The schedule change for the Formula Drift Pro Championship – which put the events in Seattle, Washington and Sonoma, California a mere two weeks apart – strained most of the Formula Drift teams. Luckily, Kyle Mohan had used up all of his bad luck at the Seattle round, as his team had to do an engine swap during Thursday practice.

Early in the practice, the team discovered a minor water seal had failed. With a spare engine on hand, the decision was made to install the backup instead of repairing the water seal, so as to repair it back at the shop. The backup engine went in the car, and with limited practice, Mohan qualified 21st and faced fellow Cooper Tires driver Tony Brakohiapa in the first round. After two close runs, the judges advanced Brakohiapa.

The Kyle Mohan Racing / Cooper Tires / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 made it through Seattle with no major damage and only needed customary pre-race preparation from Mohan and his crew before heading to Sonoma. Last year, driving the KMR Mazda RX-7, Mohan qualified in the top-16 and is thus looking forward to the event this weekend.

“Sonoma is a really, really fun track with its fast entry and long initiation,” said Mohan. “What will also be really fun is that we will be sharing the venue with the Indy Racing League. It is great exposure for Formula Drift, and a great way for us to show our 2009 Mazda RX-8 and our sponsors to a new audience.”

Earlier this season, Mohan was a part of the Team Drift exhibition at the Long Beach Grand Prix, which was also headlined by the Indy Racing League. On Saturday, Mohan will also drift the full Infineon Raceway course as part of a Formula Drift exhibition.

“The fans at Long Beach really respond to drifting,” said Mohan. “I think the crowd in Northern California will do the same. And, on a personal level, I am really excited to get to drift our Mazda RX-8 on the Infineon Raceway course. We have lots of road racing friends and customers that have raced there and they all tell me it is the most epic course they have driven. I can’t wait.”

Mohan will take to the track for top-32 competition on Friday, and the exhibition on Saturday ahead of top-16.

HOT HOT HOT! is the best way to describe this past weekend for the AMS/NOS Racing Team in New Jersey at the Showdown at Englishtown. The AMS/NOS Drag EVO was there to attempt to break its own world record. The previous attempt resulted in a record breaking 8.422 pass while losing a cylinder on the 3-4 shift due to a rocker arm kicking off. With the car healthy and ready to run The AMS/NOS crew was hoping for some new records.

AMS/NOS Energy Drink Drag Car

Vaughn Gittin Jr. arrived at Formula Drift Round 5 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington this past weekend ready to rock in his 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang. After an unexpected incident in the final four which led him to tap Eric O’Sullivan’s car and become DQ’ed, he battled Tyler McQuarrie in the consolation round only to be beaten by his Falken Tire teammate. Vaughn finished the weekend just inches outside the podium in fourth place.

Vaughn Gittin Jr.

During Thursday’s practice, Vaughn and the Autosport Dynamics crew made some minor adjustments to the Mustang to get the proper setup for the track. Seattle news anchor Mark Wright from “Q13 Fox News this Morning” went for a ride in Vaughn’s passenger seat. The clip aired twice during Friday morning’s news.

On game day, Vaughn was set to battle Alex Pfeiffer in the Chevrolet Corvette for the top thirty-two. Vaughn led first and swept the bank with intense angle right up against the wall, while Alex followed shallow, correcting in the infield.  Vaughn followed closely next, maneuvering his way around the Corvette after it spun going into the last turn. Vaughn was awarded the win and eagerly moved on to the top sixteen.

Vaughn was matched with two-time Formula Drift Champion, Tanner Foust, for the battle of the Sweet Sixteen. After a close battle and Vaughn tapping the wall while maintaining his drift, the judges called for a “one more time” to determine a winner. During the first run of the OMT, Tanner led while Vaughn closed the gap with a blanket of bellowing smoke following him. Vaughn led next and scraped the wall again coming off of the bank, while Tanner held a more shallow line.  The Scion tC proved no match for the Ford Mustang; Vaughn received the win and proceeded to move on to the Great Eight.

