Round 6: Irwindale, CA
It was back to southern California for the last powerslides of the Formula D season. Round Seven took place at the "House of Drift," otherwise known as the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. This is where the American drift scene really took off, so it was only fitting that the venue should see make-or-break, foot-to-the-floor, Hail Mary passes in the final chance to grab some glory, all in front of a record-breaking, 12,000-strong crowd.
Rhys Millen
With the tire smoke dissipating and mechanics finally scrubbing all that oil from under their fingernails, it's time to reflect on what was and what might have been. There's no doubt that Rhys Millen has the skills, but his new platform was unproven in motorsport coming into the season. So perhaps the learning curve was the toughest bend to negotiate in 2009.
Well, another year has come to an end, and with it, a lot of learning and a lot to ponder. The Hyundai Genesis ran fantastically at the final round. No complaints at all, other than the driver missing a gear. This year has been a tough one, but not without its promises for podiums. The team and I have a great foundation to work from.
With the off-season now upon us, we are expecting great results to kick off 2010. I'm still as hungry as ever for another championship. And if the world record we set this year at Pikes Peak is any indication of the season to come, I bet it will be a good one. Big props to Red Bull, Toyo Tires, Infinity, and the great folks and new friends at Hyundai. Thanks for all the support this season.
Red Bull
www.redbullusa.com
Hyundai
www.hyundaiusa.com
Rhys Millen
www.rhysmillen.com
Ken Gushi
The words "Ken Gushi" and "headgasket" always seem to coincide on this page. And, sadly, out on the track as well. Which is a shame, because The Gush can't put on a rush when his engine misbehaves. But ever the optimist, our Ken sees the positive side, thus re-fuelling his ambition for next year.
I wanted to finish the season with a bang, especially after proving the RS-R Scion tC can kick ass with a podium finish at Sonoma. I really wanted to win at Irwindale, since it's my home course and because I failed to qualify last year due to engine problems. This year, I hoped there would be no similar issues. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.
First, we blew a fresh motor on media day, two weeks prior to the main event. I had a bad feeling about Irwindale already. Maybe it's a curse. I didn't get to break in the new motor for Thursday's practice, so we decided to do it at the track. This time, we were running on E85. I was skeptical about this. First, we did not have sufficient data to tell us that the motor was reliable-we had an E85-powered 3SGE blow up on us at the Vegas round. Secondly, the E85-powered 3SGE was powerful in the mid-range, but not at the top end. For a track like Irwindale, top-end power is more important than anything, especially when the judges ask for extreme lines.
It turned out the powerband was not so bad compared to our C16-fueled motor. But after practice, chief mechanic Koji found air bubbles in the coolant lines. Not a good sign. After a brief meeting, Team RS-R decided to split the motor open to check for damage to the block. Fortunately, it was just a blown headgasket, so they decided to use a thicker one. A thicker headgasket means lower compression, which in turn means lower horsepower. It was so much slower that I was having a hard time during practice before Friday's qualifying. Something was not right. We kept turning up the boost, but the gauge only read 1.4 bar max. With the settings we had, it should have been close to 1.7 or 1.8. We didn't have time to diagnose the problem, so I ran qualifying with what I had. I ended up in 15th with a score of 73.9 and a match-up in the Top 32 against 18th-place qualifier, Taka Aono.
To be honest, I don't like going against Corollas. They are much faster in the technical areas of the tracks, but slower in the open areas. I went up against Taka in New Jersey and I remember his car being pretty quick. After qualifying, we got ready for the last practice session of the day. After running a few laps, Koji checked for bubbles. I sat in the car, waiting for him to close the hood, but it was taking a long time. I was getting worried. When I saw his face, it confirmed my suspicions. 'Again?' I thought to myself. This time, we were certain the motor was toast.
By then, I was over it. After all, we had been using this same 3SGE for two seasons and it still gave us problems in the final rounds. The only spare engine we had left was made up of salvaged parts from previously damaged motors. To use that one was a risk, but was a better option than running a motor that was already done. The other change was fuel. No more E85. We went back to C16. Woo-hoo, top-end power!
The tC ran strong in Saturday's practice session. It felt like a brand-new car. And with more top-end power, it was much easier drifting the Irwindale bank. Thank you, RS-R and Nate, for working such late hours. As the Top 32 tandem battles began, we made some last-minute changes before I was up. Since track temperature was still high, we altered the tire pressure to compensate. I was getting nervous, but then I thought, 'This is the last event of the year. Just have fun.'
