New Tech Blog

Any of the readers of my drifting blog that are into computers and electronics should also check out my recently created Technology blog at http://metman2tech.blogspot.com.

Formula DRIFT Insider Episode 13

This episode of Formula DRIFT Insider shows the action from Irwindale leading up to the event finish and championship winner.

Formula DRIFT Irwindale and Championship Results

Vaughn Gittin Jr was taken out in the round of 16 by Pat Mordaunt and Dai Yoshihara was beaten by Kyle Mohan in the Top 32 round.  This opened door for Rhys Millen and Daigo Saito to take the championship crown.

Millen and Saito met in the Top 4, with Saito coming out on top.  Saito then went on to defeat Justin Pawlak in the finals and win the event, with Millen being defeated in the consolation round by Ryan Tuerck.

The final points totals ended up being:

Daigo Saito 548.5

Vaughn Gittin 529

Rhys Millen 509.25

Justin Pawlak 501

Ryan Tuerck 465.50

With that, for the first time since the rookie season of Formula DRIFT a rookie takes the championship.

Photo source from Formula DRIFT website.

Formula Drift Round 7 - Title Fight at Irwindale Matchups

Here are the matchups that will be seen during the Top 32 Round of the Irwindale Formula Drift event.

Rhys Millen vs Kenny Moen
Justin Pawlak vs Walker Wilkerson
Frederic Aasbo vs Darren McNamara
Chris Forsberg vs Conrad Grunewald
Ken Gushi vs Toshiki Yoshioka
Ryan Tuerck vs Ryan Kado
Tyler McQuarrie vs Joon Maeng
Chelsea Denofa vs Pat Mordaunt
Vaugh Gittin vs Nick D'Alessio
Tony Brakohiapa vs Michael Essa
Matt Field vs Luke Lonberger
Matt Powers vs Jeremy Lowe
Daigo Saito vs Taka Aono
Dave Briggs vs Robbie Nishida
Alex Lee vs Tony Angelo
Kyle Mohan vs Dai Yoshihara

With the points after qualifying and factoring in that each driver is guarenteed 24 event points for participating in the Top 32 round, Vaughn Gittin leads Daigo Saito by 26.5 points.  At this stage, the top 6 drivers have a mathematical shot at taking the 2012 Formula DRIFT Championship.

Other than points, drivers will mostly be letting it all hang out for this event, since they will be trying their hardest to put on a good show for their sponsors and teams.

Kevin Wells, the Formula DRIFT Technical Director, had x-rays of the Top 7 point position cars done to determine if there was any illegal ballasts placed on the cars' frame rails, which if found would disqualify that driver from the event and effectively eliminate them from winning the championship.

Catching Up

It has been a little while since I last posted anything on here.  To anyone that comes by frequently, I apologize for that.  Let's see what has happened since the last post.

Daigo Saito took 1st place in the latest D1GP with his Achilles Tire JZX100 Chaser edging out Tetsuya Hibino's UP Garage Droo-p Toyota GT86.

Forrest Wang had a big weekend in Texas with the final round of XDC.  Forrest qualified in the top spot and then went on to beat Mike Pollard for the event win, which also crowned Forrest as the 2012 XDC Champion, ahead of Mike Pollard, Nate Hamilton, and 2-time reigning champion Chelsea Denofa.

Photo from Wrecked Magazine

And probably one of the bigger announcements made in the past couple weeks in the drifting world was the discontinuation of the partnership between Rhys Millen Racing and Hyundai, which is detailed in this press release: http://rhys-millen-racing.myshopify.com/blogs/news/6633844-motorsport-relationship-ends-with-hyundai

I think that's all the big stuff for now.  I'll try to keep more on top of the drift world happenings and get motivated to post them here.

Ryan Tuerck's 1JZ S13 - Dyno

Ryan Tuerck recently uploaded this video featuring his 1JZ-powered S13.

Behind the Smoke - Season 2 Episode 20 - Live and Dai in Vegas

This video follows Dai through the tandem runs at the Las Vegas round of Formula DRIFT.

Wilwood Brakes Formula DRIFT Ticket Giveway

Wilwood has announced a contest for tickets to the Final Round of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season.

"Official Rules Formula Drift Ticket Give Away: After round 6 “After Dark” Las Vegas name the top 8 Formula Drift drivers in points order that are utilizing Wilwood Disc Brake Calipers on their Formula Drift Competition Car. Submitting the correct drivers in order will enter your name into a random drawing along with other contest participants that also answered correctly. VIP Tickets will be awarded trough a random drawing and awarded to 3 entered participants. The first name pulled will receive 4 VIP tickets, Second name pulled will receive 2 VIP Tickets, and the final name pulled will receive 2 VIP Tickets. All entries must be submitted through the provided link to the PollDaddy.com survey. Any answers or attempts to enter by submitting answers through any other means; email, Facebook post… will not be entered into the contest. Contest will expire Sept 30th 2012. Winners will be announced on Wilwoods Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/WilwoodDiscBrakes on October 3rd"

EBC Brake Rotors - Nissan 240SX - $162.10 - Auto Parts Warehouse

Behind the Smoke - Epiosde 19

This installment of Behind the Smoke follows Dai and his crew to Round 6 of Formula DRIFT at Las Vegas.