NOS Energy rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard took fifth place overall this weekend at the 2009 X Games 15 Rally Car Race at the Home Depot Centre in Los Angeles. The team qualified well and won their first elimination round, meeting Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana in the quarter-final. ACP was running strong against Pastrana when he started losing turbo boost ­ and bleeding time. He says a hard hit after going long on the jump during practice was to blame.

“I got the biggest air of the day over the jump during practice and nosed it in,” said Comrie-Picard. “The front of the car was pretty battered by the time I lined up against Travis, and one of the boost hoses was leaking. But the crew really deserves the credit for their incredible job in repairing the car to get it back to the starting line for each round through the quarterfinals. And of course Travis drove a great race.”

The unique X Games format sees drivers go head-to-head on a mixed asphalt and dirt course through the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, and features an exciting 70-foot gap jump that is a highlight for fans and drivers alike. The race is broadcast live on ABC and ESPN, with additional broadcasts in more than 100 countries around the world.

“This is a terrific result for the NOS Energy team and ACP” said Ernie Manansala, Motorsports and Lifestyle Marketing Manager for NOS Energy Drink.
“We wanted to make sure ACP used all his Human Horsepower to get over the jump, and sure enough he went big!”

The team’s NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX was the only car in the top five without factory support. IRL Champion Kenny Brack ­ in a Ford Fiesta – took the win when Subaru-backed Pastrana spun out during the final heat. Tanner Foust earned the bronze medal in his Ford Fiesta while teammate Brian Deegan finished in fourth. 2008 co-bronze medalists ­ Subaru backed Ken Block and Dave Mirra – finished seventh and eighth respectively.

“There’s no shame in losing to the Ford Fiestas, really” said Comrie-Picard, “the cars are beautifully engineered, and they were certainly well-driven here. I hope we see more of them competing in America.”

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana captured his 15th career X Games medal in this past weekend’s ESPN X Games 15 Rally competition at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles where he won the silver medal.   Pastrana, driving a BFGoodrich Tires-shod 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car was the clear favorite after winning Gold at least year’s edition of the event. However, Pastrana’s bid for a second straight Gold was halted midway through the Gold medal race when he clipped a cement barrier with his right front wheel, nearly ripping the wheel from the car,  thus handing former Indianapolis 500 winner Kenny Brack the Gold medal.  Pastrana’s X Games medals count now include nine gold, four silver and two bronze.  Four of his 15 medals have been awarded in the Rally competition.

Travis Pastrana

NOS Energy rally driver Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard returns to battle with the best drivers in action sport when he takes on the invitation-only X Games Rally Car race on Sunday, Aug. 2. The unique X Games format sees drivers go head-to-head on a mixed asphalt and dirt course through the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, and features an exciting 70-foot gap jump that is a highlight for fans and drivers alike.

“I’m really looking forward to keeping it pinned and getting massive air over that gap,” said Comrie-Picard. “We learned last year that the Evo likes a little more speed than the other cars heading into the big jump and that’s going to be a real advantage when we get into the stadium at X Games 15.”

The 2008 contest saw Comrie-Picard well in the lead over rival Dave Mirra when he shorted the jump slightly in his NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX and flipped end over end. It was a spectacular crash that made highlight reels around the world. Comrie-Picard was unharmed.

“The X Games is about going big and sometimes crashing big,” said Comrie-Picard. “We gave the fans a show last year; this year we’re in it for the gold medal.”

The X Games is the premier action sports event on the globe, featuring athletes competing for medals and prize money in sports including BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally. 2009 marks the 15th anniversary of the high-profile contest.

“X Games 15 marks NOS Energy Drink’s second proud and exciting year with Team ACP,” said Ernie Manansala, Motorsports and Lifestyle Marketing Manager for NOS Energy Drink. “We have been anticipating this event with ACP since our end-over-end encounter at X Games last year and we look forward to ACP gunning for NOS Energy Drink’s first X Games gold!”

The X Games Rally Car Race airs live on ESPN and ABC starting at 12 p.m.
(Pacific Time) on Sunday, Aug. 2, with additional broadcasts in more than 100 countries around the world. Comrie-Picard is among just four drivers from around the world who have been invited to X Games in every year since the sport was introduced to the contest in 2006. The Rally Car discipline is a hit in the X Games format, consistently setting the highest television ratings of the four-day action sports event.

