(TODAY) RED BULL Drifting World Championship LONG BEACH Nov 15-16

[akuma S14]

Big props to Formula D for doing this event! Hope it is very successful and wish I was in the states to see it!

[P.Haire]

Originally Posted by deadpirate

im simply saying..get ahold of team burst...and invite them

listen to this man.

[eomund240]

Tickets will be purchased tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

[Mars]

I havent seen it yet. But is there an offical drivers list yet? If not what is the deadline for drivers to commit or is it all going to be a suprise for the non FD drivers?

[Slapshotnerd]

Originally Posted by Mars

I havent seen it yet. But is there an offical drivers list yet? If not what is the deadline for drivers to commit or is it all going to be a suprise for the non FD drivers?

official drivers list will be announced at SEMA.

FD has been announcing the invited drivers via their blog for a few weeks now, although not all drivers have comitted yet.

[INFO]

Promo Video

[INFO]

Gary Whiter Added to International Set of Drivers
Posted by john

Gary Whiter - D1NZ
Hometown - Dargaville, New Zealand
Car - 1997 Nissan Silvia S14.5

Growing up in a predominant farming area called Dargaville which is situated in the upper north of the north island in New Zealand, Garry known as Gaz was initially more of a dirt bike guy, he had a good friend that belonged to the dominating New Zealand drift team called Driftcorp that initially introduced him to the sport of drifting in 2004, after seeing how it works Garry set out to obtain his first car being a 1989 Nissan Cefiro which around that time was a typical choice for any person starting off drifting, NZ had an abundant supply of Skylines and Cefiro’s they were cheap to buy and easy to setup to skid.

Although he was still a rookie to the sport and was competing against the best in the NZ business, with the Cefiro he was nearly always a fixture in top 16, He spent some time in his Cefiro. Looking back now it was basically a stepping stone for research and driver development, it didn’t take long to outgrow his full potential due to the smaller power and setup of his car.

It was then that he and his Father purchased his first Nissan Silvia S14 and set out to build it to compete with the higher level drifters. This in turn paid off as he was getting podium finish after podium finish, with this set up he achieved two very close D1NZ series overall runner ups and finally the long awaiting crowning of the overall D1NZ Driftking for 2008.

In the short downtime of 3 months His father Tony and Garry built yet another S14.5 completely from scratch with new and improved ideas and setups, this vehicle now is faster and more reliable running a PPG gearbox, it looks set to be at a world wide competitive grade. Garry himself has an appetite for improvement and is highly competitive he is also an extremely reliable and consistent competitor much to the delight of his sponsors. He thanks most of his success to his very supportive father Tony Whiter who motivates him and is there with him every step of the way..

In the NZ Drift scene Gaz is regarding as one of the most laid back happy go lucky drivers, he knows how to have a good time but come race day is 100% focused on the task at hand and always aims to win. He’s always easily approachable and ready to talk to his fans and sponsors.
For his future career he plans to be more involved with competing in international Level, with the support of his father and his dependable team mates in DriftCorp he will be sure to achieve his dream.

[INFO]

Eric O Sullivan Added to International Set of Drivers
Posted by john



Eric O Sullivan - ProDrift
Hometown - Dublin, Ireland
Car - Toyota Corolla Vtec-86

Im Eric O Sullivan, 28 years old from Dublin, Ireland.I’ve been riding a BMX as long as I can remember and progressed to motorcycles winning an Irish National Trials Championship at 17.I learned to drive the same year and began modifying and tuning street and show cars before becoming involved in race and rally car preparation.

I discovered drifting in 2004 when I watched a dvd about the street drifting scene in Osaka Japan.Soon after, I bought a cheap AE86 corolla, my first ever rear wheel drive car that I leaned to drift in the industrial areas of south Dublin during the winter.I changed this car for a 20 valve corolla in 2005 and began to compete in the Irish national championship.After failing to qualify at my first two events I finished 2nd in the following two rounds and also qualified to compete against the D1 drivers in the Silverstone exhibition match.

I decided to build a more competitive car after the D1 event and spent most of 2006 building my Vtec powered AE86.I ran the car late in the 06 season and developed a set up with the 2007 Prodrift series in mind.I won 5 of the 6 rounds in the ’07 series and finished 3rd in the other, an amazing season that made all the hard work the previous year worthwhile.

