On Tuesday, March 2nd, I gladly got out of my bed at 3 in the morning to head out for my first date with the Full Tilt Poker Mazda Nitto RX-8! Ron and I loaded up the vehicle along with spare parts, my new Sparco Racing gear, camera, etc. and got on the Freeway towards Walt James Oval Race Track!

Driving to Willow Springs is reminiscent of those days when I drove my stock S13 coupe to the track at 4AM hearing those bolts vibrating loose from the turbo flange. Something always had to be fixed before the start of the event so, I had to leave extra early to tend to that and whatever else that spontaneously came up. Also, there were times when I had to drive it back home after a Drift Day or Just Drift event whether it be with a dead turbo or a semi-functional transmission.

 Ed Bergenholtz and Derek Ige from Mazda Speed was patient enough to follow us to the track, especially while we drove approximately 55 MPH. My heart was full of thanks to Ron, Ed, and Derek because they not only made it possible to test this early but also took time off work to make this happen.

I was very happy to see Brian Benson, my Crew Chief, and Kevin Wells from LS AUTO/CFR join us for our very first test session of the RX-8! I’m so fortunate and blessed to have passionate, dedicated, and amazing friends!

Although Kevin has a full time job as Chris Forsberg’s Crew Chief , and building Zs as well as with hundreds of other projects that are in line for him, he still made the time to come and support the new car that I’ll be driving in the 2010 Formula Drift Championship.

Here, Bergenholtz Racing walking the walk by double checking the vehicle to make sure everything is still the same as the day on the dyno-tune. Witnessing everyone working so hard to have a productive and successful practice  made me ask myself how I came to be so lucky and, instantly, I thanked God because it truly is a dream come true. I was and still am accustomed to relying on myself to work and prepare the car before any driving session, but now I can actually spend more time on improving my driving skills; I typed up a to-do list for the RX-8 to check off and/or note what worked or needed improvements.

Buckled into the Sparco Rev Racing seat, I started warming up the track with the blow torch on the rear of the vehicle. 

I was astonished with testing the MAZDA RX-8! First time driving a vehicle with 604 WHP and 486 TORQUE! Those phenomenal Nitto NT05’s were smoking up the entire track and had plenty of traction and predictability! Bergenholtz Racing did an amazing job building this machine! I’m still trying to adapt with this powerful Mazda Trix 3 rotor Tial turbo Motec M800 setup. 

It’s a plus that we’ll be on the ACT clutch setup soon. The clutch should last the full Formula Drift season, if not longer, with the brand new reliable/bullet proof ACT clutch. I’ve been running on them since my inception to drifting. I have total faith in their products cuz it’s the good stuff! 

 Testing out the angle and the limits of the RX-8. Because of a few bugs around the power steering area, I was sore from steering all day. It was a great workout though. Good thing I’ve been karting at K1 to help with the extra strength needed to counter steer.

 I was enjoying every bit of the new, extremely powerful ride, while remaining focused on my to-do list. I was pushing the vehicle more and more with each lap so that I could give as much feedback as I can give to my team.

 Brian checking to see if everything is going smooth and discussing what needed adjustments.

 While I was pitting in, it took me by surprise to see Dirk S., Daniel S. from ACT! They came by to show support and took a few shoots of the vehicle in action! Dirk and Daniel enjoy being involved and taking in the the track ambiance every time I meet them. They are always enthusiastic about the sport of drifting!

It’s time for a break and lunch. Yet, we couldn’t stop staring at the car and thinking of what to do next to make it hyper-competitve. All this was done while munching on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tacos, and burritos. Lunch was good!

Derek, Kevin, Ed, and Daniel were filming and taking pictures while I was on the track. I appreciate all the pictures they provided cuz I couldn’t have made this blog w/o them!

 Brian on the left, Kevin underneath the right fender in action, and myself trying to figure out why my flip was dying even with new batteries. The RX-8 felt even better after the change. It’s amazing what a small change can do.

In the 2007 inaugural season of F.D., I make the decision to avoid making any adjustments on the S13; I just drove it as is and told myself to adjust to the vehicle. But I noticed that I could only go so far with that strategy. Lesson learned: constant change and adjustments are needed on the car in order to obtain maximum performance from both the driver and the car.

 I can’t emphasize enough how much I love and respect this team! Although Ron, Ed, Kevin, Derek, and Brian know so much about race/drift cars and have their own perspective on what works and doesn’t work,  they stay  humble and listen to each others’ concerns and advices so that what’ s best can be implemented on and with the car. It feels like we are invincible!

 More changes on the KW Suspension were made by my crew chief, Brian Benson. It was great to have Chris M. @ KW Suspension join and support us! It got better and better every time I tested it out! Thanks Brian!

Went through 12 Brand new Nitto NT05 Tires at the end of the day.  The Enkei PF01 wheels are so light and durable that it felt just right compared to the preceding sets of wheels. Never before in my drifting career have I had the opportunity to practice as much as I did before Formula Drift round 1! If I was lucky, maybe one short practice session, but, normally, I’d get none. ”Practice,” in its broadest form, came mainly from imaginary test sessions in the garage while sitting in the driver’s seat.

Video   www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjgzsOPncRA

We will be working hard and training as much as we can during the rest of the off-season! I’ll do my very best to deliver an awesome experience!