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Exciting Formula Drift debut for new Dodge team
LONG BEACH, California (SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING) April 12, 2010) – This weekend marked an exciting debut for the two-car Dodge/BFG team at Round 1 of the 2010 Formula Drift season.
Team owner and driver Samuel Hübinette drove the new Dodge-BFGoodrich Challenger to sixth-place overall at the Long Beach season opener, collecting some solid points to start the year. A packed field saw nearly 50 cars and drivers competing for top series points at the event.
"The car is amazing to drive; it's nimble and the performance of our BFGoodrich g-Force KDW tires were outstanding," said Hübinette. "It's a great start for the Dodge/BFG Challenger, and the whole team, and we're looking forward to a competitive season."
Two-time champion Hübinette is looking to become the first driver to win three Formula Drift titles. Hübinette has competed in the Formula Drift championship since the series' inception in 2004, and is the series' most-wining driver with nine victories. This was the first event for Hübinette's newly founded Samuel Hübinette Racing organization.
"We put this team together in just over two months," said Hübinette. "It is an incredible accomplishment, finishing the car in a period of six weeks and then to get to the event and finish 6th over all. Big props to ES-Motorsports who helped us to build such a competitive car so quickly."
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete on a closed-course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. It is a sport that packs the thrills of traditional motorsport into an exciting, condensed version in front of enthusiastic fans. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world, seeing 20 per cent annual growth in the USA.
Crew Chief Brad Manka said he's encouraged by the performance of the new Dodge Challenger and expects to continue fine-tuning it as this season continues.
"The Dodge/BFG Challenger performed beautifully, but we haven't had much testing time in it yet and we know there are adjustments that will make it even more competitive," said Manka.
The team's second driver, Formula Drift newcomer Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard, spun twice in qualifying and didn't advance into the Top 32 in the team's Dodge Viper.
"It was a challenging weekend for ACP, but the potential is there for him. With some more seat-time, he will be very competitive," said Hübinette.
Comrie-Picard, a series rookie, is an accomplished rally driver. He has competed in the invitation-only X Games Rally Car competition in each of the past four years and is the defending North American Rally Champion.
Both drivers will be at next weekend's Team Drift exhibition in Long Beach (April 16-18).
SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING PARTNERS ---
Dodge, BFGoodrich, Eibach, Weld Racing, AIT, Sparco, K&N, AEM, Stack Performance, ES Motorsports, Royal Purple, Wilwood, Mopar, Tilton Engineering, Os Giken, ITI Performance, Magnaflow, Azunia Tequila, Meguiar's.
ABOUT SAMUEL HÜBINETTE ---
A native Swede, Hübinette has been living and competing in the United States since 2004. He became a US citizen in 2006.
When he isn't competing, Hübinette is also a serious motorcycle rider and a working stunt driver in car commercials and in Hollywood productions including Fast and the Furious franchise, Crank2, and Knight and Day.
Hübinette developed a taste for speed in his native Sweden, where he earned a reputation for pushing snowmobiles to their limits. He competed as a driver in Touring Car racing on a team for Volvo from 1997 through 2000 and worked for nine years as a test driver in product development for the company.
He has also worked as a performance-driving instructor, including a three-year stint at the Skip Barber Racing School, where he was a member of the elite Special Product Group.
ABOUT THE DODGE CHALLENGER ---
- Engine: 410 cubic-inch Mopar aluminum V8-Mopar A8 block; Mopar raised port W9 heads; JE pistons; Crower Cam. Built by ITI Performance Motorsports. 865 horsepower/685 foot-pounds of torque
- Transmission: G-Force GSR four-speed dog box
- Clutch: Tilton 7.25” triple disc metallic clutch and magnesium bell-housing
- Rear-end: Speedway Engineering IRS quick-change with OS Giken Superlock LSD
- Brakes: Wilwood six-piston Superlite calipers front, rear, and e-brake. Wilwood dynamic-mount rotors front and rear. Wilwood pedals, master cylinders, and bias adjuster
- Suspension: Eibach MultiPro R2 coilovers, Eibach Springs
- Safety: Sparco seats, Sparco seatbelts, Sparco steering wheel
- Wheels: Weld Racing RT-S 18x13 rear, 18x10 front
- Tires: BFGoodrich G-Force KDW 335/35/zr18 rear, 275/35/zr18 front
LONG BEACH, California (SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING) April 12, 2010) – This weekend marked an exciting debut for the two-car Dodge/BFG team at Round 1 of the 2010 Formula Drift season.
