Cindy McCain: Drift Racing Is My Hobby
Formula DRIFT Round 3: The Gauntlet ResultsTanner Foust Takes the Victory and Becomes the Points Leader
Long Beach, Calif. � June 17, 2008 � Formula DRIFT completed the third stop on the 2008 Championship Tour with Round 3: The Gauntlet at Englishtown Raceway Park. Defending champion Tanner Foust battled through the tough competition to take home the victory and take over the lead for the Castrol SYNTEC Power Cup.
�Due to the turn of events that lead to the closure of Wall Speedway, I commend the FD team, partners, and fans for embracing the quick change to Englishtown Raceway Park,� said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. �I�d like to say a big thank you to Englishtown for squeezing us in right before their big NHRA race week.�
Entering Englishtown Raceway Park for the first time the Formula DRIFT Championship returned to the East Coast. The course layout featured a very high entry speed that lead to tight corners and with elevation changes the combination made for one very exciting competition. The track was very demanding and the drivers felt the pressure early on with cars going off-track and others hitting the K-rails.
�I like learning new tracks but this one certainly benefited the ultra horsepower cars on the long first corner,� said Tanner Foust, 2007 Formula DRIFT Champion and Round 3 event winner. �In the Finals, leading Tyler we topped 80 mph on the entry but he was only able to reel me in on the last turn giving me the advantage. Following the Porsche I focused on getting the best acceleration possible off the line so he couldn�t get out of reach.�
The Consolation Round pitted teammates Daijiro Yoshihara and his Bridgestone / RMR Pontiac GTO against Round 2 event winner Rhys Millen and his Red Bull / Pontiac Solstice GXP with Millen edging out Yoshihara for the 3rd spot on the podium. This was the 2nd time this season that the teammates faced each other in the TOP 16 competition and Millen has taken the advantage each time. The Final Round pitted a very determined Tyler McQuarrie and his Hankook / JIC-Magic Porsche 993 GT2 against defending Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust piloting the Rockstar / AEM Nissan 350Z with Foust taking the victory and the lead in the Castrol SYNTEC Power CUP Point Standings. This marks the first time that McQuarrie and the Hankook / JIC-Magic Porsche has stood on the podium.
The chase for the Castrol SYNTEC Power Cup heats up with 2007 Formula DRIFT Champion Tanner Foust leading the way. Following close behind are 2004 & 2006 Formula DRIFT Champion Samuel Hubinette and his BF Goodrich / Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 and 2007 Tires.com Triple Crown Champion Chris Forsberg piloting the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z with only 2 points separating the two drivers. The action continues on July 11 & 12 for Round 4: High Stakes at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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Full official standings available on: http://www.formuladrift.com
USA Today Articlefeaturing JR
Formula DRIFT Kicks-off the Season to a Sell-out CrowdLong Beach, Calif. � April 14, 2008 � Formula DRIFT kicked-off it�s fifth season to a near sell-out crowd for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach with Chris Forsberg and his NOS Energy / Maxxis Tires Nissan 350Z Roadster taking home the first victory of the season.
The Long Beach Grand Prix Street Course hosted the opening round and the teams came prepared to start the season off. Scion�s first entry into drifting had Ken Gushi and his RS*R Scion tC make the Top 16, Daijiro Yoshihara made incredible adjustments from a RHD Nissan Silvia into a LHD Pontiac GTO to finish in 5th place overall, and newcomers Justin Pawlak and Michihiro Takatori also advanced to the Top 16 competition. The highlight of the day came when Long Beach local Kyle Mohan battled through the competition to finish in 4th place overall, the highest finish of his career.
�This was the most anticipated opening round in Formula DRIFT history,� said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. �The grandstands were full with standing room only and you could feel the energy of the crowd. The competition was fierce and made for one very exciting event.�
Grand Marshall for this event, Rob Dyrdek, made a special parade lap in his Rogue Status �69 Camaro, having the car do donuts in front of the packed stands leaving a cloud of smoke that had the crowd screaming for more. Special guest, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and star of the �Ultimate Fighter,� Quinton �Rampage� Jackson also came to check out the action and sign autographs. Even avid rally supporter Ken Block, founder of DC Shoes, came to check out the drifting action. This event also marked the introduction of Miss Formula DRIFT, Catherine Kluthe.
The final battle of the evening brought Samuel Hubinette and his Mopar Dodge Viper back to action against Chris Forsberg and his NOS / Maxxis Nissan 350Z Roadster. After 2 very tight competitive runs with each driver pushing the other to the limits a, �One More Time,� round was called and the finals pitted the drivers in a sudden death victory round. After 2 additional runs with each driver closing in on the other, the judges deliberated and awarded Chris Forsberg as the first winner of the season. 2007 Formula DRIFT Champion Tanner Foust and his Rockstar / AEM Nissan 350Z grabbed the 3rd spot on the podium by beating out Long Beach local Kyle Mohan and his Mazda RX-7.
Castrol SYNTEC Power Cup 2008 Point Standings
1. Forsberg 106 Points
2. Hubinette 96 Points
3. Foust 83 Points
4. Mohan 70 Points
5. Yoshihara 65 Points
6. Haruguchi 64 Points
7. Hayashida 63 Points
7. Tuerck 63 Points
9. McNamara 61 Points
10. Gittin 58 Points
11. Pawlak 57 Points
12. Gushi 56 Points
12. Takatori 56 Points
14. Grunewald 55 Points
14. Miki 55 Points
14. Yamanaka 55 Points
Full official standings available on: http://www.formuladrift.com
Formula DRIFT Prepares the Kick-off of Season 5The Formula DRIFT Championship�s fifth season is about to get underway and to kick-off the season in style, guest Grand Marshall for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach will be professional skateboarder and star of MTV�s, �Rob and Big,� Rob Dyrdek. Rob will be making a special guest appearance and will start the event with a parade lap in his Rogue Status Camaro.
For the first time in it�s 5 year history, Formula DRIFT will be announcing it�s first ever Miss Formula DRIFT for the 2008 season. Miss Formula DRIFT will be attending each Formula DRIFT round and will be make her debut on April 9 at the season kick-off party in Long Beach, CA.
New cars, new teams, and new sponsors will make for a very exciting season. Scion will be entering Formula DRIFT with a rear-wheel drive Scion tC operated by RS-R USA and piloted by Ken Gushi. Gardella Racing of drag racing fame will be entering drift by picking up Ryan Tuerck and he will be piloting a Pontiac Solstice. Vaughn Gittin Jr. is officially Ford supported and Peak Performance / Hankook will now have a two-car team with Robby Nishida and Joon Maeng behind the wheel. Falken driver, Darren McNamara, will now pilot a Saturn Sky, but one of the biggest off-season moves has been Rhys Millen Racing signing of Daijiro Yoshihara and he will be piloting Rhys� championship winning Pontiac GTO.
The battle of the energy drinks continues with Champion Tanner Foust getting a full ride with Rockstar and NOS picking up Chris Forsberg. Redbull will still support Rhys Millen and Gardella Racing.
�We are very excited to begin the 5th Formula DRIFT Championship season and ready to kick it off with a bang!,� said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT.
ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT
Entering its fifth season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship series. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has involved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges each racer's driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for North American professionals to demonstrate their skills against the world's top drifters. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. For a race schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.
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