2010 Formula D – Long Beach Drift Report

With the trials and tribulations from the 2009 Formula D season resulting in far greater desires, Dai along with the great team at Falken Tire looked towards the 2010 season opener of Formula D hosted at the streets of Long Beach as a starving lion gazes at its prey from a distance. SPD Metal Works spent much of the off season refreshing Dai’s nostalgic S13 chassis with the many refinements required to aid in capturing that elusive Formula D championship title. In addition to all the mechanical enhancements, the project manager of Dai’s Nissan 240sx chose to outfit the vehicle with the rare and ultra stylish Rocket Bunny aero kit bathed in the red and white Discount Tire livery. With just a few short test sessions prior to engaging the course that threatens catastrophe with the smallest margin of error, anticipation and excitement levels were through completely through the roof.

The first couple runs on any street course is always unpredictable due to the amount of debris, oil, and other waste littered on the pavement by the automobiles that would normally drive on the streets. Fortunately, the practice session went over smoothly, requiring only a simple gear change prior to qualifying. Dai was able to hit a score of 78 points with his first run, placing him at a solid 12th overall. “The car felt great after the gear change and I feel confident for Top
32,” commented Dai after qualifying.

Feeling great and ready for battle, Dai was put against John Russakoff for Top 32 competition. Russakoff put up a great fight, and after a one more time, Dai went on with a victory. Dai’s Top 16 opponent, Tanner Foust, was much more formidable in his NASCAR V8 powered Scion tC. Dai followed the first run, and although Foust was not able to pull away at all, Dai made the minor mistake of coming in too shallow. He then led the second run where both men performed close to perfection. Due to the small infraction of having a slightly shallow angle in the first run, the victory was awarded to Tanner.

Immediately following the FD weekend, Dai and his team set off early in the morning for a practice day to sort out some minor mechanical problems and to fine tune the KW suspension. At the end of the test day, an exhausted but content Dai exclaimed, “The car keeps feeling better.” Although the battle of the Long Beach ended in a loss, it proved to be a great start for Dai to fulfill his revenge and be the Formula D champion of 2010.