It’s that time of year again. We’re less than a month away from the opening round of Formula DRIFT at the Streets of Long Beach Grand Prix course. Word on the street is there are alot of new cars debuting at the event which could make this season, one of the most exciting seasons to date. Be sure to log onto FD’s website and get your tickets early. See you there.

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Formula DRIFT

On February 12, Bergenholtz Racing debuted their new Mazda RX8 in Long Beach, California. We had a chance to catch up with new team driver Joon Maeng and discuss the new car and their immediate plans. The new RX8 has been re-engineered from the ground up and not much of the 2009 car remains. The big surprise was the extensive sponsorship deal BR Racing acquired from online poker haven, Full Tilt Poker. Drifting is one of the few outlets of our culture that has appeal to non-endemic marketers which is exciting to us as the opportunity for more funding into our sport will create more opportunities for the marketplace as well as the enthusiasts. If this partnership deal is a sign of what’s to come, it definitely be an exciting year for Formula DRIFT and the aftermarket automotive culture as a whole.

In recent news as you may have heard, Ken Block and Monster Energy and switched automotive base camps by teaming up with Ford Motor Company to campaign a Ford Fiesta in the 2010 Rally America Series. The word Fiesta has always brought to my mind the beater Ford produced in the 80’s. Being a huge fan of the Ford Cosworth vehicles that were offered in Europe, its good to see Ford stepping up to the american market with a similar vehicle we could only see in magazines or on Motorsport Mundial late at night.

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“Ford has a long, winning tradition in European rally and with Ken Block and Fiesta, we’re bringing that to North America for fans to experience first hand,”  said Jamie Alison, director, Ford North American Motorsports.  “There will be a little bit of rally in every Fiesta.  It’s the right form of motorsports to showcase the driving dynamics of Fiesta.” Allison continued, “What people need to remember, as Ken races down the course this weekend, his car started off as a production vehicle.  It is a true testament to the capability built into every Ford Fiesta.”

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Considering Subaru sold more cars in North America than any other manufacturer last year and Fords sudden interest in small awd turbo platforms, they may have smelled the coffee and are laying the groundwork to launch a street version of this Fiesta in the not so distant future. Hopefully they change the name before now and then…I still don’t know if  I could ever shake the troubling thoughts those 80’s beaters give me.

Bergenholtz Racing Announces Joon Maeng as it’s New Driver from JTuned.com on Vimeo.

January 28, 2010 Bergenholtz Racing held a press conference at the Fomula DRIFT headquarters in Long Beach CA to announce the new team driver for the BR Mazda RX8. Ron Bergenholtz took this opportunity to announce Joon Maeng of Drift Alliance as the new 2010 BR team driver. After the announcement, Joon made what appeared to be a very emotional acceptance speech. We wish Joon and the Bergenholtz brothers the best of luck in 2010. With BR’s decades long experience in motorsports and Joon’s up and coming driving talents, we expect this partnership to be a fierce combination on the grid this season.

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“With BR’s decades long experience in motorsports and Joon’s up and coming driving talents, we expect this partnership to be a fierce combination on the grid this season.”

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Stay tuned as we’ll be bringing you video coverage of the next BR team presentation and details of the Mazda Joon will be piloting.

Links
href="http://www.travispastrana.com">Travis Pastrana’s official website