(FEEDBACK) FORMULA DRIFT Irwindale 2010

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(FEEDBACK) FORMULA DRIFT Irwindale 2010

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[en6381]

I hate no Charles ng in FD..

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by en6381

I hate no Charles ng in FD..

Translation

I was disappointed Charles Ng didn't qualify.

I'm fluent in FOB and a couple other asian languages.

[The Mid]

Iwindale was THE PLACE TO BE this beautiful Saturday...always a great experience except next time I think they shouldn't let idiots with huge cardboard signs that read "V8 SUCKS" attend haha pissed off a lot of people...other then that some INTENSE battles made the day

[alex]

great event! Irwindale is always my favorite track and it keeps getting better each year

[Formula D]

Thanks to everyone. I can't remember crazier event. Humblest thanks to all FD fans, drivers, teams and staff.

FD

[PoPsRaCeR]

One of the best Drift events..Pro Am was fun to watch..Alot of great driving skills on every level. Vendors were in good sprits..Got a couple of free t-shirts,stickers,posters..A whole lotta eye candy..Just a perfect day..fun fun fun..Congrats to all the winners..thank you to FD for putting on a cool event and Thank you to Drifting. Com for the free ticket..See you next season...

[Bebop]

I'm going to post a lengthy review...if you don't want to read it all just skip to the last paragraph.

[Bebop]

Oh Irwindale oh Irwindale You have never ever done me wrong

Friday

Unlike Long Beach when I was hungover and late, or Vegas where I had to be at a wedding and was rushed, this round I was much more planned out and relaxed. To top it off I actually got some amazing news the same day which had me in a retarded happy mood.

Showed up around 4, got to watch qualifying which was much fun then usual. Walked around the pits for a while, watched Pro Am which was a lot better then I expected. Lots of cool cars, like the “Crab Broker” guy in the miata going really fast through the course. Then watched the open practice for a while and went home.

Saturday

I attended the event with a couple of friends, once again really good day. The pits were packed full of vendors and plenty of free NOS energy drink. The Fatlace car show has yet to disappoint me, lots of cool cars and cool people. Top 32 was really good despite the amount of bye runs.

The sound got cut off for like a good 10-15 mins, but it did not bother me much. It was very refreshing to watch drifting without announcing even though J-Rod was killing it on microphone. What he lacks in technical announcing he makes up with humor and for lack of better word crowd control. Wish I could put it in more detail, but yeah… announcing was good.

Top 16 came around and let me tell you this was probably the best Formula D crowd I have ever seen. Not a single person not hyped to watch some drifting. And by far one of the most educated crowd of drift fans, not a lot of hands went up when J-Rod called out the first timers. Not many drunken idiots and not a single fight, but did we forget the beach balls this year? Local staff was very pleasant and almost unnoticeable (compare to long beach staff).

Notable battles

James Deane VS Joon Maeng

Very good battle of the up and comers I wish there was a way to reward both drivers for there display of skill and resiliency (is that a word lol).

Dmac VS Foust

OMG… can’t wait to watch this one on TV. I’m nominating this one as battle of the year, one of the few times this season we got to see some mirror to mirror action. And willing to say it’s the only time ever I seen it from both drivers. I kept saying to my self “I hope this battle never ends”. THAT BATTLE IS WHAT TANDEM DRIFTING IS ABOUT!

It was also really cool to watch underdogs like Matt Powers, Ian Fournier, and Matt Field go out and ruin bigger driver weekends. I actually sat next to Field’s Mother, Family, and Friends, really nice bunch and are real knowledgeable drift fans which caught me a tad off guard. When she talked about how much she supports her sons passion it really reminded me how much this sport is a family affair, your love ones have your back long before and after a sponsor.

Cons

I showed up to the event with 3 other people and asked them what they disliked about their experience.

Male in his mid 20s, 3rd or 4th event.

