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You could tell that the crowd at Road Atlanta had been waiting a long time for Round 2 of the 2006 Need for Speed Formula Drift series; a thick crowd of drift
fanatics had already lined up their lawn chairs for Friday’s practice sessions just to get an early look. Ditching school and playing hooky at work, both young
and old made it out to the practice event to watch the best of the best get sideways. Unlike the majority areas outside of Irwindale, CA, the Atlanta crowd has
had plenty of experience with the sideways sport of drifting. After all, Formula D was born in Atlanta at the inaugural Driftlanta event just two years ago.
And in the two years that Formula D has brought their tour through the ATL, fans have watched the same guy in two different Mopar Vipers climb the top podium
step – 2003 FD champ Samuel Hubinette. The 2006 iteration played out to a different ending though and FD Round 2 would also be filled with plenty of pea gravel
stories, first-evers, and a new Formula D winner in a new drift machine.
Road Atlanta, including the sport P-shaped section dedicated to Formula Drift competition, is a beautiful course surrounded by lush greenery and fresh air. But
the beauty only hides the fact that it has one hell of a bite. Just ask Hiro Sumida, Yoshie Shuyama, and a dozen other unlucky drifters that felt the wrath of
the Road.
Most of the damage took place on the super high speed entry at the end of the downhill start. A fast left required an e-brake initiation and one huge sack of
balls. Not a drop of fear is accepted on this course – falter and you (and your mega-dollar paintwork) will feel the pain of the red dirt, golf ball sized pea
gravel, and nasty sunken rumble strips. Still, despite the hazards – or maybe because of them, it is one hell of a crowd pleaser. There must have been about 15
self-inflicted wounds that took out everything from body kits, to wheels, even radiators. It was awesome.
The event also marked a few firsts in Formula D history. Atlanta was the first time ever that a woman has made it to the Top 16 qualifying ladder. Hiromi
Kajikuma from Japan drifted her pink hachi all of the way to the Top 16, giving her an FD license good for the next year and an entry ticket into the tandem
elimination rounds. An unfortunate first match up with JR Gittin eliminated her from going further, but not before she won the respect of the Atlanta crowd,
the judges and all of the other FD drivers.
Another first was the entry of a (three-time in this case) SCCA SPEED World Challenge champion behind the wheel of a drift car. Pierre Kleinubing, driver of
the RealTime SPEED World Challenge Acura TSX Touring Car on most Sundays, strapped into the new RealTime Racing Honda S2000 drifter and launched his career as
a Formula D rookie. Layered in unmistakable RealTime fluorescent orange and white paint, the S2000 uses a Vortech centrifugal supercharger and a complete
engine and chassis preparation for 480 hp worth of drift fury. Getting used to the car for the first time (he didn’t drive the car for the first time until the
day before the event) as well as learning the drifting (read slip, instead of grip) style, Pierre did a commendable job and had plenty of fan support. The team
and Pierre plan to have a more dialed-in package at Chicago, but not before Pierre gets back into his Acura TSX for a Round 3 of the SPEED WC Touring Car
championship at Mid-Ohio this coming weekend.
Here’s how the Top 16 portion of the competition went down.
Top Sixteen
Hubert Young vs. Daijiro Yoshihara
Run 1: Dai leading, he leaves the start with a burst of adrenaline and puts a few car lengths between himself and Hubert. Dai’s power and race line
continue to broaden the gap over the course, leaving Hubert in his smoke. Dai is given the advantage.
Run 2: Hubert returns the favor and leads Dai into a fury of tire smoke. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Hubert drive as strong as his Atlanta
performance. As much heat as Hubert puts out, Dai gives it right back - inching right up to the Discount Tires sticker on Hubert’s rear bumper. The run is dead
even.
Verdict: Dai’s fantastic first run gives him the win and the ticket to the next round.
Chris Forsberg vs. Calvin Wan
Run 1: A Falken Tires team showdown, both cars do their best to gain an advantage on the other but their performances are dead even.
Run 2: The two cars appear to be an even match but then at the trick horseshoe section, Forsberg spins his brand new Sears Auto Center-sponsored Nissan
Titan V8-powered 350Z roadster and the decision is obvious.
