In an unsurprising turn of events, Chrysler has pulled its sponsorship of Sam Hubinette's drifting team as part of the company's restructuring plan. The bankrupt automaker's Formula Drift program was run by Shaun Carlson's NuFormz Racing, which began with Mopar in 2002, competing in the NHRA Sport Compact division. The team eventually made their way into drifting in 2004, where Hubinette captured the championship behind the wheel of a Dodge Viper during Formula D's inaugural season. Hubinette went onto several podium finishes, placing second overall in 2006 and claiming runner-up finishes in both 2005 and 2008.

Although the team's last sideways outing will be at the New Jersey Speedway on June 5 and 6, Chrysler's Director of Brand Marketing and Strategy, Mike Accavitti, said in a release, "At this time, [Chrysler] plan[s] to continue supporting our other racing sponsorships into the foreseeable future." Make the jump for the press release.

[Source: Chrysler via EverythingDrift]

A minor controversy broke out a few weeks back when it became known that Rhys Millen's new Hyundai Genesis Coupe Formula Drift car debuted at the Long Beach season opener with Nissan power under the hood. Normally this wouldn't be much of an issue in drifting where almost anything goes mechanically. The problem here is that Millen's team is not independent and supported directly by Hyundai. As we learned, late approval of the drift program meant that Millen's crew simply didn't have the time to finish preparing a new engine from Hyundai.

Rhys dropped us a line yesterday evening to let us know that some of the parts he was waiting on for the Lambda V6 engine have arrived including a new clutch and flywheel. To start with, the engine is running with mostly stock internals and its original 3.8-liter displacement. Over the weekend, the team ran the engine on the dyno and squeezed out 480 hp at 4,500 rpm and 570 lb-ft of torque at 3,800 rpm. They achieved those numbers with just 9 psi of boost from the turbo. The engine is now in the car and Millen will be competing with Hyundai power at Round 2 of the formula D championship at Road Atlanta this weekend.



[Source: Rhys Millen]

2009 Formula Drift Mopar Dodge Challenger - Click above for a hi-res gallery from SEMA 2008

As our man Drew Phillips found out first hand, between Tanner Foust's NASCAR V8-powered Scion tC and Rhys Millen's Hyundai Genesis Coupe, there was plenty of exciting new machinery on power-sliding display at this past weekend's Formula Drift season opener in Long Beach. Unfortunately, the new Dodge Challenger wasn't one of them.

Dodge's aftermarket tuning division Mopar unveiled the 2009 Challenger way back at last year's SEMA show, but its driver, Sam Hubinette, had to start the season in last year's Viper (poor guy.) And according to reports, he'll have to slide that snake at the next round too, as the 800+ hp Challenger, slated to be the most powerful car in the championship, won't be ready until the third round of the season, allowing it to compete in the final five after missing the first two of the seven-race season. Hubinette doesn't seem to mind, though, crediting Chrysler with standing by the team during these tumultuous times altogether, even while Mopar goes playing in the sand. In the meantime, drift fans will have to look longingly at the gallery of live shots of the Mopar Challenger in our gallery below.



[Source: Motor Authority]

2009 Formula D AEM/Rockstar Scion tC - Click above for high-res image gallery

While all eyes were on Scion unveiling its take on the Toyota iQ city car at the New York Auto Show, the youth-oriented Toyota division quietly let slip a batch of photos of its latest challenger for the Formula Drift championship. But if these photos are any indication, it'll be the last time this insanely modified Scion tC will be doing anything quietly.

Although the drift car you see here looks like a tC, underneath it's anything but... heck, it doesn't even use the tC's floorplan, it's so heavily modified. As previewed last week on video, this latest Scion drifter, prepared by drag racing and drift veteran Stephan Papadakis of Advanced Engine Management (AEM), packs a V8 courtesy of Toyota's NASCAR racing program, pumping 650 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque through a four-speed shifter to the rear wheels. Of course, there's only one driftsmith who could handle this much machine, and that's Tanner Foust.

The two-time defending Formula D champion – who has some extra time on his lightning-quick hands since Top Gear USA got canceled – ditches the Nissan Z he's been fielding the last few years in favor of this modified Scion, and takes his sponsor Rockstar Energy Drink along with him. The car debuted this weekend at the Formula D season opener in Long Beach, California, where Foust finished third and our man Drew Phillips was on hand to catch it in his lens. Check out the images in the pair of hi-res gallery below.




Live photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc

[Source: Scion via Inside Line]

Here are two things that don't come to mind when you think of Scion: rear-wheel drive and V8 power. But that's exactly what the Rockstar/AEM crew have created with the Formula D-bound Scion tC. Joe Gibbs, TRD and Papadakis Racing put in the wrench time on the new racer and underhood is a V8 pulled from Toyota's NASCAR efforts and retuned with a drift-friendly powerband. Most of the details are still shrouded in mystery, but the noise emanating from the tC's exhaust is more than enough to get us interested. Check out a brief interview with the Steph and a "spy video" of it testing after the break.

[Sources: AutoFiends, MotorWorldHype]

We love the undulating flume of asphalt that is Road Atlanta, and any excuse to lay rubber on its storied curves is usually good enough for us. But Hyundai is going at least one better with its forthcoming Super Bowl ad featuring the new Genesis Coupe.

The Korean automaker enlisted the help of top drifting, truck almost-flipping, former rallyist Rhys Millen to showcase the rear-drive coupe. The Kiwi ran around Road Atlanta around 50 times with tires blazing to nail down footage for Hyundai's "Epic Lap" spot.

Even more interesting is that Hyundai will make footage clips available to consumers on their website so that they can edit together their own Genesis commercials.

