COLDTRACKDAYS & KINOD PHOTOGRAPHY // OFFICIAL 'RBWDC' PHOTO GALLERY

ColdTrackDays.com and Kinod Photography present: The 2008 RedBull World Drift Championship 'Official Photo Gallery'

This year marked the first RedBull World Drift Championship, and ColdTrackDays was there to cover it. Northwest correspondent Russell O'Connell was live in Long Beach to cover the action both on and off the track, and the guys from Kinod Photography were there to document the occasion via photograph. Northwest native Victor Moore competed in the Formula D Pro/Am, showing the world what the NW drift scene has to offer. Little practice time and a new car setup hindered his performance however, keeping him from advancing beyond the qualifying rounds. Good show none the less, and we look forward to following Victor's drifting career.

An otherwise epic event, the inaugural RBWDC saw the best of the best, with nearly every continent in the world appropriately represented. The finals came down to RedBull's own Rhys Millen vs. Dai Yoshihara, with Tanner Foust facing off against Sam Hubinette for the third place spot. It was a hard fought battle in the finals, that saw Yoshihara spin in the second tandem run, handing the first ever RBWDC title to Rhys Millen. Dai Yoshihara placed second, with Tanner Foust followed by Sam Hubinette filling the third and fourth place spots. Be sure and click through to our 'Official Photo Gallery' for some amazing shots from the guys at Kinod Photography, and stay tuned for a post-race write up from CTD correspondent Russell O'Connell // 11.17.2008

RBWDC // PREVIEW PART.2

For the second part of our RBWDC preview, check out this short video from the guys at Trackday Films. Moving from the EDC to the JDM, we couldn't help but share this well shot piece, even if none of the featured drivers are expected at the RBWDC. But hey, a bit of touge action never hurt anyone, right... Enjoy // 11.04.2008

RBWDC // PREVIEW PART.1

With the Red Bull World Drift Championship (RBWDC) a few weeks away, we decided a little preview was in order. Expected at Long Beach, in addition to the top 16 from Formula D, will be some of Europe’s most talented drifters. And no one showcases the Euro drift scene better than our friends at Clash Productions. So be sure and stay with ColdTrackDays, as our NW correspondent, Russell O’Connell, will be live at Long Beach covering the first ever RBWDC // 11.04.2008

2008 REDBULL WDC // O'CONNELL RECAP

RUSSELL O’CONNELL RACE RECAP //

The air was filled with smoke, and ash was everywhere from brush fires burning to the North. Many people were walking around with handkerchief's and dust masks, but a steady breeze from the ocean cleared the air on Sunday and kept the temperatures bearable. Formula D did a terrific job converting a dusty pier into the site of a world class event. There were some minor issues with the contracted staff services such as not enough trash cans but at least there were way too many port-o-potties!

This event had several changes to the judging format and the FD staff went out of their way to make sure the competition was run in a way, as to avoid any appearance of being rigged in favour of the FD drivers. Qualifying order was determined by a random drawing via the 'draw party' on Friday night. Saturday's qualifying session determined the pairs for the 'Dirty 32' brackets for Sunday's final competition.

Drifting is a full contact sport. Last weekend saw the tow truck get plenty of use with drivers hitting walls (and each other) at regular intervals. The judges mercilessly ask the drivers to drive as close to the walls and their competitors as possible, which is a recipe for destruction that would put NASCAR to shame. The walls did not discriminate, taking out drivers like Vaughn Gittin JR and Samuel Hubinette. Most initiations were in the high 90 mph range but several of the drivers managed the promised 100 mph entry speeds, with the highest speed clocked at 103.6 mph!

Sunday's finals saw the international competition slowly get eliminated by the FD drivers through superior driving and machinery. The only non FD driver in the Great 8 rounds was Mad Mike Whiddett from New Zealand and the legendary Katsuhiro Ueo of Japan. Whiddet was a little too aggressive and ravaged the wall on both runs, handing the round to Tanner Foust. The Great 8 battle between Dai Yoshiara was THE battle of the night, that took a ‘one more time’ round to settle.

In the final round between Rhys Millen and Dai Yoshihara, the initiation and first corner were equal, however Millen’s smaller, faster car was able to pull away at the 2nd clipping point. On the second run with Yoshihara leading, Millen was all over him, putting huge pressure on Dai, just inches from his door. The pressure proved too much and Dai overcooked it and spun at the 2nd corner handing the first ever RedBull World Drift Championship to Rhys Millen.

The podium ceremony was held in the pits and accessible to the fans. RedBull put up a huge purse, with Rhys Millen taking home a check for $25,000. The single largest purse in drifting history. Dai Yoshihara is $15,000 richer and third place Tanner Foust took home a cool $10,000. When announcer Jarod DeAnda asked the crowed if they wanted RedBull to host the World Championship again next year, the stands erupted in a screaming, standing ovation. The City of Long Beach was also an integral part of the event providing fire trucks and crew, a sweeper truck, and unprecedented access to the port and city. Unfortunately the RBWDC site will be filled up with brand new Mercedes cars fresh off the boat and a return to the Port of Long Beach location is uncertain...

ColdTrackDays would like to thank Formula D, RedBull, and the city of Long Beach for a stellar event! Make it happen again, bigger and better! And be sure not to miss the RBWDC episodes on SPEED beginning December 21st. Video comes courtesy of Wrecked Magazine // 11.19.2008

RBWDC // PREVIEW PART.3

The ColdTrackDays crew (Russell O’Connell and Linhbergh Nguyen) will be reporting live from next weekends Red Bull World Drift Championship. The festivities begin this Thursday, with a parade of cars through the downtown area followed by a draw party at ‘Smooth’s Sports Grill.’ The cars will be on display Thursday from 5:45pm until 9:30pm on Pine Ave. A driver autograph session is also scheduled for 6pm at the draw party, where the official qualifying order will be announced for Sunday’s main event.


