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

CTD.COM HEADED SOUTH // FORMULA D PRO-AM

ColdTrackDays correspondent Russell O’Connell, will be headed South for a bit of sunshine and drifting. Last week, NW native Victor Moore (pictured above) claimed an overall victory at the Evergreen Drift Championship, which in turn landed him a spot at the Formula-D Pro Am. Seeing as how this is great news for Victor and the NW drift scene, we wanted to be there to take it in. Packing his bags and heading out, Russell will be live at Long Beach to cover both the Red Bull World Drift Championships, as well as Victor Moore's effort at a Formula-D license. The Red Bull event will feature champion drivers from all the major drift series around the world (Europe, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and USA), drifting a crazy Red Bull'ized course, rumored to have 100mph+ entry speed and never before seen technical features. Both events should be exciting to see, and the rest of us (stuck in the office) are certainly a bit envious of Mr.O'Connell. Stay with ColdTrackDays, as we will update as soon as we get word from Russell. Photos come courtesy of ColdTrackDays photographer Tyler Coray // 10.08.2008

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

VIDEO // 2009 TARGA MILLE MOLISE HIGHLIGHTS

ColdTrackDays contributor and Evergreen Drift coordinator, Russell O’Connell, just sent me this highlights reel from the 2009 Targa Mille Molise. An event held each year in Ripalimosani, Italy, the Targa Mille Molise, simillar in many ways to the Targa Newfoundland and Targa Tazmania, is currently "looking for American drivers interested in joining us for the 2010 race being held October 23-24 next year.”

According to O’Connell, the Molise Foundation is looking for ten American drivers to compete in the 2010 Targa Mille Molise, and will supply them with an FIA racing license, car, pit crew and accommodations. As far as we’re concerned, there isn’t a better way to see the Italian country side then from the seat of a rally car!

Video directed by Stephane Benini of Clash Production

Click here for additional information // [comment]

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

ColdTrackDays Drift Correspondent //

In an effort to expand our reach, offer additional content and keep our readers informed across all forms of motorsports, we have enlisted the help of a Northwest drift guru. Russell O'Connell is an official and key organizer of the successful Evergreen Drift program, at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA and the founder of the Northwest Region SCCA drift program and will be coming on board as a ColdTrackDays staff member. Russell will help us stay on top of what is happening in the drifting world both here and abroad. An avid drifter himself, Russell has helped promote the drift scene here in the NW, taking it to new heights. We are grateful to have him as apart of ColdTrackDays, and are sure our readers will appreciate all of his input, insights and information. Russell can be reached via email at: driftumaikakudo@gmail.com // 06.26.2008

FINAL ROUND // SCCA DRIFTING @ BREMERTON

30 cars showed up for the fifth and final round of the NWR-SCCA Drift Series at the Bremerton Motorsports Park. Great weather accompanied a diverse field of cars, many of whom saw more than 15 runs throughout the day. CTD correspondent and NWR-SCCA Drift Committee Chair, Russell O'Connell, had this to say after the event wrapped up: "This was a bang up way to end the inaugural NWR SCCA Drift season. We did a killer job at showing the track officials and autocross folks that we can run safe and organized events. We've earned a great reputation and secured our spot for future events. The national SCCA Board of Directors are excited about what we've accomplished and want to use us as a model for expanding drifting to other regions. Next year holds a lot of promise with the potential for new sites, competitions, and whatever else we can make happen." Great events mean great people, so a big thanks to Russell and all of the SCCA drifters that made this happen. Check out the NWR-SCCA Drifting website for future events, updates and additional info // 10.23.2008

STUCK STICKERS // RUSSELL O'CONNELL @ EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY

Adhered to Russell's side mirror, check out yet another fine example of someone putting a ColdTrackDays sticker to good use! To find out how you can get a free ColdTrackDays sticker, click here

Photo comes courtesy of Brad Elder // [comment]

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

RACE CARS DIRECT // YOUR SOURCE FOR A USED F1 CHASSIS?!

Russell O'Connell sent us a link to RaceCarsDirect, a UK based motorsport marketplace for those looking to buy and sell race or rally cars, karts, race car parts, race transporters, trailers or motor racing memorabilia.

