We have a new blogger in the Drivers Lounge by the name of Tyler McQuarrie. He currently is wheeling around the Falken Tire Nissan 350z convertible. The 2009 season he finished in third place and we think he will do even better for the 2010 season. He already has a great introduction posted up to go ahead and check it out. Don’t forget to RSS/Bookmark/Visit Daily to see what Tyler has going on.

New Wrecked Magazine Blogger: http://wreckedmagazine.com/tylermcquarrie/

Just got off the phone with Nick Hogan a few minutes ago and he filled me in on his 2010 plans. He will be driving a black Nissan 350z that is turbocharged. This is a different car from the one he drove to third place at NOPI Pittsburgh a few years ago. That car will be a backup car if needed for the season.

His charity Keep It Off the Streets will be his sponsor currently and he has no tire sponsor but is looking for one for the XDC season. He won’t be racing at Irwindale with the car not prepared but Vegas will be his first event.

Matt Powers announced on Ziptied today he will have Nitto Tire for his S14 in 2010. He ran Nitto Tires in Panama and got the relationship going it looks like for the 2010 season. Matt finished up the 2009 season with a fourth place finish at Irwindale Speedway. Congrats to Matt and his whole crew for landing that deal for the new season.

Kyle Mohan Racing has made the move for 2010 over to Nexen Tire. This announcement comes just a few days after Nexen announced it’s arrival in the Formula Drift series along with the sponsorship of rookie Cyrus Martinez and veteran Taka Aono. Below is what Kyle has to say about the new team acquisition.

“This is really great news for my team, and for all of the sponsors and partners that have supported us over the past four seasons,” said Mohan. “Adding Nexen Tire as our title sponsor will help us elevate our program and give us what we need to continue to compete in Formula Drift. We have already tested their tires and were very impressed with the grip and wear that we got out of them, so I am really looking forward to getting back on track this season.”

We just got a PR from the guys at Intec Racing stating they have a new title sponsor for Formula Drift in 2010. The company is V-LEDS.com which will be promoting it’s line of LED and HID lights. “V-LEDS has a great product, and our race cars have always been a blend of function and fashion which fits perfectly with the goals of V-LEDS . We couldn’t have asked for a better sponsor” speaks Lawrence Ojas from Intec Racing. The PR states they are still looking for a tire sponsor for the 2010 Formula Drift season, anyone?

A few issues back we wrote an issue about Tony Angelo being the new sheriff in town and it looks like this has finally come true. Due to his extensive knowledge  he has been elected Formula drift Technical Manager. The position focuses primarily on competition vehicle compliance and enforcement of Formula DRIFT technical regulations as stated in the Formula DRIFT rulebook. Tony took to his Wrecked Magazine blog to talk about him taking the position.

“Well, after a successful first year as a Formula Drift judge, I have been brought on to take over the role of Technical Manager.  I’ve been involved in technical regulations for awhile now. I have been involved in every facet of drifting, from racing to judging, building cars,  tech inspections and track setup since 2003, this experience made it possible for me to assume this new role with confidence. I revised the chassis rules at the end of last year, with some major changes that will allow many different cars and drivetrain setups to run at very similar levels on the track. I’ve been very busy with answering team questions and emails about new builds and new rules. I am excited about this new role, and aim to act on any issues that may arise in a quick, judicious and transparent manner. Who’s ready for Long Beach?!?!”

Source: www.wreckedmagazine.com/tonyangelo

Nexen Tires is rolling into Formula Drift for 2010 with three drivers. Taka Aono, Cyrus Martinez (pictured above), and a third driver which will be announced next week (HINT: He has a rotary engine). “We are extremely happy with our driver line up” say Michael Meeiem, representative of Nexen Tire.  “We have a diverse driver line up and we are expecting great results with the release of our new N9000 tire”. Another company moving in for 2010 really gets us geared up for Long Beach just around the corner. John Wagner and Chelsea DeNofa also will support Nexen at regional Formula Drift Events.

The long awaited game for Formula Drift has arrived on our website. Once you register you become a Formula D general manager commanding a roster of four drivers. You can compete in public leagues where you can invites friends and have randomly assigned players join to fill the league. You can also run a private league which requires you to invite anyone you want to play into your game. So start a league with work, your drift buddies, or some degenerates from your favorite car forum and draft up for Long Beach!

The game will allow you to score one point for these 10 categories:
1.Top 32 (Anytime a Driver Of Yours Makes It Into the Top 32 You Will Receive One Point)
2.Top 16 (Anytime a Driver Of Yours Makes It Into the Top 16 You Will Receive One Point)
3.Top 8 (Anytime a Driver Of Yours Makes It Into the Top 8 You Will Receive One Point)
4.Podium (Anytime a Driver Of Yours Makes It On Podium You Will Receive One Point Regardless of what Place on the Podium)
5.Vehicle Malfunction (One point will be rewarded to your team if any driver on your team has some sort of vehicle malfunction)
Example: This could be anything from blowing a transmission to not starting at the line.
6.Wreck Tow Off (One point will be rewarded to your team if any driver on your team wrecks his car and must be towed off the course by a tow truck.)
7.Wreck Drive Off (One point will be rewarded to your team if any driver on your team wrecks and is able to drive off on his own will.)
Example: For your driver to qualify into this category he must leave some parts on the track. No bumper taps will count here.
8.One More Time (One point will be rewarded to your team if every time a driver on your roster participates in a One More Time battle regardless of what round he is in.)
9.UnderDog (One point will be rewarded to your team if every time a driver on your roster wins a tandem round of drifting against someone who qualified better than him at the current event.)
10.Team Tire Podium (One point will be rewarded to your team if any driver on your roster who shares a tire company with a driver on the podium.)
Example: Note that your own driver will not count for this. For example, since I have Michael Essa and he runs Maxxis Tires I received points at 2009 Irwindale Speedway Round 7 since Ryan Tuerck was on the podium.

If your not a Fantasy Game professional we understand and if the all the information is a little overwhelming we have made two tutorial videos on how to get going:

1. How to Register/Draft: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEpDcU-CGwE
2. How to Play the Game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rh3YRFIe7I

Where to Bookmark For the 2010 Season:

www.fantasydrift.com

OR

www.wreckedmagzine.com/fantasy

It looks like you can add another Mazda Rx-8 into the mix for the 2010 Formula D season. It was announced that the BMI Racing famous four rotor Rx-8 is going to take a stab at drifting. Assuming they can get this car setup right Charles Ng could have a really good shot at Rookie of the Year. I am curious to see what sponsors they will be able to retain like BFGoodrich as they move into drifting. It will be interesting to see how they do moving forward into 2010…..Thanks for tip we got from the SPEC Clutch Facecbook Page of this story and the Formula Drift deal for the new season.

Source: http://www.mazdausa.com/

We just got word from one of our favorite sponsors Falken Tire that they have picked up Drift Alliance Ace Justin Pawlak for 2010. ASD is getting a new Falken colored (teal/green) 2010 Mustang in shape for him at Long Beach. While Vaughn is moving into a 2011 we will see the older 2010 in the hands of JTP. The boys at ASD are a team I know can have a car in racing form for Long Beach. With a 9th place finish in 2009 I have faith Justin Pawlak can be a champion contender in the Ford Mustang. The real question now is, can Justin Pawlak finish better than the Mustang poster child, Vaughn Gittin Jr.?  What are your thoughts on this one?