JITB
05-07-2013, 02:30 AM
Words by: Perri Minot
Back into the routine for Formula D season. LI took a trip out to Long Beach to catch round 1. LThere are a lot of new cars and new changes to FD this year, so I was pretty excited to see how it all played out int he first round. LIt seems that a lot of the drivers held back a little bit at Long Beach because the track is surrounded by unforgiving walls. LWe are a little behind with the coverage, so I will just recap the weekend in short and catch everyone up to speed with what happened and whats going on as they head to Road Atlanta.
Photos by:LJason Scott (”)L&LPerri Minot (http://www.facebook.com/perriwithaneye)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8661856807_cda8e4eddb_b.jpg
It’s been a long, cold 6 months since hearing the roar of race engines charging down a track. This particular event marks the premiere of the 10th annual season of Formula Drift.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661884285_3e89562942_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8657327036_61ca94e685_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8657327036_61ca94e685_b.jpg)
My first time getting to see Long Beach and Dai Yoshihara was able to take home the win for the first time at Long Beach
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8663444817_842041a24b_b.jpg
A close look at Dai's mirror will catch Fredric Aasbo getting nudged right out of the Great 8.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8662983282_2dcea31525_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661889331_3c655cf154_b.jpg
This gives Dai a huge advantage at the start of the season and surely will drive his momentum toward another championship.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8663500579_456059ab29_b.jpg
The last time a perfect score had been achieved was during 2012’s 5th Round at Evergreen Speedway by Vaughn Gittin Jr.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8656223201_73e1625284_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8656223201_73e1625284_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8661882927_02596c0854_b.jpg
Following Vaughn Gittin’s big reveal for 2013, he has decided to form his own team as owner/driver.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8661888395_d9071cd505_b.jpg
AutoSport Dynamics (ASD) is still backing him and his car with Ian Stewart maintaining the helm as crew chief. Together, ASD and Gittin have proven the test of Formula D and continue to improve their competitive standings on the grid.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8656237651_61b88395c2_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8656237651_61b88395c2_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8662997098_88c787731e_b.jpg
Now paired with Nitto as a tire sponsor, Vaughn is confident to have put together a winning team.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8664599180_851661dd74_b.jpg
There were only a handful of times that Vaughn faced Daigo last year. Their first battle at Road Atlanta resulted in Daigo nudging out Vaughn during the Top 16.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8662952604_8a28fa9e4c_b.jpg
This time around it was only during practice, but the run is already gaining its own internet fame as detailed images of Vaughn’s de-beaded tire are in circulation. If you look closely enough, you can make out the Monster Mustang drifting on nothing but wheel. Examine the full size image here (http://pminnow.homeunix.net/giitn_saito_widepan.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8661829523_d27725e21c_b.jpg
For the past few years, Vaughn has not done as well at Long Beach. Finishing 2nd place will surely help as he won’t be needing as much of a late season comeback.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8662927630_412e9ed223_b.jpg
Vaughn currently sits in 2nd place going into Road Atlanta and while it is still early in the season, it will be interesting to see another battle of the drift titans.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8661832533_b8c9de3d0a_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8651129366_d742c6b725_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8651129366_d742c6b725_b.jpg)
It didn’t take too long to shake off the rust once i caught a glimpse of Forrest Wang bringing out his 2JZ powered S14 for practice.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8661835599_2023896666_b.jpg
Forrest Wang appears to be one of the most heavily supported drivers this season by fans and media alike.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661848273_305d1a27da_b.jpg
His huge following in XDC is currently predicting him to be an impressive contender. Seeing him drive his own hand-built car seems to be all the evidence necessary.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8179/7908685944_29a54f60e9_b.jpg
I got the opportunity to stop by Forrest’s “Get Nuts Lab” while on my 2012 FD Travels.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7908685720_874e7c90ef_b.jpg
The shop, located just outside of the Las Vegas strip, is a full featured custom fabrication shop where they truly live up to their name.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8661828499_12d180062b_b.jpg
Little did i realize at the time that this pretty little beast in the corner would turn out arguably the Best Looking Car of FD 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8662943312_ed17a8abc6_b.jpg
