Cupcake Meet 12: Cupcakin' for Mothers

Join us February 4^th, 2012 to celebrate the 3^rd year anniversary of Cupcake Meet in Austin, TX for CCM 12: Cupcakin’ for Mothers. 

Formula Drift Seattle 2011

So, I have a tough time calling 4th place a curse but so far this season, we have had two 4th place finishes, one 5th and one 6th which had us in 4th place overall, so to me, it almost felt that way. Either way, the “curse” is no more! This weekend we took our NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z to a 2nd place finish which pushed us up to 3rd place in the overall championship race! Even though we had an awesome weekend, it definitely did not all start out that way…

Every event usually kicks off with a practice session on Thursday but there was a down-pour of rain early in the day so practice was canceled. Even though Formula Drift decided to re-open the session for an hour or so, the track was still very wet. Having a new car this year, Thursday practice is important for us to work on the set-up but because the rest of the weekend was forecasted to be sunny and warm, running on a wet track would be no good to us. So, we would have to wait until Friday.

When we hit the track Friday for practice, our differential broke on only our 2nd full throttle run! We already had limited time to practice but now with this happening, I could only hope to get in a couple passes before qualifying. Kevin and Sergio did an amazing job as they rushed to get the car fixed and back on track before the session was over. I pulled back up to the line with 5 minutes remaining, plenty of time to get in a pass or two but just as I pulled up, Formula Drift had to end our practice session because another competitor had crashed hard and had to be towed off track. I was pretty upset, never having run our new car or engine at this track, I would now have to go into qualifying pretty much blind. On my first qualifying pass, I went conservative but still landed in 10th after that first round of qualifying! I was thrilled to know that we would definitely be in the competition so I pushed a little harder on my second pass and earned a slightly higher score which put us in 15th place overall.

Onto Top 32, where my first pairing was with Otto Graven, who has had a great year so far and is a serious contender for Formula Drift Rookie of the Year award. We had a close battle so the judges called for a one more time. On our next set of runs, I pushed hard throughout the course and was given the win! In Top 16, we were matched up against Dennis Mertzanis, a great guy who runs his own program very well. We had a solid pair of runs but as we were coming off the bank, Dennis made a critical mistake, giving us the win. In top 8, we would run against my good friend and fellow Drift Alliance member, Ryan Tuerck! It has been two years since we have paired up in competition and because we have always had such great battles, I was really looking forward to it. On our first run, I chased Ryan around the bank and into the infield but as we flipped into the last corner, he spun out right in front of me. It was very unlike him to do that and I couldn’t believe that it happened! Our lead run was nice and smooth so the judges advanced us into the semi-finals!

In the semis, my first opponent was actually my Hankook Tire teammate, Rhys Millen. Rhys had been driving on-point all weekend so I knew that beating him was not going to be easy. As I followed Rhys into the infield, he hit the wall and knocked his car straight! We made light contact with him as his car straightened out but were able to keep going. Rhys immediately got his car back in drift and finished the run behind us. On my lead lap, I put down a nice smooth run and although Rhys was right on my tail, it was still not enough to make up for his hit. The judges awarded us the win and we moved onto the finals!!

In the finals, I was lined up with Daijiro Yoshihara, he was obviously having a great day but I knew we could beat him. I also knew that I could chase Dai harder than anyone else so I stood on the gas and stayed locked in with his car all the way through the bank while beating him with more angle at the same time! Before I explain what happened next, you should know that we run a sequential transmission which means you pull the shifter back to up-shift and push it forward to down-shift. So, as we transfer into the infield, I grab the e-brake and immediately go to down-shift into 2nd gear. As I punched the shifter forward, my hand slipped over the top of it and flew right into the ignition switch! I couldn’t believe it… I just shut the car off in the middle of our run. That had never happened to me before and it just happened to me in the finals!!! I went back out and put down the best lead run I could muster but it wasn’t enough.

