Can’t make it to Formula Drift Long Beach this weekend?  No worries, just pull up a chair and scroll down to watch the whole thing live via the driftstream!  We will have this post at the top all weekend for your viewing pleasure!  Enjoy!

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Watch live video from driftstream on www.justin.tv

If you love drifting then I am sure you already have tickets to round one of Formula Drift this weekend in Long Beach so I am writing this for those of you out there who might still be on the fence about drifting or who like it but have never been to an event before.  Formula Drift’s show on the Streets Of Long Beach is one of their best, most anticipated, and most attended rounds of the entire year!  Long Beach is when the teams debut new cars and in some cases new drivers.  Then there is the fun of watching these guys attempt to slide their very expensive machines sideways at high speeds between two very unforgiving concrite walls!  If you want your first taste of drifting this event is definitely the place to get it.

The only catch is most of the seating is reserved for this event so you have to move fast before they sell out!  Hit up the official event page for info and tickets.

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WHO: Formula Drift

WHAT: Formula Drift Round  #1

WHERE: The Streets Of Downtown Long Beach, CA

WHY:  Because Driftcar

HOW MUCH: Tickets are approximately $40 each for reserved seats

INFO: http://www.formulad.com/schedule/pro-championship/long-beach.php

I just came back from the Formula Drift media/preview event and I was puzzled to see what looked like the Gardella Camaro but wearing a new wrap sporting GoPro and Mobil 1 as primary sponsors.  Just when I was getting ready to do some journalistic digging I saw none other than Tyler McQuarrie step out of the car and it all made sense!  A while back there were rumors that Tyler went to go see Gary Gardella over on the east coast and many thought they would be discussing a deal for Tyler to replace Ryan Tuerck as the Gardella Racing’s driver.  However, after a few minutes of speaking with Tyler I learned that what actually happend is that Tyler bought a controlling stake in Gardella’s team, effectively turning it into his own program. 

The exact details of the deal are being held close to the chest but the way Tyler explained it was that as of now he does not own the team 100% but rather it is a partnership with Gardella but Tyler is still in charge and calls the shots.  “Gardella was looking for a way out and I was trying to stay in” said McQuarrie.  Well it looks like the two were able to work out a solution which kept Tyler drifting and let Gardella take a much deserved vacation from the hectic life that is drift team ownership.  Replacing the Red Bull money that was previously on the Camaro is GoPro and Mobil 1. 

When I asked Tyler what it was like driving the Camaro versus his previous NASCAR powered 350Z.  Tyler says that the Camaro is “down on power” from the Z (his Camaro makes about 750HP while the 350Z had 800+) but he says that the decrease in power and torque actually makes the Camaro easier to drive and more forgiving than the 350Z.  His Camaro will also run on Yokohama Advan tires which “hold up really well” says Tyler.

All in all Tyler is happy to be back in Formula Drift and I know there are tons of fans that will be happy to see him back as well.  We wish you luck in the first round Tyler!

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