Verdict: A catastrophic spin by Forsberg gives Calvin and his Falken Tires G35 the easy victory.
Hiromi Kajikuma vs. Vaughn Gittin JR.
Run 1: Talk about the most lopsided match possible, Gittin and his fire-breathing Mustang GT lines up against the lowest horsepower car in the field –
the AE86 Corolla driven by Kajikuma. Never mind that she is the first woman to ever get into the Top 16, JR shows no mercy and leaves the pink Corolla in the
dust. Kajikuma, under lots of pressure, spins out coming into the first turn. Advantage is automatically given to JR.
Run 2: The crowd cheers for the underdog Kajikuma and tries to pump her up. It works. Hiromi leads JR into turn one on a mission to impress the crowd.
She leads JR like a champ with mad speed and control through the entire course. JR stays on her, not wanting to be the first guy to fall victim to the talented
Hiromi.
Verdict: The crowd express their enthusiasm for the little pink Corolla, but due to the obvious spin in the first run, the “W” was given to JR. A huge
congratulation goes out to Hiromi for her accomplishments - at only her second US event.
Ross Petty vs. Samuel Hubinette
Run 1: With a freshly painted red camp Viper SRT-10, Samuel leads first. Most expected to see the monster Viper pull ahead with ease, but Petty put the
pedal to the floor in his RB26 powered 240SX and gave Sam hell. Following Sam with a vengeance, the clean 240SX is given the advantage.
Run 2: Petty leads Sam in a cloud of smoke but Sam locks his radar on Petty and never loses sight. Advantage goes to Sam - producing the first “One More
Time” of the event.
OMT Verdict: Both of the runs were absolutely amazing with the two cars following each other like choreographed drift demo. Judges Ken Takahashi, Alex
Pfeiffer, and Andy Yen must have seen something from their high judging stand about Sam’s run and they give the Crazy Swede the green light to head into the
next round. Petty still put on a huge showing for the debut of his new gold 240SX.
Tanner Foust vs. Ken Gushi
Run 1: Ken Gushi arrived in Atlanta not only with another new red paint job, but a new car too. His new Toyo Tires sponsored Mustang GT may look like
the old one, but the new one was fully built in house by Ford Racing to incorporate all the tricks and technology left out in version 1. Being in the new car
for the first time, he still had lots of work to fully dial in the car. This showed as he followed Foust perfectly throughout the course but then choked on the
exit of the last return turn and handed it over to Tanner.
Run 2: Ken leads Tanner on an excellent run where both cars were giving each other a tough battle.
Verdict: Ken’s new machine is definitely a competitive machine, but his lack of seat time in the new car coughed up the round. Tanner moves on to the
next round in the beginning to an interesting night.
Casper Canul vs. Bill Sherman
Run 1: The crowd freaked out when bill Sherman rolled up in his Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am / 240SX. Yep, only in Formula D and only in the south can
you find somebody who would graft a 81 Pontiac Trans Am front end to the body of a 1990’s Nissan 240SX. The uh, Trans 240 had plenty of people uttering, “What
the ----?!” Bill’s skills behind the turbo KA machine shut them up though, putting on an awesome show for his first run. Bill lead first and did a great job
until the two reach the horseshoe. Sherman gets sloppy and accidentally straightens out to give the advantage to Casper.
Run 2: With much to prove, Bill follows Casper to try to even it up. Bill chases down Casper “da ghost” but drops a tire off track – eventually leading
to a spin out at the next turn.
Verdict: An easy win is given to Casper as Burt Reynolds is unable to deliver the goods. (And not bad build quality on the graft!)
Rhys Millen vs. Rich Rutherford
Run 1: Something goes wrong in Rhys’ Red Bull-sponsored Pontiac GTO at the starting line, Rich streaks away in his Evo while Rhys coasts down the hill.
After Rhys finally gets his engine started, Rich decided to be the nice guy and give Rhys a re-start. This would be a costly move as Rich ends up correcting
himself in the horseshoe section, giving the advantage to Rhys.