Discount Tire Direct -$75 or $50 Visa Card with Cooper tire purchase

Formula DRIFT Insider - Episode 10

This episode of Formula DRIFT Insider showcases the Las Vegas Round of the FD Championship and gives a look at the points and possibilities heading into the final round at Irwindale.  Plus it offers a chance for viewers to win tickets to the event at Irwindale.

Tony Stewart Drifting

Here is another look at the promotion that lead to Tony Stewart drifting Tyler McQuarrie's Camaro.

NASCAR's Tony Stewart Drifts Tyler McQuarrie's Camaro

From the Mobil1 online poll, here is a video of Tony Stewart drifting the Mobil1 Camaro.  I think they should have let Tyler drift Tony's stockcar too...

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Goes Drifting

NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. spends a day drifting at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Formula DRIFT Las Vegas - Results

The next-to-last round of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season ended with Rhys Millen back on top of the podium, which he shared with Frederic Aasbo and Vaughn Gittin Jr, who defeated Robbie Nishida for 3rd place.

Justin Pawlak was again knocked out in the Top 32 round, this time by Tyler McQuarrie, and Daigo Saito was brought down in the Great 8 round by Rhys Millen.

Currently the points show Gittin leading Saito by 25.5 points, followed by Rhys Millen (-44.75), Justin Pawlak (-70), and Daijiro Yoshihara (-71.5).

The next round will be at Irwindale to decide the championship winner.

Behind the Smoke - Season 2 Episode 17

Behind the Smoke Season 2 Episode 17 follows Dai Yoshihara through his battles at Seattle.

Formula DRIFT Insider - Episode 9

This episode of Formula DRIFT Insider looks at the current championship rundown and has a look at FD Rookie, Jeremy Lowe.

Drift vs Grip - Mustang RTR at Summit Point

Formula DRIFT Champ Vaughn Gittin and American Iron Champ Chris Corbetto bring the grip vs. drift debate back with their Mustang RTR cars in a shootout at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia.

Formula DRIFT Vegas Layout Change

Wrecked Magazine got a hold of a memo regarding a new track layout for the Las Vegas round of Formula DRIFT.

Since this is state that it is an exclusive, I will just say to go here for the information, as to not steal their information.

Discount Tire Direct - $60 or $30 Visa Gift Card with CarCareONE tire purchase

Behind the Smoke - Season 2 Episode 16 - Formula DRIFT Seattle

With title hopes riding on a good finish at Evergreen, Dai faces some hurdles qualifying for the Evergreen Speedway round of Formula DRIFT.

Discount Tire Direct - $60 or $30 Visa Gift Card with CarCareONE tire purchase

V8 vs Turbo 4/6 Debate - Part 2

Here is part two of the Formula DRIFT drivers take on the V8 vs Turbo 4/6 Debate.

FD Seattle 2012: V8 vs. Turbo Part 2 from Ryan Davis on Vimeo.

Drift Is Your Own Style - W.T.A.C.

Came across this video on Vimeo, thought it was nicely done...

Drift Is Your Own Style - W.T.A.C - 2012 from Mez on Vimeo.

Formula DRIFT Insider Episode 8

Explanations to the judging at the Evergreen round of Formula DRIFT and a look at a video produced in Singapore by Ryan Davis.

Drift HD Sports Camera

» AutoSport Catalog

V8 vs Turbo 4/6 Debate

There has been a lot of debate in recent years regarding the use of a V8 over an Inline 4, Inline 6, or even a V6 engine that has been turbo charged.  This video looks to be the start of a series where different drivers at the Formula DRIFT level give their take on the trend.





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Not Drifting But...

This post has nothing to do with drifting, but I have to say, it was one hell of a ride.

My wife contacted her and my parents regarding my 30th birthday.  Her idea was for everyone to pitch in toward something we had talked about around Christmas for me, which was a Ride-along at Pocono International Raceway with the Stockcar Racing Experience (877stockcar.com).

On Monday, August 6th, after a rain shortened Pocono 400.  We pulled up to the track and came through the tunnel under turn 2 and into the infield.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

After checking in at the S.R.E. registration trailer, I headed over to pit lane and suited up.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

And climbed into the #90 car, which looks to be a NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Ford Fusion chassis.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

Then the driver, Chris, fired up the engine and I instantly got a bigger smile as we started driving off of pit road and into the first turn.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

As the driver shifted into fourth gear coming off of pit lane and floored the accelerator, I felt myself being pushed back into the seat of the car and then toward the side of the car as we rounded the turn.

The engine screamed as we flew down the backstretch mere inches from the "safer-barrier" walls around the raceway.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

I could feel the power of the engine and the heat building from the combination of the engine and track at my feet.  For three laps, I got to experience the speeds that the NASCAR drivers I grew up watching and continue to watch see each weekend.

Like all things, the ride eventually had to end, and my wife (who rode down to the track with me and took pictures) snapped this shot of me, claiming that she doesn't think I smiled that big when we got married.

