
EverythingDrift: Congratulations on making top 16 at your first Formula D event! What were your goals going into your first Formula D event?
Justin T. Pawlak: I knew going into the event that this was the real thing. I knew I wouldn’t get a lot of practice time before qualifying started, and when I spun after my first run out and struggled to link the course on my second run, I wasn’t feeling too confident. Everyone else was already linking the course, and I was still learning it. But I put down a solid first run in top 32 qualifying, and ran a safe second run to make sure I got in. When I found out I qualified 2nd in unseeded qualifying, it did a lot to boost my confidence, and made it easier to sleep at night.
On Saturday, I tried some new things in practice to try and run faster. When it came time to qualify, I mis-shifted and screwed up my run, so I knew I had to put it down for my 2nd run. I pulled all the tricks out for my second run and after I finished, I ran up to the judges stand to see where I stood. I was relieved when I saw that I was pretty high up on the board and had a good chance of getting into top 16. After I knew I was in top 16 and when I saw the draw, I was delighted. I had accomplished what I had set out to accomplish going into the event, and I didn’t have anything to lose. I threw everything out there against Hampshaa but made some small mistakes and he beat me. If I was going to lose, I’m glad I lost to my Drift Alliance and Maxxis teammate, I was happy to see him go on.

JTP: National Wave (http://www.thenationalwave.com) is a foundation which raises money and awareness for non-profit organizations for stem cell research, brain trauma as well as other charities. They approached me just before Formula D with an offer, and we went through some negotiations and signed just in time for Long Beach. The team will be myself and Lance Feliciano for Formula D and select NOPI events for 2008. The scheme at Long Beach was just temporary since the deal was finalized so late before the first event, the car is being repainted now and will have a whole different paint and vinyl scheme in Atlanta.
I like the idea that I’m driving for a sponsor that has meaning behind it, and it’s not just for the money or glory. My sister passed away from brain cancer in 2004, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to do something in honor of her. I like that the money that is being raised goes to helping others. I want to be able to setup a charity in remembrance of her, and I think National Wave will be able to help me with that while also helping out my drifting.

JTP: Before, I was a one man show. Driving the car, changing wheels and tires, working on the car between rounds, I did everything. Occasionally I’d have some friends come out to an event and help me out, but I was running as a privateer. After I won NOPI Drift in LA, we started talking about it, and I decided it would be a good idea. They helped me a lot in getting ready for the event, and we sort of bonded around it. I definitely couldn’t have done it without their help, and seeing how they worked together, really made me glad to be apart of the best team in America. Since then, it’s been awesome. Just today I was sitting around and Chris Forsberg called me up and was telling me that him and Kevin were talking about some setup stuff for my car. Chris used to have an FC, so he is pretty good at setting them up. Having someone who calls you in the middle of their busy day to tell you that they want to help you with your car is just awesome. I know they’re down for me, and of course I’m down for them too.
ED: Last year you drove at some NOPI Drift events and had some success. How different is Formula D for you?
JTP: Last year I was number 2 qualifier at LA and won the event with just a few runs of practice, then at Nationals I qualified number 1 but had car problems in tandem. Driving NOPI was a big confidence booster, I didn’t drive hardly at all the year before that, and it was good to be able to get back into the swing of things. Nationals was a big let down because I drove well, but had wiring problems and couldn’t finish the event. It really showed me how important car prep is. In the off season, I re-wired the whole car, and took out all the ‘question marks’ in my car. My first FD event was a whole different experience and it was a big reality check. It really felt like a professional event, I barely felt like I was ready for something that big. When I came off the trailer and spun on my first practice run and barely linked the course on my second run while everyone else was already tearing it up, it was a bit intimidating. But I got through it, and here I am!
ED: This isn’t the first year you’ve had a license, you tore it up at the ProAm event in 2006. Why didn’t you drive in FD last year?
JTP: After the first Laughlin ProAm nationals, I did pretty good, and a sponsor stepped forward and told me that they wanted to work on something with me. At the last minute, things didn’t work out, and I already had a good relationship with Dunlop so I decided that it would be better to stick with my previous sponsor and work with them on some demos and D1. They stepped it up and supported me a lot with product, and I think it worked out better for me in the long run. I got a lot better last year and it gave me a chance to work out some bugs in my car and get experience, especially experience driving in front of crowds. I got my license again this year at ProAm, and now I feel like I’m better prepared to make an impact.

JTP: I finished up school at UTI (Universal Technical Institute) in Phoenix, and applied to a job at AEM off their website. One of my professors had a contact at AEM and gave me a good reference, and I pretty much landed the job at the interview. I moved out to LA from Phoenix not knowing a single person out here. I had played with a few RX7’s back in Phoenix and decided to buy one when I got here, and just started building it and eventually started competing in it. That same FC is the one I am driving in FD this year. I was working in tech support for 1.5 years and driving on the weekends, and Steph saw my car one day and started asking me about it. From there, he was telling me about how they were going to be building a car for Tanner, and he asked me if I would help him with it. The catch was I had to find someone to replace me in tech, so I ended up getting Henry Schelley hired there to do my old job so that I could move over to the race team.
Anyways, I moved over to the race team and helped build Tanners car. It was about 2.5 months of ordering parts and waiting, and then we got the car back from paint and body 10 days before the first Formula D event in 2005 and I spent 10 days working 18-20 hours a day to get it ready. After we finished the car for AEM and Tanner, I moved on to pursue other opportunities and especially my driving. But I still keep in contact, especially with Tanner. When we were setting up his car, he told me how he wanted it setup and also why he wanted it set it up that way, which taught me a lot about why a drift car is setup the way it is.

JTP: I really want to place top 16 at every event, and if I can do that, I should be able to finish top 8 overall for the season. Ideally, I’ll be rookie of the year, but I know I have some tough competition from guys like Takatori, Yoshioka, and JT Wharerau from New Zealand. I’m also getting married in September, so it’s going to be a busy year.
Check out Justin throughout the season on JustinPawlakRacing.com and DriftAlliance.com