At Irwindale, before the Top 16, I remember talking to you and you were a bit bummed that Sam had a bye run for his first. Were you feeling the pressure?
Yeah. It's pretty easy to throw it all away with a small mistake in the first round and Sam getting a bye run for the critical Top 16 match definitely laid the pressure. I had to focus on my runs and remember the lessons from last year when I almost lost the championship by being too conservative.
How did you almost lose the championship last year?
The 2007 season was really close. The top three of the final round at Irwindale ended up being the Top Three for the season. During the Top 8 round, I was staged up against Ryuji Miki and almost lost. The battle was close and in the run where I was following I was too conservative, resulting in a One More Time. It was at that point where I decided to go all out. If I crashed, I crashed, but I was going for the championship-all or nothing.
In hindsight, do you prefer the pressure of sitting in First going into an event or in Second, going all out-for First?
There is definitely a different feeling going into the last event in First position versus Second. At the end of the day, you want all the points you can get before the season ends, so I'll take First and the pressure any day.
When Sam lost it in the Top 8, sealing your championship, and he walked over to congratulate you, what was going through your mind? Were you like: "Screw this event, I'm done, son!"
He walked over before the judges had finished deliberating, so at first, I wasn't sure he had lost. When the call came in that we had in fact taken the season, I celebrated for a minute with my crew (ie. I yelled back and forth over the radio) and then got down to the task at hand. I had no intention of walking away from a potential podium finish on the last event.
So what you're saying is, JR Gittin won the podium, fair and square?
I think so. On the first run, he was closer to the wall on bank-he even touched-and that was the advantage. It was a tight match and it was fair that he won.
Looking back, what were some of the greatest challenges of this season?
We started with some steering changes to the car and different tire sizes from Toyo. We had a very short time to get comfortable, and after the first test, I was nervous we'd done something wrong. But after a few focused days tweaking the alignment and suspension settings, the overall result was a much more competitive car.
What were some of the high points?
Beating Rhys in Englishtown and Sonoma-sorry buddy-was an eye opener that our Rockstar Z could hang with the quickest little cars out there.
You and Sam were in a heated battle for most of the season, how was that?
While it would be nice to know that you're going to win, I love the competition. I remember in college, when I wasn't competing for anything, thinking that something was really missing from my world. It wasn't until my first season in racing that I realized I had been missing the drive a person can only get from heated competition.
What do you think of Sam as a driver?
I've known and worked with Sam, in some capacity, for over 10 years. I know him pretty well and his driving capabilities. He is truly a great driver who is very driven. Sam and I share other sports in common like road racing and ice racing so our drifting styles are very similar.
Sam has two titles and now so do you; would you say that he is your most challenging opponent?
From a driving perspective, he is certainly one of the most challenging opponents. But there is no telling how his new car will turn out for '09, or mine for that matter!
Any other formidable drifters?
Again, next year there will be many drivers getting accustomed to new rides. I think JR, Sam and Rhys have the resources to test their cars to come out swinging. If Rhys is in the Solstice again, then I'd label him enemy number one.
By Carter Jung
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