Formula D Irwindale Raceway - Drift Cars

Foust took the easy win over Ben Schwartz in the first round of the top 16 as Tyler McQuarrie in the RS*R S2000 faced off against Yukinobu Okubo in the Signal Auto R34 Skyline. The first of two battles proved to be too close for the judges to call as Okubo proceeded to put on a show, smacking the vehicle's tail end on the retaining wall with every pass. McQuarrie wasn't a slouch either as he proved to be the better of the two, coming within inches of the R34's door panel and continually poking the front end of his S2K on the inside line. It was this aggressive and systematic driving style that enabled McQuarrie to advance to the next round.

Rhys Millen, known to always be Mr. Consistent throughout his drifting career, made his win over Hiro Sumida in the Toyota Chaser look effortless. Easy wins seemed to come in bunches as Kenji Yamanaka in the JIC sponsored S15 easily cleared the hurdle when challenged by Chris Forsberg and his convertible 350Z. Forsberg's season came to an abrupt end when the passenger side axle came loose, sending the Z careening into the K-rail.

The much anticipated battle between Tanner Foust and Tyler McQuarrie launched the start of the top 8 qualifying session. Both drivers blew plumes of thick tire smoke into the air as they cleared the bowl, entering the first clipping point. With McQuarrie was in the lead, a miscalculation caused him to lock up his brakes as he attempted to avoid the k-rail. Foust, who followed nearly inches from the S2K's bumper ,had nowhere to go as the trapped AEM 350Z collided with the barrier alongside the RS*R drift machine. With both vehicles limping back to the pit, it was Foust who was declared the winner in the end.

Foust disappointingly looked on as Danny Oda and the AEM crew attempted to make repairs to the damaged 350Z. If the car was repaired, it would move on to the next round, which would put Foust against Rhys Millen. Althought there was limited time to perform repairs between rounds, the Z was soon up and running and quickly staged against Millen. The two drivers mashed on the accelerator entering the bowl, but it was apparent that the damage suffered from the previous round was too severe for Foust to continue. A damaged power steering system made driving impossible for the man who currently stood 5th place in the standings. Millen was automatically given a bye run and advanced to the finals.

Kenji Yamanaka in the JIC S15 had the crowds in a frenzy as he swung his Nissan inches from the retaining wall though the bowl. Things looked good for this Japanese driver and a possible upset was imminent, but a mistaken steering correction on his second run gave the advantage and eventual win to Sam Hubinette and the Mopar SRT-10 . With the win over Yamanaka, Hubinette clinched the second 2006 Formula D championship of his career and regained the title from last year's champion, Rhys Millen.

Haraguchi displays his drift abilities, lighting up the rear tires and displaying some sick angle as Hubinette coasts through the track. An unfortunate spin by Haraguchi in the first run gave Hubinette the 9-1 advantage.
Haraguchi displays his drift abilities, lighting up the rear tires and displaying some sic
Daijiro Yoshihara was on a tear all night long.
Daijiro Yoshihara was cool and collected during the final round vs. Rhys Millen and the Redbull Pontiac. Hell, even with Olivia Munn of G4TV breaking off spectator's heads with her sexy rendition of plumber's butt jeans, nothing seemed to distract Yoshihara as he was determined to take home the trophy.
Daijiro Yoshihara was cool and collected during the final round vs. Rhys Millen and the Re