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Grassroots Round 1 Recap and Media

June 6th dawned a gray and rainy Seattle day. The prospect of poor conditions did little to deter the die hard Northwest drifters and fans. Thirty drifters from BC, Oregon, and Washington showed up to compete in the first of three rounds in the Evergreen Drift Grassroots Championship and over 100 spectators came to cheer on the drivers.

With competition rules that allow all skill levels and modification levels compete head to head drivers ranged from beginner to ProAm. All had one goal; to give it their all and see how far they could go.

Drivers had four practice runs before going into qualifying. The track was wet from morning showers and dusty from a monster truck event the weekend before making traction very hard to find. Drivers were getting warmed up and several got real close looks at the wall stopping mere feet from disaster. Others had fun punting the clipping point traffic barrels in spectacular fashion!

Hit the jump for the rest of the recap and tons more pictures!

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Evergreen Invitational // Blog Love

Another phenomenon happening up in the Northwest is the increase of locals getting picked up as corespondents for  various motorsports media outlets or starting their own.

Local wordsmith Lucas wrote an excellent recap and his partner in crime Yoshi provided the snaps. When complemented on his writing Lucas humbly replied “Yoshi provided the music and I just wrote the lyrics”.

The Lucas/Yoshi recap can be found over on Motor Mavens.

Justin Shreeve has also lent his video skills and he re-branded his “Nothing to Worry About” video from the 14th and posted it on Motor Mavens as well. Big thanks to Antonio for giving the local kids a chance!

Cold Track Days is a local blog started by a car guy that has achieved national notoriety and audience. CTD has given several local folks a chance to showcase their writing and photography. Danny Sullivan contributed his photos and text to the Cold Track Day’s coverage of the 14th.

Danny Sullivan’s recap on CTD.

Make It Rain is a bunch of the kids that drive and volunteer at the Evergreen and SCCA Drift events. They also contribute by posting up the various happenings and media from our neck of the woods. Check them out!

Make It Rain’s Invitational coverage

Thanks to all the writers, photographers, and video guys who show off our scene and let the world know what’s happening in the Northwest!

Evergreen Drift Partners with Campbell Nelson Nissan

Please welcome Evergreen Drift’s newest sponsor:

Not only will Campbell Nelson Nissan be proving some prizes for our competitions, they have set up a discount code for all Evergreen Drift fans and drivers!

If you need any part from a Nissan dealer call “B” in parts and mention the Evergreen Drift account #10,000.

According to B he’ll “slaughter everyone’s pricing with that account number”.

B is the man when it comes to help at the parts counter. He knows just about every part number for any  Nissan/Datsun product from the 510 to the 370z off the top of his head. He knows what’s up for the common swap parts like 5 lug hubs and is the go to guy to order anything from the NISMO and Nissan Motorsports catalogs.

Most people don’t order things like oil filters and other maintenance items from dealers. With how fast drifters go through parts use the Evergreen Drift discount to save big on OEM quality filters and other consumables.

If you are in the market for a new Nissan be sure to stop by Campbell Nelson and let them know you are an Evergreen Drift fan!

Contact:
Phone: (800) 562-1392 or 425-771-3272
24325 Hwy 99
Edmonds, WA 98026
http://www.campbellnelsonnissan.com/

Evergreen Drift drivers on Wealth TV

Browsing the Formula Drift Blog I noticed this post:

“Last season during Round 4: All In Wealth TV came to film an episode of their show focused on Formula DRIFT. The episode airs this Sunday March 7 at 7PM (EST). It will periodically air on their network, but be sure to check your local listings – More info HERE.”

The video in question -

This Wealth on Wheels episode was filmed at the ‘09 FD Vegas round and it features an excellent layman’s overview of drifting and equal parts ProAm and Pro coverage.

Evergreen Drift drivers Roland Gallagher and Andrew Coomes made the trek down to the ProAm and took 3rd and 4th respectively earning invites to the ProAm Nationals (full story here).

The crazy thing is they show up in the Wealth on Wheels TV episode!

Check:

• Roland font and center on the YouTube preview for the video
• 2:07 - ProAm Drivers Meeting. Spot the locals.
• 3:05 - Roland gives us the lowdown on his engine and drops the knowledge like a pro.
• 5:31 - Andrew battles Johnny Kanavis in the finals.

ProAm drivers take note. You never know who is watching or what opportunities will pop up.

