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A year ago, Formula D was just an appetizer at the world famous Long Beach Grand Prix. This year it was its own main course. The creative minds at Formula D decided that the streets of Long Beach would serve as the perfect background to their sideways smoke show. They couldn't have picked a better place. The sun came out and the rain clouds drifted away almost as if they were on a schedule to make way for the first round of Formula D 2006. The Long Beach Grand Prix course on the streets of Long Beach was the stage where the battles would take place. Turns 9, 10, and the hairpin at turn 11 (see map) will declare a victor, but not before they put a severe beating on almost a dozen concrete-slapped cars.
New for 2006
The 2006 season has started with a rush of new players. New drivers, new cars, and new sponsors. The Long Beach event gives us an opportunity to see who is bringing what to the table. Papa Gushi debuts his RWD WRX sponsored by Bridgestone and confuses the crowd as to, "how does he drift that?" Gushi isn't the only driver with an AWD ride that has been converted to RWD. Rich Rutherford pilots a brand new RWD Mitsubishi Evolution built by Rhys Millen Racing (RMR). Rumor has it that Mitsubishi Evolution RWD conversion kits are on their way from RMR soon. Rhys Millen's protégé Tanner Foust has switched to team AEM joining Stephan Papadakis in a brand new 350Z sprayed in bright yellow fashion. D1 driver Kazu Hayashida comes from Japan to compete this year in his RS-R powered S15 with a finely tuned Tomei engine. Hayashida's partner this year will be Tyler McQuarrie piloting judge Alex Pfeiffer's old S2000. The rumor mill has it that there is a fresh new S2000 being built as we speak. Another great contender coming from Japan is Hiromi Kajikumi in her pink AE86 hatchback that is backed by Hankook Tire and Kaaz USA. Hankook tire will be sponsoring the entire JIC and Kaaz USA teams creating a huge force to be reckoned with.
You know you are at a drifting event when every step you take you crunch an empty can of energy drink. This year there is enough ginseng and caffeine at each event to fuel the next trip to the moon. Red Bull is sponsoring Rhys Millen, Rockstar has Daijiro Yoshihara and Ben Schwartz, Shark has Vaughn Gittin and Hiro Sumida, and Nitro2Go is in just about everybody else's cooler. The good side is there is enough free drinks to explode a heart, but the bad side is that nobody is sponsored by a vodka company yet. "BYOV!" Probably one of the biggest sponsor surprises of the year is Chris Forsberg's Sear's Auto Center wrapped 350Z tag-team. His SR20DET-powered version will be used until the Titan V8 convertible is finished for the next event.
The Course
Drivers start on Seaside Way straight providing a street drag race-like scenario. Drivers initiate drift early into turn 9 where they carry massive sideways speed. Regaining traction just before making friends with the turn 9 wall both cars perform an extremely narrow manji drift (side-to-side on a straight-a-way) nearly hitting their bumpers on the walls before entering the fastest turn. Average speed into turn 10 was a remarkable 62-MPH...sideways. To answer your question, "Yes there were a lot of k-rail casualties on the far side of turn 10...and they were spectacular." Drivers maintain their smoky drift all of the way through the long sweeper and then they transfer weight and transition into the right-handed hairpin at turn 11. Turn 11 will be a major deciding factor later in the day as it is extremely narrow especially after drivers are carrying high speeds into it. Judges, located high above the track behind turn 10, stopped their judging after both cars had exited the hairpin. The track is extremely challenging for all drivers but especially difficult for the lower-powered Corollas with their shorter wheelbases and lack of drift-carrying torque.
Saturday Qualifying
2006 Sees a few changes when it comes to choosing cars to make it to the final round. At the feeder level, drivers interested in driving had to try out for the Formula D License that would allow them to even get onto the track on game day. Qualifiers took place at Irwindale Speedway, Gulf-Greyhound Park in Houston, and finally at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Many drivers came out but only a handful were awarded licenses. Once at the event, un-seeded drivers battle it out for the 12 spots that will move on to Sunday's main event. At the top of the qualifying list is Kazu Hayashida who had a score of 273 out of 300. Rod Millen, Rich Rutherford, and Ryan Hampton were also on the list of drivers that would suit up on Sunday.
The Main Event
Sunday skies mixed with tire smoke made it perfect race day conditions. Over 5,000 tickets were sold and the stands were packed with people from all different arenas of life. Hulk Hogan showed up with his son Nick and camera crew as they are filming their reality show. Rumors have been stirred up that Supra-buff Nick Hogan wants to get into drifting and start competing sooner than you think. No, this is not another "celebrity-turned drifter," Nick actually has been racing in motor sports since his diaper days...or close to it. The Hogan cast wasn't the focus of attention though, as drivers kicked up the juice and battled it out for the top 16 spots.
