Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results
April 10, 2011
Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results;
Justin Pawlak Takes the Victory at the Season Opener
Long Beach, Calif. April 10, 2011 Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang earns the victory at the first event of the 2011 Formula DRIFT season. Matt Powers in the Need for Speed Nissan S14 takes second place with Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Nissan S13 rounding out the podium in third place.
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach provided fans with action and excitement through the weekend. The debut of new vehicles and new drivers added to the anticipation for the new season. The Driftstream brought live coverage to fans watching at home.
With any new season comes change, so seeing fresh faces to the podium is a part of that,” says Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. The level of driving skill continues to elevate. It is a sign that the 2011 season will be as competitive as ever. I would not be surprised to see more upsets and new faces to the podium.”
Justin Pawlak finds the top of the podium for the very first time in his career. Pawlak remained consistent through the rounds advancing to the Finals against Matt Powers. His consistency paid off and Pawlak was able to secure the victory. The consolation round pitted Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 against 2009 Formula DRIFT champion, Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z.
I owe it all to the guys at ASD and Falken Tire for this victory. Without them this could not have been possible, said Justin Pawlak, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. This victory feels unreal. I have worked so hard for this and cant believe Im on top to start out the season.
The 2011 Pro Championship season continues for Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta on May 6-7. Tickets are available to purchase online now.
For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com
Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2011 Point Standings after 1 Round | ||
1. Pawlak, Justin | Falken Tire Ford Mustang | 102 Points |
2. Powers, Matt | Need for Speed Nissan S14 | 94 Points |
3. Yoshihara, Daijiro | Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | 88 Points |
4. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z | 70 Points |
5. Mohan, Kyle | Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 | 69 Points |
6. Grunewald, Conrad | Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro | 66 Points |
7. Millen, Rhys | RMR / Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe | 65 Points |
8. Tuerck, Ryan | Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice | 63 Points |
9. Aasbo, Fredric | Need for Speed / Hankook Scion TC | 61.50 Points |
10. McNamara, Darren | Falken Tire Pontiac Saturn Sky | 58 Points |
11. McQuarrie, Tyler | Falken Tire Nissan 350Z | 57 Points |
11. Wilkerson, Walker | Intec Racing Nissan 240 | 57 Points |
13. Field, Matt | Fatlace Nissan 240SX | 56 Points |
14. Petty, Ross | Garage Boso / Falken Tire Nissan Silvia S15 | 55 Points |
14. Waldin, Matt | Helix Energy Drink Nissan 350Z | 55 Points |
16. Mertzanis, Dennis | Mertzanis Racing Nissan 240SX | 54.50 Points |
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results | ||
1. Pawlak, Justin | Falken Tire Ford Mustang | 1st Place |
2. Powers, Matt | Need for Speed Nissan S14 | 2nd Place |
3. Yoshihara, Daijiro | Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | 3rd Place |
Nate Hamilton S:2 E:1 Teaser -By: Corey Denomy (Video)
Nate Hamilton S:2 E:1 Teaser from Corey Denomy on Vimeo.
As Nate is now on his 2nd season of drifting in XDC. Here’s a short teaser and well run the ful episode on the 25th of this month.
Event Report] Formula Drift – Matt Waldin
West Chester, PA (PRWEB) – April 13th 2011, As spring time activities start to file into the northern hemisphere so does Formula Drift. The series kicked off in Long Beach, CA on April 8th and 9th and Matt Waldin was there to welcome in his teams first full season of Formula Drift. Long Beach is the kickoff spot on the tour but also has the least amount of practice time. Teams were given an hour and a half to master the course and setup drift cars to navigate the tight and wall lined streets of Long Beach, Ca.
Waldin and crew had the Helix Energy Drink 350z dialed in long before the car even got to the Pacific time zone. With only a few runs of practice the venue turned up the heat and went into qualifications. The stands were sold out and the fans were ready for some action. On the first run Waldin laid down a killer line slightly dragging the bumper on the first clipping zone. The Federal 595RS-R tires were working at their peak of grip and landed the team an 80.5 for the first run. This would be exactly what the team needed to secure a #13 qualifying spot.
