Formula D – Gripshiftslide

WTAC '14 :: Fresh Off The Boat

Grant — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 12:36:57 +0000

The 2014 chapter of the world time attack challenge is just 4 days away as we type this, months of careful preparation, shipping and planning is starting to pay off.
The hero cars from the motherland have arrived with just days to spare. All year we have been teased with snippets and photos of some of these cars and now they’re finally on our shores.
We couldn’t wait to get down and see these beautiful machines in the flesh!

These are the real deal, poster cars from any Japanese car lovers wall. The tuning gods of Japan have sent over their finest for an all out GTR battle.

These sort of aero mods help slow cars knock milliseconds off their track times, we can’t wait to see what they’ll do to an R35!

HKS have not yet had a racing entry at WTAC, they sent over their infamous red Evo purely as a static display. Now fans will really get to see what the land of the rising sun has to offer.

Scorch racing has gone from strength to strength now in it’s 3rd year of the WTAC series, still predominately a privateer entry/driver with a little help from sponsors.

Under Suzuki has hand built one of the wildest time attack cars on the planet, with blistering fast track times normally reserved for all wheel drive applications this really is a testament to what can be achieved if you’re as determined as Suzuki San.

Rocket bunny everything!!! Formally of Ben Sopra fame this over the top 180SX is now in the hands of Japanese drifter Daisuke Hasegawa. The look of this car is tame compared to what lies beneath… A HKS built VR38DETT lifted from an R35 GTR!!

Speaking of Rocket Bunny, check out kiwi drifter Mad Mike’s new look.

The car has gone through yet another massive makeover in time for it’s 3rd ever WTAC event.

Mad Mike Whiddet is not know for being quiet and reserved, this car is as loud as it looks. Mike definitely has volume knob on 11 for this one.

Same same but different, another rotary powered beast that will have the crowds on their feet with their fingers in their ears.

Ex- Le Mans racer, the legendary Mazda 767B.

This is as pure as the come, the sounds that exit the exhaust are said to be sweeter than the harp of an angel.

They don’t hit much harder than this… Max Orido, Team RS*R and a 1000 horse power Nissan V6. This is every Option DVD viewers dream live in Sydney Australia!

Some of the local talent came to check out the competition.

HKS!!! We’re going to be pinching ourselves every time this GTR flies past just to make sure we aren’t dreaming.

This must be what it’s like if you watched your parent’s wrap your Christmas presents days before you could open them… Hurry up World Time Attack we want to race now!
Do not miss out on this one, if you haven’t booked your tickets or flights do it now!!
More info – http://www.worldtimeattack.com
Thanks for reading,
Gwyn.
Photos courtesy of Roberto Mocchetti | Full Motion Photography

WTAC '13 :: Film Only

Grant — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 10:09:24 +0000

Hands down the World Time Attack Challenge is the biggest event on our radar, each and every year Ian Baker and the team step it up constantly raising the bar. We’ve been fortunate enough to follow the transition from the old Super Lap event days, into the world class spectacle it is now known and loved by, under the current name as the World Time Attack Challenge or ‘WTAC’ for short.
The first ever post on gripshiftslide.com was you guessed it, WTAC 2011! To say the event has held a special place in our hearts ever since, would be a massive understatement. We thought it would be a great tribute to create an entire post capturing the event on good old fashioned 35mm film. The charm of anything analogue is hard to deny, the hiss of a record, black & white movies and the grain and colour of a film camera.
We hope you enjoy our unique look at last years event and let us know if you would like to see more posts like this in the future by leaving a comment at the end of the post…

Once again we returned to Sydney Motorsport Park, having access a day early let’s us get up nice and close to the teams as they began final testing before attempting some ‘hot’ laps over the weekend.
It also helps not having any of the crowds around as WTAC is one of the only event’s that spectators can literally walk up to the pit bays see teams working around the clock preparing their car for each session.

The first day of racing last year will be one to remember, as bush fires threatened the nearby blue mountains thick smoke blocked out the sun.

The scene was a very uncomfortable one with reports that hundreds of homes were under danger and the eerie light from the smoke meant there were next to no shadows.

The soft light did make for some remarkable photos though as we spent most of the afternoon watching the drifters set up their pits. While WTAC is all about the remarkable machines pushing the limits of engineering and the laws of physics, at the same time it is arguably the highest profile drifting event in Australia, with many international guest taking part in the competition that takes place in the evening.

