Juicebox Has Weekend To Remember In New Car

JUICEBOX HAS WEEKEND TO REMEMBER IN NEW CAR

August 14, 2008 (Playa del Rey, Calif.) – Patrick Mordaunt knew the pressure was on when a video of him practicing in the Braille Auto 350Z convertible began to circulate on the internet a week before the fifth round of the Formula Drift Pro Championship at Evergreen Raceway in Monroe, Washington. The newest member of Blake Fuller’s Braille Auto Drift Team was looking for another strong performance in his rookie season, and wheeling the 350Z for the first time meant there would be a lot of eyes on him.

Mordaunt didn’t disappoint, throwing down a 92 in top-32 qualifying and putting the Braille Auto / RiceBoyTV.com 350Z in first after Friday’s round of qualifying. It was a performance that raised eyebrows throughout the Formula Drift paddock – and one that nearly didn’t happen, after the steering rack in the 350Z packed it in.

Replacing the steering rack became a family affair. One was sourced at M-Workz in Southern California. Mordaunt’s mom, Maria, took Mike Foldenauer from M-Workz, and the new rack, to the airport and sent him to Seattle. Father Dave was waiting for him to drive him straight to the track to get the rack installed before unseeded qualifying, with extra help from the Rockstar Drift team. As a result, Mordaunt had no practice on Friday, but managed to crack off a run good enough for first.

“I think there were a lot of people that were surprised,” said Mordaunt. “I’m still getting used to the car, but it performed well here on this course and was easy to drive at the limit.”

During Saturday’s top-16 qualifying, Mordaunt and the 350Z looked strong but would end up missing the cut for tandem competition by a mere seven-tenths of a point. However, Mordaunt was more than happy with how things turned out in his first competition in the Braille Auto / RiceBoyTV.com Nissan 350Z.

“I’m glad we came out of the gate strong,” said Mordaunt. “Blake (Fuller) has been offering lots of encouragement about getting in the car and I’m glad we put on a good show for our sponsors and for Braille Auto. I’m grateful he gave me the opportunity to drive this car. Being so close to the top-16 – again – is disappointing, for sure. But with a little more practice and car development, we’ll be putting in strong performances at Infineon and Irwindale.”

About PMRacing

PMRacing competes in the Formula Drift Pro Championship with driver Patrick Mordaunt and the Braille Auto Nissan 350Z convertible, with support from Braille Battery, RiceBoyTV.com, Cooper Tire, Dual Audio | Video, Performance Factory, Sparco and Brian Crower. For more information, visit www.patrickmordaunt.com.

Patrick’s Formula Drift season is also chronicled on RiceBoyTV.com, in their Slider’s Ed series. The weekend from Evergreen Raceway will be chronicled in Slider’s Ed episode six.