My match against Taka was exactly that. I took the lead first, so I knew I had to leave him in the dust. While we utilized the pace cone to keep it fair, as soon as I entered the bank I was only focused on keeping my speeds high and hitting every clip out there. On my following lap, I had to be extra cautious not to stay too close on the straight, because I knew the tC would catch up on the bank. Luckily, we made it past the 32 into the Top 16. Thank you, Taka, for a good run.
Next up was Ryan Tuerck. Track temperature was dropping fast, so it was critical to adjust the rear tire pressure. This is where I made my mistake. I set the rear tire pressure too low, which made it hard to keep the high line on the bank. I knew Tuerck had been staying in the middle of the bank all day, so my strategy was to force him to run a line he would be uncomfortable with. But he ended up beating me and the rest of the field.
Overall, this event was rough for us. We were overwhelmed with engine problems. But I am extremely happy with the team. They worked super hard to keep the car running to the end. We finished the 2009 Formula D Season in 10th Place. To me, that counts as a success, considering we started the season at 33, not even qualifying at Long Beach. Also, 10th is not so bad for a team that has had transmission and engine problems all year long. On a positive note, we did have one podium finish, a First-place qualifying, a Fourth-place finish, and a car that's still in one piece. It was one of the best seasons I've had in a long time.
Special thanks to Team RS-R, Scion, Toyo, Rogue Status, Pioneer, BASF, Eneos, RAYS, TRD, Alpinestars, my fans and my family for supporting me. For 2010, to the top we go!
Rs-R
Www.Rs-R.Com
Scion Racing
Www.Scionracing.Com
Toyo Tire
Www.Toyo.Com
Dai Yoshihara
The 2009 Formula D season has been one long, out-of-control, chaotic slide for Daijiro-san. So, he was hoping it would be seventh-time's-the-charm at Irwindale. He didn't want everyone's final memory of his racing year to be a negative one. And then there was that little issue of a mislaid mojo . . .
I've had a tough season; no great results and a bad crash. This round was the last chance for me to get my confidence back.
I wasn't really comfortable in practice. To be honest, I was kinda scared. I wasn't sure if it was the car or me. I think it was both. The bank reminded me of the crash I had in Seattle. We kept changing the front suspension setup and I became more comfortable by the end of the session. I tried 100 percent and was able to qualify Sixth.
In the Top 32 round, I went against Ross Petty. When I was leading, I think I had my best run so far. I was scraping my rear bumper on the bank wall. When I was following, he made a lot of smoke and I couldn't see very well at the first transition and I hit the clipping cone, so I thought it was going to be a One More Time, but the judges gave it to me. I guess my leading run was really good.
In Top 16, I faced Darren McNamara. He is my teammate, but his main sponsor is Sears. So it was Discount Tire versus Sears. Since I haven't been able to provide Discount Tire with any good results yet, I had to win this battle at least. I was pumped. When was leading, I did another best run. After this, I proved to myself that I can drive well. I felt my confidence return. I was in game-face mode for the first time since last year. On the following run, he was fast, but he touched the wall and that made him slow down a bit. I was able to suck into the side of his car to take the win. It was my first time moving on to the Great 8 round in 2009 and the first time ever for Discount Tire. I was so happy.
I went against Tanner Foust in the Great 8. I felt really good and thought I was going to win! He took the lead first. He is one of the quickest guys, so I focused on going as fast as I could and stuck with him. I was doing well until we were coming out of the bank. He made so much tire smoke that I couldn't see much just before the transition. I lost him for a second and that made a little gap, but I was still able to follow him. At the last corner, he made tons of smoke again and I absolutely couldn't see a thing. But I didn't want to back off, so I stayed on the gas anyway. Then, unfortunately, I hit the K-rail. WTF?! I broke the front bumper! I tried my best when I was leading, but I couldn't beat him.
I finished in Sixth Place. It wasn't the greatest result, but the most important thing was that I definitely got my mojo back. At last, my worst season is over . . . too bad it ended right when it started getting good! But I think everything happens for a reason. I have been through a lot and learned so much this year.
Thanks to everyone who supported me through 2009. Also, I want to thank Team Falken Tire, Discount Tire and all the sponsors. I will be stronger and back in the fight for the championship in 2010!
Discount tire
www.discounttire.com
Falken Tire
www.falkentire.com
KW Suspension
www.KW- Suspension.com
By Carter Jung
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!