Photo courtesy of my loving wife, Katie

It was certainly one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime...and I look forward to coming back to Pocono again to hopefully participate in the Stockcar Racing Experience driving program.

I would recommend anyone that is a fan of NASCAR, stock cars, racing, or cars in general, should look into either program.

Scion Racing - Driven to Drift - Season 4 Episode 4

This latest installment of Driven to Drift gives an inside look at the Scion Racing Drift Team during the Formula DRIFT New Jersey event, which, unfortunately, led to early endings for all three drivers.

Behind the Smoke 2 - Ep 13 New Jersey Finals

Dai's Finals battles at Formula DRIFT New Jersey.

Formula DRIFT Insider Episode 7

Episode 7 features an in-depth look at the controversial run between JTP and Daigo at Formula DRIFT Palm Beach.  Also, an exclusive interview with Joon Maeng.

Behind the Smoke 2 - Ep 12 New Jersey Tandem Battles Formula D - Dai Yoshihara 2012 - YouTube

The tandem battles that Dai faced at New Jersey.

Behind the Smoke 2 - Ep 12 New Jersey Tandem Battles Formula D - Dai Yoshihara 2012 - YouTube: 'via Blog this'

Formula DRIFT Round 5 Evergreen Results

Round 5 of Formula DRIFT had is fair share of surprises and strange happening during the tandem battles. Ultimately, it was number one qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr, taking the win with Ryan Tuerck and Rhys Millen joining him on the podium. Ken Gushi had a strong run finishing in four place.

The event shook up the points standings a bit with Vaughn Gittin Jr now leading, followed by Saito, Pawlak, Yoshihara, and Tuerck.

Here is a run-by-run account of the event.

Top 32
The first battle at Evergreen started off with little surprise to many as Vaughn Gittin Jr defeats Miro Ovcharik.

Michael Essa then defeats Odi Bakchis after some apparent contact by Odi.

After some corrections by Chelsea Denofa in the RX8, it was deteremined that Walker Wilkerson would be moving on.

Matt Powers moved to the Top 16 after battling Kyle Pollard and Jhonatthan Castro wins after a spin by Pat Mordaunt.

Taka Aono made a huge error which lead to Matt Field moving on.

A big correction by Chris Forsberg allows his Hankook Tires teammate Rhys Millen to take the win.


Dai Yoshihara takes the win from Dennis Mertzanis after Mertzanis hits the wall.

One of the big surprises of the night was Justin Pawlak losing to Jeremy Lowe by dropping two tires off the track. Knocking him out of the points lead.

Ryan Tuerck wins after Robbie Nishida crashes into the wall.

Fredric Aasbo and Ryan Kado defeat Pat Goodin and Alex Lee, respectively.

Toshiki Yoshioka moves on against Tony Angelo due to Angelo going off course.

To round out the Top 32 Round, Conrad beats Tony Brakohiapa and Daigo Saito wins against Darren McNamara.


Top 16
The Top 16 round started with Michael Essa crashing, giving the win to Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Matt Powers defeats Walker Wilkerson after Walker has contact with the wall.

Matt Field and Rhys Millen move on after defeating Jhonattan Castro and Daijiro Yoshihara, respectively.

Ryan Tuerck moves on after a crash by Jeremy Lowe.

The Great 8 was then set after Ryan Kado defeats Fredric Aasbo, Toshiki Yoshioko loses his hood and the battle against Ken Gushi and Daigo Saito spins, giving Conrad Grunewald the win.


Great Eight
The Great 8 started just like the other rounds, win Vaughn Gittin Jr winning against Matt Powers.

Rhys Millen then betters Matt Field and Ryan Tuerck wins against Ryan Kado.

To finish out the Great 8 round, Ken Gushi wins after a spin by Conrad Grunewald.

Final Four
The Final Four matchup with Rhys Millen and Vaughn Gittin, again saw JR with the win, after Rhys dropped a tire.

After a OMT, Ryan Tuerck was able to beat Ken Gushi because of the gap left between them.


Finals
Rhys Millen then defeated Ken Gushi to take 3rd Place in the round.

Ryan Tuerck and Vaughn Gittin Jr had very close runs, but the win goes to Vaughn Gittin Jr. Who is now the Formula DRIFT points leader.

Ford Mustang Coilovers - Auto Parts Warehouse

Aasbo's GT86X at Gatbil

Here is a look at Fredric Aasbo's Toyota GT86x at the Gatbil event.  The car build only took about 40 days to complete.

Energy Suspension Master Bushing Kit - $156.58 at Auto Parts Warehouse

Evergreen Qualifying Results and Matchups

Here is a look at how qualifying rounded out at Evergreen Speedway and the matchups that will ensue from the qualifying order.