The 2009 contest will see the elimination of rally co-drivers ­ deemed unnecessary on the short course ­ and the addition of in-car commentators that will allow fans to get closer to the action than ever before with first-hand analysis, live from the course. ACP’s 2008 X Games co-driver Jen Horsey will be one of the commentators. In the lead-up to the big show, Comrie-Picard was recently invited to throw the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers home game against the Houston Astros. He will also take on a Lucas Oil Off Road race in a Bully Dog truck this coming weekend (July 24-26) in Lake Elsinore, California.

ACP enters the X Games contest as a strong contender for the Rally America title. There is just a four-point spread between ACP, in third at the mid-point in the season, Ken Block, Tanner Foust and Andi Mancin. All are trailing defending champion Travis Pastrana. Rally car racing is considered the extreme sport of automobile racing and is often described simply as ³real cars, real roads, real fast.² This all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over courses that cover hundreds of miles of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads.

Ken Block - Finishes 2nd

Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana overcame a close battle with his Subaru teammate Ken Block to  win the New England Forest Rally, Round 6 of the 2009 Rally America National Championship.  The Subaru duo of Pastrana and Block, each driving identically prepared 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally cars, fought all weekend with former Canadian Rally Champion Antoine L’Estage.   Mechanical trouble for L’Estage and a late spin and tire puncture for Block handed Pastrana the victory on the final stages.  The win extends Pastrana’s points lead and puts him one step closer to winning his fourth consecutive Rally America National Championship.

The 2009 New England Forest Rally featured highly technical and rocky gravel logging roads near the Maine/New Hampshire border. Pastrana, partnered with his co-driver Christian Edstrom, entered the rally with a 21-point lead over his closest challenger and said his strategy from the start was to avoid taking unnecessary risks and get his car to the finish in one piece.  “I wasn’t the fastest driver here this weekend,” said Pastrana. “It was hard to keep up with Block, but we were just close enough to capitalize when he hit some trouble at the end of the rally.”  The win at New England is Pastrana and Edstrom’s fourth win from six events this year.

Round 4 of the 2009 Formula Drift Series would be center stage for a weekend jammed pack with aggressive high speed entries, billowing tire smoke, and the excitement of a night  event at this hot Las Vegas desert venue. Special thanks go out to the crew at Dynamic Autosports, S&A Design, Drive Apparel, Downforce, Hiro’s Auto Repair, MotorMavens.com, and APEX Co. Ltd. Japan.  Ryuji Miki and the A’PEXi / Hankook Tire RX-7 team had been finishing consistently in the Top 16 rounds prior to this event, and had their sights set on higher finishing results. The driver, the machine, and team went through early practice without a hitch, dialing in the settings for the upcoming main event. However, during the tail end of the open practice right before qualifying, the car would come to a halt, mid-track, and was towed back to the pits. Crew chief, Charles Griffice and team mechanic, Darren Masumori worked diligently to change out what was a broken differential, and made the proper repairs in time to send the car out during the 2nd qualifying round. Miki’s experience was a key element in attempting a qualification with 1 run, and was able to qualify in the 22nd position.

Miki’s road to the podium would be a tough one, as he would run 2 One More Times versus hometown crowd favorite Tommy Suell in the Top 32 round. In the Top 16 round, Miki and the 13B-rotary powered RX-7 would face off against the V-10 powered Dodge Viper of Samuel Hubinette, and would come out with the win, shadowing the speed, angle, and movement of Hubinette. The Great 8 round would be a battle of the rotary engines, up against the 20B 3-rotor powered RX-8 of Bergenholtz Racing, driven by Justin Pawlak. Ryuji Miki’s aggressive driving from entry to finish and staying on the rear bumper of Pawlak would prove to be enough to move onto the semi-finals. In the Best 4 round, Miki would face another V-8 machine, driven by current points leader, Chris Forsberg. He continued to push forward with the aggressive style that he had been known for during his championship season in D1GP series.