Tag: Hankook

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.

Formula DRIFT Round 2: Road to the Championship Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 2: Road to the Championship Results;
Vaughn Gittin Takes the Victory

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Long Beach, Calif. – May 10, 2014 – Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro entered Road Atlanta for Round 2: Road to the Championship. Vaughn Gittin in the Monster Energy / Nitto Ford Mustang takes the victory moving him into second place in the championship standings.

Round 2: Road to the Championship marked the eleventh visit to Road Atlanta. The thousands of fans in attendance witnessed an action packed event weekend.

“It’s wonderful to see the growth in attendance each year at Road Atlanta, where we held our first Formula DRIFT event eleven years ago,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “The fans of the South are so passionate for the sport and we love coming to this venue.”

Vaughn Gittin fought his way to the top of the podium through tough competition to take his first victory of the season and move into second place in the point standings. Gittin matched up against Fredric Aasbo in the Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC in the finals. After a tightly fought battle Gittin was awarded the win. Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z rounded out the podium in third place to remain in first place in the championship.

“Tonight my team and I were truly one. We communicated and worked super hard,” said Vaughn Gittin, winner of Round 2: Road to the Championship. “These were some of the most hard fought battles that I remember ever having and it says a lot about our sport, where we are going and what we are doing. And I’m just super proud to be standing on the top step.”

The 2014 Formula DRIFT season continues with Round 3 on May 30-31 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

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.