1. V. Gittin Jr vs 32. M. Ovcharik
2. J. Pawlak vs 31. J. Lowe
3. T. Yoshioka vs 30. T. Angelo
4. P. Mordaunt vs 29. J. Castro
5. C. Forsberg vs 28. R. Millen
6. C. Grunewald vs 27. T. Brakohiapa
7. F. Aasbo vs 26. P. Goodin
8. W. Wilkerson vs 25. C. Denofa
9. M. Powers vs 24. K. Pollard
10. R. Kado vs 23. A. Lee
11. D. McNamara vs 22. D. Saito
12. D. Yoshihara vs 21. D. Mertzanis
13. M. Field vs 20. T. Aono
14. K. Gushi vs 19. K. Moen
15. R. Tuerck vs 18. R. Nishida
16. M. Essa vs 17. O. Bakchis

Noteably not in the field is Tyler McQuarrie, who was knocked out when Daijiro Yoshihara ran his second qualifying run of 84 after a 0 on his first run.  Daigo Saito faced pressure similar to Dai Yoshihara when his first run was a 0, but was able to post a 79 to make it into the field, which knocked Jeff Jones out.

Also not in the field is Joon Maeng, who was unable to get his S13 ready in time for the event and Kyle Mohan, who had engine damage due to an issue with his fuel pump.

Throwback Thursday - Chelsea Denofa

I lieu of all the Throwback Thursday stuff I see out there, here is a video put together in 2006 featuring Chelsea Denofa with his Mazda Miata and some Central PA drifters at a private track.

Behind the Smoke 2 - Episode 11

A look into Dai and his crew's superstitions.

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Chelsea Denofa Officially Joins Bergenholtz

Bergenholtz Racing released a statement that confirms the rumors that Chelsea Denofa will be driving the RX-8 for the remainder of the 2012 Formula DRIFT season.

"Official press release: Two-Time Drift Champion, Chelsea Denofa and Bergenholtz Racing are joining forces. Chelsea will be driving the Nitto Tire BC Racing Mazda RX8 for the remainder of the 2012 Formula Drift Championship Series. “Chelsea is an amazing driver. His aggression and determination to win is reflective of his actions on track. We feel that this bold new partnership will increase the chances to win.” Said Ron Bergenholtz Team Manager of the Nitto Tire BC Racing Mazda Drift Team."

Mazda Rx-8 Centric Sportstop Performance Cross Drilled Disc Brake  » JC Whitney.com

Formula DRIFT Insider 6

This episode of Formula DRIFT Insider talks with Jarod DeAnda and talks about some of the calls at Wall, NJ.

Drift HD Sport Camera - AutoSport Catalog

Joon Maeng Partners with Feal Suspension

Joon Maeng and Odi Bakchis has announced that Joon has a new partnership with Feal Suspension.

Also Joon has announced what his new Formula DRIFT car is going to be and confirmed it will be the S13 that Road Race Engineering was working on.

Westech Engine pulled out from the dummy chassis and into our Pro Chassis! This will be our new @FormulaDrift Vehicle!

 — at Road Race Engineering.

Joon Working on S13 for Formula DRIFT?

Joon posted the pic below to Facebook earlier stating he can't wait to drift the new car at Formula DRIFT and thanked SEmpire and Road Race Engineering for their work on the car.  It is rumored that this is his black S13 that recently received a V8 swap.

Chelsea Denofa Splits From Technica Motorsports

If anyone needed any more confirmation to the rumor that Chelsea Denofa is taking over the Bergenholtz Racing RX-8 following the release of Joon Maeng (right around the same time Denofa was testing it), then the news that Technica Racing released a statement that they are halting sponsorship with Denofa.

Technica Motorsports is a BMW tuning shop out of Atlanta, GA, so it would make sense that if Denofa is not going to be driving the BMW anymore and moving to the RX8 that they would not have anything to offer him tuning-wise.

Spectre Filter for 240sx

Mad Mike's D1 Drift FD RX-7

I know there are at least a few Formula DRIFT fans that miss seeing this car in action.

Tony Angelo at Wall, NJ

Tony Angelo and his Scion Racing tC at Wall, NJ during Formula DRIFT Round 4.

McQuarrie and Denofa Make Statements About the Call at Wall

Here is what Tyler McQuarrie had to say to Wrecked Magazine about one of the more controversial calls at Wall, NJ:

"I think I should jump in here…. Not to changed people’s minds on the issue but to fill you guys in on what I was told by FD and how everything went down during our battle

First off, I think every FD driver has a run they would want to have back, and this one is one for me! I’m glad Chelsea was ok but super bummed about his car!


In the drivers meeting the judges told us that our initiation needed to be just like our qualifying run with the technique we use and the speed. I don’t think Chelsea was playing games but our run up to the initiation was unusually slow and his initiation looked a little different. Not sure if he had a problem with the car but it was diferent After that run, EOS who was spotting for me said the judges were talking about it already. For my lead run, I knew Chelsea has had some really good follow runs this year so my plan was to not hold anything back to try and prevent him from getting proximity on me. I initiated a little early and the car floated up the bank. The rear got in first then the front climbed the wall followed by Chelsea hitting me from behind. That’s all I knew at that point. I drove the car back to our pits thinking we were done. EOS came over the radio and said the judges were reviewing our battle. I went and apologized to his crew first. I found Chelsea and apologized to him too, But he told me to not worry about it. He said it was not my fault that he crashed…. He said he was going in to the bank to fast and if I didn’t hit the wall he would have either way. That’s how the judges saw it too, which is why they went back to the first run for their decision. This is not the first time this has happened. DMac vs Chris last year at Irwindale. Dmac made a mistake on their first run. Chris crashes the Dmac crashes on their second run so they went back to the first run for the decision and Chris won.


