Team Falken Tire Sweeps the Podium Once Again at Formula Drift Round 5
- 30 Aug 2010
Earning his first Formula Drift win ever on Saturday was Tyler McQuarrie and the Falken Tire/Autosport Dynamics Nissan 350Z. With Tyler's 1st place finish in the second-ever Falken Tire podium sweep, he was able to move into the top 10 overall for the Formula Drift Championship points chase. Tyler's 1st place did not come easily, as he went for a One-More-Time with Michael Essa in the top 32 before advancing on. Then he had to battle his way through Falken Tire teammate Darren McNamara in the top 8, and then on to defeat the event's 2nd place qualifier, Conrad Grunewald.
With two wins under his belt so far this season, Daijiro Yoshihara and the Falken Tire/Discount Tire Nissan 240SX S13 came to Las Vegas in 3rd place overall in the chase for the Championship, only a few points behind Tanner Foust in second. Defeating every competitor he came across at Round 5, except for McQuarrie, Dai would take the 2nd place spot atop the podium. He also gained some crucial Championship points, and with Foust ending his night early in the top 16, Dai was able to pass him in the overall standings and take the 2nd place position. Going into Round 5, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the Monster Energy/Falken Tire 2011 Ford Mustang built by Autosport Dynamics were 1st in points overall, and after taking 3rd place at the event, he managed to maintain his points lead leaving Las Vegas. Vaughn's chance of moving on to the finals was shut down by Daijiro when they battled in the semi-finals. Vaughn moved in to the consolation round to go head-to-head with Tony Brakohiapa, whom he quickly defeated. Vaughn has now podiumed 4 out of 5 Formula Drift rounds thus far this season; taking 1st place in Long Beach, 2nd place in Atlanta, 2nd place in New Jersey, and now 3rd place in Las Vegas. Now 22 points ahead of Dai - who has now podiumed 3 out of the 5 events - and only two events in the season left to go, it is going to be quite an exciting road to the Championship! Tyler McQuarrie, Dai Yoshihara, and Vaughn Gittin Jr. all use K&N filters on their Formula Drift competition cars. "The key to four podiums and leading the Championship this season is communication, consistency, and reliability" says Vaughn. "Not only do I need to keep my driving top-notch, but my team and my car need to be consistent as well. The reliability of using K&N air and oil filters allows me to keep my mind focused on driving, and not on the car." Next up on the Formula Drift tour is Round 6 at Infineon Raceway September 10-11 in Sonoma, California. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
