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Tag: New Jersey
Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results
Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results;
Conrad Grunewald Wins at Wall Speedway
Long Beach, Calif. – June 18, 2011 – Formula DRIFT returned to Wall Speedway for Round 4: The Gauntlet. The capacity event was action packed with Conrad Grunewald in the Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro taking the victory. This marked Grunewald’s first victory in Formula DRIFT history and second podium since 2005.
Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway was another exciting event where the combination of the banking on the track and the competitive nature of the drivers pushed them to the limits. As a result a few of the vehicles were damaged in competition in dramatic fashion keeping them from advancing to the later rounds. The fans witnessed a true showing of world class drifting.
“Despite the brief storm that caused chaos after qualifying on Friday, the Formula DRIFT community pulled together to help one another to put on another great event,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Fans came out to fill the capacity of the venue on Saturday to showcase the ever growing sport this season.”
The final four vehicles gave a tremendous show for the fans with the first battle pitting number one qualifier Ryan Tuerck in the Mobil 1 / Gardella Racing Chevy Camaro against Conrad Grunewald in the Hankook Chevy Camaro. Tuerck went high on the banking, making impact which damaged his vehicle taking him out of the competition and automatically giving him fourth place. Current points leader Justin Pawlak in the Falken Ford Mustang faced teammate Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Nissan 240SX to meet Grunewald in the finals. Yoshihara lost the battle and took third place due to Tuerck’s damaged vehicle and moved into second in the Pro Championship points standings. The finals saw a battle of American muscle with Pawlak facing Grunewald. Grunewald edged out Pawlak for his first victory of his career. Pawlak remains the points leader with this third podium finish of the season.
“I’m really happy for the team,” stated Conrad Grunewald, winner of Round 4: The Gauntlet. “We overcame a lot to get to this position this weekend. And I am overwhelmed to be on top of the podium for my first time and especially to do it by beating a Ford Mustang.”
The Formula DRIFT Championship continues for Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway on July 22-23. Tickets are available to purchase online.
For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com
Gardella Racing Announces Expanded 2011 Program
GARDELLA RACING ANNOUNCES EXPANDED 2011 PROGRAM WITH ADDITION OF ’09 FORMULA DRIFT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ERIC O’SULLIVAN
HOWELL, NJ (February 1, 2011) – Gardella Racing announced today that Irish drifting champion and 2009 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year, Eric O’Sullivan, will join the Howell NJ-based team for 2011.
In an exciting move, O’Sullivan will re-locate to Gardella Racing’s headquarters to become heavily involved as both a team driver and Gardella Racing Ambassador in the Formula DRIFT and grass roots programs.
Campaigning the Gardella Racing Pontiac Solstice in the 2011 Formula DRIFT Pro Drift Championship, O’Sullivan will shortly begin an extensive testing program alongside Gardella Racing driver Ryan Tuerck. In addition to the 2011 Formula DRIFT Program, O’Sullivan will also enjoy a broader role as Gardella Racing Ambassador reaching out to the grass roots communities of North American Drifting.
Speaking on the announcement of the move Eric O’Sullivan stated, “This move is a dream come true for me. I am extremely proud and honored to have been given this opportunity with Gardella Racing. Gardella Racing is a team that I have always admired for their professionalism and commitment to top-level motorsports and I am delighted to now be part of the team. Our plans for 2011 are extremely exciting and I cannot wait to get behind the wheel of the GR Pontiac Solstice and begin preparations.”
Following an extensive search for a 2nd driver via the team’s social media network , Gardella Racing Team Owner Gary Gardella also commented on the deal , “There are a lot of talented drivers out there, many of whom applied to be part of the Gardella Racing team. Eric was the one driver who stood out and met all of the qualities I was looking for in a driver,” continued Gardella. “He is a champion driver, a great spokesman for partners, and a team player, expecting to be more involved in the team in addition to driving.”
More details on the extent of O’Sullivan’s role with Gardella Racing will be revealed over the coming months when the Irish driver will travel to New Jersey and be officially introduced to his 2011 team and vehicle.
Video: Tony Angelo / Ryan Tuerck Missile Launch Party
On October 22nd, 2010, I traveled to Englishtown Raceway to film a “missile day” with Tony Angelo and Ryan Tuerck.
Ryan and I arrived at the track while Tony was having a battle with his own car. After picking up an FC in Florida, Tony made the trek up to NJ, blowing up 2 turbos in the process.
Once at the track and two laps in, Tony destroyed a third turbo leaving him without a missile for the day. Thankfully, Ryan’s brother Justin lent Tony his car for only 30 minutes, giving us enough time to shoot this video.
Ryan’s car, on the other hand, had it’s own problems throughout the day (missing key = hot-wiring the ignition, e-brake failure, front and rear main seals leaking *12 quarts of oil were used in the course of three hours at the track*)
Enjoy it, because we sure didn’t.
-Josh Herron