One of the biggest appearances last year was from local Melbourne lad, Nigel Petire and his extraordinary home built drift Ute. He made the trip with not one, but two cars!

The Ute was handcrafted in a garage barely bigger than the car itself, don’t believe us? Check out our feature of the build here.
This was the first public event for the Ute to not only be displayed to the public but also be driven on track!!

Nigel was grinning from ear to ear when he wasn’t losing his voice talking to the crowds about his stunning build. He was both nervous and overwhelmed from the excitement of driving his precious creation on track with other cars for the first time ever!

While the car itself doesn’t comply with current competition regulations, Nigel isn’t bothered as he built it for demonstration purposes and of course tyre shredding FUN!!
He brought along his tried and true 180SX for competition duties. So when he was behind the wheel of the Ute, he was just concentrating on getting to know his new friend.

After the first night of track demos in the Ute, something didn’t go to plan and of course that’s just cars for you! Due to the ultra light weight, yet super strong body, the transmission was not having a good time dealing with the punchy SR20 and very grippy tyres, ultimately giving up and retiring the Ute from track duties much earlier then expected.

You could tell it was not how Nigel envisioned his first weekend away with his new toy, he had contemplated getting busy and swapping parts over from the 180SX to get it going again. After the crushing blow the spirits were not high in the Petrie camp and Nigel pulled the pin and left the Ute to be a static display for the rest of the weekend. Since the WTAC he has traveled to New Zealand with Ute and enjoyed hassle free drift demos for all to see and Nigel is set to bring it back to this years WTAC event. We can’t wait!!

Speaking of NZ, Kiwi drifter Mad Mike was over here competing in the drift comp with his world famous “Madbul” Rx7.

The heart of the car is a quad rotor, which produces a very haunting and howling exhaust note that sounds like an F1 car possessed by a demon.

This fire spitting Rx7 has been seen the world over with trips to America, Europe and Australia 3 times now!! Mike sure has a lot of international events under his belt!

Another car that made the trip over from New Zealand was the PPRE RX4 featuring a massive 6 rotor!!! Yep 6!
Mad Mike was invited to pilot the crazy coupe around the full circuit, paying absolutely no attention to any sound restrictions, it broke necks and made ears bleed!

South Australian drifter and “Wunderkind” if you will, Jake Jones is one of the youngest Australian drivers competing on an international level.

His aggressive driving style has seen him go door to door with the worlds very best and scored him international drives in drift competitions in both Japan and China.

Jakes Onvia has even rubbed panels with Daigo Saito most recently at the Melbourne round of FD Asia, check out how he went against the current drift world champion here.

In between all the track action, there’s always plenty to see off the track. Each year the show and shine grows in size and the quality of cars is always impressive.

We’re suckers for old school cars and what better to fill up our roll of film then a pristine Sunny truck.

Remember when Corolla’s were cool! We loved this white duo, the KE30 was our pick of the two.

The Heasman steering girls were all smiles despite the blistering sun beating down against the concrete.

We said each year Ian and the team step it up – this year they had a half pipe with BMX demos all day long.

This sort of entertainment can easily go unnoticed at such a large motorsport event, I remember stopping and watching for a good 15 minutes. These guys had talent!!

One more standout from the crowded show was this striking bright yellow widebody RX7, the RE-super G bodykit is one of the wildest looking kits for the FD RX-7. So aggressive!!

This tubular framed beauty is very serious Nissan Stanza built for the sports sedan series and was part of the Turbo Legends segment were power houses of yesteryear get to prove they still have what it takes to put down a quick lap time.

Back near the pits we hunted around for some of the most impressive builds we could find. This RX8 looks to be a future competitor but for now it was just a static display. If you think the aero looked great the engine bay alone has had more money and time spent the some cars see for their entire build.

The Evolution Custom Industries Porsche was literally the black sheep of the field. One of the only European based cars it had a massive cult following going into the event.
The car is a work of art and seriously fast, the team didn’t get to show their best with a turbo failure ending their chances early.

We thought it would be nice to include this picture of Agges’ 180SX of Insane Drifters fame, some 8 months and many, many events after WTAC the mighty red 180SX finally had it’s last collision at an event here in Melbourne.
Drift cars receive quite a beating and when you’re as competitive as Agges it’s bound to happen sooner or later and sadly this 180SX won’t be seeing the track again.

Melbourne based workshop and tuning specialist Road Track Rally had been achieving great wins with their Evo X. Sadly the Evo lost control at high speeds and collided with a concrete wall.
The team has been busy repairing and will be back for 2014!