Top 16
Up first was Yukinobu Okubo in his Signal Skyline takes out Rob Fleming in the Enjuku 240SX. Rhys Millen and Chris Forsberg are next at bat as two of the best go at it early in the game. A tough battle to judge is finally decided that Millen will move on. Kazu Hayashida puts Kenji Yamanaka to bed as Hayashida's S15 high-speed entry leaves the JIC S15 in the dust. Casper Canul fell victim to Hiro Sumida when car trouble struck him. On the second pass Casper didn't even try to initiate drift giving the automatic pass to Hiro. Ken Gushi's Mustang eliminates Robbie Nishida in the Peak Performance S14. The legend Rod Millen gave it his best against Tanner Foust but he was just no match for the new AEM 350Z as he spins out at the hairpin. Samuel Hubinette and Vaughn Gittin get a chance to meet each other again since their last grudge match at D1 Round 1. Two perfect rivals drive each other to a One More Time (OMT) but in the end Hubinette would win because Gittin straightened out before the hairpin. The last battle in the top 16 was between Corolla driver Taka Aono and Daijiro Yoshihara. Taka gave it his best but just couldn't hang with the power of Dai's 240SX. The course called for lots of power and torque and Taka was definitely at a disadvantage.
Top 8
Eight drivers remained afloat on the streets of Long Beach, but only four would be able to keep their heads above water into the next round. The Top 8 would be an interesting mix of Japanese drivers and American muscle. Yukinobu Okubo lined up against Rhys Millen for the first run. Okubo and his Skyline lead first and Rhys follows behind so closely it was like mirror-mode in Gran Turismo. On the second run, Rhys pulls way ahead of Okubo with faster entry speed and forces Okubo to pack up his trailer. Next match would be Daijiro and Hayashida. First run, Dai looked great with an intense entry speed of 63-MPH but Hayashida locked on to him tightly. On the second bout Hayashida makes a fatal error as he spins out at the hairpin handing the win over to Dai. Hiro Sumida and Ken Gushi's battle was intense and pivotal. Hiro leads first but entering into turn 10 he smacks the sidewall sending him slightly off course. Gushi thinks that Sumida is not going to initiate drift so he changes his line. When Sumida starts his drift he collides with Gushi resulting in a shower of broken parts. Gushi fixes his car with parts from a Falken car where as Hiro is not as fortunate. The last of the top 8 would be a great match between Samuel Hubinette and Tanner Foust. The two were so evenly matched that the judges voted for a OMT. The third and fourth runs looked absolutely flawless as well but the rule of only having one OMT per battle left for a tough decision. The judges must have seen something just a little extra in Hubinette as he moved forward into the final four.
Final 4
The final four definitely had a domestic dominance with only Daijiro Yoshihara left to represent for Nissan in his newly pimped out Rockstar energy drink S13 coupe. Daijiro's last battle of the day was against none other than Millen's Red Bull powered GTO. The two energy drink rides battled it out with what appeared to be two identically clean runs from each driver. The crowd demanded a "OMT" but instead the judges declared Rhys the winner. The crowd's disappointment was audible in the breeze of, "BOOooooos," but it was a done deal. The other pair in the final four was a domestic dispute between Gushi and Hubinette. Gushi follows the Viper's trail closely. Both cars have gobs of torque and are showering the crowd with smoke. The two drivers glide smoothly making the course look like child's play. Coming out of the third turn, trouble comes after Gushi as he loses control before the hairpin and smacks head into the wall. According to Formula D rules, Gushi has five minutes to make repairs to the car but the damages were far too extensive. With two crashes in one day, it's easy to say that Gushi's new graphics and body style didn't exactly get the warm welcome that it wanted from the 2006 season opener.
Finale
The final round leaves two of the best. 2005's first place vs. second place drivers battle it out for first blood for 2006. Ironically, it is the beginning of a new season, but a finish for both Hubinette's Viper and Millen's GTO. Round 2 in Atlanta will be the showcasing event for both Hubinette's Dodge Charger and Millen's mystery machine. Hubinette leaves the staging area first with victory on his mind. Millen follows closely behind through the entire course looking absolutely flawless, and then the unexpected happens. Millen spins out at the final hairpin turn giving the obvious advantage to Hubinette. Almost never does Rhys spin out especially in a clutch situation such as this. Hubinette knows that all he has to do is fulfill a successful pass and the big cup is his. Millen definitely has a game plan to try and salvage his chances. As the flag is dropped, both drivers shoot out of the hole. Hubinette follows closely but cautiously behind Millen until the very end. Millen tries to throw salt in Hubinette's game by brake-checking him right before the clip of the hairpin but it is to no effect. Hubinette has swept Round 1 at the streets of Long Beach. After the Polanti watches and champagne were given out, all drivers went home knowing exactly what they had to do to get ready for Round 2 in Atlanta. The cars had been shook down, motors tuned up, and suspension dialed in. Round 2 will see at least three new cars, a couple of new drivers, and one Atlanta champion. Be there! www.formulad.com
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