Baltimore, Md.  – Over the weekend, Vaughn Gittin Jr. was in sizzling Sin City for Formula Drift Round 5 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Going into the event, Vaughn was 1^st in points overall and his #1 goal was to maintain his lead leaving Las Vegas. Vaughn not only left the event still leading the points chase for the Formula Drift Championship, but he took the 3^rd place spot atop the podium in the second-ever Falken Tire sweep.

It was a scorcher all weekend, but the extreme temperatures were not going to stop Vaughn or his Monster Energy/ Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang from tackling the custom-built, high-speed entry course. After throwing down two impressive runs during qualifying on Friday, Vaughn ended up snagging the 5^th place spot. .

Saturday’s main event brought out thousands of fans, eager to check out their favorite drivers and to catch all the up-close drifting action. Vaughn was just as excited to chat with the fans, sign some autographs, slap some high-fives, and pass out some limited-edition Mustang 5.0 hats.

For the top 32 elimination round, Vaughn was paired with Drift Alliance “Ace” Brian Wilkerson. Vaughn led first, holding a solid line and maintaining angle, while Wilkerson hustled to keep up with the Mustang. When it was Vaughn’s turn to give chase, he stuck to his competitor’s door throughout the course and did not let up once. The judges awarded him the win.

Vaughn would be matched with another Drift Alliance teammate, Ryan Tuerck, in his battle during the Sweet Sixteen. Vaughn led first and Tuerck tried to follow him in towards the wall, but instead took a much wider line causing him to tap the tire wall. Vaughn gave chase next and mimicked Tuerck’s every move while following close behind. The judges gave Vaughn the advantage and the win.

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August 24, 2010 (Signal Hill, Calif.) – It was hot at the fifth round of the 2010 Formula Drift Pro Championship, held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. But the heat didn’t deter Kyle Mohan, who drove his Nexen / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 to a score good enough to take second place in qualifying for Saturday’s tandem competition, the best qualifying performance of his Formula Drift career.

His score of 91.3 would be bettered only by two-time Formula Drift champion Samuel Hubinette, and would line him against Nikolay Konstantinov for the first top-32 tandem battle. With two textbook passes, Mohan eliminated Konstantinov to move into the top-16 for the first time in 2010, where he would face Alex Pfeiffer in the Tanaka Racing Chevrolet Corvette.

The Mazdatrix-built rotary engine under the hood of Mohan’s Mazda RX-8 was up to the task against the big V8 in the Corvette and Mohan and Pfeiffer had two close runs – so close that the judges called for a One More Time. After another two close runs, the judges ruled in favor of Pfeiffer and moved him on in the competition, ending Mohan’s day.

Still, Mohan was thrilled with the weekend and with adding sixty-four points to his season total, which advanced him eight positions in the Formula Drift Pro Championship.

“I guess we didn’t have enough to move past Alex, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes,” said Mohan afterwards. “Our Nexen / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 was really good through practice. We made some changes for qualifying and then it came alive – definitely the best it has felt all season. The Nexen N3000 tires were really consistent throughout the weekend – we only used one set of tires throughout all of Thursday practice because they weren’t wearing out or losing grip. The guys did a great job all weekend on the car and it didn’t skip a beat from the moment we brought it off the trailer.”

KMR now has a quick turnaround to be ready for the sixth round of the Formula Drift Pro Championship at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, which will be followed by the fifth round of the Redline Time Attack championship at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, Nevada. Mohan currently leads the Drift class championship in the Mazdatrix / Nexen Mazda RX-7.

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LAS VEGAS, NV (August 22 2010, SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING) – Samuel Hübinette drove his Samuel Hübinette Racing/BFGoodrich Dodge Challenger to the number one qualifying spot at this weekend’s Formula DRIFT round in Las Vegas.

“To qualify number one with a car that we debuted this year is fantastic,” said Hübinette. “After five rounds to show that we can be on top is a great accomplishment for the team.”

The two-time champion’s new racing organization, Samuel Hübinette Racing, debuted the new Dodge Challenger at the season opener in April. The team has been developing the vehicle for competition since the start of the year.

Hübinette performance thrilled the sell-out crowd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hübinette clocked some of the fastest speeds of the day, topping 100 plus miles per hour heading into the first corner and swinging sideways into a series of dramatic, smoky drifts.

The main event at Formula DRIFT’s Round 5: After Dark took place late in the day after the sun set on the sweltering Nevada desert. Temperatures hit 110 degrees over the weekend and track conditions were variable.  After earning the number one qualifying spot, Hübinette advanced into the Top 8 battle before he was eliminated by ultimate podium finisher Daijiro Yoshihara.

Hübinette is campaigning the series for the first time in his Dodge/BFGoodrich Challenger. The team has proven competitive at the opening four rounds of the series. Hübinette has never once failed to make the Top 16 round in Formula Drift competition.