Either way, I’m sure a lot of people will still have the same opinion on this run, which I cant blame you for that. I just wanted people to know my side of it and that Chelsea even told me it wasn’t my fault that he crashed. I felt bad for Chelsea yesterday and feel even worse today. I hate seeing any driver lose a car!


Again, I’m not trying to change people’s view on this but just trying to fill you guys in on what I was told and saw. Let the comments continue "

And Chelsea Denofa:

"Wowzers! haha. Let me start by saying I am glad Tyler and I both are walking and traveling home today. It really was a gnarly crash. Ill give you my honest play by play from my point of view.


Lets start with the lead run.


I had been doing the hand brake entries all weekend, and in my run I did the same late hand brake entry that put my rear end on the wall. During this run, my initiation was not aggressive enough to get the car at comfortable angle, so I had to steer the car to that point. Which I DO consider a bobble (similar to Daigo in his follow run against Chris). From all of my footage, this caused Tyler to have a bobble as well. The rest of my run was at large angle, on line, and lots of smoke and speed, keeping a gap between Tyler and I while he did hit the transition clip in front of the crowd, and lifted the rear tire onto the bank.


Following run of DOOM!


Tyler had been doing a super gangster entry all weekend, I was actually jealous of it! But I also knew it would be tough to follow. I went into the run knowing I would have to leave a gap and close it by the 2nd outer clip by the stands. My speeds from the outer clip to the inside bank were 7+ mph faster then Tylers, So that was my strategy.


We leave the line, I leave the gap. He enters with a low line, So a stay slightly shallower so that I am able to close the gap. As I was reeling him in I noticed that there was a change in his angle, I added angle and followed his line for another 100ft. I then started pedaling the throttle to lower my speed because I could see that he was going towards the wall. At this point I had to make a decision. I was either going to go directly into Tyler with my side of the car on throttle, or put the (already been smashed 4 times) rear of my car into the wall with large angle and throttle and try not to smash my front. I chose the wall. I would like to say my decision was based in favor of a lesser injury for the both of us and my car, but it happened so fast that I can only admit choosing the wall instead of the Camaro.


I understand that judging is a very hard job and would not want to be in any of their shoes.


Here is my slight issue. Please understand that I am just stating my point of view and understand the decision has been made.


If my bobble in the lead run (which I completed) was the reason Tyler who hit the transition clip and put a tire off course took the win, Then how was his wall hit (not finishing the run) not equal or more of a bobble.


I have learned a lot from this accident, but I will continue to push the envelope and drive as aggressive as possible. That is a promise! I am glad Tyler and I can keep this website true to its name!"

And for those that have no idea what this is all about:

Joon Maeng Parting Ways With Bergenholtz

Bergenholtz Racing has announced that effective immediately they are parting ways with driver Joon Maeng.

Chelsea Denofa has been reportedly testing in the Bergenholtz RX-8 and looks to be the next driver of the car.

Here is the statement from Bergenholtz:

"Effective immediately, Bergenholtz Racing and Joon Maeng have both decided to part ways. “Though we both gave our blood sweat and tears to achieve podiums, we still couldn’t get the formula right. In our quest to win, we realize that change must occur and sometimes that involves tough decisions. It is with great heart-felt regret that this has to happen but I believe it is the best for the future of Joon and our team.” Said Ron Bergenholtz, Team Manager of Bergenholtz Racing."

Photo credit to Wrecked Magazine

Conrad Grunewald FD NJ 2012

Conrad Grunewald's Formula DRIFT Round 4 battles with Ward, Gushi, and Saito.

Formula DRIFT - All Access - Logo Contest Rules

Formula DRIFT is holding a contest for the design of their 10 year anniversary logo.  The entries will be judged by the FD staff with the winner getting a VIP trip (including hotel and airfare) to Formula DRIFT Round 7 at Irwindale and the FD Awards Banquet.  See the link below for the rules on the contest:

Formula DRIFT - All Access - Logo Contest Rules:

'via Blog this'

Formula DRIFT Insider 2012 - Episode 5

On this episode of Formula DRIFT Insider, Kevin Wells (technical manager of FD) gives his insight into things he sees as trends in Formula DRIFT.  Also, a sit-down interview telling the roots of Rookie-of-the-Year and Championship contender Daigo Saito.

Behind the Smoke 2 - Ep 9 The Resurrection Palm Beach

This episode of Behind the Smoke follows Dai and his crew through their battles against Robbie Nishida, Chris Forsberg, and Justin Pawlak at Palm Beach.

Formula DRIFT - Wall, NJ Results

Vaughn Gittin Jr. took first place at Wall Stadium by defeating Miro Ovcharik in the Top 32, Robbie Nishida in the Top 16, Matt Powers in the Great 8, and then Chris Forsberg in the Top 4 round.

