Event Reports
Formula Drift Round 4
July 12, 2008
Las Vegas, NV
Report by John Chennavasin
Drifting and drag racing return to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in July, this time with Formula Drift and Battle of the Imports.
Las Vegas weather is always a problem in July. Rather than 120-degree weather, spectators and drivers saw thunderstorms approaching. Rain didn't start falling until after the awards ceremony, which allowed the drifting to continue as scheduled.
The big story going into this round involved Michihiro Takatori's Super Autobacs Nissan Skyline R34. Formula Drift ruled that his car was non-compliant since it did not have the original factory front suspension. He would be allowed to compete with his current car for the next two rounds, but would not earn any qualifying points. Additionally, the suspension would need to be returned to the factory configuration before the end of the season, or Takatori will forfeit all championship points for the season.
D1 Grand Prix regulars Toshiki Yoshioka and Manabu Orido made their Formula Drift debuts in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, two of Team Falken's drivers were sidelined. Vaughn Gittin Jr. was able to make one qualifying run before his Ford Mustang suffered an engine failure. Darren McNamara was unable to make the trip to Las Vegas due to visa problems.
In some respects, this event was a repeat of the inaugural D1 Grand Prix exhibition in Las Vegas two years ago. Tanner Foust qualified first...only to bow out in the first round of tandem drifting. The first round also featured one of the lowest scores ever recorded during Tandem drifting. Michihiro Takatori scored zero points in the first run, and Calvin Wan won by scoring two points. One has to wonder how D1 would have scored this particular run. Rhys Millen and Ken Gushi had two exciting runs, and the crowd wanted to see a "one more time" run, but the judges ruled that Ken Gushi straightened his car too early on the second run and awarded him zero points.
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Toshiki Yoshioka became the first AE86 driver to win a Formula Drift event. What made this feat even more impressive is he had to beat Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette to reach the finals.
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Standings
The season is still wide open after this round. Even though Tanner Foust and Chris Forsberg were knocked out in the first round, they didn't lose much ground in the standings.
| Rank | Driver | Team | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanner Foust | Rockstar/AEM | Nissan 350Z | 321 |
| 2 | Samuel Hubinette | Nuformz Racing Mopar | Dodge Viper SRT10 | 313 |
| 3 | Daijiro Yoshihara | Bridgestone/RMR | Pontiac GTO | 308 |
| 4 | Chris Forsberg | NOS Energy Drink | Nissan 350Z | 282 |
| 5 | Michihiro Takatori | Super Autobacs | Nissan Skyline R34 | 265 |
| T6 | Ryan Tuerck | Gardella Racing/Mobil 1 | Pontiac Solstice | 254 |
| T6 | Rhys Millen | Red Bull | Pontiac Solstice GXP | 254 |
| 8 | Vaughn Gittin, Jr. | Falken/Ford Racing | Ford Mustang GT | 182.25 |
| 9 | Conrad Grunewald | Nitto/Tanaka Racing | Chevrolet Corvette | 173.25 |
| 10 | Darren McNamara | Falken/Sears Auto Center | Saturn Sky | 172 |