All eyes were on the reigning champion Nemo Racing Evo, this engineering marvel had taking the rule book and thrown it out the window and really forced the Australian and Japanese time attack community to go back to the drawing board of what’s possible.

What goes up must come down and in a strange turn of events the team behind this magnificent car crumbled during the weekend sending rumors flying. The car only managed a couple of ‘safe’ laps before being retired back to the pits without a chance to hold onto it’s winning trophy from the previous years WTAC.

With so many classes competing at WTAC you really get a great comparison for times against so many makes, models and platforms. How does a tuned FWD Mitsubishi Colt perform against an street trim Nissan GTR? You’ll find out at WTAC.

Many Japanese teams have started to really to take to series, this year saw some very big hitters from Japanese tuning culture attend.

Top Fuel returned their super agile S2000 to Sydney to once again take on the worlds best, the previous year the car was relatively untested and effectively “out of the box”.

However driver Nobuteru Taniguchi still found the car too challenging to achieve it’s goal, the car performed a lot better but we think Nob will be back to prove he and the car have what it takes.

The Esprit NSX was easily one of the most anticipated international cars this year and with Tarzan Yamada behind the wheel it was a hopeful podium finisher too, after a few hairy spins and a small engine fire the mighty NSX did not get it’s time to shine.

One of the most eye pleasing cars was the RE Amemiya Hurricane RX7, this car was originally built as an Autosalon demo car. This just proves that the Japanese do not do things half-arsed at all, this car is not just a show piece and can really strut it’s stuff in the Time Attack arena!

Back to Australia and the Queensland based Mighty Mouse CRX, This David vs Goliath honda was determined to hold onto it’s NA FWD record from the previous year, Rob and the team did just that. Now with pressure on for a third year the team has since converted the car to left hand drive for better weight distribution… Yep, they’re determined to win again in 2014.

A rare sight outside of the original Fast & The Furious movie here in Australia, The Mitsubishi Eclipse is not something we’re used to seeing racing let alone driving on the street. This FWD racer is owned by aero extraordinaire Andrew Brilliant.
The car originally raced in the America and had many victories under it’s hat, at one point it was the number 1 car out of 50 high powered RWD and AWD cars. A true testament to Andrew’s skills aerodynamic skills.

After three long days of racing the last cars rolled back into the pits, most came back under their own power, some returned to the pits on tow trucks. WTAC is not for the faint hearted and you have to be willing to put it all on the line to win.

After all the action stops the show is packed up and we begin counting down the days till next year, thankfully as we post this we’re less than two months away from the 2014 World Time Attack Challenge!
Don’t miss out on the biggest event on the calendar and book tickets, time off work and accommodation now!!
Check out all the details here www.worldtimeattack.com
We hope you’ve enjoyed this nostalgic glance at our favorite event, it took two rolls of film and nearly a year to get it developed but we love holding a real photo in our hands!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Video :: Formula Drift Asia, Melbourne

Grant — Sun, 26 May 2013 09:12:01 +0000

Formula Drift Asia, Melbourne ( Calder Park Thunderdome ) from grip shift slide on Vimeo.

We bring the action to you with our compilation of drift action from the biggest ever drift event held in Melbourne. Some of drifts biggest stars put on a hell of a show! Even our own Tom Monkhouse forged his way into the top 3 for the first round of Formula Drift Asia.

Formula Drift Asia :: Melbourne 2013

Grant — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:47:44 +0000

Last month Melbourne was blown away by one of the biggest events of it’s kind, Formula Drift Asia (FD). FD crossed the seas and arrived on our shore to set up camp at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway with quite literally the biggest names in drift motor sport. They were all set to compete as the worlds eyes were on this humble little garden state at the bottom of Australia.
If that wasn’t enough to wet your drifting taste buds, Melbourne goers were treated to a full round of drift battles the day before FD thanks to the Australian Drifting Grand Prix (ADGP) who were a massive piece of the puzzle for this monumental event.
You can check out all the action from our ADGP post coming soon (watch this space).

We arrived super early to see the course literally transformed overnight from the previous days’ ADGP layout. The new setup was a much needed injection of excitement from the now three year old ADGP course.
The new format was run backwards in comparison and had a huge slow speed hairpin right before the finish line and all sitting just beneath the grandstands! This was going to be the biggest drift event of its kind in Australia!!