[Source] Formula Drift Blog and Wealth TV

R:P - Victor Moore 2010 Driver Profile -

Ladies and Gents, a man who needs no introduction…

Direction | Production | Color

Earl Smith

| Cameras |

Darren McArdel
Justin Shreeve
Ross Fairfield
Earl Smith

Special Thanks to:

Prospective sponsors, please feel free to contact:

Victor@KPRace.com

<3

2009 in Review

2009 will be remembered as the year the Northwest burst onto the national drift scene with Evergreen Drift drivers taking home ProAm podium results from Vegas to Irwindale.

Lets take stock of what the Evergreen Drift crew has accomplished for 2009.

Evergreen Drift Championship

The Evergreen Drift Season Championship was won by Peter Funatake. This four round championship pitted all the best Northwest drivers against each other. Peter steadily improved throughout the season starting with a top 16 finish in Round 1, a top 8 finish in Round 2, 3rd place for Round 3, and 1st place for Round 4. This was the right combination to win the championship by 23 points.

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2009 ProAm Nationals - The Saga

The Evergreen Drift teams arrived as a very confident bunch with good reason. The drivers had already competed against the best at the Evergreen Drift, Vegas Drift Pro-Am, and other events such as All Star Bash.

This seasoned group of drivers hit the track on Friday afternoon for practice and it was clear from the start that they would not be intimidated by the Irwindale bank.  Everyone was upbeat as all the drivers grew comfortable and figured out how to tackle this challenging course that was put together by Formula Drift chief judge Andy Yen.

All was going well until what looked to be an event ending hit on the inner bank wall for Roland Gallagher. A number of people had counted Roland out after seeing the damage. However, the Evergreen Drift crew was not going to let the weekend end for him. All the teams pitched in parts and labor to get the car rolling again. This allowed Roland’s team to get the car to Justin Pawlak’s shop where the team worked until 1 AM leaving only a few items to finish up at the track on Saturday morning.

As the sun rose on the practice grid at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale California the confidence that all teams had on Friday was shaken. Victor Moore went out for his first practice run and crashed hard into the wall on the big bank leaving his mark on the famed House of Drift. It was immediately clear after the hit that this would end Victor’s weekend. The news didn’t get any better in practice as shortly after Victor’s trouble Trent Stromkins lost his engine ending his weekend as well.

The remaining drivers had to shake off these incidents and focus on the task at hand as qualifying started immediately after practice. After completely missing practice Roland Gallagher’s car the “Teal Tiger” appeared from behind the wall and took its spot in the qualifying lineup. Roland knew that qualifying would be difficult as the car still had major damage.

Drivers from all across the country began laying down some really impressive runs. The two drivers that really stood out were Ian Fournier and Nikolay “Molatov” Konstantinov. It was clear that after their runs they would make the top 16. Andrew Coomes qualifying runs were good but contained a few corrections that would place him on the bubble.

As drivers, crew, and FD staff gathered for the Top 16 announcement Formula Drift Co-Founder Ryan Sage put on his chef’s hat to cook lunch for the masses. After the BBQ JRod announced the results to the large crowd that was eager to find out who would be receiving their Formula Drift professional licenses. The results were good for Evergreen Drift with Nikolay Konstantinov qualifying third just behind Ian Fournier who took the second spot. Immediately after the announcement of the top 16, JRod had another surprise in store. Formula Drift had made the decision to recognize the efforts of three additional drivers with licenses. The fortunes for Victor Moore and Roland Gallagher instantly changed as their names were announced as license recipients.

Nikolay Konstaninov took his place on the grid waiting for the opportunity to thrill the crowd with his take no prisoners style which earned him a new nickname from Formula Drift announcer Jrod. “Molatov” Konstaninov hit the track just as he had done all weekend long, accelerator to the floor and angles that were so steep one could only wonder how any human being wouldn’t spin the car.

Spinning is not what cost him. A second run attempt to step up the speed into the infield resulted in a well executed fifteen foot tail slide along the wall with enough force to lift both rear wheels off the ground. Yet, even with that hit Nikolay was without a doubt a crowd favorite and he earned himself some fans that will be waiting to cheer him on at Long Beach in April.

That left Ian Fournier to carry the fortunes of Evergreen Drift, and he did not disappoint. Run after solid run Ian started marching his way through the brackets until he found himself at the final bracket contending for the win against Mike Pollard from Minnesota.

Ian was chasing on his first run and perhaps made his only mistake of the day when he let the lead car open up a gap that he was not able to close while still maintaining solid line and angle. It left Ian with work to do as the lead car in the second run if he wanted to seal the deal on this trip down from Canada.

