Here we are at the double header  MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Challenge in the Lucas Oil Nitto Tire S13.5. There were over 1000 fans that joined us for the Liberty Grand Prix and firework show.

 With the help of Lod, Art, Sam, Mike, Ruben, Matt, Robert at Road Race Engineering  we were able to make improvements on the vehicle by fabricating a front splitter and air ducting. With two races during the weekend our key was to keep the car reliable. With the scorching heat that reached over 140 Degrees on the track surface temp we added on a cool water sprayer to keep the engine temps out of the red zone..

 Here is our pit area. Lod made a few adjustments on the Megan Suspension to see what was best for this particular layout. Lucas Oil Products was filled up and the car was ready for battle!

 It was sad to see some of the competitors facing car problems and even a fire from the high temps the weekend brought us. Our power steering pump wasn’t happy from the heat and seized… Thanks to Lod and Sam we were able to get one in time for the next race on Sunday.

I was amazed how well the new Megan Racing brake kit performed during the weekend especially when reaching speeds over 100+ MPH. It was awesome being able to brake super late throughout the track!  Here is where we are standing as far as points in the Moto IQ Pacific Tuner Car Challenge…

http://www.redlinetrackevents.com/wp-content/uploads/2011_MPTCC_Standings1.pdf 

Although we placed 1st for both races I wish the other competitors didn’t run into car problems so we could have pushed each other even harder.

Thank you so much Lucas Oil, Nitto Tire, Road Race Engineering, S-Empire, Bergenholtz Racing, LS Auto, Sam’s Auto Land, Megan Racing, ACT,  SEIBON, Apexi, Enjuku Racing, Evolution Racewerks, AIT Racing for your support and making it possible for us to make it out to the race!

Thanks for the new hero cards Ed Bergenholtz!

 Wall Speedway is one of the toughest track out of the 7 rounds of the Formula Drift Championship. With all the bumps and harsh transition exiting the 30 degree bank into the flat plane portion of the track the drivetrain on the vehicle takes quite a beating. I felt comfortable and confident in the Nitto Tire Mazda RX-8 with the NJ setup my crew chief Derek I. had prepared. We ended up qualifying 12th on Friday.

 Towards the end of our practice session on Saturday we ended up on the follow lane with Vaughn Gitten Jr leading. It was looking good throughout the run until I had to avoid a wreck when Jr spun entering the first horse shoe. I had no option but to go off the track and hit the embankment which shocked the vehicle and damaged the driveline. Right then and there it felt like we got hit by lightening. We only had about 20 minutes or less to fix. The team didn’t give up and had the car up on jack stands and replaced the whole rear end in no time.

The team has faith and I know God will reward us with success for our unending passion to never give up! We will continue on to push hard and aiming to make the next 3 rounds count!

We arrived Texas Motor Speedway on Thursday, June 9th to unload and prepare for the Ultimate Drift Demo before the Nascar Truck/Indy Race.  Here we are drifting in the scorching Texas heat along with fellow Formula Drift drivers.

The Lucas Oil Nitto Tire S13.5 felt completely different with the new Megan Racing Suspension components. I’m glad that the suspension has a wide range of adjustability. The Megan Racing brakes worked perfect on the vehicle and stopped on a dime whenever I applied the brakes .

Texas Flag flying in………

Here at the autograph session taking pictures and getting to know new fans. They were all very excited for the Ultimate Drift event! Talking with the fans and seeing their positive reactions makes my day!

Thanks for the pictures @ WhatMonstersDo.com and @ Driftfotos.com !

All in all it was a successful event! All the drivers did a phenomenal job and gave a good show here at Texas Motor Speedway! It was good to see the Indy/Nascar Truck teams show interest during our drifting sessions! Thank you all for your support!

 The Lucas Oil Nitto Tire S13.5 will be at Formula D Ultimate Drifting Pre-Race Spectacular out in Texas Motor Speedway on June 9-11th.  It’ll be great drifting in front of  thousands of INDYCAR race fans. I’m looking forward to this adventure! It’ll be my first time drifting at TMS. 

Ticket info and more details can be found HERE

 The vehicle has been dropped off at the FD rig for transport on May 28th 2011. It’s going to be a busy but yet a fun month of June! I got a call from my good friend David and mentioned the temp out in Texas is around 100 Degrees Fahrenheit. So he made sure that I must hydrate myself ahead of time. I’m so thankful to have good friends and supporters around my life! Without them I wouldn’t be where I am now. Thank you all for always looking out and making it possible for me to go out to live the dream and passion!!

Photos from Wrecked Magazine can be found here.

All the new upgrades/mods have been installed at Road Race Engineering located in Santa Fe Springs Ca. With the help of S-Empire we installed a brand new Precision Turbo, New engine harness, Megan Racing Suspension, brakes, sway bars, bushings, Enjuku Racing Intake Manifold (ISIS) and the list goes on….