Just across from us we could see the starting line. Here the judges and drivers began their track walk/drivers briefing and this was something we’ve never seen done here before and it really is a great idea.

Driver’s were taken corner to corner by the judges and given explanations of what exactly it is they will be looking for during their qualifying runs and of course their battles.

All the drivers were giving their full attention during the briefing. Mike and his spotters were all ears hoping to pick up some useful information to give them an advantage.

During the walk we stopped at each and every clipping point and all the drivers got a chance to ask plenty of questions. This is an approach we would love to see adopted by many of the drift competitions around Australia as the sport is really starting to mature and the drivers looked like they appreciated the extra tuition.

With the rules laid out in black and white, it was time to warm up some engines and win a drift competition!! Their faces said it all!

There was time for a quick pit walk before the practice session started and before any of the spectators were allowed in. So first up we stopped by to see Mad Mikes’ garage away from home. Everything Mike and the team touches is finished to an amazing level of detail, the teams tyre rack and tool box was rolling on cambered go kart wheels and was wrapped in vinyl to match the car!

Easily the biggest team at the event was RSR with the debut of their NASCAR powered Toyota 86, they weren’t running any risks and were constantly checking the cars’ fluids after each and every run throughout the day.
The team were all in uniform and even had their own scooters which they used to race up to the spotters tower when Fredric was heading out in the car for a battle.

The car and team that surprised us the most however was reigning champ Daigo and his monstrous Lexus.
There were no fancy uniforms or over the top tool kits, just the right people and one hell of a driver behind one of the best setup cars we’ve seen in person.

Not for the faint hearted, the original power plant has been ditched in favour of a 1200hp Toyota 2JZ with a massive single turbo hanging off the side.
All of this comes together and matches Daigo’s aggressive driving style to create a package that is extremely hard to beat!

Soon it was time to watch the practice laps and then the qualifying ones shortly after. One of the first drivers out on the track was the man himself, Daigo and only moments from leaving the start line there was an issue. The boot was not secured properly and lifted off the car taking the wing along with it and not long after that he came off track and the front bar also found itself detached from the car.
All this and just in the practice session! It was amazing to see someone with so many wins under their belt and surely a huge amount of confidence to still be driving to their limit!

Alex Kantarovski is a relatively unknown driver here but believe it or not, Alex is a local boy who competed in the early years of FD Asia back in Thailand. When he heard FD was coming to town he eagerly put his hand up!

Another crowd favourite that was also having some issues during the practice laps was Mad Mike. One of the first laps out on the track and he came off course destroying his rear bumper.

His crew looking on from the side lines began the quick sprint back to the pits to wait for Mike to bring the car in to asses the damage.

A rather exposed looking rear end after the incident meant we could get a look at the amazing work underneath all those panels, this is what a competitive drift car looks like underneath all the metal and fiberglass.

Not long after this though, Mike was back out on the track bringing his famous soundtrack of quad rotor goodness to our ears…

Regardless of how good the rotary sounded, it was just a tiny boombox compared to the rock concert that this American built 5.8L NASCAR engine produced!!!
Here you can see the Winters/ATS diff combo taking a beating on the rough surface of the Thunderdome and lap after lap the car continued the sparks show with no apparent mechanical problems developing.

However being the first ever event for the newly built 86 the team had a lot of fine tuning to do and there was no hiding that Fredric Aasbo was finding the car to be quite a handful.
This is really a testament to his driving though as the car looked faultless in each and every run but it took every bit of concentration to drive it and it was next to impossible to hear any information from his spotters over the radio in his helmet as the car really is that loud!!

Now on to some of the local talent. Six lucky drivers earned their Formula Drift license from the previous days battles during the ADGP round.
Agges from the Insane drifters was the last of the 6 to claim their entry into the FD competition and unfortunately he didn’t find his groove and made contact with a wall on his qualifying lap and wasn’t able to move through to the top 16.

Wild card Tom Monkhouse managed to win 2nd place at the ADGP round in a borrowed S14 and then with his FD license in hand he borrowed this clean Nissan Laurel to qualify 7th amongst many top level drivers!!!

Jarod and Ryan from Formula Drift USA were over from the states to help host the event with the voices we all know and love from countless early Sunday morning live streams from the Formula Drift website.

Before the comp really kicked off there was a lunch break and drivers signing session. Eager fans lined up to see their favourite drivers and waited in line for 45 minutes just to get an autograph.