“We are continuing to fine-tune the development of the new car this season and it was great to qualify on top, said crew chief Brad Manka. “A minor engine issue in the last two rounds of the day saw us head into our final rounds down on power, but qualifying number one proved without a doubt that we have a competitive package.” 

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete on a closed-course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. It is a sport that packs the thrills of traditional motorsport into an exciting, condensed version in front of enthusiastic fans. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world, seeing 20 per cent annual growth in the USA.

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LAS VEGAS, NV – It was an all-Team Falken night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as its Formula Drift team put on a show and once again took the top three spots.  Tyler McQuarrie earned his first podium this season and secured his career-first podium topping Formula D finish, winning the Vegas “After Dark” event, followed by Daijiro Yoshihara in 2nd and Vaughn Gittin, Jr., in 3rd.  Currently, Gittin, Jr., continues to lead the championship standings with his Monster Energy/Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang, followed by “Dai” in second place with Darren McNamara in 5th.  All five Team Falken factory drivers are in the top 10 (McQuarrie in 9th and Justin Pawlak in 10th.)

It was the second time in Falken’s Formula Drift program that the team swept the podium.  Falken previously performed the feat at New Jersey in 2009.  Thus far in 2010, Team Falken has earned nine podiums in just five events.

“This is why we are here!” exclaimed Jonathon Bradford, Falken’s Drift Team Supervisor.  “We had everything in place; the cars running great and the drivers excited to take on Vegas.  It was a good night, though it’s always tough to see our drivers have to compete against each other for the championship.”

Many competitor teams looked strong and came out in numbers as a total of 48 entries made the Vegas Formula Drift event. The Falken drivers showed consistency in practice as team engineers swarmed over the cars like bees discovering a new hive, getting them dialed in to make a run for the top spot and running cool while combating the scorching temperatures.  By the time the Top 4 were competing, it was Dai beating Vaughn, and McQuarrie defeating Tony Brakohiapa.  Gittin, Jr., went on to beat Brakohiapa to take 3rd, while McQuarrie, in his Nissan 350Z Convertible, took down Dai following mechanical issues, driving his Discount Tire Silvia S13 (240SX) in the final.  All Falken entrants, including its privateers, were shoed with Falken’s new Azenis RT-615K tire.

As always, the hospitality was kicked up a notch as Falken played host to 158 dealer guests, while the fans enjoyed the appearances of the Falken Spokesmodels who distributed Falken swag throughout the night.

“The Falken Tire Nissan 350Z ran perfect all weekend and crew at ASD nailed the proper set-up for this Vegas course,” noted a very happy McQuarrie.  “Man, it feels good to be on top.”

The action continues just three weeks away, as the teams return to California for Round 6 and rev up Infineon Raceway in Sonoma on September 10-11.

To learn more about the Falken Tire Formula Drift Team visit www.wegetyougoing.com

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Formula DRIFT Round 5: After Dark Results; Tyler McQuarrie Takes the Victory and Team Falken Tire Sweep the Podium

Long Beach, Calif.  August 22, 2010: Formula DRIFT returned to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Round 5: After Dark. Tyler McQuarrie piloting the Falken Tire Nissan 350Z found the top of the podium alongside his Falken Tire teammates for their 2nd ever sweep.

The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the event to a sell out crowd under the stars and lights in the Nevada desert. Round 5: After Dark featured the Vegas Pro Am finals, Fatlace One of One Showcase car show, Monster truck demonstration, Drag Races, and was highlighted with the Formula DRIFT championship competition. The competition heats up with only two events remaining in the 2010 Championship season.

This event in Las Vegas is challenging for everyone involved with Formula DRIFT including the staff, teams, and sponsors, but at the end of the day the event exceeded all expectations with a sell-out crowd, amazing competition, and a tightening chase for the Championship heading into Sonoma,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The level of competition is at an all-time high and teams are setting the bar for the sport of drifting worldwide.

The action filled weekend came down to a battle of the V8′s. Making the Top 4 for his first time, Tony Brakohiapa in the Cooper Tire / BSP Tuskegee Airmen Mustang went against point leader, Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang for third place. Gittin gained the victory and maintains the championship points lead. The final battle pitted Falken teammates Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 against Tyler McQuarrie in the Falken Tire Nissan 350Z. Mechanical problems forced Yoshihara to forfeit from the competition giving McQuarrie his first ever victory and moves him up the rankings into 9th place overall.

The Falken Tire Nissan 350Z was unreal in every practice and through qualifying. It was one of those events where I could just feel it, said Tyler McQuarrie, winner of Round 5: After Dark. “To get my first career victory here in Las Vegas feels incredible and for the Falken Tire team to get the second ever sweep in history is a milestone for the team.

McQuarrie will carry the momentum of the victory to the next stop of the Formula DRIFT championship at his hometown track for Round 6: Point of Impact on September 10-11. This is the last event before the Finals in October and the drivers will be sure to put it all on the line for a chance at the title. Tickets are available on-line. For more information and details visit the Formula DRIFT website at: www.formuladrift.com

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