So in the end, it was a little heartbreaking but it was still an awesome weekend!!! We went home with our best finish of the season and moved into 3rd place! Team Hankook also had their best finish, placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th, so close to sweeping the podium! Las Vegas is coming up next and the guys already have some great ideas for the car! I’m dreading the heat but I can’t wait to get back out there and compete!

For those that did not have the chance to catch the action on Drift Stream, here are all of our tandem battles from start to finish! Also, you can view pictures from the event, in our PHOTO GALLERY.

Top 32 vs Otto Graven
Top 32 vs Otto Graven OMT
Top 16 vs Dennis Mertzanis
Top 8 vs Ryan Tuerck
Semi-Finals vs Rhys Millen
Finals vs Daijiro Yoshihara

Formula Drift Palm Beach 2011

Formula Drift Round 3 took us to an entirely new venue, Palm Beach International Raceway.  Without any previous experience at this track, I had no idea what to expect and we did have some crazy moments but all in all, we had a great weekend!!  

Thursday’s practice started off with a bang… literally.  The competitors entry speeds were well above the 100 mph mark which is faster than ever before, that coupled with unfortunate barrier placement caused a lot of drivers to slam hard into the wall during practice.  Fortunately, we started practice in the spotter’s booth so that we could scope out the course before we ran.  Formula Drift quickly recognized that the track was a hazard to drivers as well as fans so they stopped practice and went to work on reconfiguring the course.  Their new design was very simple but turned out to be very technical because any small mistake would be very evident to the judges.

Our Nissan 370Z felt great as we headed into Friday’s qualifying session.  As usual, I focused on keeping my first qualifying pass smooth and somewhat conservative to ensure us a spot in Saturday’s competition.  The judges must have really been focused on our control because they gave us 93.3 which turned out to be the highest qualifying score of the day!  We were excited to score that #1 spot as well as the bonus points that come along with it!

In Top 32 we were paired up against my friend Michael Essa who has been driving well in his new Z4 but he spun on his chase run, giving us a clear win.  In Top 16 we ran against two time champion Samuel Hubinette who had been plagued with mechanical failures in the first two rounds so he and his team were definitely pushing hard for a win.  On his lead run, he dropped a tire in the dirt which slowed his car down.  As he tried to regain control in the first clip, I was able to close in on him and move into the Top 8 to face up against Tyler McQuarrie.  After our first run, my spotter said that Tyler had followed us closely throughout the course and that I would have to push it hard in order to win.  On my chase lap, I remained door to door with him, moving us on to the semi-finals.  

In the semis, I first ran against 2010 Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr.  I ran a solid lead run however, Vaughn kicked up a little dirt on the inside of the first inner clipping point.  On my follow run, as we went through that same section on the course, Vaughn swung a little wide, unfortunately, I swung out a little further.  After reviewing footage from both runs, the judges decided to run us one more time.  I had a great lead run on our second battle, and although the judges went on to say that it was the best run they had seen all night, I was unable to close the gap enough on our chase run to take the win.  I still had one shot at the podium though and I was confident that I could beat Darren McNamara for 3rd but as it turns out, I may have been a little overzealous.  Darren was likely to be close but with shallow angle so my strategy was to run deep angle in order to impress the judges but instead, I over rotated in the first corner and spun to a stop.

The disappointment of being so close to the podium (again) is a hard pill to swallow but at the end of the day, I feel very fortunate.  The support we have received from you, our sponsors, has given our team the tools needed to build a competitive and consistent car.  The points we earned by qualifying 1st and finishing 4th was enough to move us up two positions in the Championship standings putting us in 4th place overall!!  We have the championship in sight and  have been getting better and better each round as we develop our new 370Z.  I'm loving running on Hankook rubber as I feel more grip and reliability in my tires than ever before.  

Our next stop is Wall, NJ in just one week.  I’m super pumped to get back to the northeast where we will have the entire Forsberg clan out there to root us on!

