Aug/090
ThunderDrift Round 4
Willows, CA - It was my turn to judge again, so I didn't get to take many pictures. Luckily Xander didn't make it to Top 8 so he had time to try his hand at shooting moving cars.
This was easily the most exciting competition yet, as the quality of driving continues to improve. Even Gabe Stone was drifting his 3rd Gen Camaro with one handed, with the other hand out the window, pointing to space.
Drew Poppler of Freemode fame came out with his dark blue S13 and grabbed 2nd place at his competition appearance this year. Rounding out the winner circle were Scott Sherod in 5th, Julian Jacobs in 4th, Ryan Kado in 3rd, and Jared Thompson with his first win of the season. Thompson is still in third place overall, trailing Jacobs by only 10 points and Kado by 20 points.
Here are the standings after Round 4:
TD Scores
And of course we can't forget the pictures!
Location: Thunderhill Raceway
Aug/090
Rhys Millen’s Pike’s Peak Climb
Check this out: Rhys Millen set the new record for the Pike's Peak hillclimb in the 2WD class, and his did it in his drift car.
Some people are saying that all the records are getting smashed because more of the course is paved every year, but still...the guy is hauling.
Aug/094
Formula DRIFT 2009 Round 6
Sonoma, CA - Just a mere two weeks after Round 5, it was time for more pro drifting action. This was my third year at the Sonoma event, but Formula DRIFT denied my media application! Without good shooting locations, I only got a few decent shots.
There was some controversy on Friday, when Calvin Wan bumped into Chris Forsberg in the teardrop and caused some damage to Forsberg's steering. The judges gave Wan the win, but Forsberg's people later protested the decision. Forsberg and Wan had a rematch on Saturday before Top 16 practice, and in the first run Forsberg did a half-spin and basically came to a stop in the teardrop and Wan bumped into him again. In the second run, Wan was a few car lengths ahead throughout, but had less angle than Forsberg. The judges unanimously gave Forsberg the win. I don't really agree with the whole thing, but whatever.
Location: Infineon Raceway
Aug/090
Monterey Historics 2009
Monterey, CA - I took a trip down Laguna Seca to check out the 36th Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, and as expected, there were some pretty cool cars there. I met up with Geoff, who was working as a tech inspector, and he hooked me up with a pit pass! I did a few laps of the paddock to check out all the vintage racers from Ferraris to Porsches in every form from modified street cars to prototype Le Mans and Formula 1 cars.
One of the more exciting moments I witnessed was when an eight million dollar late 50s 250 Testa Rossa blew the Corkscrew and hit the tire wall with its right front fender. It's always sad to see that happen to such an amazing car, but at least it happened doing what it was built to do.
This was the last Monterey Historics under the current organization. Steve Earle, president of General Racing, Ltd. and the man behind the event since it started in 1974, announced that General Racing will continue the tradition at Infineon Raceway, while SCRAMP will be organizing a new event for Laguna Seca.