From there he went on to defeat Dai Yoshihara in the finals, who climbed to second on the podium by defeating Taka Aono (Top 32), Rhys Millen (Top 16), Tyler McQuarrie (Great 8), and Daigo Saito (Top 4).

Chris Forsberg was able to edge out Daigo Saito to take the final spot on the podium.

Justin Pawlak, who was taken out by Forsberg in the Great 8, is still the leader of the championship standings, followed by Daigo Saito (-13 points) and Dai Yoshihara (-51 points).

The next round of competition will take place on July 20th-21st at Evergreen Speedway, which was won by Dai Yoshihara during the 2011 Season.

Top 16

Here are the matches that will be happening in the Top 16 Round at Formula DRIFT Wall, NJ.

Odi Bakchis vs. Daigo Saito
Conrad Grunewald vs. Ken Gushi
Daijiro Yoshihara vs. Rhys Millen
Chelsea Denofa vs. Tyler McQuarrie
Vaughn Gittin vs. Robbie Nishida
Kenneth Moen vs. Matt Powers
Frederic Aasbo vs. Justin Pawlak
Chris Forsberg vs. Ryan Tuerck

Formula DRIFT - Wall, NJ Matchups

Judging by the qualifing order that was changed around a bit due to the weather conditions during qualifying, here are the matchups that we should expect to see during the Top 32 Round:

Odi Bakchis vs Nick D'Alessio
Vaughn Gittin Jr. vs Miro Ovcharik
Frederic Aasbo vs Jhonnattan Castro
Dai Yoshihara vs Taka Aono
Chelsea Denofa vs Tony Angelo
Chris Forsberg vs Danny George
Kenneth Moen vs Tony Brakohiapa
Conrad Grunewald vs Chris Ward
Ken Gushi vs Pat Mordaunt
Darren McNamara vs Matt Powers
Ryan Tuerck vs Kyle Mohan
Tyler McQuarrie vs Dennis Mertzanis
Rhys Millen vs Michael Essa
Justin Pawlak vs Ryan Kado
Robbie Nishida vs Joon Maeng
Luke Lonberger vs Daigo Saito

Weather should not be a factor today, other than changes to the track today compared to yesterday.  The forecast for the 07719 area today is mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s and almost no chance for precipitation.

DC Shoes Spartan Hi Shoes (Black/Red/Turqoise) - Men's Shoes - 13.0 M

Wall NJ Qualifying Results

Here is the official qualifying order for Formula DRIFT Round 4.  The judges are reviewing the speed scores due to the weather conditions.  I will be sure to post any updates on the order.

****Updated 8:32PM****



1. Odi Bakchis
2. Vaughn Gittin Jr.
3. Frederic Aasbo
4. Dai Yoshihara
5. Chelsea Denofa
6. Chris Forsberg
7. Kenneth Moen
8. Conrad Grunewald
9. Ken Gushi
10. Darren McNamara
11. Ryan Tuerck
12. Tyler McQuarrie
13. Rhys Millen
14. Justin Pawlak
15. Robbie Nishida
16. Luke Lonberger
17. Daigo Saito
18. Joon Maeng
19. Ryan Kado
20. Michael Essa
21. Dennis Mertzanis
22. Kyle Mohan
23. Matt Powers
24. Pat Mordaunt
25. Chris Ward
26. Tony Brakohiapa
27. Danny George
28. Tony Angelo
29. Taka Aono
30. Jhonnattan Castro
31. Miro Ovcharik
32. Nick D'Alessio

Formula DRIFT New Jersey Live Stream

The Driftstream on Justin.tv (TwitchTV) has gone live from Wall, NJ.

Watch live video from driftstream on www.justin.tv

Formula DRIFT New Jersey

Coming up June 22nd and 23rd will be Round 4 of competition for Formula DRIFT and will take place at Wall, NJ.  There should not be any changes to the track layout for the event, but the track always hold a unique challenge for drivers due to the banking of the turns and straightaways.

Last year Conrad Grunewald took the win in his Hankook Tire Camaro with Justin Pawlak finishing second and Dai Yoshihara rounding out the podium.

Behind the Smoke Episode 8

Episode 8 of Behind the Smoke that follows Dai and his team through the Palm Beach round of Formula Drift.

Ride With Pro Drivers For A Cause

Tony Angelo and Chris Forsberg will be giving ride-alongs at Clubloose to benefit homeless animals.

More information can be found at: http://www.clubloose.com/clubloose/index.php/2012/06/18/ride-with-pro-drifters-and-help-homeless-dogs-at-the-same-time

Tony will be giving the rides in his Scion tC and Chris in his M56.

SpeedHunters 86-X Project Update

SpeedHunter and Frederic Aasbo have been making some progress with the 2JZ-GTE swapped Toyota GT-86 project that they called 86-X.  Their goal is to have the car ready for the Gatebil event in mid-July.

http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/06/the-86-x-build-pt2/

Saabkyle's Look at the Subaru BRZ Limited

Saabkyle gives an in-depth look at a 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited, including exterior, interior, an exhaust clip, and information on the car's unique features.