Formula Drift Road Atlanta 2011

 

Road Atlanta is by far my favorite track of the circuit.  The track not only brings out some amazing driving, it also lends a picturesque landscape as a backdrop for it all.  We have had some of our best finishes there as we have landed on the podium 4 out of the last 8 years.  As the weekend kicked off, we were joined by local NOS/Coca-Cola employees, many of whom have never seen drifting.  They came out to meet our team and watch practice but even better, I was able to take a few of them for a ride in our competition 370Z, giving them a weekend I hope they will never forget!  We finished up Thursday’s practice with some great runs and a near perfect setup to take us into Friday’s qualifying. 

We had fantastic weather for qualifying on Friday and after we ran a few practice passes, we were ready to head into qualifying.  Our first pass was solid; I focused on running a relatively safe and conservative run to ensure the team a spot in the Top 32.  Our first pass yielded an 88.5 which, when all was said and done, placed us in the 8th position.  Since we were now guaranteed a top 10 qualifying spot, on my second pass, I decided to try for a backwards entry which would be the only way to claim that top qualifying spot.  Unfortunately, I made a small made a mistake and was unable to pull it off.  So, my score of 88.5 stuck. 

After qualifying was over, I went to start the car and realized that the ignition wheel broke!  It is a pretty uncommon part to break and has never broken in the 4 years we have been using this particular wheel.  We quickly realized that with all the work that went into readying the 370Z for the trip back east, we had left the spare back at our shop in California.  Kevin was able to weld the piece back together and although we were relatively certain this would hold through Saturday’s competition, we decided not to take any chances.  It was only 6pm back home, plenty of time to book a flight and have the part brought out to us in time for Saturday’s 2pm practice.  There was actually a small chain of people that executed the plan out in California as well as some friends from the Atlanta area who arranged use of the machining equipment we would need to modify the part to fit.  It was pretty nuts but I can definitely tell you, I am blessed with amazing friends and family!  Thanks to them and the crew, everything went off without a hitch and we ready to go!

Now that the car was back together and running perfect, we hit the track for Saturday morning practice!  After we ran tandem with a few cars and I had a good feel for how our car would react behind the other drivers, we headed into the Top 32 competition where we were matched up against Cyrus Martinez.  Cyrus made an error on the entry and we were able to keep close to him and earn the win.  In Top 16 we were lined up with Eric O’Sullivan who was getting comfortable in his new ride.  On our first set of runs, Eric and I both made errors causing the judges to call for a one more time.  On our second set of runs, I avoided making the same error and followed him closely enough to earn us the win, moving us into the Great 8! 

Moving on to the Top 8, I was paired up against John Russakoff who was having the best event of his career so far.  I laid down a solid lead run but John was close throughout the course.  Talking to my spotter, I realized I would need to put down an exceptional following run in order to move on to the semi-finals but I got a little too close.  As I initiated into the first corner, I had to quickly jump on the brakes so that I could avoid hitting him. Unfortunately there was still a considerable amount of kitty litter on the track from one of the cars on previous battle having blown an engine and I spun out behind John.  The same track conditions caused John to understeer as he exited the same corner and although this would send him slightly off track, it was not enough to warrant a one more time.  We lost the round but because of our excellent qualifying position, we still finished the night in 5th place!  Although I am really proud of how the team performed, I must admit, I was bummed to be so close, only to have that podium finish elude us, once again. 

We’ll give it another shot at Round 3 in Florida!  It is a brand new track that none of us have ever run on before so it’ll be a clean slate and I’m excited to see how it will all play out!  I’ll let you all know how it goes and don’t forget, if you would like to see what we are up to in between rounds, check out my blog onwww.ChrisForsberg.com.  

Kevin, Sergio and I thank you for all your amazing and continued support!!