With over 11,000 current users and a list of available cars sure to make any motorsport enthusiast jealous (see former Alain Prost Ferrari above), RaceCarsDirect is a great resource for anyone involved in motor sport // [comment]

THE 24HRS OF LEMONS // A NORTHWEST ENTRY

What do you get when you mix $500 and loads of enthusiasm? Well, usually that combo might garner no more than a hopeless endevour, but in the motorsport world, we call it the 24hrs of LeMons. A grassroots version of the oh so famous 24hr race, the LeMons (as it shall be called) is a winner take all, $500 limit, endurance race that is hosted at a number of venues across the US each year. So why all the press? Well, it just so happens that a few members of our local SCCA region will be entering a Peugeot 505 Turbo into the final event of this years LeMons series. Scheduled for the 27-28th of December at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA, the Northwest based team will build, race and endure all that is the LeMons. ColdTrackDays will be following their progress, so stay tuned for future updates. For additional information and updates on the Peugeot's progress, click here. Info comes courtesy of CTD correspondent, Russell O'Connell // 10.10.2008

EVERGREEN DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIP // FINAL ROUND!

The fourth and final round of the Evergreen Drift Championship is scheduled to take place tomorrow night, October 4th. Wrapping up the drifting season, tomorrows event will be a determining factor in who wears the crown, as this is the only NW (Washington, Oregon and British Columbia) drifting series to date, and a lot of pride is on the line. The boys will be running both the 3/8th's and 5/8th's banking, so expect to see some serious battles both in solo and tandem competition. For a little teaser, check out the video featured on Wrecked Magazine's website (shown above), which chronicles the last event at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. Stay with ColdTrackDays, as we will report back on who takes home the title. Info comes courtesy of our drift correspondent Russell O'Connell, and we have to say, we'll be rooting for Mr.Matt McCoy. Hey, he's rocking a ColdTrackDays sticker on his windshield, we have to give credit where credit is due... // 10.03.2008

'09 SPEED WORLD CHALLENGE // HIGHLIGHT REEL

Courtesy of CTD correspondent Russell O'Connell, check out this season long highlight reel from the Speed World Challenge Touring and GT class. Be sure you have a minute, because when we say long, we mean looooong. Click here for the video. Enjoy // 12.19.2008

Tuner Battle // Redline Time Attack

With the Redline Time Attack and Live Sockets Battle having just wrapped up at the California Speedway, we thought we would share a few pics from the event. For those unfamiliar with Time Attack, think qualifying sessions gone wild, where the fastest time wins and you are allotted a certain amount of time to lay down your fastest lap. A great venue for tuners to show off their mechanical creations, drivers to showcase some skill behind the wheel and spectators to catch some wild cars going all out for fast lap supremacy. On the local side, this weekend will see the Northwest Region SCCA Time Trials at Bremerton Motorsport Park, as well as the Driving Sports Time Attack Challenge at Portland. Our ColdTrackDays 'Drift Correspondent', Russell O'Connell, will be live at the SCCA Time Trials to cover the action, so stay tuned for some post event coverage. In the mean time, enjoy these shots from California Speedway via Kinod Photography // 07.24.2008

AMG HAS GOOGLE LOVE CHILD // 360 DEGREES

Check out what the boys at AMG are up to. Now if any of you have played with Google Maps ‘Street View’ feature, you may be familliar with 360 degree video capture. With an ability to roatate video footage 360 degrees, you now have access to an unparalled amount of information. Imagine a roof mounted cam while you compete in your local SCCA run-offs, allowing you to see just how close that ‘close call’ was. AMG doesn’t explain much, but we assume it is a promotional bit for their latest creations. Whatever the case, we want one. Info comes courtesy of CTD correspondent Russell O’Connell // 10.14.2008

TEAM K-PAX // SWITCHING TO SWEDISH POWER

We just received word from CTD correspondent Russell O’Connell, that current Speed World Challenge champion Randy Pobst and teammate Andy Pilgrim, will be ditching their K-PAX/3R Porche’s and switching to a pair of turbocharged 2.5-liter, AWD Volvo S60s' for the 2009 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship. Having already established themselves as champion drivers, both Pobst and Pilgrim could not resist the challenge of a new car.

