All Drifting, More Drifting, Live Drifting!

Tanner Foust takes Sonoma

1st - Tanner Foust
2nd - Rhys Millen
3rd - Bill Sherman
4th - Ryan Tuerck

Final:

• R. Millen vs T. Foust

Final 4:

• R. Tuerck vs R. Millen
• T. Foust vs B. Sherman

Top 8:

• S. Hubinette vs R. Tuerck
• R. Millen vs C. Grunewald
• T. Foust vs V. Gittin
• B. Sherman vs C. Forsberg

Top 16:

• S. Hubinette vs R. Miki
• R. Tuerck vs K. Gushi
• R. Millen vs R. Nishida
• C. Grunewald vs K. Yamanaka
• T. Foust vs M. Takatori
• D. Yoshihara vs V. Gittin
• B. Sherman vs S. Verdier
• C. Forsberg vs K. Mohan

Qualifying:

1. Sam Hubinette - 97.00
2. Tanner Foust - 96.67
3. Bill Sherman - 96.42
4. Rhys Millen - 96.00
5. Conran Gruenwald - 94.5
6. Chris Forsberg - 94.5
7. Dai Yoshihara - 94.25
8. Ryan Tuerck - 93.83
9. Ken Gushi - 93.67
10. Vaughn Gitten Jr - 93.58
11. Kyle Mohan - 93.17
12. Kenji Yamanaka - 92.17
13. Robbie Nishida - 91.75
14. Steph Verdier - 91.75
15. M. Takatori - 91.17
16. Ryuji Miki - 90.72

Taka Leads the Charge into Sonoma!

Longtime grassroots supporter and DriftLive favorite, Taka Aono, has taken the top unseeded qualifying spot. Except when he is drifting his swank Cressida wagon, Taka is a hardcore AE86 driver, and has been behind the wheel of a Corolla since the early days of drifting in Southern California. Sonoma has not typically been a track that favors Corollas because climbing back up the hill after the huge slid down tends to require some power. Hopefully the turbo setup that Taka is running proves up to the task.

Unseeded Qualifiers:

1. Taka Aono 92.17
2. Kenji Yamanaka 91.58
3. Justin Pawlak 90.67
4. Bill Sherman 90.25
5. M. Haraguchi 89.75
6. T. Yoshioka 88.50
7. Tony Brakahopia 88.33
8. Tony Angelo 85.83
9. JT Wharerau 84.17 92.2mph
10. Blake Fuller 84.17 86.9mph
11. Quoc Ly 84.00
12. Hiro Sumida 83.50 94.8mph
13. Patrick Mordaunt 83.50 84.9mph
14. Steph Papadakis 83.08
15. Ross Petty 82.92
16. Y. Kondo 82.50

———
Calvin Wan 81.58
Tyler McQuarrie 81.33

All Ties are broken by entry speeds.

Results from everythingdrift.com

Vaughn Gittin Jr Found Barefoot

Vaughn Gittin has just announced he is giving away a pair of his custom made DC Shoe Co Captain America #25 racing kicks. Enter at: www.vaughngittin.com

Setting the Stage for Sonoma

The Boys are Back in Town:
Samuel Hubinette is back in a Viper and back in first place. Rhys Millen just took his second event win of the season. Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette have long dominated the Formula D Championship series, and it looks like they are interested in retaking their crown(s) after a “rebuilding” season in 2007. Collectively they have won 3 out of the 4 season run since 2004, and consistently find themselves on the podium. Tanner Foust is currently running second in points, followed closely by Daijiro Yoshihara

What Lies Ahead:
After another strong finish from Rhys at Washington, he has closed Samuel’s lead to 54 points, but with only 2 events remaining in the series, 54 points is a steep hill to climb. In his drifting career, Sam has only failed to make the top 16 a single time, during the 2007 season at Road Atlanta. The maximum number of points that Rhys could earn with two first place finishes is 216. A bit of quick math (216 - 54 = 162) reveals that not only does Rhys have to place well, he needs Sam to place poorly. Considering that Sam has only failed to make Top 16 a single time (Road Atlanta 2007), Rhys may need to try to grab a low qualifying spot at the next two events and try to take his destiny into his own hands. Considering his 14th spot at Washington, Rhys may already be thinking along these lines.