While some figure Forrest having been slower than the veteran drivers, Many will be looking forward to him picking up the pace as the season progresses.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8662937020_30f887ea3d_b.jpg
Ryan Tuerck has also joined the FRS/BRZ parade this year.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8661862713_cbabb6fdba_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8657327312_50ee33a025_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8657327312_50ee33a025_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/8647736158_3644ab4047_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/8647736158_3644ab4047_b.jpg)
This one is built by Portland Speed Industries and as impressive as it is on the track...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8664894397_a4fe08c031_b.jpg
It is equally as impressive under the hood and even the trunk. Several teams have made the call to relocate the radiator from the front of the car to the rear affording it better protection from front end collisions.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8662988316_88bf97205c_b.jpg
He made it all the way to the Top 8 before being taken out by Drift Alliance buddy Chris Forsberg.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8662989630_75990bddef_b.jpg
As you can tell from the two images above, Forsberg put on just a little more angle coming out of the final turn. One of the few points that can make all the difference in the judges eyes.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8662963728_c3540b6361_b.jpg
I am excited to see Taka Aono’s new livery on his Flying Starfighter Hachi!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8263/8662938124_92c6aec5dc_b.jpg
He is definitely moving through the course much faster than previous years as he too has improved his power and weight setup.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8662964302_94dcff241e_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661305513_24481e672b_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661305513_24481e672b_b.jpg)
Unfortunately MordauntPossum got the better of him with the twin turbo SC430. Pat Morduant doesn’t really play Possum on the track, but at Irwindale 2012, he did actually find a possum hiding under his hood and thus FD Announcer Jarod DeAnda has adopted the nick name.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8661869023_2e6d472332_b.jpg
Justin Pawlak had a hard fought comeback going into the Top 16. He had a nasty wreck during qualifying and luckily was able to get back on track to finish competing. He has won this event for the past 2 years in a row so there was a lot of pressure on him to maintain.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661881607_99d8e50fbd_b.jpg
The Drift Alliance brothers were forced into battle against each other as early as Top 16 when he was pitted against Ryan Tuerck. Justin went all out in his lead run, but wasn’t without slight corrections.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8662978120_58a53a1504_b.jpg
Justin probably didn’t expect this wall tap to cause Tuerck to slow up just a tad. All of the little details go into making the difficult final decision for the judges.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8653349047_a467f17aa1_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8653349047_a467f17aa1_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8662956442_1ba5982d25_b.jpg
It is of no doubt that Fredric Aasbo has grown to be one of the top performing drifters in the world.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8662975594_ba43a414ff_b.jpg
On his chase run against Daigo Saito, he stuck to Saito soo hard that the judges had no choice but to give him the win after 2 repeat battles.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8661894005_079e6b50fc_b.jpg
Ken Gushi threw everything he had at the Monster Mustang, but still fell short in the end. Still not a bad start to his 2013 season as well in 10th place!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8663442077_b3acba10be_b.jpg
Alex Lee has returned for his sophomore FD Season. This time with a few more sponsors.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8068/8190440045_125721f6b9_b.jpg
Last year he gained quite some attention drifting in one of the few remaining sedans on the FD grid.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8664539912_0fea14f0f7_b.jpg
This time around, the LS3 has found itself planted inside an Aristo / GS300 to stick with his Toyota theme.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8663443477_68694ac46c_b.jpg
The car looks amazing and Alex is quickly getting more and more comfortable behind the new setup.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8662947390_47a8d9b511_b.jpg
Toshiki Yoshioka is in a new Subaru BRZ chassis as well. He’s already got a competitive improvement over his last setup. Toshiki isn’t the only FD veteran with an awesome new setup/livery so feel free to check out any additional coverage from both Myself (”) and Jason Scott (”) while we continue to sift through the behind the scenes coverage from our trip.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8661857539_9628472b9f_b.jpg
Also be sure to follow us around on one of the following Social pages because Formula Drift Round 2 is the favorite amongst 99% of FD drivers, fans, and media alike and it’s right here in our backyard of Atlanta.