Run 2: Rich, no doubt still debating his decision, delivers one of his best runs of the event, but it is no match for the defending champion and his
wild-spoilered GTO – the last outing before Millen debuts a new Solstice roadster for Chicago.
Verdict: Rutherford’s decision to restart the match allows Rhys to take his ol’ goat out for at least one more lap.
Taka Aono vs. Conrad Grunewald
Run 1: Last year, Taka was the crowd favorite as he battled Sam Hubinette in a multiple OMT series. In the end, the judges decided that the Corolla that
Could…just couldn’t do it. This time,Taka came strapped with a new Hasselgren-built engine and another year’s worth of experience. Taka follows Conrad like he
is on a mission, but the power of the Jasper Supra (also with new graphic scheme) is just too much and Taka falls off right around turn 4. The advantage goes
to Conrad.
Run 2: Taka leads the second run trying to sway the judges, who for 2006 include former FD drivers Alex Pfeiffer and Andy Yen, into an OMT decision.
Both performances were spectacular, but Taka just didn’t have enough to grab the advantage.
Verdict: Conrad pulls the welcome mat from under Taka and moves on into the next round.
Great Eight
Calvin Wan vs. Daijiro Yoshihara
Run 1: A dead even match presented by two distinguished drivers. The judges announce an obvious tie and the intensity escalates.
Run 2: Calvin leads this run and the two deliver two more textbook runs. Dai, however, appeared to carry a little more intensity in his run and it’s
acknowledged by the judges.
Verdict: Dai is given the first win in the Great Eight round and advances to the Final Four.
Samuel Hubinette vs. Vaughn Gittin JR
Run 1: No matter how many times we see these two drift giants take each other on, we can’t help but get excited. Quite possibly the best ongoing rivalry
in Formula D, the Falken Mustang vs. the Mopar Viper SRT-10 matchup will always pump up any crowd. The fans seemed to be favoring JR this year, quite possibly
because many of them had seen Sam win both previous years. As the cars left the line, everybody was waiting for one of the cars to slip up. Hubinette is given
the advantage when the judges call JR had on a moment where he lost drift angle.
Run 2: JR doesn’t want to lose again to Samuel so he leads the pack with full focus. JR and Sam know each others styles so well, close calls are almost
standard. With smoke-filled, near perfect runs by both, the judges were stuck with an extremely tough decision. With what was probably the toughest call of the
night, the judges took about 5 minutes to announce who move on and who would start packing up.
Verdict: With an anxious crowd awaiting a final decision, the judges announced Sam as the victor. The crowd objected in a symphony of “boos” and
four-letter words. It was obvious that the decision was not the people’s choice.
Tanner Foust vs. Casper Canul
Run 1: Tanner leads first and absolutely buries Casper in a cloud of Toyo Tires smoke. Casper gave a great effort to stay on the AEM 350Z’s yellow
bumper but to no success. The advantage clearly went to Tanner.
Run 2: On the second run, Casper put his foot down hard and was flying through the course. Tanner, an excellent chaser, put a lot of pressure on Casper.
As the cars exited the horseshoe, Casper came out a bit too wide and dropped a tire into the red Road Atlanta gravel, causing him to lose just enough speed and
control to satisfy the judges with a verdict.
Verdict: Casper gave it his all and he definitely deserves to be recognized for his aggressive driving. However, the man of the hour would remain to be
Tanner Foust in the AEM Z.
Conrad Grunewald vs. Rhys Millen
Run 1: The judges give the advantage to Rhys due to Conrad dropping a tire in the gravel, possibly as a result of miscalculating the entry speed. Lucky
for Conrad, it was gravel and not a wall or a canyon’s edge…lights out. In Japan, there a lot of tracks with dirt runoffs where drivers purposely drop the back
two tires to lose traction entirely for some added angle. This isn’t Japan though, and then vote was in Rhys’ favor.
Run 2: On the second run, Rhys was on Conrad’s ass as if he were chasing Anna Kournikova. There wasn’t a moment in the entire run where you could fit a
yard stick between these two cars. Conrad is a great drifter, but Rhys definitely proved why he was is the defending 2005 FD champion.
