Hey, what’s up everybody? This is going to be my first of many blogs, and I’m going to start with the Formula Drift Las Vegas weekend. My blog isn’t just going to focus just on Formula D, but also my travels, experiences, and personal happenings.

I showed up to practice on Thursday night just as the sun was going down. Thank God, because the desert heat is brutal this time of year and generally makes the Vegas experience pretty miserable. It feels like you are baking in an oven the entire time you are outside, but besides that I was pretty excited to start drifting the Mobil1 Pontiac Solstice since we made a huge power plant change to the car.

Here is a pic of the new LS7 powered solstice. After the wreck I had in Seattle FD everyone in Gardella Racing decided that we would go to an LS7 power plant and I was pumped to hear the news. As a driver in Formula D you always want the best equipment to be able to compete with the best. Now, I’m not saying the Ecotec engine couldn’t hang or be competitive, but the LS7 v8 Torque and broad powerband makes tandem driving easier in a lot of different ways. With the Ecotec engine I would always have to use the clutch, as if I was riding a Two Stroke 125, to keep the turbo lit and have the gearing perfect for it to be competitive. The LS7 has so much more useable power on tap that you don’t have to hustle the clutch so much, and make sure your RPM’s don’t fall off after using the footbrake or e-brake to clutch back into the power. Basically the V8′s simplify what the driver has to focus on inside the car. The LS7′s torque generates a hell of a lot more wheel speed which means a lot more Maxxis tire smoke.

Here’s Gary and Steve Angerman putting the finishing cosmetics on the Solstice before I hit the track

I don’t have any good entry shots so here is a shot showcasing that smoke-making LS7 Torque. In practice I felt pretty good, I had a few solid runs but my normal consistency wasn’t there and I would be searching for it all weekend. I was loving the new power plant and the car was setup great but, I couldn’t get consistent with my runs. It was weird for me because I usually get comfortable right off the bat then start cleaning up my lines for qualifying runs.

Next days practice I felt a lot more comfortable and started to get more consistent, then qualifying came around and they were the worst two laps I put down all day. I ended up 12th which is the worst I have qualified all year and after qualifying it’s time to focus on tandem, which is an entirely different ball game. Top 32 had me up against Ross Petty in his SR powered Boso S15.

Rossy and I had a good tandem battle. I had a really good follow lap where I was close to him on the entry. On my lead I tried to put down a strong qualifying run. I put a little distance between us and ended up getting the win. Next up was JR and I were going head to head like so many other times this season.

There is about 2 hours between top 32 and top 16 so the guys spend there time getting the car and pit cart ready to do battle while I try to relax a little bit keep hydrated and go over some strategy with the team.

Here’s Scott putting fresh Maxxis tires on the car for top 16.

Trying to relax a bit before my nerves start getting the better of me.

JR and I lined up for top 16. He lead the first lap since he qualified better than me. Leading your first lap is a little bit of an advantage because you’re not so pressured to drive up someones door right after a two hour brake. It gives you a second to get back into the groove of things. My follow lap I entered faster than I had all weekend to stay close to JR. I got off the brakes a second too early and when we both came off the first clip wall I was eating cones with the side of my car. If I stayed on the brakes a second longer it would have been a great follow lap. I caught the edge of the tire wall and kept on going finishing my run with a huge mistake. At this point there is nothing I can do but hope that JR makes as big of a mistake so we can go OMT. My lead lap was pretty solid but JR made a clean pass and advanced to the next round. I was bumming pretty hard because number 1, I absolutely hate to lose!!! And secondly, this was a very pivotal point in my season where I needed to advance to stay within striking distance for the championship.

I can’t wait to get to Sonoma. I’m glad its only a couple weeks away and that entry is going to be fun. With the Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice being faster than it’s ever been before I’m hoping I can break that infamous triple digit mark on the entry. Hope to see you all there.

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