C-West USA

October 13, 2008, Hawthorne, CA—Formula D’s Round 7 “Final Fight” at Irwindale Speedway was a pressure-cooker event for the Rockstar/AEM Drift Team heading into Saturday’s competition. With only a 26-point lead heading into the Finals, Tanner would need to finish in 4th place or better if Sam Hubinette won the event, and was in a must-qualify situation to ensure that Rhys Millen wouldn’t pass him up in the final standings. With the heat on high, Tanner and the team responded by turning in a textbook effort en route to capturing the 2008 FormulaD Series Championship and being the first team to ever repeat as FD Champions in back-to-back seasons!

FOXY’S RESULTS
The only change to the Rockstar/AEM 350Z going into the event was a new transmission with taller gearing, which enabled the Z to achieve over 125 MPH wheel speed in 4th gear. Combined with the car’s 500+ horsepower, this allowed Tanner to climb to the top of the wall on the large banked oval with ease. Although the team contemplated putting in a new engine before the race, they ultimately subscribed to the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy, instead opting to let the combination of premium hard parts, Garrett turbos and AEM electronics work the same magic on the same mill that was used all season.

Tanner took care of any chance of Rhys putting on the pressure by qualifying 2nd in the seeded field. In the Sliding 16 round, Tanner faced Mitsuru Haruguchi and his S15 Nissan. Their last meeting was at the Long Beach opener in 2007, when Mitsuru brake-checked Tanner, forcing him into the wall. Tanner had the advantage after leading the first pass and suspected that Mitsuru may try something aggressive to force a mistake. Mitsuru ended up making the error and nearly stopped on the track in the infield, and after missing his rear bumper by mere inches, Tanner passed him by to advance to the Great 8 round.

Tanner used his full arsenal in the battles against Ryan Tuerk and Justin Pawlak in the Great 8 and Final 4 rounds, and after trading paint and “One More Times” in both rounds, he advanced to the finals against Vaughn Gittin Jr. (JR) and his Mustang. At this point the team knew they had wrapped up the series championship, but they wanted the event win, so they decided to save the celebration for the appropriate time. “JR was absolutely on fire all weekend, and I knew I would have to be extra aggressive to win,” noted Tanner. Tanner took the lead in the first pass, and JR’s Mustang matched the Z’s speed while also coming closer to the main wall off the bank, giving JR the advantage. Tanner locked onto JR’s bumper like Velcro when following and it was a close battle, but when the smoke cleared JR captured his first FD event victory, and Tanner would take the second place spot on the podium for the Final Fight.

“It’s a pretty awesome feeling to make history in Drifting in the States!” exclaimed Tanner. “With the way this sport is growing and how much more competitive teams are every season, it will be difficult to repeat again. Right now I am just enjoying the moment.”

FAST FACTS
FD Round 7 at Irwindale’s “House of Drift” was the 12th FormulaD event held at the track and first venue for FormulaD competition…both cars have qualified for eliminations in all but two events in 2008…the team has seven top 5 qualifiers (two seeded 1st, three seeded 2nd, one seeded 4th, one unseeded 5th) two victories and a second- and a third-place finish this season...Tanner is the first driver in FD history to capture back-to-back series championships, and both Rockstar/AEM drivers are ranked in the top 35 series competitors…the next event is the Red Bull Drifting World Championships in Long Beach, CA on November 15-16, 2008.

The AEM / Memphis Car Audio Drift 350Z are sponsored by Toyo Tires, Motegi Racing, Tokico Gas Shocks, Advanced Clutch Technology (ACT), Specialty Products Company (SPC), C-West and DC Sports.