San Francisco, CA: Veteran Formula Drift driver Tony Brakohiapa of Top Cover Racing returns with a new Mustang to the 2011 Formula Drift Championship this weekend inLas Vegas,Nevada.
This season Brakohiapa drove his standard Mustang in overseas Formula Drift events inAbu DhabiandQatar, while inCaliforniahis team built a fresh Mustang drift car from absolute scratch. Brakohiapa is looking forward to debuting the new vehicle at the Vegas track, where he had a great result last year and came away with a top 4 finish.
The Mustang touts a unique integration of a 2011 front end with a 2005/09 rear section—a first in a motorsports application. An expected weight reduction of at least 300 lbs from the previous Mustang should make the new car even more competitive. A classic military star has been added to Top Cover’s distinctive Tuskegee Airmen Red-Tail livery.
Many hands brought the rescued 2005 Mustang back from perdition and all are eagerly awaiting its new career just in time for the Drift season’s last two events. The build-team included Sinergy Motorsports, Calfin Fabrication, Jordan Innovations, Gialmas Technical Innovations, Sam’s Autoland, LethalPerformance.com, amongst others.
Brakohiapa has proudly formed a new partnership with HESS Motorsports out of Anaheim Hills, CA. Hess Motorsports is a new high-end, multi-purpose, performance shop with extensive experience in street and racing applications. They provided suspension setup and scaling for the new mustang and will provide pit support for Brakohiapa inLas Vegas.
Brakohiapa would like to thank his sponsors for their continued support this year. Cooper Tire, Glazier Ironworks, Sam’s Autoland, Exedy, Eibach, Enkei, Seibon, Wilwood, Go Pro, Sparco, Anzo USA, Swanson Performance, Realperformancemustangs.com, Drivers Inc. and Shelly Ward Enterprises.