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Fiesta Notebook: A visit to Toyota Speedway for a night of Formula Drift racing

10/20/2009, 3:36 PM

By Mark Kleis

On October 16th if you were anywhere near Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California you likely heard, smelled, and saw the results of the Formula Drift Professional Drifting Championship taking place. I for one knew I was close as soon as I got onto the 605 freeway and saw the unmistakable plumes of tire smoke could be seen for miles.

As a Ford Fiesta Agent I often enjoy some special perks, and this time that included being given an invite to attend the final race of the reason for the Formula Drift championship. To be perfectly honest, my knowledge and interest in drifting was previously limited to a few YouTube videos and the latest Fast and the Furious title. Needless to say, I wasn’t terribly interested.

Once I was inside I began to take in the culture, the never-ending gear-head oriented booths, and the occasional, well, “female representative” dressed to impress (or at least draw plenty of attention from the guys), I started to warm up a bit to the concept. After walking around and checking out the wide array of drifting cars, ranging from the expected heavily modified “street tuner” imports, to very high-end Nissan GTRs, Dodge Vipers, and Ford Mustangs, I headed into the VIP area reserved for Ford Racing and Falken tires’ special guests.

Just as we sat down to eat we were interrupted by the roaring engines of the returning race cars representing team Falken. The six returning cars came in and parked on all sides of us, which quickly drew a large crowd of fans as they fought for a chance to grab an autograph from one of their favorite drivers.

Amongst the returning drivers was drifting star driver Vaughn Gittin Jr., who is known for piloting the 2010 Mustang in Ford’s recent “Mustang Unleashed” advertising campaign, as well as for setting the world record for the longest continual drift- also in a stock 2010 Mustang GT. As my luck would have it, Vaughn came right up to our table, and sat right next to me.

It turns out that a race car driver with near rock star status in the drifting scene can still be an incredibly down to Earth guy. After lunch Vaughn posed for a few pictures with fellow Fiesta Agent Hilary McHone and myself, and then headed off to sign some autographs for eager fans.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. also has a new special edition Mustang coming out which wears his custom “RTR” badge. Vaughn told me he designed the RTR for the drifting niche that he doesn’t feel was currently well served in the aftermarket. Now if only I can convince Vaughn to take me out for a spin and practice some drifting in that new Mustang RTR…

Photos by Hilary McHone

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10/20, 3:49 PM

posted by:

A4

Toyota Speedway… must be pretty boring.

10/20, 3:58 PM

posted by:

Fx NauGhtY

falken g35 looks much more better,I dunno what engine or what magic method they use to cool the engine down but I seen it drift burning tires like its nothing none stop. if u love cars u have to appreciate the art of drifting and the skills it takes..hey if you have over 350 pony tweak the alignment and try it out its fun to not have full control at all time

10/20, 4:01 PM

posted by:

vicdub85

no picture of babes… boring.

10/20, 4:02 PM

posted by:

Fx NauGhtY

oh yea I forgot if u don’t want to go next time its ok I will go for u :-)

10/20, 4:13 PM

posted by:

johngalt

I’ll respectfully disagree with you on this one, Fx. Maybe I’m just getting old, but even when I thought frying donuts in my ‘75 Chevelle was fun, I can’t imagine thinking, “They should make a sport out of this.” I guess the same way I grew out of appreciating the skills of circus clowns, jugglers, macaroni artists, and Canadians, I grew out of tearing up tires for the sake of tearing up tires. Of course, I wasn’t as good at it as these guys are…

10/20, 4:16 PM

posted by:

Bankruptcy2009

Fx I think you meant Ford Falcon FPE that is an awesome Car Dude! Ford Drive one and see why Ford Dominates a G35

10/20, 5:02 PM

posted by:

Mark Kleis

johngalt- I shared that mentality prior to seeing the sport in person. Drifting a single car is a fairly boring concept, but seeing two guys door to door at 70 MPH, engulfed in smoke, and narrowly missing concrete barriers…well, that’s good fun right there.

10/20, 6:58 PM

posted by:

superman

lln didnt take many or any pictures given how these places are packed with cars and large crowds esp down in socal.