2008 began with a new sponsor, Rockstar Energy Drink, who had just launched their product in Europe.I could now afford to travel abroad and compete in the Prodrift European Series and the UK based JDM Allstars triple crown series.I suffered with a lack of power on some of the larger European tracks but managed to win round 3 in Sweden and finish 3rd overall in the Prodrift championship.

The JDM Allstars series would provide the highlight of the year for me, winning round 2 of the series at Wembley stadium in London.This was the biggest event to ever happen to drifting in Europe, bringing our sport to an iconic location in a major city for the first time.Im very proud to be the first winner of this series that is run by drivers for drivers, giving us some of the best publicity and exposure in the European scene.

Away from drifting, I work 5 days as a mechanic in a Volvo dealership and I’d usually spend 3 nights a week in my own workshop. My friends and myself are all Honda drivers so I’ll work on their cars as well as preparing my corolla for any upcoming events. Whenever I do get away from the tools I’ll be down the local concrete park on my bike with the lads or hanging out with my girlfriend Amy G.

I’m honoured to represent Prodrift and all the Irish drivers at the Red Bull World Drifting World Championship in Long Beach. I’ll approach this as I do every other event, drift as fast as possible with crazy angle to entertain the US fans .

[INFO]

James Deane Added to Driving Talent
Posted by john




James Deane - ProDrift
Hometown - Castletownroche, Co, Cork, Ireland
Car - 1998 RB26 Silvia S14.5

James comes from a strong Motorsport family background with both is father and uncle recognised as 1980’s rallying legends in Ireland. His brother Mike was one of the first ever people to win a drifting competition in Ireland back in 2003 when James was only 12 years old. From this day James was obsessed with being a drifter. In 2006 his brothers Mike and Kenneth entered him in the Prodrift Junior Championship drifting in a ford sierra. He finished 3rd. At this stage James and his family went on and bought his current Silvia which was running completely standard at the time. In Prodift Round 2 2007 at Rosegreen in Tipperary, Ireland, James managed to see off all the more experienced drivers and won the event at 15 years old. As far as we were aware this made him the youngest driver in the world to win a Professional drift competition. He was later placed 9th overall for the 2007 season and was awarded the title of rookie of the year 2007.

At Prodrift IRL Round 1 2008 @ Mondello Park racing Circuit in Ireland & In front of 7000 spectators James finished 5th overall being knocked out by the legendary Damien Mulvey

Prodrift Europe Round 1 2008 @ Mondello Park Racing Circuit in Ireland
In front of 7000 spectators James was to finish 4th overall and earn very valuable points in the championship.

Prodrift Ireland Round 2 2008 @ Tipperary Raceway Rosegreen in Ireland
Again with record crowds in attendance at the Irish home of drifting. James was victorious over John O’Connell and scored his second win in Rosegreen.

Prodrift Europe Round 2 2008 @ Teesside Autodrome in the UK
James was narrowly beaten by Darren McNamara, a small mistake on the last corner costing him the win. But with again great championship points he want away happy

Prodrift Ireland Round 3 2008 @ Nutscorner Oval Circuit Northern Ireland
James qualified 2nd but was unlucky on the day and was out at the Top 16 stage for the first and last time in 2008.

Prodrift Ireland Round 4 2008 @ Ennis Street Circuit in Ireland
James was on fire from the start and took the win with ease.

Prodrift Europe Round 3 2008 @ Sturup Raceway in Sweeden
At the very high speed track in Sweden James found himself in a new environment. He put on a amazing show and came home in 3rd place.

Prodrift Round 5 2008 @ Mondello Park Racing Circuit in Ireland
James had a good run on the day but in the top 16 battle he came across Deane Kearney the eventual winner and had to settle for 9th.

Prodrift Europe Round 4 2008 @ in Finland
James was under powered from the start and had to settle for 9th place.

Prodrift Round 6 2008 @ Mondello Park Racing Circuit in Ireland
James qualified 6th on the day and finished 3rd and with that he won the 2008 Prodift IRELAND Championship

Prodrift Europe Round 5 2008 @ Lydden Hill racing circuit in UK
James went to this event with a new RB26 engine gearbox and suspensions setup. This could have gone against him in that he might not been able to adapt to the setup quickly. This was no the case and after only 5 practice runs he was on the money. He qualified 2nd and then went on to storm up the field to an eventual 2nd place finish. This also gave him the title of Pro Drift European Champion
In 2008, James managed to win both Prodrift Irish and Prodrift European Championships which has been a huge achievement for him at just 16 years old. James is delighted to be representing Ireland & Europe @ Long Beach and to be taking part in the Red Bull World Drifting Championships.

