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After six full seasons most fans and aficionados have come to recognize that the Formula DRIFT series puts the X-factor in extreme motorsport racing. Maneuvering through a designated course at high speeds while executing controlled sideways slides requires mad skills. This season just over 60 professional drivers participated in all seven competitions. Michael Essa, from Los Angles, California, is systemically working himself towards the top of that group of racers.
Formula DRIFT Rookie Michael Essa
In this his rookie year, Essa finished the season in second place out of eleven total rookie drivers. Due to budget issues he was unable to attend the New Jersey event. With the momentum he was carrying, the potential points he would have earned there could very likely have put him in the Rookie of the Year spot. "I had a good season, finishing sixth overall in Las Vegas and in the top sixteen at the last event at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California," says Essa.
Essa first got behind the wheel of a racecar at age 17 – he says he knew instantly that this was where he wanted to be. From that point on he has remained focused on the machinery and the track, in his ongoing efforts to build on a solid foundation to create a legacy in global motorsports.
Drifter Michael Essa in action.
He has held positions as Crew Chief and Lead Tech Inspector, building and developing his talent from the ground up. In the spring of 2001 Essa opened Tech Trix Motorsports in Anaheim, California. It's there that he builds, maintains, and provides track support for Porsche racecars. Essa not only worships racing, but he also supports the community by offering driving instruction for both Porsche racers and drift drivers.
Essa races a 1987 Mazda RX-7, powered by a 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine. "The car is basically the same as how it started the season. For the last event though we added a new cam and ported the heads, to up the power to 430whp and 390wtq," says Essa.
1987 Mazda RX-7 with 2003 Z06 LS6 Corvette engine
"I'm happy to represent K&N. I would buy and use their products even without their support, and I have in the past. K&N makes only high quality items, I truly believe them to be the best available. I always use K&N air filters/kits and oil filters."
"For the 2010 Formula Drift season I've teamed up with GSR Autosport to build, campaign and drive a 2008 BMW 335i. Were excited to bring a new European car to the FD series," adds Essa.
The rear-engine BMW 335i is a sports coupe with a rock-solid chassis and plenty of room for aftermarket development. The new platform will easily handle the 550-hp turbocharged 3.2-liter M3 powerplant which Essa has almost finished.
Andrew Comrie-Picard won the North American Rally Championship in the season-ending Canadian Rally of the Tall Pines near Bancroft, Ontario. The win represents the first championship for the NOS Energy Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X with K&N products.
North American Rally Championship win for Andrew Comrie-Picard in Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, photo by Neil McDaid, photo by Neil McDaid
“This is a terrific result, especially given that we were working on developing the new rally car throughout this first competition season for the Evolution X,” said Comrie-Picard. “But our sponsors and our team came through and we won a very tight championship race.”
Aggressive fast driving in the season-ending Rally of the Tall Pines in Canada bent bodywork and tore off bumpers on the 150 kilometer course, photo by Neil McDaid
Team ACP is preparing for the New Year and will defend its championship in 2010, photo by Neil McDaid
The Rally of the Tall Pines features some of the toughest driving challenges in North America with conditions often referred to as winter roads and summer ditches.
Team ACP was ready for unpredictable weather at this time of year, but it was unusually dry and warm. The cars were very fast and the competition was intense. Comrie-Picard was very aggressive throughout the 150 kilometers of competition. He tore off bumpers, bent bodywork and took out a finish board.
A late-season push, including a win at Rally Colorado and a second-place finish at Rally of the Tall Pines, sealed the driver's title for Comrie-Picard. “We told ACP to win the championship or leave the car in the woods,” said crew chief Eric Vlasic. “He did leave some of the car in the woods, but brought home the championship.”
“We had the car wide open the whole time,” said Comrie-Picard. “I just wasn’t lifting in most corners or over crests and fortunately, the Ohlins TTX shocks were amazing, the Yokohama tires took the super-high sideloads at 200 km/h (120 mph), and our K&N air filter kept the engine safe even through some deep water splashes.”
Comrie- Picard has used K&N filters for more than a decade. “We compete under very tough conditions and do the most extreme things we can do in a car,” he said. “K&N is the perfect formula for our turbo charged motors. There is no compromise with K&N.”
Team ACP is preparing for 2010 and looks forward to defending the championship and competing at the X Games for a fifth time.