10/20, 8:23 PM

posted by:

johngalt

You’re probably right, Mark. I’ve never been to ANY kind of race that, in person, didn’t get the old adrenalin flowing. I even bought rubber ducks for all my kids so we can throw them upriver and see which one gets home first. So far, I’m up fifty bucks for the season!

10/20, 8:29 PM

posted by:

beatusmongous

It doesn’t take 350 horses to drift. I used to do it in my 280Z, and I had somewhere around 200 horses only. That was plenty to shake the light back end loose at 100 mph.

But as much fun as drifting is, it’s not the fastest kind of racing. It sure looks cool, and it is a blast to do, but a proper entry and exit is really the quickest way.

10/20, 10:07 PM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

Oh please… I’m sorry. Who thought it was necessary to make a sport out of this? I’ll give it this much in that like any other form of bullsh*t bravado it’s better these clowns are in a secured area rather than on the public streets. Honestly… I’d rather watch dumpster divers forage through the bin at the back of the local KFC during a garbage strike than watch a couple of assholes create enough smoke to cover up the smoke that those who are supposedly watching are creating on their own.

To do a burnout after actually winning something is one thing… when the burnout becomes the event it’s time to move on. Good gawd… this sport is such total BS I’m surprised they haven’t petitioned to become part of the Olympics.

10/21, 8:39 AM

posted by:

vicdub85

johnny: Would you and your family rather watch a sport that strips an old buick bare and reinforces it with steel and the drivers drive in a figure 8 and smash into each other? You can high five the 300 lb feller behind you in a tattered up Jeff Gordon t-shirt when a big hit happens.

dey took our jobbss….

10/21, 9:56 AM

posted by:

johnnycanuck

… damn it anyway… I was sure I could push more buttons with that little rant than just yours vicdub. Sigh…

10/21, 11:11 AM

posted by:

torino429

vics vaporub, Nascar fans are not impressed with drifting. But we are at least smart enough to know that this is nothing new. Down here in the south we used to do this in hoopties on dirt roads; ‘course we called it trying to stay out of jail! These idiots have it all wrong. They should 1st get on a dirt surface, (Dust is better than smoke!) 2nd, they should get an old car that doesn’t handle well. Today’s average family car handles better than an indy car did forty years ago. There is obviosly a whole lot of drivers who have never driven a poor handling car if they can make a sport out ofthis.

10/21, 12:42 PM

posted by:

Fx NauGhtY

no I meant the falcon g35 do u really think they only have the ford ? look it up on youtube and get back to me.
10 yrs in the future and they will still have drifting as a sport its not going anywhere

10/21, 3:27 PM

posted by:

vicdub85

Smart and Nascar fans shouldn’t be in the same sentence. Go drink some more moonshine and screw your sister.

Oo look, an airplane!.

10/21, 4:03 PM

posted by:

hfry

Props.

@Torino
Stop comparing., When your obviously Uneducated, we’ve all had our amateur experiences you’ve talked about. Try Smashing a tarmac Hair pin at 80mph roll with a $100k and 400+hp equal if not more lbs trq strapped to you. Then spinning through and Setting up for another and another and another. Then Add The sounds of A trillion dieing rabbits (Trying to relate to your nascar lifestyle) and doing this over and over. You couldn’t keep your speed up.

Buy yourself a RWD and not one of these rust bucket GrandAm Hoopties you speak of. Come talk to us YAnkees about our snow storms.

Stop collect’n
dey took our jobbss!!!

10/21, 8:41 PM

posted by:

torino429

Homefry!, I drive a mustang gt thank you very much. But what I was refering to is moonshiners and good ole boys running from the law. I never have done this but I have fled down dirt roads at over 80 mph. With the extreem length and poor handling of older cars it was – is much more dificult than a well handling race car on pavement. On dirt roads you are tying not to rap your car around a tree. Heck, Hard core moonshiners did it at night with no headlights! No safety eqipment at all. Come on down to North Carolina and I’m sure you can find someone to take you on a real drift.

10/22, 2:27 PM

posted by:

RaineMan

Well Torino429… you sure are making us NC boys look good.

It is spelled Wrap… moron.

 
 
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