Formulad Proam
The smokey scent of roasted Falkens and thunder of jeering fans had barely effervesced from Irwindale, CA's "House of Drift" after Formula D's Pro finals, when the organization apparently decided they were bored, and invited drifters and fans alike to an unofficial encore of the weekend's festivities: Pro-Am finals at Toyota Speedway just weeks later. The traditional annual site of the pro league's "Judgement Day" (coverage last month), it went without saying that any amateur with intentions to drift the hallowed banked walls, violent switchbacks and high-speed hairpin had best bring his A-game. And this year's competition did not disappoint. Drifting the same configuration as the pro competition, Jeffery Abbott, Nikolay Konstantinov and Cyrus Martinez flowed the course better than many seasoned vets. Tsuiso battles between Roland Gallagher and Brad Hettinger looked as if they descended from professional Final Four competition, and the dedication of drivers who traveled cross-country to make the event, wrenched on their own cars during five-minute calls, and attacked the course with nothing held back made us respect how hard these guys fight for their keep. Engines grenaded, transmissions scattered, K-rails were moved by 2,100-pound S13s, brown Cressidas were nearly T-boned at 65 mph, Tommy Roberts' gold S13 was totaled for the 57th time, and at the end of it all, R32 Skyline-piloting Ian Fournier claimed gold, and 18 drivers were awarded licenses for pro competition.
www.formulad.com
World Cup Finals
Import vs. Domestic
Maryland International Raceway (MIR)'s 15th annual World Cup Finals, presented by the US Army, recently kicked off at the aforementioned track's quarter-mile strip, marking a huge rise in attendance and participation over previous years (it even outsold a filming of Pinks). Over 700 cars competed in the "Import vs. Domestic"-themed two-day event, in classes ranging from Street ET brackets with 120-car fields, to All Motor, Sportsman and Pro classes.
From the top, the Outlaw 10.5 vs Pro Import class was comprised entirely of 7-second domestics. But with near-open tech for imports, the Bergenholtz bros, Chris Rado or Brent Rau could've taken an easy win. The 16-car Outlaw Radial vs. Modified class was again entirely dominated by 7.5- to 8.9-second Domestics, with the exception of number-one qualifier Raul Acevedo and his freak 7.21-second Datsun, which retired early with mechanical woes. Jamie Carter's Supra (cover, Jan '10) held down the heavily domestic, 49-car Street Fighter class by qualifying Second and holding onto 7-second passes all day, until missing the light in the Semifinals, clearing a path for an 8.0-second Mustang to take the win.
The Rudy Story of the event was that of Steve Menman from Collegeville, PA, who qualified his '93 Civic with an 8.929 @ 124.81, letting off. Unfortunately he, too, didn't make competition, but watching him qualify ahead of 28 stupid-fast Mustangs, Camaros, Novas, and other assorted single-digit-ET muscle was a sight to behold. There was more of that in the Wild Street class, where the top three qalifiers out of 42 were 8-second Hondas. But once number-one qualifier Chris Miller redlit, Felix Medina's Civic called it quits mid-track in the first round, and Jonathan Reynolds failed to make the show, the Mustangs sucked up yet another win. In All Motor, however, the only contest was among the imports, with Loan Nguyen and his '95 Civic running consistently faster than his 27 competitors, smoking two Mustangs to take the win with a 10.616 @ 130.09.