Redbull Energy Drink is mostly noted in Drifting for it’s partnership with Formula D Champion Rhys “Mad Skills” Millen. As of today our team of tipsters lead us to find out that they are now the official energy drink of Formula Drift for 2008. No official release has been made but we imagine as time ticks closer to the season launch at Long Beach we will hear some more information. This is an interesting and exciting move for Red Bull as BevNet just leaked some information on their new product they schedule to launch worldwide, Red Bull Cola.

Our man Mike Garrett from the Far East hooked us up with this one straight from his blog!

If you hadn’t heard already, former D1 driver Michihiro Takatori will be competing stateside this year in Formula D. Takatori is no stranger to drifting and has been competing in D1 both in Japan and in the US behind the wheel of his A31 Nissan Cefiro and ER34 Skyline coupe. Just like in the past, the FD team is being supported by the Kyoto Fushimi branch of Super Autobacs. The small team has been facing challenges as they adapt to the American drifting scene. For the past several weeks they have been hard at work building an all new R34 that complies with Formula D safety standards. Here is the Official Formula D blog they have in place. Super Autobachs Formula D Blog.

Source: Auto-OtakuThanks Mike!

This was confirmed yesterday over Easter. Tommy posted and confirmed this news about his 2008 Formula D season.

“Milano is letting me use his back up car this year S14 with the RB25DET 450hp , Im very exited about this year and cant wait .since the slow build up of the AE86 is taking so long .”

Tommy most notably last season took home a top 16 spot in Atlanta (his second FD event ever) in the Retaks AE86 pictured above. He also won the Cleveland Team Drift event last season with fellow Retaks teammates. Good luck to him and the Milano Auto team in 2008.

Check out everythingdrift.com to snag some free tickets to the first round of Formula D at Long Beach, California.

That’s right!! It’s back, and better than ever for 2008. Thanks to our users, our ticket giveaways in 2007 were HUGELY SUCCESSFUL, and we’re continuing them this year. We’re giving away 5 PAIR’s of free tickets to Formula Drift Round 1 at the Streets of Long Beach, California! (THIS IS EVENT TICKETS ONLY!! Airfare / any other expenses are NOT included). We will be giving away ONE (1) pair of tickets EVERY DAY STARTING MONDAY, MARCH 31st AND ENDING FRIDAY, APRIL 4th. All winners will be chosen at random.

1 of the selected 5 winners will receieve a grand prize package consisting of:..

- TWO(2) tickets to Formula D Long Beach
- A special invite to Friday’s “Media Only” day at the track
- A Ride-Along in the passenger seat of a Formula D professional drift car being driven by a Formula D Pro driver

Here is a link to all the details for this contest.
Everythingdrift.com

Funny last night when I hinted that I felt Hyundai would be the next manufacturer to run in Drifting we at Wrecked were really just speculating out our you know what….but we did feel it was the most common sense option. Well Hyundai agrees it seems as they start to take steps to show they are interested in Drifting. This is from InsideLine:

According to Inside Line, movie-goers should expect to see more tire-burning action from Hyundai’s new Genesis Coupe than what’s already been shown. It seems that the Korean car company has already sent Universal a bright red Genesis Coupe SE powered by the turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This news lends some credence to our opinion that the turbo mill will likely be the tuner’s choice, though the big six cylinder is likely to be plenty for most drivers who don’t want to modify their car. While we’re not waiting on the edge of our seats for the fourth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, we think that it’ll be pretty cool to see the Genesis Coupe alongside such performance-car stalwarts as the new Nissan GT-R and Subaru STI.

Although Fast and Furious 4 isn’t scheduled for release until the summer of 2009, Hyundai has already committed to providing a red turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder Genesis Coupe SE to the mix. It will have a returning cast members include Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.

Nagano, Japan – March 20, 2008 – For the past 5 years, Auto Produce Boss has proven to be a dominant force in the world of drifting. Led by Auto Produce Boss president and team principal Kazuhiro Fujioka, they have worked with drivers Hayashida, Ueo, Hiraoka, Orido and Kazama; consistently placing in the top 10 and producing a championship win in 2005. Fresh with a new machine, Auto Produce Boss announces their entry into the 2008 D1 Grand Prix series with driver Yoichi Imamura.

2003 D1GP champion Yoichi Imamura has had experience in a wide variety of machines. This year will be his first attempt at a S15 Silvia. “Youichi has a drifting technique that is second to none and superior car control” as said by Boss President and team principal Kazuhiro Fujioka.

In partnership with Bridgestone, the team will be waging war with the new RE-11 tire. The replacement to the RE-01R, this tire matched with DG-5 suspension will be unsurpassed. Keep an eye on them as they try to recapture another championship title.

Machine: Nissan S15 Silvia

Tire: Bridgestone Potenza RE-11

Sponsors: Nismo, Motul, Bridgestone, COCKPIT, Prodrive, Taito, Yokomo

About Auto Produce Boss

Established in 1991, Auto Produce Boss is a tuning shop out of Nagano-shi, Japan. Well versed in all forms of circuit sports, Auto Produce Boss has held numerous records in time attack and drifting. Currently Auto Produce Boss campaigns in Time Attack, One make races and the D1GP.

After the unveiling of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe I would have to image that the answer is yes! Scion has stepped in already for 2008 but Hyundai has a foot up with consumers since their RWD package can be purchased by actual consumers. It seems like a no brainier for them to display these Genesis Coupe’s performing to their utmost ability on the edge.

The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe is the new rear-driver that enthusiasts have been waiting for, and the automaker showed the assembled mass of media just how fun its hot new ride is. Hyundai pulled out all the stops at its press conference, including hiring a couple of Hollywood’s finest female stunt drivers to unveil what is perhaps its most exciting vehicle ever.

Source: Autoblog.com

It’s official that we are now a Media Partner with Formula D. This means that for the entire 2008 season we will be providing all of our fans with video content from Formula D! “Wrecked Magazine is excited about our partnership with Formula D and will move forward in the years to come to bring our fans the best in online entertainment,” says Joey Redmond. Right around the corner we have Formula D Long Beach and Formula D Atlanta which are two major events that we will have covered for all our fans. So stay here at Wrecked Magazine.com this year for the best in Drifting entertainment!

After chatting with Bill Sherman last week we have to make a retraction from our Issue 3. It appears he won’t be attending the NOPI Drift series this year as of right now. In fact, Bill seems to be the top finisher in Formula D (8th) without a ride for 2008. Hopefully he finds his way into a car by the end of the season. If your looking for a driver late in the game for 2008 picking up Bill Sherman is a must!

Back in early January we broke a story posted in a local dirt track magazine that Wall Speedway was facing rumors of closure. Today if you look on the homepage of the Wall Stadium website they have a letter posted by Timothy Shinn speaking on behalf of the board of directors. What will Formula D’s fate be for the Wall Speedway event? We will keep our ear to the streets to find out what is going on with one of our favorite Formula D tracks.

Here is where the story was posted.
Wallspeedway.com