Team owner and driver Samuel Hübinette drove the new Dodge-BFGoodrich Challenger to sixth-place overall at the Long Beach season opener, collecting some solid points to start the year. A packed field saw nearly 50 cars and drivers competing for top series points at the event.
"The car is amazing to drive; it's nimble and the performance of our BFGoodrich g-Force KDW tires were outstanding," said Hübinette. "It's a great start for the Dodge/BFG Challenger, and the whole team, and we're looking forward to a competitive season."
Two-time champion Hübinette is looking to become the first driver to win three Formula Drift titles. Hübinette has competed in the Formula Drift championship since the series' inception in 2004, and is the series' most-wining driver with nine victories. This was the first event for Hübinette's newly founded Samuel Hübinette Racing organization.
"We put this team together in just over two months," said Hübinette. "It is an incredible accomplishment, finishing the car in a period of six weeks and then to get to the event and finish 6th over all. Big props to ES-Motorsports who helped us to build such a competitive car so quickly."
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete on a closed-course, sliding sideways at high speed in trials judged on speed and style. It is a sport that packs the thrills of traditional motorsport into an exciting, condensed version in front of enthusiastic fans. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world, seeing 20 per cent annual growth in the USA.
Crew Chief Brad Manka said he's encouraged by the performance of the new Dodge Challenger and expects to continue fine-tuning it as this season continues.
"The Dodge/BFG Challenger performed beautifully, but we haven't had much testing time in it yet and we know there are adjustments that will make it even more competitive," said Manka.
The team's second driver, Formula Drift newcomer Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard, spun twice in qualifying and didn't advance into the Top 32 in the team's Dodge Viper.
"It was a challenging weekend for ACP, but the potential is there for him. With some more seat-time, he will be very competitive," said Hübinette.
Comrie-Picard, a series rookie, is an accomplished rally driver. He has competed in the invitation-only X Games Rally Car competition in each of the past four years and is the defending North American Rally Champion.
Both drivers will be at next weekend's Team Drift exhibition in Long Beach (April 16-18).
SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING PARTNERS ---
Dodge, BFGoodrich, Eibach, Weld Racing, AIT, Sparco, K&N, AEM, Stack Performance, ES Motorsports, Royal Purple, Wilwood, Mopar, Tilton Engineering, Os Giken, ITI Performance, Magnaflow, Azunia Tequila, Meguiar's.
ABOUT SAMUEL HÜBINETTE ---
A native Swede, Hübinette has been living and competing in the United States since 2004. He became a US citizen in 2006.
When he isn't competing, Hübinette is also a serious motorcycle rider and a working stunt driver in car commercials and in Hollywood productions including Fast and the Furious franchise, Crank2, and Knight and Day.
Hübinette developed a taste for speed in his native Sweden, where he earned a reputation for pushing snowmobiles to their limits. He competed as a driver in Touring Car racing on a team for Volvo from 1997 through 2000 and worked for nine years as a test driver in product development for the company.
He has also worked as a performance-driving instructor, including a three-year stint at the Skip Barber Racing School, where he was a member of the elite Special Product Group.
ABOUT THE DODGE CHALLENGER ---
- Engine: 410 cubic-inch Mopar aluminum V8-Mopar A8 block; Mopar raised port W9 heads; JE pistons; Crower Cam. Built by ITI Performance Motorsports. 865 horsepower/685 foot-pounds of torque
- Transmission: G-Force GSR four-speed dog box
- Clutch: Tilton 7.25” triple disc metallic clutch and magnesium bell-housing
- Rear-end: Speedway Engineering IRS quick-change with OS Giken Superlock LSD
- Brakes: Wilwood six-piston Superlite calipers front, rear, and e-brake. Wilwood dynamic-mount rotors front and rear. Wilwood pedals, master cylinders, and bias adjuster
- Suspension: Eibach MultiPro R2 coilovers, Eibach Springs
- Safety: Sparco seats, Sparco seatbelts, Sparco steering wheel
- Wheels: Weld Racing RT-S 18x13 rear, 18x10 front
- Tires: BFGoodrich G-Force KDW 335/35/zr18 rear, 275/35/zr18 front
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