Saabkyle has an extensive collection of similar videos on numerous models and types of cars and has been featured in Car and Driver magazine.

Formula DRIFT Insider Episode 4

Formula DRIFT Insider Episode 4 with Palm Beach recap and a feature on Chris Forsberg racing.

Driven to Drift: Season 4 Episode 2 - Road Atlanta

With a closer look on the specifics of how Formula Drift competitions are judged. Episode 2 of Driven to Drift Season 4 also features Tony Angelo, a former FD judge, and his insight into sometimes objective and sometimes subjective factors they're scored on, and how it's these factors that set drifting apart from nearly all other forms of motorsports.

Ken Gushi Teaches Joey Logano to Drift

Ken Gushi shows rising NASCAR star Joey Logano how to drift.

Wall NJ Driver List for Round 4 Formula DRIFT

The tentative roster for the Wall Speedway round of Formula DRIFT.  The 50 driver list is possibly the biggest at Wall to date.

1. Justin Pawlak
2. Daigo Saito
3. Dai Yoshihara
4. Rhys Millen
5. Ryan Tuerck
6. Chris Forsberg
7. Odi Bakchis
8. Fredric Aasbo
9. Vaughn Gittin Jr.
10. Toshiki Yoshioka
11. Michael Essa
12. Matt Powers
13. Kenneth Moen
14. Ken Gushi1
15. Ryan Kado
16. Kyle Mohan
17. Walker Wilkerson
18. Tyler McQuarrie
19. Joon Maeng
20. Chelsea DeNofa
21. Conrad Grunewald
22. Darren McNamara
23. Tony Angelo
24. Matt Field
25. Robbie Nishida
26. Taka Aono
27. Robbie Nishida
28. Dennis Mertzanis
29. Jeremy Lowe
30. Luke Lonberger
31. Corey Hosford
32. Miroslov Ovcharik
33. Amandio Emmanuel
34. Tony Brakohiapa
35. Patrick Mordaunt
36. Danny George
37. Patrick Goodin
38. Chris Ward
39. Nick D’Alessio
40. Jeff Jones
41. Zoltan Hajdu
42. Jeff Abbott
43. Dave Briggs
44. Andrew Coomes
45. Mauricio Ornelas Jr.
46. Mike Skudlarek
47. Gabe Stone
48. Nick Thomas
49. Jhonnattan Castro
50. Brad Hettinger

2JZ in GT86

Frederic Aasbo has just post this photo to his Facebook.  The 2JZ is in the GT86-X that is being built.

Darren McNamara Back to RHD

The rumormill is saying that ASD/Falken Tire driver Darren McNamara is getting pulled out of Tyler McQuarrie's former left-hand drive V8 powered 350z and will be piloting the Falken Tire S15, formerly driven by Calvin Wan and James Deane.  

The S15 was last driven by Tyler McQuarrie at last year's Las Vegas round during the controversial decision by Falken to put Justin Pawlak in the 350z, when they were unable to fix his Mustang for the round.

It is possible that we will see DMac in the S15 as early as Wall, NJ.

Behind the Smoke - Season 2 Episode 7

Here is the seventh installment of the second season of Behind the Smoke, which follows Dai and Jarod to Malaysia for Formula DRIFT Asia.

Rhys Millen Palm Beach Recap

Team Hyundai released this video with Rhys Millen talking about his runs at Round 3 Palm Beach.

SpeedHunters Explore the Helmets of Formula DRIFT

SpeedHunters Larry Chen posted an interesting article highlighting the designs on some of FD's helmets and the stories behind their designs.  Enjoy.

http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/06/helmet-meaning/

Drift Into The Blue - Episode 1

Here is the first episode of the web series Drift Into The Blue brought to you by Formula DRIFT and the United State Air Force.

Featuring Formula DRIFT drivers Ryan Tuerck, Tony Angelo, Joon Maeng, Aurimas Bakchis.

Tony Angelo and Matt Petty on Car and Driver Battle of the Beaters

Matt Petty and Tony Angelo judge the drifting for the S13 vs. 70 BMW 2800 Battle of the Beaters.

Formula DRIFT Points after Palm Beach

There were some changes to the points orders after all the smoke settled at Round 3 - Palm Beach with Justin Pawlak remaining in the lead of the standings.  Frederic Aasbo took the worst slide down the points ladder with Daijirio Yoshihara climbing back up.  Only about 20 points separate JTP from Saito, with another 62.50 between Saito and Yoshihara

1. Justin Pawlak - 280
2. Daigo Saito - 259.50
3. Daijiro Yoshihara - 197
4. Rhys Millen - 185
5. Ryan Tuerck - 183.50
6. Chris Forsberg - 183
7. Aurimus Bakchis - 177.25
8. Frederic Aasbo - 176.50
9. Vaughn Gittin - 169
10. Toshiki Yoshioka - 162.75

Palm Beach Top 4

Justin Pawlak spun in his Consolation battle with Daijiro Yoshihara, handing the 3rd place spot to Dai.

