RD 1 Activities and Drivers Entry List Announced

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Formula DRIFT Prepares to Kick-off the 2009 Championship Season;
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Activities and Drivers Entry List Announced

Long Beach, Calif. – March 31, 2009 – Formula DRIFT prepares to kick-off the 2009 professional championship season with a host of events leading up to the main competition weekend on April 10-11. Round 1: Streets of Long Beach also marks the debut of new cars and drivers and the return of top drifters from around the world.

“The 2009 Formula DRIFT season will be as entertaining and exciting as ever,” says Ryan Sage, vice-president of marketing and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “In addition to the main event on the 10-11th we have also lined up some great local, fan-friendly events in Long Beach to add to the overall weekend.”

To kick-off the season on Thursday April 9, Formula DRIFT will converge on Downtown Long Beach at 5 PM. The entire roster of drivers and cars will parade from the track into the heart of downtown. The competition vehicles will be on display on Pine and Broadway and fans will have a chance to meet and greet with the drivers. As an added bonus, 2-time Formula DRIFT champion Samuel Hubinette, will be premiering his new DVD “Drift Ya Later,” at Smooth’s Sports Grille. The festivities are free and will go from continue from 5 PM to 9 PM.

After the first day of Formula DRIFT action on Friday, April 10, Hooters on Pine Ave. in Downtown Long Beach will be hosting a reception for the Formula DRIFT teams. Fans are welcome to join in on the festivities with the drivers. The action takes place from 7 PM to 9 PM.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach tickets are available via the Formula DRIFT website at www.formuladrift.com. Ticket prices start at $28 online for a Saturday reserved seat. Friday, April 10th has been opened to the public as a “Preview Day,” and will feature practice and qualifying. Fans can buy access to Friday’s event for just $5 more. Grandstands 16 and 18 have been expanded this season to give more fans the best view of the action. Taking place during the opening ceremonies on Saturday, April 11, West Coast Customs will be presenting reigning Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust with a custom-built GTO. The presentation will be aired on an upcoming episode of “Street Customs” on the TLC channel. West Coast Customs owner Ryan Friedlinghaus will be handing the keys to Foust exclusively at this event.

New cars and drivers will make their debut at the season opener. The addition of the Top 32 competition format at this event will give the fans the most excitement and action. The drivers will test their limits on the only actual course that takes place on real city streets.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Entry List
Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11

Calvin Wan
Carl Rydquist
Casper Canul
Chris Forsberg
Chris Kregorian
Cody Parkhouse
Colin Frost
Conrad Grunewald
Daijiro Yoshihara
Dan Pina
Darren McNamara
Doug VanDenBrink
Eric O’Sullivan
Gary Lang
Hiro Sumida
Ivan Lim
Jeff Jones
Jodin LeJeune
John Russakoff
Joon Maeng
Justin Pawlak
Katsuhiro Ueo
Kazu Hayashida
Ken Gushi
Kenji Yamanaka
Kyle Mohan
Matt Waldin
Matt Powers
Michael Essa
Michihiro Takatori
Patrick Mordaunt
Quoc Ly
Rhys Millen
Robbie Nishida
Ron Ewerth
Ross Petty
Ryan Tuerck
Ryuji Miki
Samuel Hubinette
Stephan Verdier
Taka Aono
Tanner Foust
Tommy Suell
Tony Brakohiapa
Tyler McQuarrie
Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Yasu Kondo
Falken Tire Nissan S15 Silvia
City Tire / Kallusive Clothing Nissan 350Z
ARK Performance / Frontmann Competitive Corp. Nissan S14.5
NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Tire Nissan 350Z Roadster
Milano Motorsports / AIT Racing Nissan 350Z LS 1
DMAX / Cooper Tires Nissan S13
Cooper Tires / Sun Auto Nissan 240SX
Chevy Corvette
Falken Tire / Discount Tire Lexus IS350
Griggs Racing / Paxton Super Chargers Ford Mustang 5.0
Falken Tire / Sears Saturn Sky
Privateer Ford Mustang
Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Subaru STI
Spec Clutch / Hinson Super Cars Nissan S13.4
Greddy / OS Giken USA Toyota Cressida
Goodyear Racing / Binter Nissan S13
Comp. Turbo / K&N Filters Nissan S13
BF Goodrich / Eneos Oil TBA
JSP Fab / Falken Tires Toyota 84 Corolla
Maxxis Tire / LS Auto Nissan S13.5
Mazda USA / Cooper Tire / Bergenholtz Racing Mazda RX8
Driftspeed / Behrman Nissan S15
Maziora / Signal Auto Nissan Silvia S15
RS*R / Toyo Tires Scion tC
Maziora / Signal Auto Nissan Silvia S15
Mazda USA / Cooper Tire Mazda RX-8
Tuner Icons / Import Intelligence Nissan 350Z
Privateer Nissan S14
Tech Trix Motorsports / DTC Performance Mazda RX-7
Bridges Racing / Toyo Tires Nissan S13
PM Racing / Brian Crower Nissan 240SX
Driftspeed / Behrman Nissan S14
Red Bull / RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Hankook Tire / Dynamic Autosports Nissan 350Z
BF Goodrich Tire / Eneos Oil TBA
Garage Boso / Falken Tire Nissan S15
Gardella Racing / Mobil 1/ Tomei Pontiac Solstice GXP
APEXi / Hankook Tire Mazda RX-7
Mopar / NuFormz Racing TBA
Cooper Tire / Crawford Performance Subaru STI
Technosquare / OS Giken Toyota AE86 Corolla
Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Scion tC
Toyo Tires / Allegiant Air Toyota AE86 Corolla
Cooper Tire / Sam’s Autobody Ford Mustang
Falken Tire / GoPro Nissan 350Z
Falken Tire / Ford Racing 2010 Mustang GT
KAAZ USA Toyota AE86 Corolla