A purpose built race course is being built at the Port of Long Beach to host the top 32 drifters from around the world. The course will feature six turns and a high-speed right hand entry, with speeds expected in excess of 100mph. The RBWDC course will be the first of its kind, pushing drivers to the limit with a technical layout and high speed entry. Sunday’s main event will see the top 32 drifters from around the world go head-to-head in a tandem battle format, with the winner from each bracket advancing to the next round. Saturday will see the Formula D Pro/Am competition and a special opening ceremony by the Red Bull Air Force skydive team.

Be sure and stay with ColdTrackDays as we will be providing live coverage from Long Beach, to include NW native Victor Moore’s attempt at a Formula D license in the Pro/Am competition // 11.12.2008

EYE CANDY // KINOD PHOTOGRAPHY'S SUNDAY SET

Following up on O'Connell's recap of the RBWDC, ColdTrackDays.com and Kinod Photography would like to present: The 2008 RedBull World Drift Championship 'Sunday Set.' Click through above and enjoy // 11.23.2008

WRECKED MAGAZINE // REDBULL RECAP

Check out Wrecked Magazines video recap from this month’s inaugural RedBull World Drift Championship. Though we were there to capture all of the sideways craziness via some amazing photography (see Kinod’s Sunday Set) we were unable to put together any worthwhile video. So, without further adue, we leave you in the hands of Wrecked for some highlights from the RBWDC. Enjoy // 11.27.2008

THIRTY TWO // RED BULL WDC DRIVER LIST

Just got an email from the guys at Formula D and thought we'd share the goods with our readers. As you may know, our Northwest correspondent Russell O'Connell, is headed to Long Beach to cover the Red Bull World Drifting Championship, as well as NW native Victor Moore's attempt at an FD license. We knew there would be a handful of EDC drivers on hand (see Bavarian Drift Works), as well as the top 16 from Formula D, but the driver list had a few holes in it, until today...

The Red Bull Drifting World Championship Entry List : :

1. Tanner Foust - Formula DRIFT - 2007 & 2008 Formula DRIFT Champion
2. Samuel Hubinette - #2 in 2008 FD, 2004 & 2006 FD Champion
3. Rhys Millen - #3 in 2008 FD, 2005 FD Champion
4. Daijiro Yoshihara - #4 in 2008 FD
5. Chris Forsberg - #5 in 2008 FD
6. Michihiro Takatori - #6 in 2008 FD
7. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. - #7 in 2008 FD
8. Conrad Grunewald - #8 in 2008 FD
9. Robbie Nishida - #9 in 2008 FD
10. Ryuji Miki - #10 in 2008 FD
11. Darren McNamara - #11 in 2008 FD, 2004 D1GP Champion
12. Stephan Verdier - #12 in 2008 FD, 2006 Pro Drift Champion
13. Ken Gushi - #13 in 2008 FD
14. Bill Sherman - #14 in 2008 FD
15. Justin Pawlak - #15 in 2008 FD
16. Kyle Mohan - #16 in 2008 FD
17. Katsuhiro Ueo - 2002 D1GP Champion
18. Daigo Saito - 2008 D1GP Champion
19. Garry Whitter - 2008 D1NZ Champion
20. Fredrick Girard - 2008 DMCC Champion
21. Luke Fink - 2008 Drift Australia 2nd Place
22. Leighton Fine - 2008 Drift Australia Champion
23. Tim Marshall - 2008 EDC 2nd Place
24. Ben Broke-Smith - 2008 EDC Champion
25. Tengku Djan Ley - 2008 FD SG 2nd Place
26. Mike Whiddet - 2008 FD SG 3rd Place
27. Paul Vlasblom - 2008 IDS Champ or Runner-Up
28. Remmo Niezen - 2008 IDS Champ or Runner-Up
29. Fredric Aasbo - 2008 Nordic Drifting Series Champion
30. Carl Ruiterman - 2007 NZ Drift Champion, 2007 D1NZ Champion
31. Eric O'Sullivan - 2008 Pro Drift 3rd Place, 2007 Pro Drift Champion
32. James Deane - 2008 Pro Drift Champion

Stay with ColdTrackDays for continued coverage of the RBWDC and Victor Moore // 10.31.2008

VICTOR MOORE // CHOOSES HIS WEAPON

If you haven’t been following our coverage of Victor Moore (tisk, tisk) and his attempt at a Formula D license during this weekends Pro/Am competition, then you probably have no idea what you are looking at. Well, to make it short and sweet, Victor Moore is a NW native and well on his way to becoming a household (drifting) name. He, as well as a few staff members from ColdTrackDays, will be reporting live from the Red Bull World Drift Championship in Long Beach, CA, over the course of this coming weekend. Now a lot of you may be familiar with Victor’s drift car, the drab green, SR20DET powered, S13 coupe, that Victor has become somewhat synonymous with. Well the car has seen a few upgrades in order to compete with the best of the best at this weekends Pro/Am. With the help of Tacoma’s UP Garage, Victor will be campaigning a 350bhp, RB26DETT powered S13 in this weekends battle. The RB26DETT comes courtesy of a Nissan Skyline and should be adequate power to slay the competition. According to our NW correspondent Russell O’Connell, who should be packing for Long Beach as I type this, Victor and the UP Garage crew have already left “and all ready had a run in with a transvestite at a Oregon truck stop” This should be interesting. Stick with ColdTrackDays for continued coverage from the RBWDC as well as Victor’s progress at the Formula D Pro/Am.

O’CONNELL UPDATE - “Victor passed tech inspection so he just has to survive practice and qualify tomorrow!” // 11.13.2008