2007 Formula D Opener: Rhys Millen's Super-fast Solstice; New V8 Saturn Sky Drift Car

[Ming]

Formula D 2007 Season Opener
On the streets of Long Beach, there's no room for mistakes.
by Justin Kaehler
http://cars.ign.com
4/9/07



A couple of 2007's most-anticipated cars - such as the Hankook drift Porsche GT2 and the Rockstar S15 - weren't ready in time for this season opener, meaning that many teams were still using their rides from 2006. Sears Auto Center showed off its latest ride that will compete later in the season - a Corvette-engined Saturn Sky that will be piloted by "Big Smoke" Ben Schwartz. We're hoping to see these cars done and ready-to-go by Round 2 in Atlanta.

Speaking of cars, we got to ride along with NASCAR driver-turned-drifter Chris Cook and got some new info out of him: though he was driving a "body-in-white" Viper SRT-10 at Long Beach, the guys at MOPAR are building a new Viper coupe just for him.

A few of Formula D's more famous drivers have switched cars and/or teams. Drift Alliance star Tony Angelo is now rocking Rod Millen's old RX-8 while Alliance-mate Ryan Hampton ditched the American Muscle in favor of the McKinney Motorsports Nissan 240SX. Ross Petty ditched his Rotary Power RX-7 for a Falken-backed Nissan 240SX. Also joining the Falken team is Irish pro drifter Darrin McNamara - a D1/Pro Drift champ over in Europe. His SR20-powered AE86 is now in the U.S. rocking the Falken team colors. While we're on the subject of D1, Japanese D1 driver Miki Ryuji will be campaigning a Bergenholtz-built A'PEXi-sponsored Mazda RX-7 in this season of Formula D. Is it possible that we'll see more D1 drivers make the jump to Formula D?

Okay, now we'll get to the competition itself. As was the case last year, Formula D is using a portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix road course for its event - specifically turns 9, 10 and 11. This Long Beach course is normally narrow, lined with concrete walls and has no runoff, making it one of the more challenging drift courses in Formula D.

Rhys "Mad Skills" Millen - boasting the fastest entry speeds of the competition - and his Pontiac Solstice were completely dialed-in and made short work of the competition.

The Great 8 was just as - if not more - exciting as the Top 16. Foust made quick work of Tyler McQuarrie - not much of a surprise there as Foust seems to win a lot... What shocked us was the battle between Rhys Millen and Dai Yoshihara; these guys are some of the fastest drivers in any drift series, and given Millen's performance over the weekend, we all expected him to advance. However, Millen actually straightened out while chasing Yoshihara, putting Dai in the final four.

Full Article, Huge Gallery: http://cars.ign.com/articles/779/779224p2.html

[give_it_all_]

Looks awesome, I wish their was more tv coverage of this though

[ronald mcretard]

I saw that thing at the L.A. auto show last fall, pretty sweet.

[monza164]

What's with the scoops on the roof? Do they have to cool the trunk?

[Ming]

I think its a "roof vent" and I know they use them in Rally racing (perhaps for cars without A/C?), but not sure how useful (if even functional) they are on that car.

" allows fresh air to flow into the cockpit. The lid fits tight and sits a little proud of the roofline to minimize water entry while raining and to prevent seepage when sitting in the elements. To stuff air into the cockpit (pressurizing cabin and reducing dust entry) or draw air out for a more gentle airflow on transits."

[camaro_freak]

Originally Posted by give_it_all_

Looks awesome, I wish their was more tv coverage of this though

I agree.. probably have to have like ESPN 5 or something to see those races!

[Ming]

I was sure that they were aired on G4TV?

But I see none scheduled for this year: http://www.g4tv.com/formulad/index.html

[Ming]

Originally Posted by camaro_freak

I agree.. probably have to have like ESPN 5 or something to see those races!

The Cinco?

[Whitesky]

I wish those rims would have come standard on mine.

[KAH24]

Originally Posted by camaro_freak

I agree.. probably have to have like ESPN 5 or something to see those races!

no it's ESPN 8 "the ocho". no really it will be on ESPN i think after there nascar season ends.

[BigAls87Z28]

Originally Posted by Ming

The Cinco?

You mean, "The Ocho" from Dodgeball.
That Sears Sky looks pretty bad arse

[GMusa]

Sweet!

Nice to see even more American cars getting in on Drift Racing!

[HEVguy]

Wow!! Those cars are dreamy! (no I am not g@y, just mix'n it up from my regular complements!)

[99Hugger]

Thats awesome that more US cars are going into th sport.I wanna see what the the Z06 thats drifting this year looks like.Couldnt find a pic but when I goooled Formula D heres the TV answer.Dosnet say when the first one will air though.

"The partnership with IMG has already paid off, with ESPN2 signed as the exclusive broadcast partner for 2007, Formula DRIFT and drifting will be elevated to a new level. Seven 1-hour shows will be filmed with multiple repeats beginning in November 2007."

[bonecrrusher]

That Sky looks sweet, I've always liked the V8 swap into the car since I read about it in Hot Rod magazine into the solstice.

Too bad the car sits sooo low, and the interior is really garbage and cheap looking.