Compiled by SEMA Editors
 Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Dai Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors last weekend at the 2013 Formula Drift championship in Long Beach, California. |
Team Falken's Dai Yoshihara Wins Round 1 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship in Long Beach
Falken Tire has defended its Long Beach Formula Drift title for the fourth consecutive year when team veteran Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara took the win over former teammate Vaughn Gittin Jr.
Driving the Discount Tire/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, Yoshihara qualified first among 61 competitors. His teammate Darren McNamara, who debuted his own Falken Tire Nissan 240SX, qualified second. Yoshihara’s second teammate Justin Pawlak, driving his ’13 Ford Mustang, was 23rd. All three drivers won in the Top 32 Round, but only Yoshihara, the 2011 Formula D champion, went further, scoring the first win of what fans and competitors are calling the most competitive season in Formula D.
Next up for Team Falken is a return to the streets of Long Beach this coming weekend for the American Le Mans Series, where Falken will field its Porsche 911 RSR GT3 in the GT class with drivers Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers. The team finished third in the first ALMS race of the season last month at Sebring. Round 2 of the 2013 Formula Drift Championship will take place May 10–11 on the Road Atlanta circuit in Braselton, Georgia.
View this year's racing schedule.
 Fun Ford Weekend was rained out at Royal Purple Raceway. It will return with the May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California. |
Fun Ford Weekend From Royal Purple Raceway Rained Out
The Roush Yates Performance Products season kick-off of the Fun Ford Weekend Series at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas, was suspended due to rain before eliminations could begin. After waiting to see what the afternoon weather had in store, racers were given rain checks and invited back to future events at Royal Purple Raceway. However, the All FoMoCo Car Show did not get rained out. View the results.
The Fun Ford Weekend makes its return to the Golden State with a May 4–5 event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway outside of Bakersfield, California. The event will also feature the WCOPMA Outlaw Pro Mods on Saturday and a special "Ford vs. The World" showdown on Sunday. Visit the Fun Ford Weekend website for complete details, including all race class and car show classes.