaro that will debut at the Formula Drift season opener in Long Beach has come a long way. In our first and previous update, we had just pulled the Camaro in for a few shots before the teardown. Fast forward to the present, the car has been stripped and cleaned, caged, and we are starting to piece together what we feel will be a competitive machine for the 2015 season.

DKAR-3772SLP – Street Legal Performace‘s amazing support of our program continues. Supporting us in being competitive in the power field, SLP sent a set of their long tube headers over to accompany their supercharger kit on top of the LS3 that will be going back in the car. We are going to need all the torque we can get to run the walls in Long Beach, and these parts are great additions to the build.

DKAR-3582BMR Suspension has come aboard the program, providing the parts that will enable the Camaro to be driven to its full potential. Thanks to BMR, we have a full setup of rear adjustable control arms, rear subframe bushings, front and rear sway bars, and a very solid set of engine mounts. The suspension is going to be rock solid paired with Suspension Techniques coilovers.

DKAR-4015Forgestar Wheels continues their support of our drift program. The Camaro will be running a pair of Forgestar CF5V 19×9 wheels with Yokohama Advan AD09R 245/40/19 tires in the front, and 19×10 CF5V wheels with Yokohama Advan AD08R 275/35/19 in the rear.

DKAR-3546Clutch Masters is handling the task of sending the supercharged power to the rear with an 850 Series Twin Disc system custom set to our specs, activated by a Clutch Masters internal slave. Down the line, the stock rear subframe was modified to fit a Speedway quick change diff. The Clutch Masters setup should put all that power through the diff and result in plenty of tire smoke.

DKAR-3820Long Beach is a brutal track. Our FD legal cage with NASCAR door bars will enable Mike Essa to feel comfortable to put on a show in the pilot’s seat. Safety is a big part of professional drifting, and our number one goal is to give our sponsors and fans the best performance possible, and go home at the end of the day.

DKAR-3566Michael Essa and the Essa Autosport team would like to thank all the companies that stepped up to the plate to make this year possible. The support has been fantastic, and our fans that stuck with us are amazing too! We cant wait to see what this machine and its parts are capable of. Stay tuned for more Essa Autosport updates, and be sure to stop by and cheer us on at Formula Drift Round 1 – Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11.

Click here to read the full article.