The field of drivers had been whittled down to 32 spots for the big show and Matt was paired up with Charles Ng in the V8 powered Mazda. For the first lap Waldin led the pair into the course and put down a solid lean run. Switching things up, Charles led and the BC Racing suspension kept the car glued to Ng’s quarter panels. At the end of the run Ng parked it around the last clipping point and handed what was a close run to Waldin. The Waldin team rejoiced and prepped the car for the top 16 battle.
The top 16 battle ended up being dubbed “The battle of the Matts”. Waldin was paired up with Long Beach local Matt Powers. Powers was sporting a new engine that seemed to be working good for him all weekend. Powers ran a slightly shallow line for his lead run while Waldin followed close behind. When it was time for Waldin to lead he ran the qualifying line against the walls and needed a slight correction on the 2nd outer clipping zone which after deliberation, the judges handed Mr. Powers the win.
The next stop on the Formula D circuit is Atlanta, GA on May 6th and 7th. This venue boasts a 100+ MPH entry and separates the men from the boys. Atlanta is the birthplace of a lot of R&D for the Mishimoto product line that is found in the Helix Energy Drink 350z. Waldin states ” Keeping the car cool at this track used to be a daunting task, last year we made great improvements in the placement of the Mishimoto products to make sure we can keep the temps under control. Overheating is the last thing we have to worry about this year.”
Hübinette Dealt Tough Outing at Long Beach; Kearney Advances to Top 32
Two-time Formula DRIFT (FD) champ Samuel Hübinette is ready to put the season-opening FD Long Beach event in his rear-view mirror. Hübinette encountered mechanical problems in his Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR) Dodge Motorsports Dodge Challenger and was unable to make a qualifying run at Long Beach, forcing the “Crazy Swede” to miss the tandem drift elimination battles on Saturday, April 9.
Hübinette still gained some encouragement from the weekend, as his new SHR driver, Dean Kearney, qualified for the show at Long Beach in his Mopar-powered SHR Dodge Viper SRT10. Kearney qualified No. 28 and fell in the opening round to Rhys Millen.
“One of the two SHR/Dodge race vehicles made it in to the show at Long Beach,” said Hübinette. “Due to a mechanical problem with the Challenger it was not able to get out on time for the qualification runs on Friday. I’m very disappointed to not make it into the show, but at the same time I’m happy that my driver Dean Kearney qualified in his SHR V-LEDs Dodge Viper. We’ll head to Atlanta for Round 2, where I will get my chance to grab some very important points for my chase for a third championship.”
Next up is the Round Two Formula DRIFT event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga., May 6–7. For more information, visit http://www.formulad.com.
Emotional Podium Finish For Dai Yoshihara
April 9th kicked off the 8th season of Formula DRIFT in Long Beach, CA with thousands of spectators showing up to watch the first round of drifting in the 2011 season. Driving for the third consecutive year for Discount Tire / Falken Tire, Dai Yoshihara came out pumped and with a cause.
For the 2011 season, Dai decided to stay in his tried and true Nissan Silvia S13, but that was the only thing that stayed the same. The car took on a revised reversed color scheme livery from last year’s theme, received new suspension and motor modifications to conform to Formula DRIFT’s new technical specifications, and a set of prototype wheels from Dai’s own possible wheel line.
In Friday’s qualifying session, Dai displayed a great deal of confidence as he clocked in the fastest entry speed and took the second qualifying spot just a hair under first. Throughout Saturday’s competition, Dai drove with precision as he advanced himself into the finals. Dai eventually finished the day in third place after defeating 2009 Formula D champion, Chris Forsberg. “It was a crazy weekend,” explains Dai. “This first event was my revenge event since I didn’t do too well in the final round in Irwindale last year. Of course I wanted to win, but I am still happy with the outcome.”
In addition to the event, in the effort to help support Japan after last month’s tragic earthquake and tsunami’s, Dai went around the pits raising donation money during his free time between competition. With the help of his fans and Formula D teams and drivers, in only a few hours, Dai was able to raise over $1,400. Money raised from this event will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. “Today’s third place win was for the people of Japan; because of them, I had the strength to drive as hard as I could. I really appreciate everyone’s support today and I’m truly thankful,” describes Dai. To continue the efforts in supporting Japan, Dai has developed a new website for donation which can be viewed at www.rfjp.org.