The Keep Drifting Fun crew of Will Roegge and Joshua Herron has come back to life with a video trailer that we can only imagine means a video will be coming soon! The one minute and 45 second trailer features tons of grassroots action from around the country on their great exploration of drifting around the United States. Head to the link below to see the new trailer.
Mobil 1 is the official oil of NASCAR but also is the official oil of Formula Drift! On top of that partnership they have been partners with Wrecked Magazine since virtually day 1 and they wanted to share some information about the racing oil line. The Mobil 1 brand supported the last two champions Dai Yoshihara and Vaughn Gittin Jr. along with Ryan Tuerck at Gardella Racing and the whole Falken Tire fleet.
Mobil 1 Racing 0W-50 is a fully synthetic motor oil specifically designed to
maximize horsepower in a wide range of race engine applications, including
highly loaded flat tappet designs used in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
Mobil 1 Racing oils were engineered to help on-track vehicles reach the
peak of their performance potential.A Tradition of Racing Excellence
Mobil 1 Racing oil technology has been developed using our extensive
experience in premier automotive racing series around the world,
such as Formula 1, NASCAR, Le Mans, IRL, NHRA, Formula 3, SCCA GT and
ALMS and is also the official motor oil of Formula Drift. The variety of
demands that each racing series requires of a lubricant help us ensure
that Mobil 1 Racing oils can meet the extreme conditions encountered on
the race track.Engineered for the Track
These next-generation Mobil 1 Racing oils use race-proven, fully synthetic
technology used in racing applications around the world. The formulations
utilize low viscosity synthetic base oils and high levels of anti-wear
components to help maximize power output while not sacrificing engine
protection. Mobil 1 Racing oils are engineered to deliver performance
and protection for the most demanding race conditions, including
circle track, drag, drift, sprint and road racing.Features and Benefits of Mobil 1 0W-50
• Recommend for applications where a higher viscosity and thicker oil
film are required such as longer duration races where heat build-up
may be an issue.
• Recommended for a wide range of race engines including highly loaded
flat tappet designs.
• Boosted levels of anti-wear protection (zinc/phosphorus) well beyond
those of ordinary automotive oils.
• Exceptional high-temperature protection in high RPM engine operation,
even at temperatures up to 500° F (260° C).Source: http://mobil1racing.com/
Some huge questions have been surrounding the Gardella Racing program and if it will be at Formula Drift for 2012. With just over a month until Formula Drift Streets of Long Beach it seems like this team might not be attending the season opener or the 2012 season at all. Gary Gardella was reached out to by us and we have received nothing back from him.
Here is what we know in a quick little paragraph. For starters Nitto Tire just shot out a press release listing all the teams they are partnering with in 2012 and Gardella Racing wasn’t on the list. They don’t seemingly have a driver signed for the new year. We rumormilled about a partnership with Tyler McQuarrie and Gardella Racing as early as last October but we have confirmed that Tyler hasn’t signed a driver contract to date.
We have been told through other people (so completely hearsay) that Redbull Energy Drink walked away from the program at the end of 2011. The other big sponsor of the program Mobil 1 cannot confirm either way or tell me anything about the program. All in all it sounds like the team has had some big changes and struggles this off-season. Regardless of what the reality is we hope the team will show up in 2012 and perform well with a top driver.
The boys at RS*R are back again in 2012 with a S15 Silvia and D1GP star Toshiki Yoshioka. He is the only Japanese star to win a Formula Drift event and we can imagine his team is counting on that type of performance in 2012. Yoshioka was partnered with in Yokohama Tire in years past but for 2012 the RS*R team has optioned to go with Nitto Tire for the new year. What does everyone think of this new team in 2012?
According to the DSTROYR blog this is the ride that Tengku Djan will be running for the 2012 Formula D season in Asia. The car is also possibly participating in the D1GP series that will be held in Thailand but nothing is confirmed just yet. He is running Bridgestone Tires with the program and I am sure plans to have another successful run in Formula D Asia.