Just moments before the race kicked off we listened into the final drivers meeting discussing the do’s and dont’s of the battles ahead.

Daigo doesn’t speak a word of English so he needed to have everything translated after the meeting.

Mad Mike sitting and listening in, we don’t get it though… He never seems all that mad?!

There was one last distraction between all the door to door, tyre destroying action. as all of the top 16 drivers gathered at the finishing line with their cars for a quiet moment as the Australian national anthem was played, something we’ve never experienced at a local motorsport event before!

After the Anthem each driver was introduced and then given some t-shirts to throw out into the crowd. In a flash the drivers were back in their cars and headed back to the start line for the competition to unfold.

Another fun element we saw earlier in the day was a team drifting mini competition. The aim was for drivers to pair up and attempt to overtake each other mid-drift through each corner like a game of drifting leap frog.
Here Mike missed the mark and just began sliding towards the wall, narrowly missing Jake by the smallest of margins!

Daigo went for his team drift run with local Achilles sponsored driver Rob Whyte in his 350Z. Daigo set it up with a perfect entry into the corner.

Rob gave the throttle a squirt and crossed in front of Daigo but over judged it and ran wide and off into the grass ripping apart his rear bumper and sending rocks and debris flying into the air!

Once Rob corrected though, he eased back off and Daigo went for his pass without a problem and both drivers finished relatively unscathed.

After the team battles it was time for one last lot of practice laps before the top 16 kicked off. This time the practice was in a battle format and Mad Mike went up with Khudar, one of the top 6 ADGP drivers.

Both drivers held back just a little as there was nothing on the line so it was all just for a bit of fun.

The RS*R FT86 stretched it’s legs around the walls of Calder Park deafening us as it transformed fuel into horsepower…

This is easily the most exciting new build in the drift scene worldwide. We can’t wait to see someone else try to top this combination.

We were hoping to see Daigo and Fredric go head to head here in Melbourne as just weeks earlier, the pair fought each other in a fierce battle back in the USA. Daigo took the win and Fredric seems to be the kind of guy who doesn’t forget these sorts of things easily.
You could see the determination in his eyes all weekend – boy was he was focused!!

Alex seemed to have brushed off any cobwebs by this point and was truly coming alive blazing the tyres in front of the grand stands.

Then all necks were snapped as the crowd realised Daigo and Mike were racing off the start line for a practice battle and it seemed this time neither driver was holding back!

Daigo powered past us chasing down Mad Mike with the red mist descending over Daigo it seems he missed Mike, slowing for the next corner and contact was made between the two cars…

There was a slight pause and then everyone rushed to the fence to see the damage first hand. Slowly Mike crawled out from behind the obscured corner with the damage hidden from sight and we all waited to see the front of Daigo’s Lexus to see how just hard the hit was.

It seems it was hard enough but realistically it could have been a lot worse. Both cars had no mechanical faults and the teams soon had cars un-crumpled and ready for battle action in the top 16.

Jake Jones seemed to be stumbling with some steering issues throughout the morning practice but after the lunch break he was back to his former self… Maybe he just needed a Snickers? Who knows, but the Drift Squid was back and killing it!

Josh Boettcher was showing no signs of fatigue after battling all day at the ADGP event beforehand. He was guaranteed a spot in the FD round after winning rookie of the year in FD Asia 2011 and getting close to a win at one of the rounds in 2012.

Little did we know that aside from the ‘hero’ drivers like Daigo, Robbie and Fredric there were also a heap of other international drivers competing as well which made for a massive surprise.
Nattawoot “Oat” Krerpradab was the most consistent of the unknown Asian drivers, showing great lines and a massive amount of smoke for good measure!

Another surprise driver from Asia doing remarkably well was Mico who was in a borrowed car from local Josh Boettcher. This also happened to be young Mico’s first ever Formula Drift event!! Not a bad effort for someone just 16 years of age!!

Homegrown SA drifter Tom Monkhouse took the win against Robbie Nishida moving into the top 8 and things were starting to get serious for Tom in this competition!!

One of the battles that is still being talked about since was this fierce battle between Fredric and QLD drifter Nick Coulson. The two V8 powered machines sent chills down the spectators spines as they thrashed their way around the Thunderdome.

The judges made their decision and gave Fredric the win as he had the better lines throughout the lead and chase laps but Nick really did the Aussies proud with one of the finest battles of the day!

Another exciting top 8 battle was Jake ‘Drift Squid’ Jones against Daigo!

