Formula D Invades Irwindale Raceway

The morning of October 14th began with uncertainty as the previous day had been tainted with a series of rain showers and gloomy overcast weather. If there ever was doubt that drift fans would shy away from attending the final drift saga of 2006, it was quickly put to rest as crowds pushed their way into Irwindale Speedway. The event marked a new Irwindale attendance record that had previously been set by the first D1 exhibition.

Two thousand burned and charred tires, forty drift cars damaged beyond repair, eight hungry tire manufacturers and a fierce battle for the top spot in the Formula D championship all came to a bloody conclusion in the seventh and final round. Qualifying began at 2 p.m. with 32 drivers (16 seated drivers and 16 non-seated hopefuls attempting to impress the judges), quickly diminishing in size as the three judges continually hacked away, bringing the number of competitors to an even 16. Leading the top qualifiers was Tanner Foust ,who scored an amazing 99 out of 100 points possible followed by Sam Hubinette (97.5), Ken Gushi (95.5) and Rhys Millen 95.08.

Rich Rutherford has the unique...        read full caption Rich Rutherford has the unique responsibilitY of manhandling this RWD EVO 8 down the track. Living proof that this Mitsubishi is more than just shiny paint and fancy graphics.	Tyler McQuarrie had been on...        read full caption Tyler McQuarrie had been on a tear the whole day. RS*R USA director of business development Ben Chong says that in less than a year's time, Tyler's taken the S2K into competition and displayed some amazing skill and competitiveness.	Vaughn Gittin Jr. seemed to...        read full caption Vaughn Gittin Jr. seemed to be primed to take another shot at the first place finish, but was quickly shot down after moving on to the top 8 as he squared off against Rhys Millen and the RMR/ Redbull GTO.
The Top qualifier of the day...        read full caption The Top qualifier of the day was Tanner Foust, who scored an amazing 99 points out of a possible 100.	Tanner Foust looks on as his...        read full caption Tanner Foust looks on as his crew members attempt to make the necessary repairs to move on the next round.	Sam Hubinette celebrates his...        read full caption Sam Hubinette celebrates his 2006 Formula D championship.