Ian ripped through the big bank in the lead while Mike Pollard stayed right on his door. Ian floated up the bank to the first critical outer clipping point not letting up through the switch back. The crowd tensed as the drivers rocketed together into the inner bank and charged headlong at the wall in a terminal trajectory. Ian committed the angle, executed a textbook wall tap, and accelerated through the final turns, but Pollard was was no longer on his door.

Pollard and Fournier were equally matched, but that fateful run at the wall was enough for Ian to shake the Minnesotan and take home the title of 2009 Formula Drift Pro Am Champion.

When asked if he thought he had the advantage going into the last run of the day, Ian replied “Absolutely not”. “I knew I had to go after the inner wall and tap it with my bumper while at the same time drawing Pollard in with me. I was hoping I could take him to the wall and maybe he would make that one mistake he hadn’t made all day”.

As the two drivers made their way into Toyota Speedway’s victory circle it was clear these competitors had a blast out on the track and developed a lot of respect for each other. Chelesa DeNofa filled out the 3rd place spot and these three collected quite a haul from the many events sponsors: AEM, Brian Cower, Exedy, Eibach springs, High Pro Speed, Motovicity Distribution, Tokico Performance Shocks, Turbonetics, and Wilwood Brakes. After the champagne shower Ian got his first taste of professional stardom as several new fans young and old came up and asked to take a picture with him and his car.

The weekend was a huge success for Formula Drift and the Pro Am program with a strong field of competitors and 19 new licensed drivers. Formula Drift’s genuine dedication to assisting grassroots drifting organizations and drivers succeed through the Pro Am program is a great benefit to the sport of drifting. Evergreen Drift thanks Jim Liaw, Andy Luk, Ryan Sage, Andy Yen, Ernie Fiximer, and the rest of the team for their work on the 2009 Pro Am Championship series. Props to the many Formula Drift drivers that were on hand to offer advice and support to the ProAm drivers: Justin Pawlak, Joon Maeng, Alex Pfeiffer, Ross Petty, Stephan Verdier, Ken Gushi, and Taka Aono. Thanks to Wrecked Magazine for the great ProAm coverage and the pictures for this story.

Drifting fans can look forward to more exceptional drifting in 2010 from the likes of Ian Fournier and Mike Pollard, stars of the Pro Am class of 2009. Watch out Long Beach, there are some new drifters coming to town.

Evergreen Drift Announces 2010 Pro-Am Championshp Series

Evergreen Drift announces 2010 Pro-Am Affiliate Championship Series sanctioned by Formula Drift at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA

Evergreen Drift is excited to announce plans for the 2010 season that include a Pro-Am championship series sanctioned by Formula Drift.

Evergreen Drift hosted a highly successful Pro-Am event for the first time in 2009. Fourteen drivers took to the track competing for the four available invitations to compete in the Pro-Am National Championship that took place at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California this past week. Evergreen Drift was represented by a total of six drivers at Nationals as two of Evergreen’s drivers earned their invitations at the Vegas Drift Pro-Am earlier in the season.

The Formula Drift Pro-Am Nationals was the last stop of the season for the top Pro-Am drivers from across the country where they battled to earn a license to compete in the Formula Drift professional series. Evergreen Drift is very pleased to announce that Evergreen Drift competition veteran Ian Fournier was the overall event winner and Pro-Am National Champion. Of the six drivers representing Evergreen Drift at the 2009 Nationals four earned their professional Formula Drift Championship Series license.

Building on that success Evergreen Drift has been asked to partner with Formula Drift to expand our Pro-Am program for the 2010 season. Evergreen Drift is honored to become a Formula Drift Pro-Am Affiliate Series with a 5 to 6 event Pro-Am championship series held at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington.

The champion of the 2010 Evergreen Drift Pro-Am series will be awarded a Formula Drift professional license and positions 2 through 4 will receive an invite to the Pro-Am National Championship event with one additional wild card invite to be decided by Evergreen Drift.

All Evergreen Drift Pro-Am competitions will take place on Evergreen Speedway’s 5/8’s mile oval, the same track utilized by the professional Formula Drift circuit. This demanding course is a crowd favorite on the Formula Drift calendar with 4th gear 90 mile-per-hour entry speeds and drivers skimming inches from concrete walls which adds up to heart stopping drifting action. The drivers and cars are routinely pushed to the limit and beyond, which makes this track an excellent proving ground for the future stars of the Formula Drift professional series or the amateurs who just want the challenge and excitement of competition drifting.