Jake gave it all he could but was it enough to match Daigo ‘The Ninja’ Saito’s aggressive driving style?

The cars waited for the verdict… Daigo was awarded the win but Jake will get the opportunity to battle Daigo once again later this year for the drift challange at WTAC.

Championship winner Rob Whyte went up against Fredric and held on rather well for the chase run but it was no match for the proximity of Fredric on his chase run practically touching Rob’s bumper through each and every corner!

Mad Mike was knocked out early in a battle that pitted RX7 against RX7. Mike was chasing Thailand driver Oat into the first corner and he did not allow enough room for Oat’s trademark handbrake initiation into the first corner which meant Mike had no where to go and spun nearly smashing into the wall!
Mike was knocked out and did not progress into the top 8.

The top 4 saw Daigo and Fredric go door to door, this was easily the high point of the battles that day. This was drift racing at it’s finest!

Throughout the short track, Daigo did not leave Fredric’s side, giving Daigo the win!

Next we saw Boettcher battle Fredric for the final podium position.

Then Fredric the ‘Norwegian Hammer’ was knocked out by QLD drifter Josh and finished the day in 4th place. Not bad for a relatively brand new and untested car!!

With Josh sitting happily in 3rd place it was time to see who finished in 1st and 2nd. The final battle was between Daigo (no surprises there!) and Tom Monkhouse… Tom Monkhouse??? Yep local SA drifter Tom was now competing for a guaranteed 1st or 2nd spot on the Formula Drift Asia podium against the worlds number 1 competitive drifter… In a borrowed Nissan Laurel!! One of the best motorsport moments we have witnessed so far!
With some killer lines and proximity from both drivers we would not have been surprised if the judges declared a ‘one more time’ making both drivings battle again, after a short wait a win was decided and all the drivers were rushed to the stage for the verdict to be announced followed by a short award ceremony.

So who won?? Daigo took out 1st, Tom Monkhouse blew the crowd away and grabbed 2nd, Josh Boettcher in 3rd. Fredric and Robbie also scored the team drift award for their well executed performance together!

With the trophies handed out it was time for a celebrator champagne shower!!

After the award ceremony we headed up to the conference room to catch a few last words from our podium finishers, we don’t think that any of the nights proceedings had sunk in for Tom yet.
We’re sure he and his teammates and friends partied the night away to celebrate such a win, as for Daigo he is used to being in the number one spot and seemed humbled and content with his performance.
All in all this was easily the best event we have had the pleasure of covering, in the weeks that have passed since the big day we still find ourselves on a dizzying high looking over these images and we hope the crowds were large enough to entice Formula Drift Asia to return the series to our shores. Regardless of it’s return to Australia we feel a trip over to Asia will be on the cards to follow the series back home!
Until then we would like to thank the Formula Drift Asia and USA crews for putting on such a great show and all of the international drivers for coming out and giving it all they could.
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.

Formula Drift Melbourne :: Media Launch

Grant — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:43:09 +0000

Hey guys it’s 1am in the morning and we can’t sleep! Why? Because today was the Media Launch for Formula Drift Asia’s first ever event here in Australia!
We were treated to some intimate time with some of the best drivers in the world, part of the wow factor for the event was that they had shipped over some of the most iconic drift cars in the world including the newly completed RS-R NASCAR V8 swapped 86!!
Now we don’t normally do this but here is a dump of a few photos for you guys to enjoy before the big race on Sunday, don’t forget Saturday is the Australian Drifting Grand Prix round too so make sure you come down to Calder Park Raceway and cheer on your favorite ADGP drivers.

We’re pumped for a massive weekend so check back for our full event coverage during the week.
– Gwyn.

The Hot Seat :: Fredric Aasbo

Grant — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 01:11:35 +0000

Formula Drift Asia’s inaugural event here in Melbourne is just days away… Days!!!
This weekend Calderpark Raceway will be alive with the sound of screeching tyres and limiter bashing and Sunday will see some of the biggest names from all over the world going head to head along the walls of the Thunder Dome!
We caught up with Daigo Saito for a few questions in the lead up to the event and this week we are talking with Fredric Aasbo aka “The Hammer” from Norway!!
Fredric is bringing the freshly built RS-R GT86 from Japan, sporting an insane TRD Nascar V8 and this will be the cars first ever competition right here in Melbourne!!!

GSS: Hi Fredric, firstly we would love to start by asking you some questions about your success in not only Europe but around the world but we’re dying to know more about the car you’ll be driving in Australia! Tell us about how this crazy build came to be and how you ended up being handed the keys so to speak?