Let us not forget Tanner Foust and Daijiro Yoshihara. Both drivers have the necessary skills and well prepared vehicles. Tanner took the championship last year thanks, in no small part, to his strong qualifying record and rock solid consistency. Daijiro’s GTO has elevated his threat level, and may end up being a roadblock for teammate Rhys on his road to Championship #2.

Sonoma History Lessons:
Tanner was the top qualifier last year at Sonoma, but was knocked out in the Top 8 by Vaughn Gittin Jr. Rhys and Sam were also knocked out in the Top 8 in 2007 by Conrad Grunewald and Chris Forsberg respectively. Chris went on to win the Sonoma event with Gittin placing second and Gushi and Grunewald rounding out the top 4. In 2006 Rhys took the podium with Sam in the 4th spot. Daijiro and Tanner both got knocked out in the round of 16.

Drift Don’t Ya Know 3 aka DDYK3

Enjoy more pictures of cars as they slide sideways and turn tires into sweet vapor!

Wrecked Magazine: Issue #6

Just Drift: Top Drift Battle!

Southern California hits the track. Drifting ensues. Cressida wagon drift pics warm my heart!

2008 D1 Grand Prix Ebisu Round 6

Just Drift and the New Federal 595EVO

This past weekend I had the opportunity to head out the the Horse Thief Mile track at Willow Springs Raceway and see the new Federal Tires 595EVO in action. Just Drift! teamed up with their title sponsor Federal Tires and put on a great event to introduce their new street performance tire. In addition to Federal Tire CEO Shu Jam Ma, the Just Drift! team was on hand to show off the new tires, including Federal sponsored driver Henry Shelly, just back from the Formula D exhibition in Monterey Mexico.

If ever there was a test bed for both man and machine, it probably looks something like Willow Springs Raceway in August. The temperature gauge in my car said 104 Fahrenheit but the track temperatures were enough to make it uncomfortable to stand in one place for too long, lest your shoes start to get soft. Shade was a rare commodity, and even in the shade, you can’t really escape the heat. The test vehicles consisted of a number of SR20 equipped Nissan 240sx and a Turbo Mazda RX-7, sporting a number of different tire widths and diameters. The morning session was designed to give the drivers an opportunity to try out the new 595EVO and get comfortable.

Half way though the day, Federal Tires corralled us all into the Balcony for a nice air conditioned lunch that included bacon and delicious carrot cake. During lunch, the drivers were impressed with the new tires. The Federal 595EVO delivered strong grip and demonstrated consistent tread wear despite the harsh track conditions. According to MA, the new tires are the next generation of Federal’s 595 performance tire and boast improved handling, water evacuation and reduced road noise. The 595EVO is available in 20 sizes, ranging from 17 inches to 20 inches, 55-series through 30-series.

After lunch the Federal Tires Drift Team took the media out for hot laps. For many it was their first time in a race car, which always gets a smile. Once everyone had a chance to feel the new tires first hand, Federal CEO Shu Jam Ma took the time to discuss some of his intent to continue and increase support of grassroots motorspot here in the United States. He discussed Dai’s Drifting Academy and Just Drift as a pathways to introduce new talent to the sport of drifting and his intent to raise the visibility of Federal Tires in the sport. I for one look forward to trying out a set of 595EVOs on the Mustang. I’m sure it will make my commute to work all that more interesting.

If you are not from the Los Angeles area, maybe you recognize Willow Springs from it’s appearance in Top Gear. In case you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, Just Drift! is a Southern California based drifting event organization. More information on Federal Tires can be found on their website www.federaltire.com.

Alison Merion… South of the Border… in Mexico

Formula D held its’ inagural event in Mexico this past weekend and we have photographic evidence. Click here for the full gallery