ROBBIE NISHIDA, BRIDGES RACING 2011 Formula DRIFT Driver

[INFO]

ROBBIE NISHIDA, BRIDGES RACING 2011 Formula DRIFT Driver



ROBBIE NISHIDA, BRIDGES RACING 2011 Formula DRIFT Driver

Bridges Racing of Huntington Beach, CA to collaborate with Internationally Renowned Drifter, Robbie Nishida for the 2011 Formula DRIFT Season.

Huntington Beach, CA - February 20, 2011 - Bridges Racing is proud to announce their return to the Formula DRIFT series this year with one of the most respected drivers in the series, Robbie Nishida.

With years of professional racing experience, team owner, Bryan Bridges takes his talents to the world of drifting. Using the age old formula of a lightweight chassis and a high powered motor, Bridges Racing mates a 240sx with a VQ35. They didn’t stop there; with the help of Brian Crower, the Bridges Racing team took the 3.5L
motor, bored and stroked it to 4.0L, strengthened the internals and added a Vortech supercharger to produce 630 whp and 580lb/ft of torque. Having piloted a VQ powered Nissan 350z and R35 Nissan GTR before, Robbie is no stranger to this motor.

Although his roots stem from motorcycle racing, Bridges attributes much of his racing experience and knowledge to drag racing. Bridges began tuning high performance Honda’s eventually becoming crew chief for the Castrol Syntec Acura Integra. The team went on to win numerous championships including the first NHRA Sport Compact Championship, as well as setting a number of world records.

During his tenure with Castrol, Dunlop Tires called upon Bridges to assist them in their efforts to enter the sport compact market. Bridges assisted in developing import drag slicks and tires as well as trackside marketing.

With a successful track record in drag racing and an admiration for drifting, Bridges decided to take a shot at professional drifting. In 2009, Bridges Racing campaigned a car in the Formula DRIFT season with Michihiro Takatori behind the wheel.
Having obtained a lot of data from that season, the car has gone through various changes to become more competitive and reliable. In its current form Bridges Racing believes that with Robbie Nishida, they have found the winning combination.

Robbie Nishida has become one of the most watched for drivers in Formula DRIFT. Nishida has been competing in Japan since 1998 and professionally in the Formula DRIFT series since 2005. His skilled driving has earned him a podium and numerous Top 8 finishes the in the Formula DRIFT Series. In 2009 Nishida finished 8th in overall points.

Robbie Nishida will be making his debut with the Bridges Racing 240SX during Formula DRIFT Round 1 in Long Beach, CA on April 8th 2011. “I want to thank everyone that has helped me over the past few years to get to where I am now, but I am proud to say that I have a new start with a whole new team. This year I will be in a familiar chassis with a familiar motor in it. Hopefully we could move on with more
success and I will be driving even more aggressively than ever” said Robbie Nishida.

Bridges Racing and its current sponsors are already looking forward to watching Robbie Nishida this Formula DRIFT season. “Robbie and the Bridges Racing 240SX is definitely a team to watch for. I am looking forward to the synergy of Robbie Nishida behind the wheel of the supercharged VQ powered 240SX. A car that all drifting fans can relate to” says Andrew Modena, President of Marketing for Button Marketing & Consulting, a Bridges Racing sponsor. Bridges Racing is excited to
be working with Nishida this year and believes that their partnership will bring competition to other drivers and excitement to the fans. “Robbie is a class act and a top driving talent. I believe that if we provide him with the correct tools, we will see a string of podium finishes for the 2011 season” says Bryan Bridges, team owner of
Bridges Racing

Current sponsors for the 2011 Formula DRIFT season include:
• S-Max Intercoolers
• Spec Clutch
• K&N
• HPS Silicone Hoses
• Brian Crower
• Neo Synthetic Oil
• Baker Precision
• BASF
• PAC Auto Body
• Button Marketing & Consulting
• Steen Chassis

Bridges Racing would like to thank their ongoing sponsors for their loyalty and continued support. Bridges Racing is currently in negotiations with a title sponsor and is working to bring in additional sponsors for the season.

[Justin Banner]

Well, that finally answers that question. Can't wait to talk to him in Atlanta!

[Bebop]

Ehhh... as a Nishida fan I'm disappointed

Guess it was slim pickings for the one time championship contender.

EOS gets Gardella and Nishida get Bridges.... bizarro world

But then again I only say this because the team couldn't do much with Takatori... but he wasn't used to RHD.

[Bridges Racing]

Originally Posted by Bebop

Ehhh... as a Nishida fan I'm disappointed

Guess it was slim pickings for the one time championship contender.

EOS gets Gardella and Nishida get Bridges.... bizarro world

But then again I only say this because the team couldn't do much with Takatori... but he wasn't used to RHD.

Bebop,
I understand where you are coming from and respect your opinion. I too was surprised that none of the biggers teams had signed Robbie yet. I understand that we are unproven in drifting and not a big team...yet. However my plan is to turn your anguish into jubilation this season.