Fredric: Well, thank you! This has actually been in the works for a long time. I met the RS-R executives in Abu Dhabi in 2011. We won the Formula Drift Invitational over there in our very basic Japan Auto Toyota Supra, and they complemented our performance out there. Since then, we've been talking and trying to work something out together.

GSS: A NASCAR V8 motor is one of the crazier engine conversions we have heard of, have you had much time behind the wheel? what are your thoughts on its performance for drifting?

Fredric: I got to test the car at Suzuka Twin Circuit in Japan in February and it's such a different animal to what I'm used to. The response and throttle linearity is second to none, and RS-R really did their homework by putting in a milder cam which makes it better suited for drifting. Some of RS-R's changes over a typical NASCAR Nationwide motor setup has actually trickled down from my american team Papadakis Racing's V8 program in Formula Drift back in '09 and '10, so this is really a family get together sort of project.

GSS: We understand you’ll be sharing the car with Max Orido for this season of FD Asia, are you worried about returning the car with any scratches after its debut here on the slopes of the Calderpark Thunder Dome or will we get to see you driving as hard as you can in some amazing battles?

Fredric: Well, scratching is one thing but finishing the event is another - scratches are fine as long as they help you move forward and don't take you out. As of right now I know very little about the course and how it's set up, and RS-R has also carried out several changes since I drove the car in February. I am not worried about going hard, but I need to be able to work into it and I can't wait to give it my all trying to tame this animal!

GSS: You have gone from stride to stride, driving alongside some of the world’s best and picked up some incredible sponsors along the way. Can you tell us about the first time you realised you made the ‘big’ league?

Fredric: It's hard to pick one single event, because it's been such a step by step progress. Taking out past champions in our first Formula Drift rookie events was huge for us, and earning the Rookie of the Year title after competing at only 5 out of 7 events was also an incredible dream come true. But, it's the small things that matter the most, and the times where struggle hard and then are able to somehow pull out of it make for the best memories.

GSS: Being only 27 years old you still have many years ahead of you and your career, what’s next? Any big plans ahead?

Fredric: The big goal is obviously to win championships, and I have a lot left to learn. But along the way, I do my best to work closely with partners and sponsors and generate new opportunities for all of us. It's been extremely cool to see how different cultures work and what's really going on behind the scenes...

GSS: So when you’re not behind the wheel at one of the many drift comps of the year, where would we find you? How do you unwind?

Fredric: I hit the lakes with my buddies, or fire up the BBQ. I spend my offseason in Norway and it's very important for me to spend some quality time with my old buddies, and winter time, we usually go up in the mountain passes or on the frozen lakes and drift, board, ski and whatever else is fun. I feel like I get to see a lot of contrasts and that makes me feel very lucky.

GSS: With some inspiration from the “no expense spared” RS-R GT86 what would your ultimate drift or street car build be? what’s your idea of the ‘perfect’ car?

Fredric: Hm, that's tricky. I think the perfect road car for a guy like me would be a new, fifth gen Supra...

GSS: Have you been given any hot tips on any of the local or NZ based drivers competing here in Melbourne? Who’ll be on your radar?

Fredric: I've been following the D1NZ and Drift Australia series back in the days, and I know a lot of the ADGP are extremely competitive and fantastic tandem drivers. My Speedhunters team mate Mad Mike is coming over, which will be a great warm-up for our Speedhunters European Drift Tour. I am sincerely looking forward to coming to Australia for the first time, meeting everyone and mixing up on the track! See ya down under!!

Thanks for your time Fredric and we look forward to no only seeing you but hearing your car this weekend!

To purchase tickets for the event simply follow this link http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Australian-Drifting-Grand-Prix-tickets/
For more details on the event head to the Australian Drifting GP site – http://trackbattle.com.au/adgp/
For more info on the drivers check out the Formula Drift Asia site – http://www.formuladriftasia.com/

This is the schedule for Sundays action, seriously if you’re only remotely interested in drifting this is the event to see!!
Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.
Photos courtesy of Cheryl Tay and FD Asia

The Hot Seat :: Daigo Saito

Grant — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:22:20 +0000

In just over two weeks time, Melbourne will be turned on its’ head when Formula D Asia and a select group of drivers come to Calder Park for an action packed drift competition.
In the lead up to the race, we will be catching up with a few international drivers for a few quick questions.
First up we have caught up with Daigo Saito. He is referred to as the ‘greatest drifter in the world’ and we couldn’t wait to get to know a little bit more about him!