Disliked the lack of OMTs didn’t agree with calls

Female in her 20s, 2nd event

Disliked assigned seating

Female in her early teens, 1st event

Disliked Hot Weather (LOL), Gates Should Open Earlier

I mildly echo their complaints. There were a few calls that IMO should have gone OMT. But I understand, especially at this track the fan vantage point is not the same as the judges. I might see a driver correct from where I sit, Judges may not and vice versa. That’s why most of the time, I try to get seats as close to the judges tower as possible. I watched from a judge’s vantage point at Irwindale a few years back… I didn’t like it so much.

I think assigned seating is necessary for Long Beach and that’s about it. In my opinion 95% of the seats at Irwindale are quality seats that allow you to see the whole track and inhale lots of smoke. But for some reason I witnessed about 4 verbal arguments over seating that resulted with the people in the wrong not moving and the people in the right moving on. I think the sections them selves are of more importance then the actual row and seat number.

Formula D has no control over the weather, and you might want to look at the schedule before showing up to a event…especially if it’s held at night. I honestly thought this little girl was going to be a drag, and not enjoy anything about the event. But she was more into then my self when I first saw the sport, yelled and screamed when we did. Snapped tons of pictures, asked serious question, grabbed tons of swag, and even had her favorite driver and car by the night was over. FD, take note.

Something FD probably has no control over but might be able to help change is the way accidents are handled. There were a few crashes this weekend and granted the emergency workers arrived to the scene fast, it also looked like they took there sweet time getting it cleaned up to return to action. Yes, I heard the drivers meetings… drivers are instructed to stay in vehicle until emergency workers arrive “Emergency workers are here to help you”.

But when it takes 10-15 minutes to clean up a wreck 1 of 2 things needs to happen. Figure out a way to safely speed up the process. Or just give us an ETA; we don’t need an accurate one… but something better then “excuse us while we clean this up”. Don’t tell the crowd directly its okay to leave our seats, but kind of give us a hint that if we do smoke or piss we won’t miss anything.

I have said this before… it might look like a lot of cons. But I just have to be really detailed to get my point across. For some reason FD thinks I don’t appreciate their events or the hard work they do. But as any smart consumer I’m always skeptical and looking at things to improve on. Every single round I go to I always try to talk to other fans, try to get them on the forums to talk about it. Inform them how to better follow the series, educate them on the teams, drivers, and machines.

I have never gone to a FD event and talk down about the series, or get people to follow its competitors. I try to come up with interesting dialogue on these forums, and push subjects some are afraid to talk about or didn’t think was worth discussing. But some see it as hurting the sport of drifting and everything it stands for. With that being said I won’t post much from now till my year end top 10 list and probably wont post anymore in general after that.

Overall

This round was very special, from the opening of the gates to the last drop of champagne on the podium. I met a lot of new friends and caught up with the old. It brought back a lot of old memories of just going to events and not knowing what to expect. You had a good mixture of the old and the new, the traditional and the high-tech. There was something in the California air tonight and everyone got a good whiff. I hope what ever is in the air follows us to every single event for now on.

P.S. Big spray painted cardboard signs are awesome

[Jonny Fonseca]

I just want to say thanx for the driftstream! I know it opened the doors for alot of new fans! Believe me you could tell by the stupid comments some made lol

[Slapshotnerd]

The paper airplanes were funny for the first few planes, but got really old.

The tandem matches were god damn amazing! by far the best top 32 event ever. I didn't understand a few calls, but I've come to realize that judging is what it is.

I'm super happy for James Deane, Freddy Aasbo, and some of the other drivers who had some great results in front of the great crowd. I hope it helps them solidify full-time deals for next year.

Congrats to JR and Falken for the FD Championship, and Aasbo for Rookie of the Year!

[eomund240]

Overall it was an outstanding event. The crowd was more into it than I've seen in a long time. The speakers were crazy loud at the start. But you guys listened to my request.

I think what I love most about fd is you guys listen to the fans.