 

Formula Drift Long Beach 2011

The Formula Drift series kicked off its 8th season this weekend in Long Beach, California. The threat of rain did not detour the crowds from gathering at the famous "Streets of Long Beach" course. The street circuit did not disappoint in providing some of the best drifting action in the world.

The NOS Energy Drink Drift Team debuted it's new Nissan 370Z drift car, receiving rave reviews from competitors and fans alike. Not only did the car look great, the team had it handling perfectly right out of the box. Forsberg defeated Michael Essa and Conrad Grunwell in the tandem rounds of 32 and 16 on his way to the Top 8 tandem battle against 2010 rookie of the year Fredrick Aasbo.

Aasbo was very quick all weekend and would be a strong challenger. With both Aasbo and CFR on Hankook Tires, the two competitors laid down a heavy smokescreen but when it cleared, Forsberg was declared the winner and moved onto the Final 4.

Matt Powers was in the midst of the best event of his career as he was paired with Forsberg for the Final 4 battle. Powers and Forsberg both ran impressive runs causing the judges to call for a "One More Time." Both drivers laid down a second set of excellent runs, but this time the judges decided in favor of Powers sending Forsberg to the consolidation round with drift veteran Dai Yoshihara. The consolidation round was intense as both drivers sought the last podium spot. Yoshihara and Forsberg made contact as they traversed the narrow track. In the end, Yoshihara took the win placing Forsberg in 4th for the event.

The CFR crew was immediately successful with their newly built Nissan 370Z and new tire manufacture Hankook Tire, a change that could throw most teams off of their game. Forsberg was enthused on how well the new 370Z handled and was very pleased with the grip Hankook tires provided. Chris Forsberg and the CFR crew will head to Formula Drift Round 2 at Road Atlanta with confidence where Forsberg has 1 win and 2 podiums.

Bryan Clauson builds momentum heading into Chili Bowl

Whoever said that the racing slows down in the winter time never met Bryan Clauson. Bryan, after returing from New Zealand, winning two races at the International Midget and Sprintcar event heads to Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Chili Bowl this week.

 
Bryan will be driving the 39c NOS Energy Drink midget at the 25th annual Chili Bowl January 11-15th. The Chili Bowl is the traditional winter midget race that hosts over 200 race rigs, and dominates the world of motorsports every January.

So make sure to check back throughout the week for updates on Bryan and all of the action at the Chili Bowl Nationals.

 

Bobby Wilson at SKUSA Super Nationals 14

This weekend in Las Vegas NOS Energy Drink supported athlete Bobby Wilson has been flat out whether he is in the kart or working to make his ride better.

In the kart Bobby is always flat out and on a circuit where he shifts 20+ times it is great to watch how fluid he is attacking the course. Out of the kart he works with his team testing and checking every compnent to get the edge on the competition.

Check out the pictures below to get a little behind the scenes look at the weekend for Bobby Wilson.

 
 
 
 

Seattle NOS Drifter: Andrew Coomes

A taste of what to come in 2011

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Hello Irwindale...It was SENT @ the Formula D Finals!

Formula Drift finals round 7 of 7 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, we came, we saw, we smoked some tires and it was INSANE!!! Come experience last Thursday Oct 7th thru Sunday 10th... Show up and Forsbergs lighting it up... Right under the NOS Energy Drink banner

Formula Drift Irwindale: The Final Fight + NOS X KDF stickers

Hello Formula DRIFT fans, 2010 season is coming to a close in the U.S. of A, what we've deemed as The Final Fight round 7 of 7 is THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!! BUY TICKETS HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!! The House of Drift, Toyota Speedway at Irwindale Fri and Saturday Oct 8th & 9th... I can't wait to see another SOLD OUT crowd, last year it was PACKED and the gnarliest, funnest crowd I've ever seen at Irwindale, let' see you back it up back to back!!!!! Come out, have fun, get smoke in your face, cheer, boo, do what ya gotta do but lets SEND IT at the house of drift!!!!!!!!