Baltimore, Md. – The Need for Speed team rolled into Sin City for Round 5 of the Formula Drift Championship, located at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s custom-built, high-speed-entry course. The hot desert temperatures were not enough to keep a sell-out crowd from packing the stands for some up-close drifting action.
During top 32 qualifying on Friday, Matt Powers put down a solid run and earned himself a score of 71.6, landing him in 23rd place. During Mad Mike Whiddett’s top qualifying run, he clocked an entry speed of 81.1 MPH – one of the higher speeds of the day – and earned a score of 86 points. He held the 1st place spot for quite some time during qualifying, but after more and more drivers stepped up their game, Mike ended up taking 9th place out of the top 32 qualifiers.
Mike was paired with Irish drifter James Deane for his top 32 battle. Mike and his Team Need for Speed/ Red Bull RX-8 would lead first with an incredible run, as Deane pushed to stick with him. When it was Mike’s turn to give chase, he gave it all he had in order to stay glued to Deane’s door while following his line and maintaining intense angle.
Watch his run via the Drift Stream (skip to 0:26:33 to view). The judges were able to see Mike’s clear advantage and he was awarded the win. He was super excited to be moving on to the top 16 for the first time in his 2010 Formula Drift season.
Matt and his Team Need for Speed/ Nitto Tires S14 were paired with Justin Pawlak in the top 32 round. Matt gave chase first with a solid follow run. When leading, Matt put down another good run, but Pawlak was able to close the gap just a little more than Matt had, giving him the advantage. The judges would award Pawlak the win. Here is Matt’s top 32 run from the Drift Stream (skip to 0:31:30 to view).
“My car was feeling real good from the quick change thanks to Need for Speed and Twins Turbo,” says Matt. “I can’t wait for Sonoma, as it is one of my favorite tracks.” Check out this Drift Stream interview (view from 0:0:0) with Matt right before the top sixteen. To learn more about Matt’s weapon of choice, the Team Need for Speed/ Nitto Tires S14, go pick up September’s issue of Super Street Magazine on stands now.
Mad Mike was paired with the winner of Round 2 in Atlanta and Round 3 in New Jersey – Daijiro Yoshihara – for his Sweet Sixteen battle. Mike had battled against Yoshihara in the top 32 in Atlanta and had been knocked out. He was determined to put it all on the line this event in order to outdrive Dai, who has had an incredible 2010 season thus far.
“It was a great feeling to be in the parade after the national anthem and to have Team Need for Speed make the main event,” says Mike. “A huge thanks to V-LEDS for kitting the car out with full strobe cop lights and LED bulbs as a surprise for my Need for Speed crew to coincide with ‘Hot Pursuit’.” Check out Mike’s interview which was live on the Drift Stream (skip to 0:48:45 to view) before heading into the Sweet Sixteen.
Mike gave chase first and followed Dai’s fast, intense-angle entry all the way into the wall. He threw it in so hard trying to keep the same pace and angle as his competitor that he just wasn’t able to maintain, resulting in a spin right in front of the grandstands. The fans didn’t seem to mind as Mike waved out the window at the crowd who were on their feet screaming with excitement.
On the second pass, Mike put down an incredible run proving exactly why he had qualified top in the top 10. “My lead run was nuts,” says Mike. “My entry scared me as I scraped the large outside concrete wall at a speed of ninety miles per hour. It was an awesome run, but not enough to take the advantage from Dai.” When the Falken Tire smoke had settled, the judges deemed Yoshihara the winner. Mike would finish Round 5 in 10th place overall. Check out Mike’s top 16 run via the Drift Stream (skip to 1:23:00 to view).
The Need for Speed Electro Lounge was packed as usual on Saturday, with enthusiasts getting their chance to beat a high score in either Need for Speed Hot Pursuit or Need for Speed World. DJ Miki Taka was in presence keeping the beats flowing, with the occasional dance contest of course. “The blistering 105 degree weather couldn’t keep the fans away,” says Miki. “As the sun went down, we turned up the heat in the Need for Speed lounge while Mad Mike repped us in the top sixteen.”
At one point, “The Voice” of Formula Drift – Jarod DeAnda – made his way over to the Lounge to kick it with the NFS crew and fans, not to mention to steal the mic and do what he does best, entertain the crowd. Need for Speed girls Vanessa James and Courtney Day were on hand chatting with the fans and keeping the fun going all night long.
Next up on the Formula Drift nationwide tour, Team Need for Speed slides in Sonoma’s Infineon Raceway for Round 6: “Point of Impact”. With only two events left to go, you can bet that Team Need for Speed will be looking to get more top 16 action. Stay tuned!
For more information on Team Need for Speed visit NeedForSpeed.com, become a fan at Facebook.com/NeedForSpeed, or follow on Twitter @NeedforSpeed. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.
About Team Need for Speed
Team Need for Speed consists of an all-star roster of drivers renowned for their skill on the track and passion for the automotive lifestyle including Vaughn Gittin Jr. (Drift/USA), Christian Rado (Time Attack/USA), Matt Powers (Drift/USA), Darren McNamara (Drift/Europe), Edward Sandström (GT Racing/Europe), Patrick Söderlund (GT Racing/Europe) and Mad Mike Whiddett (Drift/USA, New Zealand, Japan).