The series will be governed by the official Formula Drift Pro-Am rules. The Evergreen Drift Pro-Am series competitions will follow the prescribed Pro-Am judged tandem event format. This includes Formula Drift style qualifying and tandem judging. The three member judging team will be led by either an FD judge or an FD approved judge.

Drifting fans will be able to experience the most exciting drifting action in the Northwest and cheer on their favorite local drivers. The backing and resources of the Formula Drift organization adds additional exposure to the series providing increased value to teams and series sponsors.

Evergreen Drift wishes to acknowledge the incredible amount of support we have received from our sponsors without whom this would not have been possible. KPR Engineering is the titled sponsor and has emerged as a powerful force on the Northwest drifting scene. Longacre Racing Products was one of the first to jump behind us with their support. Canyons Restaurant provides us with excellent food and drink as the official after event party spot. Northwest Nissans for their promotion of Evergreen Drift and Running Projects our official media partner who provides us with stellar video work and graphic design.

Evergreen Drift has sponsorship packages available to suit any business need. With Evergreen Speedway as our venue your business has the opportunity to not only reach fans of drifting, but all forms of motor sports including everything from NASCAR Late Models to demolition derbies. To learn more about having your business featured at the track with the highest attendance in the Northwest and the home of Formula Drift’s only stop in the Northwest then please contact Kelly Hale at marketing(at)evergreendrift.com. All other inquires should be directed to drift(at)evergreendrift.com.

Please visit our website at www.EvergreenDrift.com to keep up to date with all news, rules, and information regarding not only the Formula Drift Pro-Am series, but local competitions and open drifting as well.

Affiliates //

• Formula Drift
• Pro-Am Championship

Event Sponsors //

• KP Race Engineering
• Canyons Restaurant
• Longacre Racing  Products
• Northwest Nissans
• Running Projects

For additional information / media / inquiries contact:

Web: www.evergreendrift.com

Email: General Inquiries - drift(at)evergreendrift.com / Marketing & Sponsorship - marketing(at)evergreendrift.com

RSS: http://www.evergreendrift.com/feed/rss/

Face Book: Evergreen Drift Facebook

ABOUT EVERGREEN DRIFT

Evergreen Drift is the Northwest’s Formula Drift Pro-Am Affiliate series located at Evergreen Speedway, the home of Formula Drift’s Seattle round.  Heading into our sixth season, Evergreen Drift’s events include a Formula Drift sanctioned Pro-Am Affiliate championship series, open drift events, a local amateur competition series, and an instructional drifting school. These events provide a complete program for drivers of all skill levels to participate and advance their skills from beginner to professional. Evergreen Drift’s challenging track and competitions attract the best drivers from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and beyond providing intense drifting action enjoyed by our dedicated fans.

All the latest news and information about the Evergreen Drift program can always be found at www.EvergreenDrift.com.

Evergreen Drift | 14405 179th Ave SE | Monroe, WA 98272 | drift(at)evergreendrift.com

ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT

Entering its seventh season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges each driver’s driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for professional drifters to compete in 7 events nationwide for the coveted Formula DRIFT Championship crown. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the global focal point for the Sport. For a race schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.

Evergreen Drift Drivers Results Flash

The results are in from the 2009 Formula Drift ProAm National Championship.

Evergreen Drift drivers left their mark.

Invited to the party:

• Ian Fournier
• Nikolay Konstantinov
• Andrew Coomes
• Victor Moore
• Trent Stromkins

Totaled Chassis:

• Roland Gallagher
• Victor Moore

Blown Engine:

• Trent Stromkins

Qualified like champs:

• Ian Fournier - 2nd
• Nikolay Konstantinov - 3rd
• Andrew Coomes - 17th

Got the licenses:

• Ian Fournier
• Niklolay Konstantinov
• Victor Moore
• Rolland Gallagher

WON THE WHOLE THING!

• Ian Fournier

Hail Canada!

Stay tuned for more video, recaps, and pictures.

Congratulations to all the Evergreen Drift drivers and teams for a great effort and showing at Nationals.

Evergreen Drift Championship // Round 4 Results

The results are in for Round 4 of the Evergreen Drift Championship!

1. Peter Funatake - $200
2. Nikolay Konstantinov - $150
3. Chris Scremin - $120
4. Trent Stromkins - $50 Longacre Racing Product Certificate

Full detailed results for the event can be found on the Round 4 Results page.

The full championship standings are here.

Congratulations to the 2009 Evergreen Drift champion Peter Funatake!

Presented by:

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