At the relatively cool (95 degrees at midnight) Las Vegas Motorspeedway Formula Drift was burning up tires left and right as a full field of drivers were battling for a round 5 win in sin city. However it was Team Falken Tire that burned more rubber than anyone by sending three drivers to the final four, then dominating the podium with Vaughn Gittin Jr. taking third place and Dai Yoshihara taking second place after having mechanical problems before his battle with Tyler McQuarrie who took the top spot overall. This is the second time that Falken has had a podium sweep and with their roster of talent I doubt it will be the last time.
They’re also enjoying championship battle success as only 22 points separate points leader Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Dai Yoshihara in the standings. With only two rounds left (Sonoma and Irwindale) it is hardly a done deal. Just because both drivers are on the same team, don’t expect them to go easy on each other!
Starting at 4pm pacific time you can watch a live feed of Formula Drift Round 5 Las Vegas right here! Just scroll down below and hit play in the video box!
Here is an awesome video creation by our buddy Ross Fairfield of Dead Pirate Productions. This is a great overview edit of Formula Drift Seattle, but honestly my favorite part about this is the soundtrack. Turn up your speakers, scroll down below, hit play, and you’ll see what I mean!
This is the latest creation from Josh Herron and Will Roegge AKA “The Pharrell and Chad of car videos”. In this piece you get to experience Formula D Seattle from Chris Forsberg’s POV. FYI this entire video was shot on Contour HD action cameras. Scroll down and enjoy!
In 2007 Tanner Foust earned the nick name “Golden Child” by winning X Games Rally gold and winning the Formula Drift championship all in the same year. Since then hes had some significant success (he followed up his ‘07 Formula Drift championship with another in ‘08) but this year Tanner is in position to raise the bar for himself yet again by winning two gold medals at X Games 16. The first in head to head rally racing then again in the 4 car mayhem known as “Super Rally”.
Head to head rally racing could only be described as chaotic. Things were shaping up ok but after Friday’s practice many of the rally drivers felt that the course design was too tight. This left the drivers meeting with track officials Saturday morning about possibly re-configuring the course lay out. The driver’s got their wish and the course was changed but by the time the changes were complete there was no time for the drivers to practice on the new configuration. To add to the tension the drivers were feeling from no practice time was the red-flag rule hanging over their heads. In short the red-flag rule states that if a driver deviates from the designated course they will instantly be “red flagged” and if you get red flagged it is an automatic disqualification from that heat.
This combination resulted in nearly every heads up rally racing heat ending with a red flag disqualification. Including the final battle between Tanner Foust and fellow Rockstar Energy/Ford Racing driver Brian Deegan. You can watch their battle below.
After the pandemonium of head to head rally racing was over it was time for the event that everyone was waiting for: the 4 car tandem “Super Rally”. In the Super Rally race 4 cars at a time all race against each other in a 4 lap heat. To mix things up each driver is required to use the “Joker Lane.” The Joker Lane is a slightly longer path through the course that included the massive gap jump. The tricky part about this was that the drivers could choose when they wanted to take the Joker lane. Since no one knew what driver would take the Joker lane at what time no one knew what to expect or when to expect it!
After four heats the final was dominated by professional drivers as Verdier, Foust, and Hubinette all lined up against the only non-drifter Brian Deegan. You can see how the final Super Rally battle played out below:
With Formula D drivers dominating the X Games rally, could this mean we might see more action sports and rally drivers like Ken Block and Travis Pastrana take up drifting to improve their skill set? Probably not, but it would be interesting to see!
All in all despite the confusion during the head to head rally racing Super Rally more than made up for everything and definitely looks like the sport could have a BIG future on American soil.
Check out the newest video by Mark Lenardon featuring our buddies at BMI Racing. This video is expertly cut and really does BMI’s four rotor Mazda RX-8 justice! Scroll down and enjoy!
Check out the latest edit by super talented Cinematographer Will Roegge. In this piece we get to know a little bit more about Team Need For Speed Drift drivers Matt Powers and Mad Mike Whiddett. Scroll down and enjoy!
Formula Drift got crazy in Seattle over the weekend! Nothing turned out the way most thought it would and there were some wicked crashes. The worst of which involved Taka Aono who unfortunately broke his Tibia (but was reported to be back at the track by the great 8 wearing a cast). In other news BMI Racing debuted Snap-On Tools as a new sponsor but what is probably the biggest news is that Tanner Foust snuck up on everyone and captured his first win of the season with Ryan Tuerck taking second and Darren McNamara grabbing third. By taking the win in Seattle he has moved up to second place in the points standings, passing up Dai Yoshihara and Ryan Tuerck.
In a bit of breaking news we have just learned that our friends from BMI Racing has just signed a sponsorship deal with Snap-On tools supporting their one of a kind Mazda RX-8 4-rotor drift car for the Formula Drift “Throwdown” round this weekend in Seattle and the upcoming Formula Drift “After Dark” round in Las Vegas. This is huge news for the small team with the big sounding car that has been making waves all season. We would like to extend our congrats to Adam & Sarah Burgess and also to their driver Drift Alliance Ace Brian Wilkerson. Check out the press release below for all the details.
Press Release:
Snap-on to Sponsor Formula Drift Team BMI Racing and Driver Brian Wilkerson
Snap-on will Sponsor BMI Team in Formula Drift Rounds 4 and 5
KENOSHA, Wis. - July 8, 2010 -Snap-on, the most innovative tool company in the world and space, will sponsor BMI Racing and driver Brian Wilkerson in the most innovative racing series in the world, Formula Drift. Snap-on will serve as the primary sponsor for driver Brian Wilkerson and the BMI Racing Formula Drift Snap-on RX8 4 Rotor car at the Formula Drift “Throwdown” event in Evergreen, Wash. on July 9-10 and the “After Dark” race August 20-21 in Las Vegas.
“After attending the recent Skills USA competition and seeing how well received the BMI Racing Formula Drift team was there, we felt that it would be a great opportunity for Snap-on to get involved even more with Formula Drift by sponsoring BMI Racing and Brian,” said Alicia Smales, vice president of marketing for Snap-on Tools. “Snap-on’s association with Formula Drift gives us a great vehicle to interact with a different segment of our customer base. In addition, the Formula Drift events also give us a chance to entertain customers and show them the latest and greatest technology and products that Snap-on has to offer.”
Wilkerson’s BMI Racing’s Drift car will feature the Snap-on logo and special scheme for those two races. Snap-on will also have franchisee vans at the racing venues for the two Drift events. Snap-on has been involved with Formula Drift racing in each of the previous two seasons.
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motor sport that calls for drivers to control a 200 horsepower to 700 horsepower car while it slides sideways at high speed through a marked course. It is similar to rally racing, but is held on a closed course and judged on execution and style rather than finishing the course fastest.
Snap-on Tools is a subsidiary of Snap-on Incorporated, a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, diagnostics and equipment solutions for professional users. Product lines include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions which are used by technicians and professionals at vehicle dealerships and repair centers and in the marine, powersports and aviation industries. Snap-on Tools is one of the largest non-food franchise companies in the world, selling its products through more than 4,500 franchisees worldwide and through company-direct sales and over the Internet. Snap-on Incorporated, which was founded in 1920, is a $2.4 billion, S&P 500 company located in Kenosha, Wis. with operations throughout the world. For additional information, visit www.snapon.com.
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