Triple digit temps and a new course configuration lit up the drivers at the fourth round of the 2009 Formula Drift series at Las Vegas. So far this season has been a real wild child. The odds of two-time defending champion Tanner Foust three-peating are greater than getting Megan Fox to wash my car. Here in Vegas Rhys Millen could not even score high enough to qualify. Another shocking DNQ was current points leader Darren McNamara whose Saturn Sky expired it’s V8 engine during practice. In an effort to keep him in the points Falken unceremoniously unseated Calvin Wan from his S15 but DMac couldn’t put a solid qualifying run together. The Falken crew did manage to score a big win after they somehow managed to tape JR Gittin’s Mustang back together in quick fashion after he hit the wall hard in practice. JR rode the wrinkled Ford to a 19th qualifying spot. Take a jump with me to see more from Las Vegas.

Continue reading "Formula Drift Vegas: Goin’ Big and Crappin’ Out" »

I first met Vaughn Gittin Jr. in a non-descript Maryland strip mall parking lot on a Wednesday night in September of 2001. He was hanging out at the kickoff party for the old Super Street Tour. He was introduced to me as a “drifter” but I was nonplussed. Keep in mind, at this point I had already been to Japan and witnessed Taniguchi manji the OG HKS S15 at Bihoku Highland. I was already a JDM drift fan boy with no time for a wannabe. Fast forward to last Saturday night and I see JR at a party. He is no longer the fresh-faced kid I remember. Now he walks with a swagger that can only come after running the high bank of Irwindale harder than the world’s best drifters. In this picture he’s riding the wall on the 100 mph first turn at the Red Bull event in his 2008 car, “Betsy”. On this day he would later tag the wall too hard retiring the car. But that’s his style – go big or… you know the rest. This year, poppa JR’s gotta a brand new bag. Hit the jump to see the video. As an added bonus check out the verbal smackdown he lays on Samuel Hubinette at the 1:57 mark.

Continue reading "Vaughn Gittin Jr and His Superbad Falken Drift 2010 Mustang GT" »

I was down in Los Angeles this weekend while Formula D was across the country in New Jersey, but I must say the Formula D crew did an amazing job keeping people like me updated via twitter.

Congrats to the Round 3 Winners!
Round 3: The Gauntlet Event Results
1. McNamara, Darren Falken / Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky
2. Tuerck, Ryan Gardella Racing / Mobil 1Pontiac Solstice
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Nissan 350Z

I got a firsthand look at Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Genesis bodykit packages at SEMA last year, and I thought the car was  pretty sweet. From what I can tell, the ride he’s racing in Formula D is sporting the same carbon fiber panels, and in addition to being drift-ready, it’ll be able to handle the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb and run time attack. But while a lot of development has gone into the new machine, Millen hasn’t been having the best season. The former champ is currently running 15th in the standings, and in this clip, he doesn’t sound too happy about the judging. Hopefully, he’ll have some better luck in New Jersey next weekend.

Formula D Long Beach was sick and I’m going to say that it was even sicker in the VIP style that the Rogue Status boys rolled!

Many people were shocked to hear that Tanner Foust would kick his old Nissan 350Z to the curb and take on a unproven platform like the Scion tC, but I think this past weekend showed everyone including myself that the guy knows what he’s doing. At the Formula D season opener Tanner was able to pull a third place finish in his brand new car. As for the car, it’s got a pretty decent build, including a 358-cubic-inch V8 from a former Busch Series NASCAR. The engine is rated at 650 horses with 450 ft pounds of torque. He’s running a four-speed G-force dog-engagement gearbox and Toyota Supra rear differential and rear suspension.

So what do you think of Tanner Foust’s new Scion Racing tC? More pics after the jump!

Continue reading "Tanner Foust’s Sick New Scion tC" »

This last weekend was the first round of Formula Drift 2009. The event was held at the crazy Streets of Long Beach where Formula D utilizes a portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix track. This year’s event was a little different, having a new bracketing structure where the top 32 cars go head-to-head right from the get go, creating more competition style racing for the fans.

In the end Ryan Tuerck took first place in the Gardella Racing/Mobile 1 Pontiac Soltice, followed by Samuel Hubinette in the NuFormz Racing/Mopar Dodge Viper. Tanner Foust took third in the Rockstar Scion Racing tC.

For more pics check out our Formula D gallery.

The start of Formula D is less than a day away. Do you have your tickets yet! I’ll see you there!

Next weekend, Ryan is heading down to Long Beach to check out the Formula D event for CarDomain. Based on the sweet video below, I can only bet that Ryan is going to have a great time. You can look forward to a ton of coverage soon–check it out!

In case you didn’t know Formula D kicks-off with the season opener in less than 8 days. The first event is always the craziest as the kings of drift take on the Streets of Long Beach and I can’t wait to see Vaughn Gittin Jr. in his new Mustang.  We’ll be at the Streets of Long Beach next weekend bringing you awesome coverage of the entire event.  If you see me, come say hi!

Now go buy your tickets and stay tuned for more coverage!!!

The results of our annual People’s Choice Awards are in! Congrats to all the winners and a big thanks to everyone who voted. And a huge shout out to Bud, our 2008 Showoff of the Year! So, without further ado…

1.      Best Tire Manufacturer: BFGoodrich

2.      Best Wheel Manufacturer: BBS

3.      Best Exhaust Manufacturer: Flowmaster

4.      Best Car Audio Manufacturer: Alpine

5.      Best Motor Oil: Mobil

6.      Best Video Game: Midnight Club LA

7.      Most Mod-Friendly Car: Ford Mustang

8.      Most Exciting New Vehicle Launch: 2010 Chevy Camaro

9.      Best Racing Series: Formula D

10.     Showoff of the Year: OrangeKrate

Looks like his RX8 will be a serious contender in Formula D next year.

At the Red Bull Drifting World Championships over the weekend, the best drifters in the world competed for a purse of $25,000 bucks, and the action was hot. Head over to the events section to get the complete results and check out pics from the brawl at Long Beach! And big-time thanks to Bosch for sponsoring this great coverage!

On Saturday, Tanner Foust didn’t come in first—Vaughn Gittin, Jr. took that honor—but he did became the first driver to win the Formula Drift championship two years in a row. Now, he’ll really have something to brag about when he starts hosting the American version of Top Gear! Samuel "the Crazy Swede" Hubinette took second, and Rhys Millen came in third. For more details on the action and tons of photos, head over to the events section.

While Tanner Foust took first in the latest Formula D race, in my opinion, his ride just isn’t as cool as Samuel Hubinette’s evil Mopar. So even though the Crazy Swede came in third, I wanted to use this pic for my post. Bad. And. Ass. For more photos of the action, head over to the events section!