You can follow Southrnfresh on:
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/SOUTHRNFRESH/369346666943)
Instagram (http://instagram.com/southrnfresh)
Twitter (http://twitter.com/southrnfresh)
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/srfh/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8662953892_78301d0580_b.jpg
Follow more of Perri Minot Here (http://www.facebook.com/perriwithaneye)
Back into the routine for Formula D season. LI took a trip out to Long Beach to catch round 1. LThere are a lot of new cars and new changes to FD this year, so I was pretty excited to see how it all played out int he first round. LIt seems that a lot of the drivers held back a little bit at Long Beach because the track is surrounded by unforgiving walls. LWe are a little behind with the coverage, so I will just recap the weekend in short and catch everyone up to speed with what happened and whats going on as they head to Road Atlanta.
Photos by:LJason Scott (”)L&LPerri Minot (http://www.facebook.com/perriwithaneye)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8661856807_cda8e4eddb_b.jpg
It’s been a long, cold 6 months since hearing the roar of race engines charging down a track. This particular event marks the premiere of the 10th annual season of Formula Drift.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661884285_3e89562942_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8657327036_61ca94e685_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8657327036_61ca94e685_b.jpg)
My first time getting to see Long Beach and Dai Yoshihara was able to take home the win for the first time at Long Beach
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8663444817_842041a24b_b.jpg
A close look at Dai's mirror will catch Fredric Aasbo getting nudged right out of the Great 8.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8662983282_2dcea31525_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661889331_3c655cf154_b.jpg
This gives Dai a huge advantage at the start of the season and surely will drive his momentum toward another championship.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8247/8663500579_456059ab29_b.jpg
The last time a perfect score had been achieved was during 2012’s 5th Round at Evergreen Speedway by Vaughn Gittin Jr.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8656223201_73e1625284_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8112/8656223201_73e1625284_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8661882927_02596c0854_b.jpg
Following Vaughn Gittin’s big reveal for 2013, he has decided to form his own team as owner/driver.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8246/8661888395_d9071cd505_b.jpg
AutoSport Dynamics (ASD) is still backing him and his car with Ian Stewart maintaining the helm as crew chief. Together, ASD and Gittin have proven the test of Formula D and continue to improve their competitive standings on the grid.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8656237651_61b88395c2_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8656237651_61b88395c2_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8662997098_88c787731e_b.jpg
Now paired with Nitto as a tire sponsor, Vaughn is confident to have put together a winning team.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8664599180_851661dd74_b.jpg
There were only a handful of times that Vaughn faced Daigo last year. Their first battle at Road Atlanta resulted in Daigo nudging out Vaughn during the Top 16.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8265/8662952604_8a28fa9e4c_b.jpg
This time around it was only during practice, but the run is already gaining its own internet fame as detailed images of Vaughn’s de-beaded tire are in circulation. If you look closely enough, you can make out the Monster Mustang drifting on nothing but wheel. Examine the full size image here (http://pminnow.homeunix.net/giitn_saito_widepan.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8661829523_d27725e21c_b.jpg
For the past few years, Vaughn has not done as well at Long Beach. Finishing 2nd place will surely help as he won’t be needing as much of a late season comeback.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8662927630_412e9ed223_b.jpg
Vaughn currently sits in 2nd place going into Road Atlanta and while it is still early in the season, it will be interesting to see another battle of the drift titans.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8661832533_b8c9de3d0a_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8651129366_d742c6b725_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8651129366_d742c6b725_b.jpg)
It didn’t take too long to shake off the rust once i caught a glimpse of Forrest Wang bringing out his 2JZ powered S14 for practice.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8661835599_2023896666_b.jpg
Forrest Wang appears to be one of the most heavily supported drivers this season by fans and media alike.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661848273_305d1a27da_b.jpg
His huge following in XDC is currently predicting him to be an impressive contender. Seeing him drive his own hand-built car seems to be all the evidence necessary.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8179/7908685944_29a54f60e9_b.jpg
I got the opportunity to stop by Forrest’s “Get Nuts Lab” while on my 2012 FD Travels.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7908685720_874e7c90ef_b.jpg
The shop, located just outside of the Las Vegas strip, is a full featured custom fabrication shop where they truly live up to their name.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8661828499_12d180062b_b.jpg
Little did i realize at the time that this pretty little beast in the corner would turn out arguably the Best Looking Car of FD 2013.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8662943312_ed17a8abc6_b.jpg
