Tag: Achilles

Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results

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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 2014 Round 3: Miami Heat Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 3: Miami Heat Results;
Vaughn Gittin Takes His Second Consecutive Event Victory

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Long Beach, Calif. – May 31, 2014 – Formula DRIFT entered Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time for Round 3: Miami Heat. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR takes his second consecutive victory.

Round 3: Miami Heat entered Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time. The Pro Championship competition highlighted a jam-packed weekend of activities that included the kick-off of the PRO 2 Series competition and Offset Kings car show.

“Homestead-Miami Speedway provided a great new venue for our Championship,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “The increasingly bigger fan base was treated to some impressive driving all weekend with the first event PRO 2 Series competition and Round 3 of the Pro Championship.”

The final battle pitted Vaughn Gittin , Jr. against points leader and the number one qualifier, Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z. The final battle was close, but Gittin was able to out perform his rival to earn his second consecutive event victory moving into second place overall in the championship standings. Forsberg retains the lead by with a ten point margin heading into the fourth round of competition. Rounding out the podium in third place was the number three qualifier, Kenny Moen in the Achilles Radial / Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX.

“It feels really amazing to be here and come to a brand new track and work with my team to get my Monster Energy, Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR on rails to be able to hit every mark and compete with some of the best drivers in the world,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr., winner of Round 3: Miami Heat. “Back to back wins is just amazing and we are working hard and it just feels good that its paying off and I’m just pumped.”

The 2014 Formula DRIFT Championship season continues with Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway in New Jersey on June 20-21.

Achilles Radial Announces 2014 Formula DRIFT Roster

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Achilles

Achilles Radial is proud to announce the roster of talented drivers that will compete on Achilles Radial 123S tires in Formula DRIFT during the 2014 season.  Anchored by 2012 Champion Daigo Saito and Formula DRIFT veteran Robbie Nishida, the team includes returning drivers and new faces, both within the PRO and PRO2 ranks.

“We are extremely excited to enter our third year of competition in the pinnacle drifting series, Formula DRIFT,” said Cheralyn Hale, Director of Marketing for Achilles Motorsports LLC. “We have an incredible group of drivers competing on Achilles rubber this season.  I cannot wait to see them create massive amounts of tire smoke in a few weeks at the season opener!”

The drivers that will be competing on Achilles Radial tires for the 2014 season are listed below:

PRO Series
Daigo Saito – Tokyo, Japan
Robbie Nishida – Tokyo, Japan
Kenny Moen – Oslo, Norway
Dean Kearney – Waterford, Ireland
Dave Briggs – Ontario, Canada
Marc Landreville – Quebec, Canada
Brandon Wicknick – Layton, UT
Rob Primozich – Seattle, WA
Enrique Mendoza – Moreno Valley, CA
Joshua Steele – Houston, TX
Charles Ng – Hong Kong
Alec Hohnadell – Miramar Beach, FL
Brad Heyl – Bradfordwoods, PA
Chris Mills – Los Gatos, CA
Dan Savage – Herndon, VA
Eric Hill – Westminster, CA
Erich Hagen – Olympia, WA
Geoff Stoneback – Huntingdon Valley, PA
James Evans – Baltimore, MD
Jeff Wolfson – San Jose, CA
Mike Pollard – Las Vegas, NV

PRO2 Series
Jeremy Lowe – Sarasota, FL
Tony Cisneros – Rancho Cucamonga, CA

You can see Team Achilles compete at the 2014 Formula DRIFT season opener in Long Beach, California on April 4th and 5th.  Formula DRIFT expects sell-out crowds at the 11th season opening event – one of only two drift events in the world to be held on city streets.

Formula DRIFT Announces the Return of All 4 Major Tire Partners and 3 Tire Suppliers

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Formula DRIFT Announces the Return of All 4 Major Tire Partners and 3 Tire Suppliers;
GT Radial Joins Series as Tire Supplier 

Long Beach, Calif. – March 4, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced the return of all 4 Major Tire Partners; Achilles, Falken, Hankook and Nitto and returning Tire Suppliers; Kenda, Maxxis and Yokohama. In addition, GT Radial signs on as a new Tire Supplier for the 2014 season.

Formula DRIFT continues to be the proving grounds for tire manufacturers. The extreme conditions created through competitive drifting pushes the limits of the drivers, cars and the tires creating the ultimate performance test for the brands. Current returning tire partners include: Falken Tire (11th season), Hankook Tire (current tire manufacturer champion, 8th season), Nitto Tire (9th season), Achilles (3rd season), Yokohama (3rd season), Maxxis Tire (3rd season) and Kenda (5th season).

“We are proud to have all 4 Major Tire Partners and 3 Tire Suppliers return to the Series and happy to welcome GT Radial for the 2014 season,” said Jim Liaw, President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT. “Tires are such an integral part of drifting and the demands that the sport places on the product is high. These are off the shelf products for the everyday consumer and thus have immediate real world application.”

GT Radial will enter the Series with their Champiro SX2 tire, developed for driving enthusiasts who want higher levels of traction, response and driving control in dry and wet conditions. Driving for GT Radial will be back-to-back feeder series champion, Tyler Wolfson.

“As the premier North American professional drifting competition with a very large and growing fan base, Formula DRIFT is an ideal platform for demonstrating the technology and performance of the GT Radial brand to North American drivers, “ said Armand Allaire, vice president of marketing for Giti Tire USA, which markets and sells GT Radial tires in North America.

The 2014 Formula DRIFT season will begin with Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 4-5. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaD.

Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway Results

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Daigo Saito Takes the Victory

Long Beach, Calif. – June 22, 2013 – Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro returned to Wall Speedway in New Jersey for Round 4: The Gauntlet. Daigo Saito the driver of the Achilles / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 increases his Championship point lead with his second victory of the season.

For the second year in a row, Round 4: The Gauntlet showcased action in front of a sold out crowd in New Jersey. This event marks the half-way mark for the season with the championship in the sights of a few of the top drivers.

“We are happy to return to New Jersey for the ninth time,” stated Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “After Hurricane Sandy devastated the area last year, we are proud to be able to contribute and bring some economic stimulus to the region with our Series. On top of that we were treated to world class action in front of a capacity crowd.”

The new course configuration at Wall Speedway proved to be challenging and exciting for the drivers. A few of the top teams were taken out early in the competition opening the door for others to move ahead in the event. In the consolation round with Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z against Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Nissan 240SX the action heated up when McNamara had a mistake that gave Forsberg the third place finish. The final battle pitted the number one qualifier Justin Pawlak in the Falken Ford Mustang against champion Daigo Saito. Pawlak on his chase run went a little too hard and spun out giving the victory and increasing the Championship point lead to Daigo Saito.

“I’m very happy to have this win and remain in 1st place,” said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 4: The Gauntlet. “It feels like I won a championship tonight going against some of the top competition in the Series with Vaughn, Fredric, Darren and Justin and I look forward to the next event.”

Formula DRIFT continues to Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA on July 19-20, 2013.