The tandem runs were even more fun in the rain. Kyle Mohan ended up spinning behind me in the Top 16, while in the Great 8, Okubo accidentally hit my driver's side while closing the gap. He felt very bad about it and later thanked me for not trying to play any games with him... but the hit was HARD. It moved the engine almost an inch on the mounts, and rested my Garrett turbo squarely on the right steering tie rod, making right hand steering very difficult.
Stephan and Shawn initiated a deft fix, but I was still worried about the left hand turn. Leading Rhys, he stuck to me like glue. I knew I'd have to lock onto him to move on and I gave it my best. Through the bank, I was leaving rubber on his passenger door with my front tire, but bobbled on the left hand corner so much that we had to go one more time. We both drove very hard and put down respectable runs the second time around, but I hit the wall exiting the last hairpin; Rhys moved on.
In the consolation round, Robbie Nishida - for the second time this year - beat my ass! We've battled many times in the past, but now it's safe to say the score is even. With an advantage in the first run I ended up having trouble on that same left-hand turn and spun behind Robbie, so we ended up Fourth and Samuel stole the championship lead from us!
Rockstar
www.rockstar69.com
AEM
www.aempower.com
Tanner Foust
www.tannerfoust.com
Sam Hubinette
The two-time Formula D champ left Vegas in Third, and Second for the season. With only a few points separating him and First place Tanner; Sam and his Viper need a win as much as Sam likes the word, "dudes".
Wow, what a tough event we had to battle through, up here in the Northwest! They say the third time is the charm, but that definitely wasn't true for the Formula Drift's third visit to Evergreen. It was sunny early in the morning on race day, but later in the day it started to rain hard! It cleared up a bit; just long enough for the track to dry out before it came down again! That was how it went all through qualifying and tandem eliminations. But despite it all, the Seattle fans were dedicated; I don't think anybody left the stands. Those dudes really love drifting!
This was definitely the hardest drift event in which I have ever competed. The rain made the track so unpredictable, it was easy to lose control and spin out, or correct too much. I had to stay so focused, that after each 45 second run I was soaked... but with sweat, not from the rain! Team NuFormz did an awesome job adjusting the car to the changing track conditions, especially by changing the shocks back and forth depending on how the weather was changing. One minute it was raining, then it started to clear up. Making the rear as soft as possible helped us to get as much traction as possible on the wet track. I also had to try to stay light on the throttle during wet sessions, because the rain required speeds 10-20 mph slower than usual. Also, having the ability to switch between wet- and dry-specific BFGs helped me to maintain control on the unpredictable surface.
I managed to deal with the wet conditions, and my second and final qualifying run earned us the Ichiban spot. I had a really good battle in the finals with my friend, Rhys Millen. It was close, but I took second place at the end of the day, which put me on top as the points leader in the battle for the Formula Drift championship, with a 12 point lead. So, of course, I am stoked about the event, even if I did not get the top spot on the podium. We raked in our second number one qualifying spot of the year, our second Second place finish, third podium altogether, and I took the points lead! Now it's on to Sonoma as I continue to fight for my third Formula D championship title.
Drift ya later dudes!!
Toxic Drift
www.toxicdrift.com
Mopar
www.mopar.com
BF Goodrich
www.bfgoodrich.com
Formula D Results
Monroe Podium1. Millen2. Hubinette3. Nishida