It was just last season that Gardella Racing first introduced their brilliant new driver, 25 year-old Ryan Tuerck from Derry, New Hampshire, and their new Pontiac Solstice GXP drift car to the Formula Drift series. The team completed that entire '08 season running a stock Eco-Tec engine.
Gardella Racing Achieved a Podium Finish at Atlanta Drift
With street car applications only, the team was still able to claim a podium finish in Atlanta, Geogria (Atlanta Drift), finish 6th in the points standings, and earn the "Driver of the Year" title for Tuerck. Employing everything the crew learned from that rookie season, the GR team put together a new purpose built '09 Solstice, and won the last event of the year at Toyota Speedway, in Irwindale, California.
"Winning the last event of the year was a dream come true. The season started off great with a win at Long Beach, and then to end the season with an exclamation point feels amazing," exclaims Tuerck."
"It was awesome for Gardella Racing to take home the win in front of the biggest crowd in Formula D history, with a lot of friends, family, and sponsors there to support us," adds Tuerck.
Drifter Ryan Tuerck and the Pontiac Solstice GXP
Tuerck has been involved with racing for 15 years. He got his first taste of racing riding motocross bikes when he was barely 10 years old. Nine years later he made the switch to four wheels and he has been racing cars ever since.
"The Mobil 1 Solstice is amazing, but the winning setup is top secret – Ha Ha," quips Tuerck. "Basically though, what gave Gardella Racing and I the win was preparation. The car is always in perfect condition and it feels exactly the same every time I drive it."
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will only use K&N products, specifically the air filter and oil filter products, which I use on my personal car at home. The Gardella Racing camp has been using K&N products for over 10 years in racing competition. Since using K&N filters, GR has never had an issue with an oil filter, whether it has been on a 1500hp or 400hp engine; you can check that against the teams' track record."
"Next year is looking very promising. I am really hoping that Gardella Racing and I can take home the Formula D Championship in 2010."
Greg Boutte' works and races for K&N. He got his start in racing on a bet with a buddy. Neither one could figure out whose car was fastest, so they did what most guys do: took it to the track to find out. To this day they don't know the outcome because his buddies car broke and Greg still remembers their laughter as if it were yesterday. The event at least spurred Greg on to try his hand at racing, which he has never once regretted. Of course had he not just narrowly missed the final cut when he tried out for wide receiver & free safety for the San Francisco 49ers', the story might be a very different one. But hey, if you can't race down the field, might as well race down the track!
1967 Ghetto Camaro
After showing some progress at the March Meet at Bakersfield in his' 57 Chevy, then showing real potential in his '67 Ghetto Camaro's one & two at Freemont Raceway, Greg got a call from Charlie McCullough, who asked him to drive his car in the B Altered Class. "I jumped at the chance" says Greg, "It was a '67 Corvette, had a BB Chevy engine and Clutch Flight transmission, shifting like an automatic. It ran 8.86 seconds @ 165 MPH…and this was 1974! That matches Super Comp today."
1967 Chevy Corvette with BB Chevy engine and Clutch Flight
transmission
Greg Boutte
Things continued to progress somewhat slowly for Greg. He started racing a 23T in Super Comp in 1991. By 1998 he got his first rear engine dragster, started winning some local races, and by 2003, everything began to click for the Stockton, CA native. The following successes are the result of his dedication to the sport of drag racing:
• Champion 2003 - Super Comp Div-7 Race - Tucson, Arizona
• Champion 2003 -West Coast Super Comp Race Club
• First Runner Up 2005 -Super Comp Div-7 Race - Fallon, Nevada
• First Runner Up 2005 -Super Comp Div-7 Race - Fontana, California
• Jeg's All-Star Qualifier 2006 Super Comp
• Champion 2006 KD Kanopy Super Shootout / Super Comp
• Champion 2006 -Super Comp Div -7 Race - Bakersfield, California
• Champion 2007 -Super Comp Div -7 Race - Sonoma, California
• Champion 2009 -Super Comp Div -7 Race - Las Vegas, Nevada
• Champion 2009 -Super Comp NHRA World Finals - Pomona, California
• Top ten finishes six of the last 10 years in Division 7!
1957 Chevy
Greg in fact won eight rounds of eliminations to win the final NHRA Division 7 points race this year and then went on to win the NHRA World Finals in Pomona California the following weekend. Needless to say, when things began to click for Boutte', they clicked in a big way. Wonder if his buddy still wants to race him on a bet?