While some figure Forrest having been slower than the veteran drivers, Many will be looking forward to him picking up the pace as the season progresses.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8662937020_30f887ea3d_b.jpg
Ryan Tuerck has also joined the FRS/BRZ parade this year.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8661862713_cbabb6fdba_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8657327312_50ee33a025_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8104/8657327312_50ee33a025_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/8647736158_3644ab4047_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/8647736158_3644ab4047_b.jpg)
This one is built by Portland Speed Industries and as impressive as it is on the track...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8664894397_a4fe08c031_b.jpg
It is equally as impressive under the hood and even the trunk. Several teams have made the call to relocate the radiator from the front of the car to the rear affording it better protection from front end collisions.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8662988316_88bf97205c_b.jpg
He made it all the way to the Top 8 before being taken out by Drift Alliance buddy Chris Forsberg.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8662989630_75990bddef_b.jpg
As you can tell from the two images above, Forsberg put on just a little more angle coming out of the final turn. One of the few points that can make all the difference in the judges eyes.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8264/8662963728_c3540b6361_b.jpg
I am excited to see Taka Aono’s new livery on his Flying Starfighter Hachi!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8263/8662938124_92c6aec5dc_b.jpg
He is definitely moving through the course much faster than previous years as he too has improved his power and weight setup.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8662964302_94dcff241e_b.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661305513_24481e672b_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8255/8661305513_24481e672b_b.jpg)
Unfortunately MordauntPossum got the better of him with the twin turbo SC430. Pat Morduant doesn’t really play Possum on the track, but at Irwindale 2012, he did actually find a possum hiding under his hood and thus FD Announcer Jarod DeAnda has adopted the nick name.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8257/8661869023_2e6d472332_b.jpg
Justin Pawlak had a hard fought comeback going into the Top 16. He had a nasty wreck during qualifying and luckily was able to get back on track to finish competing. He has won this event for the past 2 years in a row so there was a lot of pressure on him to maintain.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8661881607_99d8e50fbd_b.jpg
The Drift Alliance brothers were forced into battle against each other as early as Top 16 when he was pitted against Ryan Tuerck. Justin went all out in his lead run, but wasn’t without slight corrections.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8250/8662978120_58a53a1504_b.jpg
Justin probably didn’t expect this wall tap to cause Tuerck to slow up just a tad. All of the little details go into making the difficult final decision for the judges.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8653349047_a467f17aa1_b.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8106/8653349047_a467f17aa1_b.jpg)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8662956442_1ba5982d25_b.jpg
It is of no doubt that Fredric Aasbo has grown to be one of the top performing drifters in the world.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8254/8662975594_ba43a414ff_b.jpg
On his chase run against Daigo Saito, he stuck to Saito soo hard that the judges had no choice but to give him the win after 2 repeat battles.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8253/8661894005_079e6b50fc_b.jpg
Ken Gushi threw everything he had at the Monster Mustang, but still fell short in the end. Still not a bad start to his 2013 season as well in 10th place!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8663442077_b3acba10be_b.jpg
Alex Lee has returned for his sophomore FD Season. This time with a few more sponsors.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8068/8190440045_125721f6b9_b.jpg
Last year he gained quite some attention drifting in one of the few remaining sedans on the FD grid.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8248/8664539912_0fea14f0f7_b.jpg
This time around, the LS3 has found itself planted inside an Aristo / GS300 to stick with his Toyota theme.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8251/8663443477_68694ac46c_b.jpg
The car looks amazing and Alex is quickly getting more and more comfortable behind the new setup.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8249/8662947390_47a8d9b511_b.jpg
Toshiki Yoshioka is in a new Subaru BRZ chassis as well. He’s already got a competitive improvement over his last setup. Toshiki isn’t the only FD veteran with an awesome new setup/livery so feel free to check out any additional coverage from both Myself (”) and Jason Scott (”) while we continue to sift through the behind the scenes coverage from our trip.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8661857539_9628472b9f_b.jpg
Also be sure to follow us around on one of the following Social pages because Formula Drift Round 2 is the favorite amongst 99% of FD drivers, fans, and media alike and it’s right here in our backyard of Atlanta.
You can follow Southrnfresh on:
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/SOUTHRNFRESH/369346666943)
Instagram (http://instagram.com/southrnfresh)
Twitter (http://twitter.com/southrnfresh)
Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/srfh/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8259/8662953892_78301d0580_b.jpg
Follow more of Perri Minot Here (http://www.facebook.com/perriwithaneye)