GSS: Daigo, you’re known as one of the best drifters in the world if not the best! What’s next? Will you continue your domination of the sport and defend your many titles, or are you thinking a long deserved break is on the cards soon?

Daigo: I am been fortunate enough with the support of my sponsors and teams to make it to the top of the mountain in the sport. It has been a dream to a large extent for me to be able to be the champion in Japan, USA and Asia, in my humble opinion, I do think I am the only driver to have won the tri-factor before. However, I have the utmost respect for all of my rivals, and to me, extending this run is going to be even harder. A lot of the fans do not realise how difficult it is to win even one round in Formula Drift, that so many elements have to come together such as mech support, car reliability, weather, driver skills before one gets to the podium.

GSS: If you did step back from drifting, is there any other forms of motorsport that interest you and that you would consider competing in?

Daigo: I think any type of rallying is interesting. To me that has a strong connection in drifting and rallying. Well I am actually interested in any kind of motorsport. However at this stage of my career, drifting is at the utmost top of my mind.  But if a sponsor wants to offer me a rally ride, would be game to try!

GSS: Given your success, you still seem very humble and grounded with your regular day to day work back home. Is it hard to sometimes just be a regular guy or do your prefer the peace and quiet after a big racing season?

Daigo: Well I'm always running around being busy and thinking of competition and drifting so my mind is never at rest. I used to have an off season, but as I now compete in Japan, and the Formula Drift Asia and USA series, I pretty much have a full schedule for the year. The driving styles and strategies also vary from continent to continent, hence I am using any down time I have to refine my driving skills and also finetune the car set-ups. A top-end drifter is only good as their equipment.

GSS: Having competed around the world have you had to make any adjustments to your own driving style to stay competitive in races against your rivals? For example how do the Japanese drivers differ from the US based drivers competing in the Formula D series and how do you adapt your style to win?

Daigo: There is clearly top-end talent in both Japan, USA and even in Asia. The talent pool in the Asia series has increased exponentially over the past few years. However, as drifting is a judged sport (very much like competitive figure skating), in order to gain success, one must drive according to what the judges want to see. Before each event, during the driver’s briefing, the expectations for the track is clearly laid out, and right away I start processing the changes I need to make. I do feel that my greatest strength in drifting is the ability to adapt, I am not fixated on any particular driving style (like being super aggressive, or overtly technical), I am only fixated on winning and will drive in whatever way is required for that.

GSS: So given that you’re driving two very different cars, how hard has it been to jump from one car to the other? Are there any noticeable differences in each cars ability and have you ever been caught off guard half way through a corner and thought you’re in the wrong car for that much speed or angle?

Daigo: I drive a Lexus ISC in Asia and a Lexus SC430 in the USA. So, even though both platforms are very similar, I have to adapt the car set-ups to the different layouts in both Asia and USA. The layouts in Asia tend to be more technical and tight, whereas the layouts in the USA tend to be more focused on speed and power. It was pretty confusing last year as it was my first time doing both regions, but by the end of last season, I pretty much got used to the switch. They are both my children, and as any parent would say, I love both equally!

GSS: Lastly, have you had a chance to check out some of the local talent that you’ll be competing against here in Australia? And who do you hope you’ll get a chance to battle with on the day?

Daigo: I know there is great talent out there and I am always looking forward to going against somebody new whoever they are. FD Australia would be my first time competing in Oz. Josh has been a great ambassador for Australian drifting the past few years, and we have many more “Joshes” in the Australia drift scene, I am sure we are all going to have a good time. I also recently participated in a exhibition event in Auckland, and there has also been alot of talk between the drifters of New Zealand and Australia. I also know that some of the top new Zealand drifters will be taking part in the Australia event, so as for the fan in me, I do think it would be a good friendly rivalry that would add to the excitement of the event.

We would like to thank Daigo for taking some time out of his busy schedule to have a chat with us and we look forward to seeing him and his monstrous Lexus on Sunday the 28th of April at Calder Park.
To purchase tickets for the event simply follow this link http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Australian-Drifting-Grand-Prix-tickets/
For more details on the event head to the Australian Drifting GP site – http://trackbattle.com.au/adgp/
For more info on the drivers check out the Formula Drift Asia site – http://www.formuladriftasia.com/

Thanks for reading,
– Gwyn.