Greg was always a big fan of K&N. Over the years, he has raced with several K&N sponsored racers including Steve Williams, K&N's VP of R&D and Product Development. Greg states, "I can remove my K&N oil filter with a ONE inch wrench or socket. K&N air filters keep my racecar very consistent while protecting my $30,000.00 racing engine and in my opinion, they are simply the best air filters in the world."
The Baja 1000 is one of the toughest off-road races in the world
The Baja 1000 is an amazingly tough race and the adventure of a lifetime and Brad Lovell said he hopes to be back in 2010
No 703 Torchmate Ranger entered a class in the Baja 1000 with 8 other trucks, only two trucks finished the loop race of 672 miles
Remote areas of the Baja 1000 make good use of GPS systems. Many teams have to be recovered from the brutal desert.
Tough desert terrain with sand traps and silt are only part of the Baja 1000 many obsticles
The Baja 1000 is considered the toughest off-road race in the world. “To understand it, you must experience it,” said Brad Lovell. “I thought I had during pervious Baja races, but I learned a valuable lesson this year. Some races are longer and some are rougher, but no other competition creates the same challenge.”
Lovell and the No. 703 Torchmate Ranger with K&N products entered a class with 8 other trucks in a total field of 340 trucks, buggies and motorcycles for a loop race of 672 miles.
“Three different crews piloted the truck,” said Lovell. “Bill Knuz and myself to race mile 206, Greg Jones and Nick Socha to race mile 420 and Marty Fiolka and JT Taylor from there to the finish.”
The team pre-ran its sections in 2010 Ford F-150 Raptors, a factory modified pickup designed for the abuse Baja is known for. “We dinged the running boards and banged the undercarriage a bit,” said Lovell. “By the end of the week, our Raptor had 800 brutal off-road miles on it.”
From the pre-run to the starting line, Knuz and Lovell waited for the green flag to
drop at 11:37 am Friday morning. “We were both calm but did not underestimate the change in rhythm that was about to occur,” said Lovell. “We had 31 hours to reach the finish line.”
In the first 30 miles the roads were windy and dusty. They were also lined with spectators. “We had problems along the way,” said Lovell. “Eight miles in, the team ahead of us ended their race by hitting a boulder that was rolled on the course. At mile 16 a silt bed created a log jam of stuck trucks.”
Lovell smashed into a dirt bank but made it through. “We charged a slower truck and lost the road in the dust near mile 19,” he said. “We heard clanking and banging and came to a stop. A rock had broken the transmission pan.”
During the two hour wait to get moving again, Lovell said they thought about their mistake. “The open race course was now a stream of on-coming traffic and broken racers,” he said. “Near mile 30 we met a stuck chase truck which blocked the course. We struggled to free him before giving up and barely made it around him on a risky side slope.”
Lovell and Knuz had to wait again near mile 31 for the recovery of several race buggies that fell down a 30 foot ravine. “When the race resumed we reached the more remote areas and found our pace,” said Lovell. “We made good time to mile 206 for the driver change.”
Around 1:30 am the crew woke to a satellite phone report that the truck was hopelessly stuck in a sand wash nearly sixty miles away. Lovell and Knuz took their Raptor to try and pull them out.
“Armed with a GPS, we headed into the most remote area of the course to recover the team,” said Lovell. “While we were driving, Greg and Nick frantically dug for six hours and freed the truck a foot at a time.”
Lovell and Knuz were within 8 miles of the second crew when the race truck started moving again. The minutes were ticking away along with the miles but the No. 703 made it to mile 420 for the next driver change.
“At that point we were racing the clock,” said Lovell. “The team had to travel 115 miles in about 3.5 hours. Marty and JT had no problems setting a good pace.” Unfortunately the crew was not able to make the next checkpoint closing time and they called the race.
“Not finishing stings,” said Lovell. “It is little comfort, but only two in our class of nine finished the race. Now we have more knowledge of what Baja is about, how to race it and how to prepare. Our whole team worked as hard as they could to fight the circumstances.”
Lovell said he hopes to face the Baja 1000 again in 2010. In the meantime the Torchmate Ranger is getting prepped for the last race of the season, the BITD Henderson Desert Classic in Nevada on December 5th. “We are currently 2nd in points and hope for a strong finish,” said Lovell. ““There is a lot of silt and fine dust on these courses,” said Lovell. “K&N filters keep the debris out of our engines and our sensors do not clog up.”