[INFO]

Ben Broke-Smith Added to International Roster
Posted by john

Ben Broke-Smith - EDC
Hometown - Solihull, Birmingham, UK
Car - 1990 Toyota Chaser JZX81, 1JZ Single Turbo

Right from an early age I’ve been obsessed with cars and driving, spending my entire childhood waiting for the day I could get my driving license. As soon as I could drive, the first priority was RWD, going straight out and buying a BMW 5 series. All I wanted to do was to be able to drive RWD cars with the natural ability of drivers like Tiff Needel, people I’d watched on TV as a kid. After only having my license for a year I attended a BMW day at Rockingham circuit, and met a now-good friend of mine and pillar of the UK drifting scene, Julian Smith, as soon as I saw him drifting his E30 M3 around the circuit I was instantly hooked. From then on I attended drift days in my bone stock BMW E28 525i, eventually getting the diff welded. From that step on, I gradually got more and more cars, tearing them apart and turning them into drift machines, gradually moving on to more and more powerful machines, but always BMWs. After blowing up an E36 M3 more times than I’d like to remember a couple of years ago, I decided to go JDM, and purchased an R32 Skyline GTS-T. This was 2006, the first year I really took things seriously. In my first year of competition I finished 5th overall, in a very home-brew car, spending most of the year battling it out with only 240bhp, a set of coilovers and a welded diff. This was the first year Driftworks sponsored me, Phil & James had been friends for a while, but this year I’d get to know them better and occupy more space in their workshop, creating mess wherever I went!!…. 2007 saw me in a JZX81 Toyota Chaser, probably not the most sensible car to buy, but it matched my pre 2006 image of different cars, a big 4 door but now JDM. I had a good year, but some poor design decisions on the Chaser meant that I had troubles with reliability all year, constantly breaking things and making my life difficult. 2008 saw me develop the car and my skills to the point where I could put in a reliable, consistent performance. The Chaser was now on Federal tyres, running 560bhp and reliable, a winning combination!!!! The combination of continued support from Driftworks and consistently using the same tyres helped me take the championship, something I’d worked hard for over the last few years!!

Outside of drifting seems to always be filled with cars, constantly working on the drift car to get it ready for the next event. Work life is at Driftworks, where I’m the sales manager, using all my skills and knowledge to help advise everybody on which parts they need. I get to work with my friends, Phil, James and Mel. When I’m not driving cars, fixing cars or at work talking to people about their cars, you’ll find me spending time with Laura (my girlfriend) and with my friends and family, generally doing normal things like normal people!!!!

[INFO]

Tim Marshall Added to International Roster
Posted by john

Tim Marshall - EDC
Hometown - Leicestershire England
Car - Nissan Skyline R33 with small block Chevy V8 race engine

I’ve been a race instructor for ten years and have been involved with racing from a young age starting as everyone does in karts. I became interested in drifting having seen a few clips on the internet of the Japanese guys on the streets and in competition. Having always been fascinated with driving cars sideways I was desperate to find out how to get involved. It was lucky for me that when I was working on the Nissan 350Z face lift launch in 2006 they had none other than Yasayuki Kazama giving passenger rides to members of the press. I managed to get a ride with him and in return he wanted to sit in and watch me drive. After his in car ride with me Kazama suggested to Andy Barnes, team manager of Sumo Power, that I drive his car in the 2006 D1GB championship. I did so and finished 5th in my first year of drifting.

For 2007 I would change teams and started my relationship with Apex Performance and their R33 Skyline. It was to be a development year for the team and a good job too as we now have a grave yard of RB25 engines. We managed 10th in the championship that year having attended only two of the rounds. Reliability with the RB was a big problem as we were pushing big power, 592bhp at one point.

2008 saw big changes. Gone was the RB25, replaced with a small block Chevy V8 race engine giving me the torque and reliability that I’ve always wanted. With the V8 we managed 3 wins and a third to finish 2nd in the championship, not bad for a developing year with a completely new engine. I’m now looking forward to the 2008 Red Bull World Championships in California.

