TBSVTOA
06-20-2005, 06:33 PM
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Ford Racing has teamed up with Toyo Tires to get the Mustang involved in the hot new sport of drifting. Read more about the Ford Mustang on fordvehicles.com.
HOUSTON, June 20, 2005 -- The Ford Mustang has more than 40 years of victories in road racing and drag racing all over the world. Even with its proven track record, Mustang has never won in the newest motorsport phenomenon -- drifting. Until now.
Ken Gushi, the 18-year old drifting sensation from San Gabriel, Calif., recently drove a specially-prepared 2005 Mustang GT into victory lane during the Need For Speed Formula D competition at Reliant Park in Texas. It was the first win in Formula D, or drifting, competition for a Mustang.
"Congratulations to Ken, Toyo Tires, and the Gushi Auto team," said Jamie Allison, Manager, Ford Racing Performance Parts. "When we embarked on this program, we knew we had the right combination of driver, car and tire. It was just a matter of getting it all to hit at the same time. The Mustang is the perfect car for drifting. With the power options available through the Ford Racing Performance Parts crate engine family, the novice to the professional can find what he or she needs."
In its most simple definition, drifting is when a driver gets a car sideways for an extended period of time.
"Sounds a lot like power sliding, huh? Well, it isn't." wrote Ryan Stevens of Velocity Racing Team Japan. "It's much more complex. Instead of a drifter causing a drift and then countering to straighten out, he will instead over-counter so his car goes into another drift."
The sport began in Japan and is just now gaining popularity in America.
"Drifting is not a race," wrote Charles Graeber in Wired magazine. "It's more like surfing, an endeavor judged on style rather than speed. To achieve a drift, you take a light, rear wheel-drive import like an '80s Toyota Corolla or a Mazda RX-7, push it beyond the limit of traction, then surf the unfolding physics, curve after curve. It ain't easy. A proper drift employs dozens of technical factors, and a good drift differs from a poor one as starkly as a Porsche from a Pinto. At its most refined, a stylish drift is a thing of balance and beauty."
Ford Racing teamed up with Toyo Tires prior to the 2005 Formula D season to get the Mustang involved in drifting. The result was a 600-hp monster that has been the buzz of the drift season this year.
The 2005 Mustang GT Toyo Tire/Ford Racing drift car is powered by a 4.6-liter DOHC supercharged V-8 engine with a Ford Racing/Whipple screw-type supercharger kit and a T-56 six-speed transmission. The Need For Speed Formula D season now moves onto Infineon Raceway for the next round on July 9.
For more information on sanctioned drifting competition, visit www.formulad.com.
For more information on Ford Racing Performance Parts, visit www.fordracingparts.com.
Ford Racing has teamed up with Toyo Tires to get the Mustang involved in the hot new sport of drifting. Read more about the Ford Mustang on fordvehicles.com.
HOUSTON, June 20, 2005 -- The Ford Mustang has more than 40 years of victories in road racing and drag racing all over the world. Even with its proven track record, Mustang has never won in the newest motorsport phenomenon -- drifting. Until now.
Ken Gushi, the 18-year old drifting sensation from San Gabriel, Calif., recently drove a specially-prepared 2005 Mustang GT into victory lane during the Need For Speed Formula D competition at Reliant Park in Texas. It was the first win in Formula D, or drifting, competition for a Mustang.
"Congratulations to Ken, Toyo Tires, and the Gushi Auto team," said Jamie Allison, Manager, Ford Racing Performance Parts. "When we embarked on this program, we knew we had the right combination of driver, car and tire. It was just a matter of getting it all to hit at the same time. The Mustang is the perfect car for drifting. With the power options available through the Ford Racing Performance Parts crate engine family, the novice to the professional can find what he or she needs."
In its most simple definition, drifting is when a driver gets a car sideways for an extended period of time.
"Sounds a lot like power sliding, huh? Well, it isn't." wrote Ryan Stevens of Velocity Racing Team Japan. "It's much more complex. Instead of a drifter causing a drift and then countering to straighten out, he will instead over-counter so his car goes into another drift."
The sport began in Japan and is just now gaining popularity in America.
"Drifting is not a race," wrote Charles Graeber in Wired magazine. "It's more like surfing, an endeavor judged on style rather than speed. To achieve a drift, you take a light, rear wheel-drive import like an '80s Toyota Corolla or a Mazda RX-7, push it beyond the limit of traction, then surf the unfolding physics, curve after curve. It ain't easy. A proper drift employs dozens of technical factors, and a good drift differs from a poor one as starkly as a Porsche from a Pinto. At its most refined, a stylish drift is a thing of balance and beauty."
Ford Racing teamed up with Toyo Tires prior to the 2005 Formula D season to get the Mustang involved in drifting. The result was a 600-hp monster that has been the buzz of the drift season this year.
The 2005 Mustang GT Toyo Tire/Ford Racing drift car is powered by a 4.6-liter DOHC supercharged V-8 engine with a Ford Racing/Whipple screw-type supercharger kit and a T-56 six-speed transmission. The Need For Speed Formula D season now moves onto Infineon Raceway for the next round on July 9.
For more information on sanctioned drifting competition, visit www.formulad.com.
For more information on Ford Racing Performance Parts, visit www.fordracingparts.com.