It was announced today in the Formula Drift Press Conference that Kevin Wells (Left) is going to be the new Formula Drift Technical Manager. He is going to be replacing Tony Angelo who we reported is going to be stepping down from the position to go back to being driver. Kevin Wells was formerly Chris Forsberg’s Crew Chief and he stepped down from that position earlier this week. His postion as Technical Manager is effective starting today.

If you are attending SEMA this week some of the Formula Drift drivers are going to be doing autograph signings at the KW Suspension booth (Booth  #24333). Be sure to stop by and get an autograph.

Matt Powers – Wednesday at 3:00pm
Michael Essa – Thursday at 11:0oam
Dai Yoshihara – Thursday at 3:00pm.
 

Fans are confused, Matt Petty has lost it, the Drift Alliance is in flux and Petit Pounder is crying in a corner. Rhys is in the club.

During last nights Formula Drift practice session Rhys Millen suffered a second engine failure. The crew is currently working on the car back at RMR. They are trying to put another engine in and have the car back in time for Top 32.

XDC is out at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. Dave Briggs took home the  Top Qualifying spot. The rest of the qualifying order is below:

1. Dave Briggs
2. Brian Peter
3. Chelsea DeNofa
4. James Evans
5. Miro Ovcharik
6. Dan Savage
7. Jeremy Lowe
8. Nate Hamilton
9. Doug Van Den Brink
10. Tanner Munson
11. Nick D’Alessio
12. Nate Brasz
13. Alen Brentzel
14. Jodin LeJune
15. Pat Goodin
16. Sammy Tiger

One of the perks of owning a Lexus supercar is access to the Lexus LFA Driver Development school. Lexus put out this video showcasing the program at Infineon Speedway, and if you look past the new breed of turtleneck-clad LFA owners, you may spot Formula Drift’s Tony Brakohiapa drifting the yellow LFA around the home of what used to be Formula Drift Round 6.

I’m having difficulty figuring out if the LFA doesn’t like hanging the back end out, or if simply the thought of potentially going off track in a $400,000 Supercar is keeping things on the conservative side. In any event, it’s a well produced video, and the sound of the LFA engine is a worthy soundtrack of it’s own.

Watch the video here: http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/watchvideo/tony-b-drifts-the-lexus-lfa-in-sonoma

Here is a preview of the new look for the Daijiro Yoshihara S13 chassis. The refresh and more red really has a more aggressive and eye catching look. I loved the car last year but like it way more this season. This has been his only testing to date at Balcony earlier today but hopefully it will be enough to step into the series this weeknd at Long Beach. The photos came from the MotoIQ Facebook Page.

Gardella Racing has had an open driver search for the last few months. They are looking to add a second driver to their Formula D team.  Today Gardella posted on his blog that he has narrowed the search to his top 3 picks: Patrick Cyr, Chelsea Denofa & Eric O’Sullivan. May the best man win.

We know that Vaughn Gittin Jr. is first in the championship but statistically Ryan Tuerck, Daijiro Yoshihara, and Tanner Foust all have a chance at taking it home this weekend. Here is how it could all work:

Vaughn Gittin Jr. Can Secure the Championship By:
1- He can qualify anywhere in the Top 32
2- He must win his Top 32 Tandem to secure the championship and qualify higher than 16th.

Daijiro Yoshihara Can Secure the Championship By:
1- Needs to finish 1st or 2nd if Vaughn loses in Top 32
2- Could win with a 3rd place finish but would have to out qualify Vaughn by 4 points.

Tanner Foust Can Secure the Championship By:
1- Win the event after Vaughn loses in Top 32. He would have to out qualify him by .5 points. Daijiro Yoshihara would have to score less than 83 points which would mean he would need to be on the podium.

Ryan Tuerck Can Secure the Championship By:
1- He must win the event and out qualify Vaughn Gittin Jr. by 9 points. Vaughn must be eliminated in Top 32 and get less than 3 qualifying points. Tanner Foust and Daijiro Yoshihara would basically have to not podium. Tons of this variance would fall from qualifying order.

The DMCC season has already come to a close due to the horrendous weather in Canada over the winter. Luckily Cyrious Productions is still releasing some great videos of the Drift Mania series from 2009. Check out American driver Matt Waldin secure the championship along with some action from the Drift Posse guys Pat Cyr and Brad Carlton.

Watch the video: 2009 Drift Mania Round 5 by Cyrious Production