Verdict: Rhys makes easy work of Conrad and sends him home wondering what he could have done differently. The truth is probably not a whole lot; he was
already driving almost flawlessly.
Final Four
Samuel Hubinette vs. Daijiro Yoshihara
Run 1: Supposedly, Dai has a sticker on his dashboard that reads, “Make sure the hood is latched down.” Apparently Dai didn’t get the memo, because as
he came barreling down the straight his hood flipped up and smacked his windshield like a shotgun blast. Samuel finished his lap and returned, but then decided
to restart the battle and give Dai a fair chance. Although Dai was maxed out at every turn, the judges liked the job Sam was doing shadowing Dai’s Rockstar
240SX and gave him the advantage.
Run 2: The crowd was absolutely nuts for Dai and he quickly became the crowd favorite…again. It seemed that many of the fans didn’t want to see the same
winner over and over again – kind of like Waffle Houses on a southern interstate. The second battle was an amazing battle with each driver driving at 10/10ths.
The battle was intensely close, but the judges saw something in Dai’s run to even up the score. One More Time.
OMT: The first run was won by Sam as he followed Dai with what looked like the ability to pass if at will. The second run was absolutely devastating for
crowd favorite Daijiro - he loses momentum in the horseshoe and his coupe straightens out. The judges close their ears to the crowd and rightly give the win to
Sam.
Rhys Millen vs. Tanner Foust
Run 1: Millen vs. Foust was probably the best battle of the night. Tanner is Rhys’ protégé, but perhaps Rhys has taught this grasshopper too well. The
first run is an amazing show of skill and testosterone. The judges give the advantage to Foust in what might have been the ultimate match of the weekend.
Run 2: Incredibly, master makes a terrible mistake at the end of the second run. On the very last turn of what looked to be a perfect run, Rhys runs off
the track coming extremely close to the wall. The crowd couldn’t believe their eyes, but Rhys had blown it for himself in the last possible second.
Verdict: Judges wasted no time to announce that Foust now had a chance at becoming only the second winner of the Road Atlanta round. The first winner,
Hubinette, was in his way.
3rd Place
Rhys Millen vs. Daijiro Yoshihara
Run 1: Formula D fans saw this exact same match in the final rounds of Long Beach. If we remember correctly, Dai and Rhys were almost evenly matched but
the final say from the judges was that Rhys had won. Dai definitely had this on his mind as he prepared for battle. The first run between the two were dead
even. Textbook runs had the crowd screaming for who they wanted to win. Judges called a tie.
Run 2: Again, another evenly matched run. The crowd immediately screamed, “OMT!” This time, they got what they asked for.
OMT: The first run was again dead even and we were starting to wonder if there could be a better matched pair. Formula D rules only allow for one OMT
per matchup though, so the pressure definitely was on. The second run was phenomenal with Dai chasing Rhys around as if tied to his bumper. Dai closes the gap
at the end and ends up catching Rhys at the finish.
Verdict: The crowd favorite won this time and was awarded 3rd place; the crowd absolutely went wild. The Silvia fans had beaten out the domestic muscle
fans for Round 2.
FINAL
Tanner Foust vs. Samuel Hubinette
Run 1: Tanner is absolutely on FIRE! His car was throwing down so much smoke; you could hardly see the Viper. Sam himself was probably surprised as he
struggled to stay within a car length of the AEM 350Z.
Run 2: Sam led the second run but Tanner refused to let him get away with another trophy. Tanner was all over him knowing quite well that the Tires.com
Triple Crown was on the line. Winning first place at each of the Triple Crown events, will bag a bonus check from Tires.com for a cool $10,000. That’s a lot of
money! As much as Sam tried to shake him, Tanner wasn’t going anywhere but to the highest box on the podium.
Tanner Foust takes home the first place trophy for the first ever AEM drifting victory. Even though there was only one winner, all of the competitors left
Atlanta on a high – likely infused with plenty of energy that the ATL drift fans dished out. With a parking lot full of 240s and other potential drift cars, it
was obvious that drifting in the south is firmly established.
The 2006 Need For Speed Formula Drift series takes its tour up north to the Windy City for the third of seven rounds.
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