Source: DSTROYR.com
The 2012 season will be adding another Ford Mustang in the drift world with the help of BMI Racing. Due to Mazda retiring the Rx-8 they have put the car away and focused on this Mustang build. The Mustang will have a 5.0L coyote motor with a 2.9L Whipple supercharger. Sarah Burgess will be back driving the car in 2012 but the PR they issued doesn’t make a mention of where they will be competing with the new Mustang. They do have some notable partners such as Ford Racing, Aeromotive Fuel Systems, and SPEC Clutch.
A quick visit to the Formula Drift website and the sponsors tab will show off Yokohama Tire who hasn’t been around since securing some championships in the series what seems like decades ago. We also fired up a rumormill post that Maxxis Tire is coming back to drifting in 2012 but nothing confirmed with Formula Drift. Yokohama raises a good question of who will be running the tire this season but we imagine every driver or wannabe driver without a tire this late in the game is going to put in some due dillegence this weekend and make a phone call to the tire powerhouse on Monday looking for some sponsorship. Also a worthy mention is the addition of Electric Sunglasses which happens to be listed under MAJOR sponsors of the series for 2012.
The track owners have now spoken up and confirmed that we were right and the mainstream media just reposted crap they found in an old IRC channel. That probably isn’t entirely true but here are some facts the track OWNERS (not managers) released about the future of Irwindale.
STATEMENT FROM NU-WAY INDUSTRIES, INC.
There have been numerous rumors regarding Irwindale Speedway. Please permit
this statement to provide clarification:1) THE PERMANENT TRACK GRANDSTANDS ARE NOT (NOR ARE THEY IN ANY DANGER OF) BEING TORN DOWN. There was a report that the portable, temporary bleachers
outside the first turn were being dismantled. That is correct. Those
temporary stands were rented and the company that owned them was simply
removing their property.2) THE TRACK WAS NOT BUILT OVER A POTENTIAL MINING SITE, IT WAS A SAND AND
GRAVEL MINING SITE, AND AFTER MATERIALS EXTRACTION, BECAME A MINING
RECLAMATION PROJECT. THE SITE CANNOT BE MINED. There are a set of very
strict rules about the use and development of this sort of property, which
are being carefully followed. In 1993, the City of Irwindale approved the
site to be used as a Swap Meet, and in 1997, approved its use as Irwindale
Speedway.3) NU-WAY INDUSTRIES, INC. OWNS THE LAND, THE RACE TRACK, AND THE EQUIPMENT TO OPERATE THE TRACK. An entity called Irwindale Speedway, LLC. leased the
facility from Nu-Way Industries, Inc. On February 13, 2012, Irwindale
Speedway, LLC filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 7 of the
bankruptcy code.4) BECAUSE OF THE CHAPTER 7 BANKRUPTCY FILING BY IRWINDALE SPEEDWAY LLC,
THE COURT IS IN CONTROL OF THE PROPERTY AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER, NU-WAY
INDUSTRIES, INC. IS ACTIVELY SEEKING A POTENTIAL BUYER FOR THE COMPLETE
FACILITY. A hearing will be held soon in order to return the facility to
Nu-Way Industries, Inc. control.
The 22 year old Australian has been thrust into the media since Team Orange offered him a ride in the orange Subaru WRX for 2012 D1 Grand Prix Round 1 coming up in April. What started as a visit to the Yokohama Tire offices turned into a fun time at Ebisu Circuit. Advan from Australia captured the whole thing on video which you can follow after the jump below.
A rumor is floating around that Maxxis Tires might be returning with the MA-Z1 tire for the 2012 season. We did report that BFGoodrich has left drifting for this season so naturally the series has a good place for a replacement. Maxxis Tire at one point was one of the top programs in the sport backing up the likes of Chris Forsberg, Ryan Tuerck, Michael Essa, Joon Maeng, Tony Angelo along with a huge list of grassroots and local drivers. Maxxis Tire is the one of the few tires companies to have a championship under their belt with Chris Forsberg in 2009. The changing of the guard at Maxxis had them pull out of the sport but now they are looking to make a return for 2012! What drivers do you want to see running Maxxis?
