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PONTIAC GTO DRIVER RHYS MILLEN CROWNED TOP U.S. DRIFTER WITH PODIUM FINISH AT D1 GRAND PRIX SEASON FINALE
Text from RMR
American Drift Challengers Compete Against Top Japanese Drivers at GT Live Motorsports Festival in California
Fontana, Calif. – Hot on the heels of winning the Formula D drift competition at Irwindale Speedway this past August, Rhys Millen drove to a third place finish at the inaugural GT Live D1 Grand Prix drift event at the famed California Speedway. Navigating his highly modified Pontiac GTO drift car, Millen edged out 16 American and 14 Japanese drift challengers, achieving the highest finish ever by an American team at a D1 Grand Prix event. Millen and team RMR Pontiac are the first American based team and first American brand automobile to compete in the sport of Drifting, a motorsport traditionally dominated by its Japanese originators.
Based in America’s car capital of Southern California, the GT Live event incorporated several forms of Japanese-based motorsports over the course of the weekend. In addition to D1 drifting, GT Live served as the American debut of the popular JGTC Japanese GT Championship road racing series. The much anticipated GT Live weekend drew in more than 50,000 fans, the largest attendance at California Speedway outside of NASCAR Nextel Cup races and exceeding even the popular Indy Racing League race at the track.
“We are proud to represent American drift fans with the GTO and are excited with our bona fide podium finish at D1,” said Millen, driver and team principal of Team RMR Pontiac. “The competition was relentless and we extend our gratitude to all our fans who cheered us on as we demonstrated American horsepower with the only American brand car present this weekend.”
The final D1 event of 2004 saw many familiar faces in the drifting world, with 16 of the top Japanese drivers going up against the 16 top qualified American drivers. The high speed turns and technical layout provided over four hours of drifting excitement to the fans, many of whom traveled from outside Southern California to view the event. While the Japanese drivers were the headliners of D1, Millen and Team RMR Pontiac, who qualified in first place out of the American drivers, enjoyed tremendous support as the audience chanted “USA! USA!” as he took to the course.
“GM continues its leadership position in motorsports through proven success in distinctly diverse programs like Rhys Millen and the GTO drift campaign,” said Todd Christensen, GM Racing. “Our competitive ability and acceptance with the young, import-focused Drift audience speaks testament to the combined talents of the driver and the machine.”
Millen’s drifting GTO is a highly modified version of the 2004 production model, although many key engine and transmission components are shared between the vehicles. The car has become a fan favorite during this year’s Formula D drift series.
RMR of Huntington Beach, California, has a comprehensive history of competing and winning in various forms of motorsports, including rally and desert racing. All the experiences gained from competition are skillfully applied towards performance parts available through RMR’s retail divisions, RMR Products and R. Millen Motorsports. The full line of race proven products can be found at the company’s web site at www.rmrproducts.com. Further information on Team RMR/Pontiac and the GTO drift car can be found at www.gtodrift.com.
Text from RMR
American Drift Challengers Compete Against Top Japanese Drivers at GT Live Motorsports Festival in California
Fontana, Calif. – Hot on the heels of winning the Formula D drift competition at Irwindale Speedway this past August, Rhys Millen drove to a third place finish at the inaugural GT Live D1 Grand Prix drift event at the famed California Speedway. Navigating his highly modified Pontiac GTO drift car, Millen edged out 16 American and 14 Japanese drift challengers, achieving the highest finish ever by an American team at a D1 Grand Prix event. Millen and team RMR Pontiac are the first American based team and first American brand automobile to compete in the sport of Drifting, a motorsport traditionally dominated by its Japanese originators.
Based in America’s car capital of Southern California, the GT Live event incorporated several forms of Japanese-based motorsports over the course of the weekend. In addition to D1 drifting, GT Live served as the American debut of the popular JGTC Japanese GT Championship road racing series. The much anticipated GT Live weekend drew in more than 50,000 fans, the largest attendance at California Speedway outside of NASCAR Nextel Cup races and exceeding even the popular Indy Racing League race at the track.
“We are proud to represent American drift fans with the GTO and are excited with our bona fide podium finish at D1,” said Millen, driver and team principal of Team RMR Pontiac. “The competition was relentless and we extend our gratitude to all our fans who cheered us on as we demonstrated American horsepower with the only American brand car present this weekend.”
The final D1 event of 2004 saw many familiar faces in the drifting world, with 16 of the top Japanese drivers going up against the 16 top qualified American drivers. The high speed turns and technical layout provided over four hours of drifting excitement to the fans, many of whom traveled from outside Southern California to view the event. While the Japanese drivers were the headliners of D1, Millen and Team RMR Pontiac, who qualified in first place out of the American drivers, enjoyed tremendous support as the audience chanted “USA! USA!” as he took to the course.
“GM continues its leadership position in motorsports through proven success in distinctly diverse programs like Rhys Millen and the GTO drift campaign,” said Todd Christensen, GM Racing. “Our competitive ability and acceptance with the young, import-focused Drift audience speaks testament to the combined talents of the driver and the machine.”
Millen’s drifting GTO is a highly modified version of the 2004 production model, although many key engine and transmission components are shared between the vehicles. The car has become a fan favorite during this year’s Formula D drift series.
RMR of Huntington Beach, California, has a comprehensive history of competing and winning in various forms of motorsports, including rally and desert racing. All the experiences gained from competition are skillfully applied towards performance parts available through RMR’s retail divisions, RMR Products and R. Millen Motorsports. The full line of race proven products can be found at the company’s web site at www.rmrproducts.com. Further information on Team RMR/Pontiac and the GTO drift car can be found at www.gtodrift.com.
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