I will be the first to admitt that our 2009 season with Takatori wasn't the most stellar. With out trying to make too many excuses, that whole thing unfolded very late, and the car was no way near FD ready(by my standards) at Long Beach. I will admit that I made some mistakes with a brand new motor program. But I have a lot of data and learned a lot from it. Communication was a little difficult as well, our translator knew nothing about cars, making it hard to make adjustments in the heat of battle. And you are right he wasn't comfortable in LHD. When he crashed in Vegas he came to me and said sorry, my instincts are backwards when I get into a panic situation. I regret not having the time or funding to provide Takatori with a proper car for his driving style.

With that said, the car is solid now and I have high hopes this year. I hope to earn the respect of fans like you and and other teams alike by performing well this season. I know Robbie will do his part.

[YOitzJDM]

hope he can find a tire deal. I know Bridges ran w/ Dunlop for a long time in drag racing, and Toyo in '09, but neither of those guys support FD this year...

[Charlie@JustDrift]

robbie and brian... we're with you guys all the way!

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by Bridges Racing

Bebop,

My frustration lies within the way teams in this sport decide driver talent. Nishida has been in this series for 5 years, hasn't won a championship but has proven he can beat the best when it counts. Every single year nothing but top 16s and 8s except for last year and that could have been a team problem certainly not driver errors. Yet other drivers with weaker resumes score much more lucrative deals. Thank you for taking another stab at the sport and giving a talented proven driver a ride. But my curiosity has me wondering what other teams were in the mix and why they didn't sighn him.

hope he can find a tire deal. I know Bridges ran w/ Dunlop for a long time in drag racing, and Toyo in '09, but neither of those guys support FD this year...

I hope the good folks at Hankook haven't given up on Nishida.

I wouldn't be surprised if Robbie makes a competitive D1GP run this year.

[YOitzJDM]

Originally Posted by Blaze1

I hope the good folks at Hankook haven't given up on Nishida.

Hankook already has a larger roster than last year... Conrad is the only returning guy, with Aasbo (replacing Foust) / Gushi / Millen / Forsberg on board. If Apex'i runs with Parkhouse at a few events, they might still have Hankook, but I think they were tied in somehow to the Dynamic Autosport deal. I know it's not Nishida's fault for last year, but his deals have always come thru Eddie / Dynamic, never directly with Robbie.

[Bebop]

Originally Posted by YOitzJDM

I know it's not Nishida's fault for last year, but his deals have always come thru Eddie / Dynamic, never directly with Robbie.

True true...

I'm just hoping Daigo's involvement with hankook at TAS still means his good buddy Robbie still has a bit of pull with the company.

[alex]

when will Robbie start testing? and was a V8 ever considered?

good luck this year!

[Bridges Racing]

Originally Posted by alex

when will Robbie start testing? and was a V8 ever considered?

good luck this year!

I want to get Robbie in the car ASAP to get as much seat time as possible. Not exactly sure yet when, he is finishing up some stuff for his cars for D1GP and Asia FD

Yes I have thought about a V8 and people have pushed me to do it several times, but I was stubborn/stupid and wanted to make the VQ work. They are good motors and make nice usable power from 2500-7800 RPM. But they do have some downfalls that I have put in a lot of work to over come. I am also building another S13 right now with a honda K24 motor mated to a VQ transmission.

Thank you for the support, hope to see you at some of the events.

[alex]

Originally Posted by Bridges Racing

... they do have some downfalls that I have put in a lot of work to over come.

I appreciate the update

what is your plan to overcome the VQ downfalls?

[Bridges Racing]

Originally Posted by alex

I appreciate the update

what is your plan to overcome the VQ downfalls?

One of the biggest problems with the VQ motor is heating issues. Oil and water. They kinda go hand in hand. But I have upgraded both systems, too many things to list, form simple stuff like increasing quantity of fluid and electric pumps and fans.. to more pain staking stuff with coatings and modifying things in and on the motor.

[Bebop]

Hey Bridges, will you guys be at Seattle next round. I really want to see Nishida make a mid season comeback!

[Bridges Racing]

Originally Posted by Bebop

Hey Bridges, will you guys be at Seattle next round. I really want to see Nishida make a mid season comeback!

Bebop, It's killing us doing it all out of pocket but Yes we are going to Seattle, Vegas and Irwindale. After how comfotable he was in the car and the ill timed broken axle at long beach. We are excited to get back out there and finish things on a high note!

[Justin Banner]

Cool, I'll get to talk to Robbie at Seattle!

[Shadowhuntr]

This IS good news. Glad to see him driving again this year.

[SSmith]

Good to see Nishida back in action..I agree with Bebop to a certain extent, some drivers who have done little get more opportunities and lucrative deals than some of the foreign drivers. Granted that language maybe an issue but in Nishida's case, I see none of it. He speaks English very fluently, was finishing in the top 10 each year when he was driving the Z, had little luck with the GTR mostly due to car issues but he wasn't picked up by the bigger team after Hankook. Sponsors are wasting their money on some drivers who aren't as half talented as Nishida.

Hope you do well the rest of the season!