[AE86_Fan]

great event. but please lose assigned seating here, i was bummed i couldnt sit by my friends and enjoy the event.

[Justin Banner]

This was my first time to Irwindale, I got to say, what a jewel of a track! It's what every home town short track should strive to be. Clean, beautiful facility, great staff from what I got to know.

Loved the event, it was exciting and the fans made it even more intense. From cheering for Aabso to chanting One More Time, they helped make this event memoriable to me.

The drivers I was able to interview were also the best. So, I want to thank "Mad" Mike, Alex, Darren, Matt Fields, and Nicoli (I murdered his last name) Konstantinov. I especially want to thank FD for letting me be there as a part of the media. I know I don't have the best equipment so I know how lucky I am to do it. I have to thank my boss for allowing me the Friday off to do this, too. (So, if you're near Ft. Lee, please come by Jim Whelan's Service Center ).

The only complaint I have was the lack of water for media, but that was out of their control. Weather was predicted to be cooler and had rained ealier that week, but as we saw, that changed. Pleanty of NOS, though (I had trouble sleeping before my flight out of LAX that night).

Finally, I want to thank the guys here at Drifting.com for getting me the press pass to do this again. I want to also thank Justin and Andrew at Club-S12.org for helping me get to the track and back to the airport. Without them, I wouldn't have made it to Irwindale!

[J-Rod]

THANK YOU FORMULA DRIFT!!!!!
Drivers, crews, sponsors, staff and of course the fans!!!
IRWINDALE was a MASSIVE success!
Being part of that historic event where we saw some of the best driving all year if not of all time!
A new Champion was crowned Congrats Vaughn Gittin Jr. up and comers getting their shine on Aasbo and even Mad Mike getting some kudos from his peers... And the battles SERIOUSLY INSANE!!!!!!!!!!

This event has been one for the books and this season was non stop, it seemed like Round 1 in Long Beach was just yesterday, insane!

Blaze1- Well said, glad you had a good time and I must commend you on your thorough synopsis of the event, it seemed premeditated and not reactionary as some of your posts in the past perceive to be. Well said and thanks for coming out and bringing new fans.
I'll make a call about the weather next time for your friend. haha

Justin Banner- Good seeing you again at Irwindale and thanks for your passion for the sport...

And to all those that have posted, not posted, media, whomever you are reading this THANK YOU, if you agree, disagree, post something nasty or nice, it's because you LOVE DRIFTING as do we at the Formula Drift camp...

Drifting's not going anywhere, 7 years that's not a fad, 2011 promises to be even more exciting, nastier, smokier and overall just more spectacular...

This seasons not even over, remember there's a few more International events including Thailand and Malaysia and some other Pro-Am affiliate rounds like XDC in AZ this weekend!

I'll see you at the track, see you online or I'll see you on the roads...
SEND IT!

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by J-Rod

Blaze1- Well said, glad you had a good time and I must commend you on your thorough synopsis of the event, it seemed premeditated and not reactionary as some of your posts in the past perceive to be. Well said and thanks for coming out and bringing new fans.
I'll make a call about the weather next time for your friend. haha

I actually feel the exact opposite about your announcing. I like it when you come off the dome, when you accidentally curse, and your random Internet folklore jokes. I get bummed when you sound like a cue card.

I always try to write my post race reviews as soon as the event is over so they are fresh in my mind. But also try to write them(along with school work) when I'm very tired so my fingers and my mind are at the same speed. Most of the time (as you see) they are not lol.

[Jonny Fonseca]

Is Vaughn the first or second champ with drifting as the only motorsport background? Was Chris the first?

[MonkeySlide]

This was probably one of the best Irwindale events I've ever been to.

Vendor row was packed, lots of food, NOS Energy Drink had a ton of stuff going on (Their lounge area with the carnival style games was better than their VIP tent), and there was just a lot to do in general.