[eomund240]

Glad to see eric make the list. Is Shane Lynch gonna make the cut this year?

[INFO]

Luke Fink Added to International Roster
Posted by john

Luke Finkf - Drift Australia
Hometown - LPoint Cook
Car - Nissan S14

Luke Fink grew up in country south Australia, brought up by his father glen fink a single parent.
Luke quickly grew up and moved away from his life in south Australia at the age of 14, where he moved to the city to acquire work.

It was in the city that Luke stumbled onto bmx through friends from school, in which he started riding for fun.
This quickly turned into competition riding and after doing extremely well in the Australian scene Luke moved his riding to overseas competitions and entered the 2003 world bmx street championships, after a successful competition Luke won the world championship.

He spent another year traveling the world competing in other competitions such as x-games in the USA.
Upon returning to Australia at the age of 21 Luke got his license and started driving for transport to go out bmx riding, just by chance a group of friends were into drifting and Luke saw this and he seemed quite interested.
This led to Luke giving it a go for himself, after around 6 months of practice in a Holden VL commodore he brought an import (Nissan sil80) and entered his first competition and ended up placing in the top 4 on his first time in competition.
After a few more competitions holford motors owner Dominic saw Luke drive and decided to give him a seat for a drive at round 4 of the Drift Australia Toyo tires drift series 2006 in the holford motors s14, which he won on debut and threw Luke into the Australian drifting spotlight.

Luke then secured a drive with Holford motors for the entire 2007 and 2008 Drift Australia series.

[Brian]

So, all these DUDES are coming out here for this event.

Streets of Long Beach seems to be an AWESOME event for Formula D (the professional drifters choice of series) ((USA #1))

So, how bad arse is the RED BULL thing going to be?

It sounds freakin sweet.


Do we have any news of the course layout?
Is this going to be like a 3rd gear deal or 4th gear?

Will there be grand stands?

I'm pretty sure this is going to be so killer and rad.

Look, I want to go.


Please, help a brother out.

Where do we park? How do we get there? Do we hop on the Vincent St. Thomas or what?


COME ON.



Will there be cranes in the course to avoid?
Containers?
40 foot? 20 foot? 53 foot? let's hear it.




















Speak with your hearts!
















The one person I am looking forward to is JROD


JROD will be announcing, right?





This will be so hot.






How much media is going to be there? What about celebs? Any skateboarders?


Will Jesse James be there?

[Brian]

Will Reese Mad SKillZ Millen be the team brother of that guy from the other country.

The one with the red bull car.
It is a MAZDA RX7



Do you think they will do twins competitions and dmeo runs.






Will there be red bull for free at the event?



I hope there is a sky writer!

[Bebop]

[Brian]

What?

Is that FUJI Speedway????

yoshihara third?!!?!?! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE!
and why not Keiichi Tsuchiya?

[eomund240]

Originally Posted by Brian

What?

Is that FUJI Speedway????

Hahaha, I didn't even see that untill now. Nice

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by Understeer

yoshihara third?!!?!?! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE!
and why not Keiichi Tsuchiya?

Hey *Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored**Censored* *Censored*

you fail at reading comprehension.


the list was the top 16 at that time, it has now changed, and yoshihara dropped to 5th, he will still be in the event though.

And KT is a judge, not a pro drifter. Homie kinda sucks too.

Best in the world, no old hyped up over glorified judges

[Brian]

So, who are you guys looking forward to seeing?











DISCUSS

[Formula D]

- yes there will be grandstands. Reserved seating like Long Beach Grand prix
- Entry speed will be triple digit
- Tickets have ZERO service charge thanks to Red Bull
- Drifting.com users can use code "redbull" and receive an additional $5 off. That's $30 for a two day reserved seat. Killer deal
- Yes Jrod will be announcing.
- The event hub in the Long beach Convention Center. You can pick-up Will Call, buy tickets and park all at the Convention Center. There will be free shuttles all day to take you to the secret location.

[Brian]

triple digits in MPH or KPH?


So, in order to get in or out, a shuttle must be taken. got it.


Will there be a vendor area?


Is there a time table yet of what is happening and when?

[Brian]

Is there a current updated list now?


Who is coming from Japan?

You know what would be a great announcers..

Toshi & Jarod...