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]

While many forms of motorsports are cutting back with less sponsorship money and fewer teams, Formula Drift actually grew this year with a bigger list of entrants and plenty of brand new cars. For the opening event in Long Beach, CA, Rhys Millen brought out his Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Tanner Foust traded in his 350Z for a NASCAR-powered Scion tC, and Vaughn Gittin Jr. upgraded his Mustang to a 2010 model. In the end, though, a pair of older cars landed a spot in the finals with Sam Hubinette in his NuFormz Racing / Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 challenging Ryan Tuerck in his Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice for the top spot. It was Tuerck who was victorious in the drifting duel, who captured his first ever Formula D win and took the initial points lead in the 2009 season. We've put together two high-res galleries, one for practice and qualifying and another for the main day of competition. Hit the jump for more details on the opening race of the 2009 Formula Drift season.




Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc

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]

The Red Bull-sponsored Hyundai Genesis Coupe driven by Rhys Millen made its competitive debut at the Formula Drift event in Long Beach, CA this weekend. While Millen was knocked out in the first round, his car was still one of the hottest attractions at the event, garnering plenty of attention from race fans. Its turbocharged V6 made one of the best sounds on the track, and it's possibly one of the best looking cars on the circuit as well. This is just one of many venues where Rhys will be competing with the Genesis Coupe, along with the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the Redline Time Attack series, and the rest of the Formula Drift calendar. We caught up with the Millen and the car in the pits to take a closer look and were sure to get plenty of photos both on and off track. Be sure to check out the high-res gallery below, and follow the jump to learn more about the RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe.



Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc

The Formula Drift series is returning for its sixth season with the series opener in Long Beach, CA this next week. The event kicks off on April 9th with a parade from the track into downtown Long Beach followed by practice and qualifying on the 10th and the main event on Saturday, April 11th. Formula Drift has also announced the drivers lineup along with all the new cars. Reigning champion Tanner Foust will now be piloting a Scion tC, Rhys Millen will debut his Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Vaughn Gittin Jr. is sporting a brand new 2010 Mustang GT, and Sam Hubinette will hopefully be bringing his new Dodge Challenger. More details on the event and the full driver lineup after the jump.



[Source: Formula Drift]

Most of our time at Barrett-Jackson is spent inside the auction tent, but there are plenty of interesting activities going on outside, as well. In recent years, Ford Racing and Falken have brought out their drift Mustang that competes in the Formula Drift series, with Vaughn Gittin Jr. wowing auction spectators with his precise car control and tire-shredding power slides. This year, Falken brought out the 2010 version of the car (now in full Falken livery) that made its debut in Santa Monica alongside the production car back in November. Anyone at the auction could register for a chance to get a ride in the car, and Gittin Jr. gave quite a few white-knuckle rides while we were watching. Most people thoroughly enjoyed it and stepped out of the car with a huge grin, although the expressions on many of the passengers as the car swung sideways within inches of a concrete barrier was nothing short of hilarious.


Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Red Bull Drifting World Championship

Like Ferrari winning the Italian Grand Prix or a Mazda atop the podium at Laguna Seca, Rhys Millen scored a fitting victory in his Red Bull Pontiac Solstice GXP at the very first Red Bull Drifting World Championship over the weekend. The event featured the top thirty-two drifters from around the world at a purpose-built track at the ports of Long Beach, CA. Formula Drift drivers dominated the event, taking six of the eight spots in the quarter finals and all four places in the semi finals. Millen survived five knockout rounds, defeating the likes of Ken Gushi, Top Gear USA host Tanner Foust and Vaughn Gitten, and eventually beat out teammate Daijiro Yoshihara in the all-Pontiac finals. More details on the event are in the press release following the jump, and we weathered the tire smoke and flying bits of rubber to bring you plenty of fantastic high resolution photos in the gallery below.

All photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Formula Drift event at Irwindale Speedway

Formula Drift first announced the inaugural Red Bull Drifting World Championship back in July, and the final preparations are being made for the event this weekend. The top thirty-two drifters from around the world will slide their way around a specially-built six-turn course including a high-speed entry turn that should have many of the cars in excess of 100 mph. Things will get kicked off tomorrow, Thursday, November 13, with a parade of the competitors' cars and an autograph session in downtown Long Beach. The drivers will hit the track on Saturday for practice and qualifying, and on Sunday they will compete in a knockout-style bracket tournament with the winner taking home the largest purse in drifting history. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Formula Drift]