What a year for Vaughn "Shake 'n Bake" Gittin! I was really pulling for my boy Dai but I'm happy for Vaughn too. His title win really shows how much this sport is about having a good team behind you.

I only have two "cons" to this event:

1: I would have liked it if the car show was a little bigger. I'm sure there is a reason why it wasn't but it would have been better with more cars.

2: I think Vaughn and Aasbo should have gone OMT.

Everything else was top shelf in my experience.

I wasn't in the grandstands so I don't know what the deal was with the "assigned" seating but if its true then I could see how that would be undesirable.

I get having "reserved" seating so you have a guaranteed seat..but if they were "assigning" said seats then that could have the potential for wackness.

Especially if a group of friends bought seats and couldn't sit together.

IF that was the case then Formula D should adopt what the Long Beach Grand Prix does and let you pick where you want to sit among whats still available when you buy your ticket.

Anyhow, Irwindale was fresh...can't wait for the new announcements, FD Abu Dhabi, and all the new talent making their way into the series.

Thanks for a great 2010 Formula D!

[mannynj]

yes Chris was the first one, Vaughn is the second.

[brainfood]

Event was a great one! I love Irwindale because everyone goes and everyone knows the best part of drifting is the people. Event seemed to run smoothly formula d has done a great job of managing the down time they used to have. Thanks to drifting.com and formula d for the tickets too! It was great that we recieved real tickets instead of just wristbands which gave us great seats!

[Bebop]

ASD/Vaughn Gittin JR/Ford Racing:

First American born driver to win in a American car

First Driver to win in a mustang

First Driver to win along side of a multi car team

Ford Mustang has the lowest MSRP of any championship chassis new

Heaviest Driver (210lbs) to win a championship (lol)

Only driver to win a championship in their first year with a major energy drink sponsor after not winning one before

Only FD champion to win a D1GP event

[Jonny Fonseca]

Originally Posted by blaze1

ASD/Vaughn Gittin JR/Ford Racing:

First American born driver to win in a American car

First Driver to win in a mustang

First Driver to win along side of a multi car team

Ford Mustang has the lowest MSRP of any championship chassis new

Heaviest Driver (210lbs) to win a championship (lol)

Only driver to win a championship in their first year with a major energy drink sponsor after not winning one before

Only FD champion to win a D1GP event

Is it ok to say, DAMN! lol thnx blaze! It was fun chatting it up on the driftstream! Hope they do it again next year!

[Slapshotnerd]

Originally Posted by blaze1

Only driver to win a championship in their first year with a major energy drink sponsor after not winning one before

Foust was AEM in '07, and went full Rockstar in '08 and won.

.... but I get what you mean. It's just really confusing the way you said it.

[Formula D]

Guys, one of the reasons we pushed Irwindale to go to all reserved seating was because of the complaints we received from fans in past years who were upset that they would lose their seats when they would go get something to eat or go to the bathroom. The seating we have now is exactly like buying a ticket at a regular sporting event like basebell, football, etc. Even at Long Beach you get a specific seat once you pick your section. However, at Irwindale, you can actually go into the seating and pick a specific seat unlike Long Beach where the system picks the seats for you. If you would like to sit with your friends in the future you just have to buy together or have your friends tell you where they are sitting and go pick seats next to them if they are indeed available.

If you guys prefer opening seating over that, we can certainly look at changing it, but most people seem to prefer this system.

[eomund240]

I actually like the arranged seating. I bought my tickets a month in advance and got great seats. I use to like the first come first serve mentality, but I've come to realize it creates more problems than benefits. If you plan your ticket buying you can have great seats, and sit with your friends.

The only real issue with the seating was there were quite a few people (at least in my area) that bought seats for the first row and there were no seats there. I knew this myself, which is why I bought 2nd row seats; But there were a bunch of people having to get replacement seats because they ended up in the handicap isle. I know that has nothing to do with you guys and everything to do with Irwindale Speedway though.

Keep it up guys, looking forward to another great year next year.