Their new S60 Volvo's are being built by 3R Racing and when questioned about the new Volvo project, 3R owner Bob Raub had this to say: “We here at 3R are very excited at the opportunity we have been given to engineer and build all-new cars and bring a new manufacturer back to the series,” Raub said, “We know that this is not an easy task or one that will not be without its share of problems and failings, but through those problems and failings we will work hard to have success for Jim, Volvo, Randy and Andy.”

For more information on team K-PAX’s transition to a Volvo platform, click here. For the complete photo gallery from the 3R Volvo build, click here // 01.13.2009

SCCA Time Trials // Bremerton

The NWR-SCCA is holding a combo event next weekend. The Performance Driving Experience (PDX), Club Trials and Track Trials classes will all be running through the weekend at the Bremerton Motorsports Park. The Performance Driving Experience is an opportunity for both new and old drivers to learn from a team of talented instructors, in a venue that is designed for safe and spirited driving. A great chance to test your skills and build new ones, and a good excuse to see what the grocery getter can do. The following day will see the Club Trials and Track Trials begin. An excellent addition to a summer race schedule, the Club and Track Trials events will see an entry level competition, perfect for new comers and/or currently registered TT competitors. Preregistration is required and entries must be received by 7/24. For more information and registration forms see the NWR Time Trials Site and our event on Motosportsreg.com Event info is courtesy of our Drift Correspondent, Russell O'Connell // 07.09.2008

TIME FOR THE CROWN // FORMULA D FINALE

Tanner Foust not only managed a second place finish at last weekends Formula D finale at Irwindale, but collected his second consecutive FD title as well. A first for the sport, Foust has been consistent all year, so his win doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. On the other hand, Vaughn Gittin Jr. took the win at Irwindale, his first Formula D win to date, and though he had no championship hopes, it was a good showing. Also of note was Justin Pawlak’s performance in his FC3S, which landed him a third place finish.

Listed below are the top 16 drivers from the 2008 Formula D season, all of whom will receive invites to the Red Bull World Drift Championships at Long Beach next month. As we all know, NW drift champ Victor Moore will be at Long Beach as well, competing in the Formula D Pro-Am. ColdTrackDays correspondent Russell O’Connell, as well as a CTD photographer Linhbergh Nguyen, will be on the ground, reporting live from the Red Bull event. So stay tuned!

2008 Formula Drift Top 16 as follows //

1: : Tanner Foust - Nissan 350Z
2: : Sam Hubinette - Dodge Viper
3: : Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice
4: : Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO
5: : Chris Forsberg - Nissan 350Z
6: : Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice
7: : Michihiro Takatori - Nissan R34 Skyline
8: : Vaugh Gittin Jr. - Ford Mustang
9: : Conrad Grunewald - Chevrolet Corvette
10: : Robbie Nishida - Nissan 350Z
11: : Ryuji Miki - Mazda RX7
12: : Darren McNamara - Saturn Sky
13: : Stephen Verdier - Subaru Impreza
14: : Ken Gushi - Scion TC
15: : Bill Sherman - Nissan S13
16: : Justin Pawlak - Mazda RX7

Stay with ColdTrackDays for continued coverage of both the Red Bull World Drifting Championship and Victor Moore's attempt at a Formula Drift license // 10.14.2008

SCCA DRIFTING // LIVE @ BREMERTON

Unfortunately, ColdTrackDays was absent from last weeks SCCA sanctioned drift event at the Bremerton Motorsports Park. But have not fear, our drift correspondent Russell O’Connell was present (drifting his 240sx matter of fact) and passed along this link to a well sorted photo gallery from the event. A big turnout, a diverse mix of cars and a prime location make for an eventful day and some great drifting. Photos come courtesy of Tyler Coray. Click through on the above images for the complete gallery from the event // 10.03.2008

NWR SCCA // DRIFT EVENT #3

The third event of the season for the NWR-SCCA Drifting Series will be held at the Bremerton Motorsports Park on Sunday, August 31st. With a $60 buy in for SCCA members ($75 for non-members), this is a great way to pick up some track time. SCCA drifting rules apply, and can be read here. Great event for first timers and those looking to practice some car control. If you missed it, check out our coverage of Formula D from last weekend. Drift info comes courtesy of our drift correspondent, Russell O'Connell // 08.14.2008