While the final commercial won't be released until February 1 during the big game, the folks at Motor Trend were on hand for a behind-the-scenes sneak peak at the commercial. It's worth a look - and not just because of the comely yellow Hyundais. Watch closely and you'll spot a pair of killer blacked-out camera cars: A Porsche Cayenne and a Mitsubishi Evo. Check out the high-res Hyundai Genesis Coupe gallery below and video footage after the jump.

[Source: Motor Trend]

It won't do anything to bolster her "green" credentials, but the fact that Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, can hold her 240SX in a glorious sideways slide as long as you please strikes us not only as surprising, but, well, a little off the hook. It seems the McCain clan likes high-horsepower pastimes, be it trains, planes or automobiles, though the trains part might only be for whistlestop campaigns. A few years back, Cindy and son Jack were intrigued by drifting after catching television coverage of the sport. Rather than just look it up on Wikipedia, Cindy McCain -- who is an avowed lifelong gearhead -- headed to Japan, birthplace of drifting, to learn the practice from a sensei.

Mom and son Jack dove wholeheartedly into drifting, building a 240SX drift car and competing as a team in amateur competition. Motorsports and high-performance driving also played a restorative role when McCain was temporarily felled by a stroke. In an odd choice of physical therapy facilities, McCain was at Bob Bondurant's Executive Protection course a mere six weeks after the health event, rebuilding her skill. While the plot sounds like a treatment for "The Drifting Kid" or some other kind of Hollywood dreck, it's exciting to think that a first lady might be able to out-drive her Secret Service detail. Thanks for all the tips!

[Source: ESPN]

Professional drifting series, Formula D, is trying to quickly win over fans and competitors in order to become one of the top forms of motorsport in the United States. As folks have learned in the markets this past year, though, rapid growth does not come without some giant bumps in the road. It looks like Formula D has now slid into a wall with a few of its teams. Confusion surrounding the series rule book has come to a head in discussions at Drifting.com. The rules state that any change to a vehicle's OEM suspension design must be approved by Formula D. Of course, a visual inspection of every car lined up for a run at a Formula D event proves that no one is utilizing 100% OEM suspension components. Aftermarket coilovers, adjustable control arms and urethane bushings are all-too-,common modifications seen throughout the pits. Therefore, there must be a list available to competitors outlining the approved components for all competing vehicles. No such list is available, however. That means teams have no method of verifying that other competitors are following the rules, other than the fact an entry passed Formula D's own tech inspection. Current discussion is making a case for the use of vehicle technical sheets as found in series such as SCCA Speed World Challenge to list all allowable modifications for approved competition vehicles.

One particular team lies behind the call for rule revisions, while other concerned competitors back up their request for clarification. The vocal team is the group behind the Super Autobacs Nissan Skyline, which was recently deemed ineligible for competition by Formula D. The series organizers claim the Skyline features illegal front suspension modifications by using the OEM parts off a Nissan Laurel. However, the RWD Scion tC campaigning in the series is eligible despite also using suspension parts from another Toyota vehicle that shares the same chassis. The rules become particularly unclear when other vehicles are allowed to run with obviously altered suspension setups. 350Zs have altered the mounting points of their rear axles and Chevrolet Corvettes have converted from leaf springs to coilovers. Hopefully, Formula D can learn from this tussle and develop a fair and documented method of approving vehicle,s rather than leaving everyone in the dark. Thanks for the tip MrCoolGuy!

[Source: Drifting.com]

When you're winging a vehicle as expensive and powerful as a purpose-built Dodge Viper drift car, being fearful will only lead to a bad ending. Sam Hubinette doesn't have any such compunctions while sliding sideways at 90 miles per hour. Should he inadvertently hit the wall, whoops. Fretting over potential contact will likely only make it inevitable. The hairy-chested car guys over at 0-60 were hanging out at the third round of Formula Drift competition in Englishtown, NJ, and caught up with the Skidding Swede for a few minutes while shooting a larger video of the competition. The smoky event saw Hubinette's Viper place second to Tanner Foust's Nissan 350Z. Foust, you'll recall, is one of the hosts of NBC's domestic "Top Gear." Good to know he can drive. Now's your chance to take shots at drifting and complain about how it's not racing, and doesn't require any skill, though we assure you it is, and it does. You still don't have to like it. Video posted after the jump


[Source: 0-60]

The new website encompassing all things sport compact, RiceBoyTV.com, has put together a web-based reality series following 17-year-old drifter Patrick Mordaunt. The video content follows Mordaunt through the trials and tribulations of his rookie season as a driver in the Formula Drift series. The show is currently on the second webisode, with the third waiting in the wings and many more to come as the season progresses. Patrick Mordaunt may not already be a name with which most casual drift fans are familiar, but he is certainly working hard to make sure things don't stay that way for long. His story is one of interest, as the talented young driver has a lot of heart.

Those in the sport compact industry first came to know Patrick Mordaunt when he was hardly a teenager. The avid Japanese Option video watcher was a regular attendee at any and all Southern California events remotely related to drifting. Patrick then began hitting the local test events with his '85 Toyota Corolla before he could even legally drive on the street. His thirst to learn quickly earned him immense respect in the pits, while his passion and tenacity stood out, causing industry insiders to take notice. Add in his uncanny ability to rack up the professional drifting licenses, with three in all, and It's no surprise that many folks, such as the crew at RiceBoyTV.com, want to help the guy achieve his dreams.

You can find Patrick's first webisode here and the second here. Keep checking back for updates throughout the 2008 Formula Drift season.

[Source: RiceBoyTV.com]