Chris Forsberg ended up facing off with rookie Daigo Saito with the win going to Daigo Saito.

1. Daigo Saito
2. Chris Forsberg
3. Daijiro Yoshihara
4. Justin Pawlak

Formula Drift Palm Beach Matchups

Here are the matchups that we should see at Formula DRIFT Palm Beach today:

• Vaughn Gittin vs. Matt Field
• Miro Ovcharik vs Ken Gushi
• Tyler McQuarrie vs Robbie Nishida
• Aurimas Bakchis vs Joon Maeng
• Darren McNamara vs Kyle Mohan
• Rhys Millen vs Jeremy Lowe
• Tony Brakohiapa vs Toshiki Yoshioka
• Walker Wilkerson vs Luke Lonberger
• Justin Pawlak vs Ryan Kado
• Chris Forsberg vs Corey Hosford
• Ryan Tuerck vs Taka Aono
• Daigo Saito vs Conrad Grunewald
• Tony Angelo vs Chelsea Denofa
• Daijiro Yoshihara vs Chris Ward
• Kenneth Moen vs Matt Powers
• Michael Essa vs Frederic Aasbo

Formula DRIFT Palm Beach Qualifying Results

Vaughn Gittin takes home the #1 qualifying spot at Formula Drift Palm Beach. The rest of the top 32 follows below:

1. V. Gittin
2. M. Ovcharik
3. T. McQuarrie
4. O. Bakchis
5. D. McNamara
6. R. Millen
7. T. Brakohiapa
8. W. Wilkerson
9. J. Pawlak
10. C. Forsberg
11. R. Tuerck
12. D. Saito
13. T. Angelo
14. D. Yoshihara
15. K. Moen
16. M. Essa
17. F. Aasbo
18. M. Powers
19. C. Ward
20. C. Denofa
21. C. Grunwald
22. T. Aono
23. C. Hosford
24. R. Kado
25. L. Lonberger
26. T. Yoshioka
27. J. Lowe
28. K. Mohan
29. J. Maeng
30. R. Nishida
31. K. Gushi
32. M. Field

I'll be posting up a bracket-style post with the match ups in a bit.

Formula DRIFT History of Winners

Here is a listing of all of the Formula DRIFT winners by season and round.


2004
Samuel Hubinette - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Samuel Hubinette - Reliant Center - Houston, TX
Samuel Hubinette - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Rhys Millen - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Samuel Hubinette - 2004 Formula DRIFT Champion

2005
Samuel Hubinette - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Ken Gushi - Reliant Center - Houston, TX
Calvin Wan - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Samuel Hubinette - Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
Rhys Millen - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Chris Forsberg - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Rhys Millen - 2005 Formula DRIFT Champion

2006
Samuel Hubinette - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Tanner Foust - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Samuel Hubinette - Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
Rhys Millen - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Yukinobu Okubo - Evergreen Speedway - Monroe, WA
Samuel Hubinette - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Daijiro Yoshihara - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Samuel Hubinette - 2006 Formula DRIFT Champion

2007
Mitsuru Haraguchi - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Chris Forsberg - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Samuel Hubinette - Summit Point - Summit Point, WV
Daijiro Yoshihara - Evergreen Speewday - Monroe, WA
Chris Forsberg - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Daijiro Yoshihara - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Tanner Foust - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Tanner Foust - 2007 Formula DRIFT Champion

2008
Chris Forsberg - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Rhys Millen - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Tanner Foust - Raceway Park - Englishtown, NJ
Toshiki Yoshioka - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV
Rhys Millen - Evergreen Speewday - Monroe, WA
Tanner Foust - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Vaughn Gittin Jr - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Tanner Foust - 2008 Formula DRIFT Champion

2009
Ryan Tuerck - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Chris Forsberg - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Darren McNamara - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Chris Forsberg - Evergreen Speedway - Monroe, WA
Tanner Foust - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV
Stephan Verdier - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Ryan Tuerck - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, C
Chris Forsberg - 2009 Formula DRIFT Champion

2010
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Daijiro Yoshihara - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Daijiro Yoshihara - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Tanner Foust - Evergreen Speedway - Monroe, WA
Tyler McQuarrie - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Infineon Raceway - Sonoma, CA
Tanner Foust - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, C
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - 2010 Formula DRIFT Champion

2011
Justin Pawlak - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Daijiro Yoshihara - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Justin Pawlak - Palm Beach International Raceway - Palm Beach, FL
Conrad Grunewald - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Daijiro Yoshihara - Evergreen Speedway - Monroe, WA
Rhys Millen - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV
Tyler McQuarrie - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
Daijiro Yoshihara - 2011 Formula DRIFT Champion

2012
Justin Pawlak - Streets of Long Beach - Long Beach, CA
Justin Pawlak - Road Atlanta - Braselton, GA
Daigo Saito - Palm Beach International Raceway - Palm Beach, FL
 Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Wall Speedway - Wall, NJ
Vaughn Gittin Jr. - Evergreen Speedway - Monroe, WA
????? - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV
????? - Toyota Speedway - Irwindale, CA
        ????? - 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion