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Tony Angelo Returns to His Home Track and to the Top 16
Englishtown, NJ- The Formula Drift Championship rolled into Englishtown NJ this past weekend just in time to watch the East Coast heat index climb. Tony Angelo and his Maxxis Tire / MAZDASPEED Team came ready for battle and he impressed his home town crowd with a revamped RX-8 and a top qualifying spot.
After 2 previous unsatisfactory results, Tony and his team worked hard on his Maxxis Tire Mazda RX-8 to improve his overall speed and mechanical traction. Apparently it worked, as he took a top qualifying spot that got him into the Top 16 for tandem battles for the first time this year. "I’m very happy with the way my Mazda RX-8 is driving,” stated Angelo, “After failing to make the Top 16 for the last 2 events, we really made some major changes to the car, and it’s working very well." Angelo didn’t stop there, he went on to beat the incredibly fast Tyler McQuarrie by 1 point after the first set of tandem runs, a feat that no one else was able to accomplish until the finale when Tyler was beat by current champion Tanner Foust. The judges thought it was so close they wanted a “One More Time.” Angelo and McQuarrie ran again but this time McQuarrie’s high horsepower and speed prevailed and he took the victory.
For Angelo and his Drift Alliance brothers, this was more than just another drift event, it was a home-coming. Drift Alliance started its reign of terror on the drift scene in 2003 at this very track. The DA boys didn’t disappoint their hometown crowd when all 4 main DA members qualified in the Top 16 for the first time ever. “It was great to be at the track I started drifting at,” said Tony “We had a ton of support from family and friends which made the event that much more exciting."
Angelo’s 12th place finish moves him within 8 points of the seeded positions as he prepares for the next Formula Drift event at the Las Vegas Speedway on July 12th. The team is planning several more tests in the hot California desert to prepare for the Las Vegas sun. The average temperature at the track for July is 107 degrees making engine and driver cooling the highest priority for the weekend. “It’s the first year Formula Drift has run there so no one really has an advantage,” said Angelo. “Our Maxxis Tires have extreme grip at all temps, so I’m expecting that will be a great advantage for us when the track temp sores past 200 degrees.”
Englishtown, NJ- The Formula Drift Championship rolled into Englishtown NJ this past weekend just in time to watch the East Coast heat index climb. Tony Angelo and his Maxxis Tire / MAZDASPEED Team came ready for battle and he impressed his home town crowd with a revamped RX-8 and a top qualifying spot.
After 2 previous unsatisfactory results, Tony and his team worked hard on his Maxxis Tire Mazda RX-8 to improve his overall speed and mechanical traction. Apparently it worked, as he took a top qualifying spot that got him into the Top 16 for tandem battles for the first time this year. "I’m very happy with the way my Mazda RX-8 is driving,” stated Angelo, “After failing to make the Top 16 for the last 2 events, we really made some major changes to the car, and it’s working very well." Angelo didn’t stop there, he went on to beat the incredibly fast Tyler McQuarrie by 1 point after the first set of tandem runs, a feat that no one else was able to accomplish until the finale when Tyler was beat by current champion Tanner Foust. The judges thought it was so close they wanted a “One More Time.” Angelo and McQuarrie ran again but this time McQuarrie’s high horsepower and speed prevailed and he took the victory.
For Angelo and his Drift Alliance brothers, this was more than just another drift event, it was a home-coming. Drift Alliance started its reign of terror on the drift scene in 2003 at this very track. The DA boys didn’t disappoint their hometown crowd when all 4 main DA members qualified in the Top 16 for the first time ever. “It was great to be at the track I started drifting at,” said Tony “We had a ton of support from family and friends which made the event that much more exciting."
Angelo’s 12th place finish moves him within 8 points of the seeded positions as he prepares for the next Formula Drift event at the Las Vegas Speedway on July 12th. The team is planning several more tests in the hot California desert to prepare for the Las Vegas sun. The average temperature at the track for July is 107 degrees making engine and driver cooling the highest priority for the weekend. “It’s the first year Formula Drift has run there so no one really has an advantage,” said Angelo. “Our Maxxis Tires have extreme grip at all temps, so I’m expecting that will be a great advantage for us when the track temp sores past 200 degrees.”
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