The California sun has set on the sixth annual LX Spring Festival. Once again, great memories with old acquaintances were rekindled while forging new friendships within the Dodge community. This year’s event smashed all previous participant attendance records as over 830 LX owners from all over the USA, Canada and even Europe came to share the love of their Challengers, Chargers, Magnums and 300s. Our president and CEO (and #1 LX fan) Ralph Gilles, was in attendance and shared his passion for these great vehicles as he walked among the masses. He even had the opportunity to sign a few Challengers and Chargers much to the delight of their owners. Our designers and SRT engineering gear heads held round table discussions with owners to exchange valuable feedback and discuss future product concepts. Our fans also got a taste of hot burning rubber in their faces as our own Samuel Hubinette wowed us with a drifting choreography that included billowing clouds of tire smoke to the sounds of a high-winding 7,000 RPM Mopar small-block. Sam wasn’t the only one tearing up the runways at the former Marine Naval Air Station. For $20 a run, participants had a chance to race against the clock and test their driving skills behind the wheel of a 2011 Charger R/T on the ‘Challenge Course’ (both Ralph and Sam laid down some smoking lap times!). There was no shortage of competition among those looking for a shot at beating those numbers and the best part was all proceeds went towards charity. The sponsor, midway, was filled with the latest go-fast and styling goodies from a wide variety of manufacturers. We also had our latest hardware for all to see, like the stunning 2012 Charger SRT8 and 2011 Challenger R/T “Green with Envy”. We also got to see event organizer and LX patriarch, John Fortuno unveil his 2011 Chrysler 300C “Fat Chance 2.0”
Team Dodge Drifting Driver, Sam Hubinette put on a drifting exhibition for the attendees of the Spring Festival of LX’s in Irvine, California over the weekend.
It may have started out as a cold rainy day here at Spring Fest 6, but the sun came out and things began to heat up real quick. We snuck over to the Orange Great Park and caught Samuel Hubinette breaking in his newly-wrapped 700 horsepower Dodge Challenger. As you can see, “That Crazy Swede” hasn’t lost his touch for letting it all hang out!
In late 2009 after a series of unfortunate events, legendary drifter Samuel Hübinette found himself without a team, a sponsor or a car. Undeterred by the obstacles, Hubinette formed his own team, Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR) and set to work building a brand new drifter. With Dodge’s official sponsorship, SHR begin assembling the Dodge-BF Goodrich Challenger and readying it for competition. On the weekend of April 9th, the finished product was revealed to the world for the first time at the 2010 Long Beach Grand Prix. Powered by an aluminum 410 cu.in. Mopar V8, Hübinette’s Challenger pumps out 865-horsepower, 685 lb.-ft. of torque, making it easily the most impressive entrant at Round 1 of 2010 Formula Drift season opener. The 50-odd cars running against Hübinette made a valiant effort, but not even the most clapped-out Scion could compete with the Challenger. Hübinette wrapped up the monster’s inaugural run with a respectable 6th place finish and enough points to kick the season off on a high note. “We put this team together in just more than two months,” said Hübinette. “It is an incredible accomplishment, finishing the car in a period of six weeks and then to get to the event and finish 6th over all.”
To put that extremely brief timeframe into perspective, imagine trying to build a Formula Drift-spec racer – from the ground up – in less time than it takes your wife to clean out her closet. When CarDomain caught up with Hübinette’s crew back in late March to check on the progress of the drifter, it was still little more than a roll cage and a heavy-duty suspension. In less than a month, the SHR team managed to complete the Challenger and the result was, to be colloquial, kick a**. Not convinced? Don’t worry, we’ve got video evidence. Hit the jump to check out the impressive spec sheet and exclusive footage of Hübinette and Dodge Motorsports’ Brian Viger tearing up the track at Long Beach.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – April 8, 2010 – BFGoodrich Tires is proud to announce its 2010 Formula Drift series lineup, featuring two of the top teams on BFGoodrich g-Force T/AKDW tires – Samuel Hübinette Racing and Team Drift Emporium. This season marks seven years that BFGoodrich Tires has supported Formula D, known as “the” series for drifting in the United States.
Two-time Formula D champion Samuel “The Crazy Swede” Hübinette is coming off an impressive fourth place finish in 2009, with plans to take his new Dodge Challenger to the top in 2010. The Challenger’s Mopar engine pushes out in excess of 865 horsepower and promises to be a crowd favorite. Hübinette recently formed his own racing operation, Samuel Hübinette Racing, and added veteran rally driver and Formula D newcomer Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard to the team. Comrie-Picard will take the wheel of the famed Dodge Viper SRT10 that Hübinette piloted to a Formula D championship in 2005 and 2006. Both vehicles will sport BFGoodrich g-Force T/AKDW tires during all seven rounds of Formula D action.
“Our new team, with the addition of the Challenger and ACP, has a lot of potential this year and we’re excited to finally get this season started,” said Hübinette. “We feel confident that our BFGoodrich tires will lead us to the podium as they did in 2006, 2007 2008 and 2009.”
“If you thought watching the Viper scream around each turn for the last couple years was exciting, wait until the Challenger joins in on the action,” said Roberts Kukainis, motorsports manager, BFGoodrich Tires. “The BFGoodrich g-Force T/AKDW tire has proved that is has what it takes to come in hot at the entry point and hug each and every turn that these tricky Formula D courses offer. The BFGoodrich g-ForceKDW tire is a great bolt-on performance fit for Hubinette’s 865hp Dodge Challenger muscle car and we’re excited to be part of what promises to be a great season.”
Team Drift Emporium has put together yet another impressive team that includes 2008 Formula D “Rookie of the Year” Michihiro Takatori, Formula D rookie Forrest Wang, drifting veteran Jodin LeJeune and experienced motorsports pro Ron Ewerth. Each of the team’s four vehicles will be wrapped with BFGoodrich g-Force T/AKDW tires.
Michihiro Takatori will be back behind the wheel of his Nissan Silvia S15 and has an extensive international drifting resume making him a top contender in 2010. Takatori was Formula D’s 2008 “Rookie of the Year,” he placed second in the 2008 Triple Crown and has had a number of great eight and top four finishers.
Forrest Wang will be making his Formula D debut in 2010. He will be piloting Drift Emporium’s hot Lexus SC430. With top finishes in D1GP and numerous wins along the west coast, Wang is far from a rookie and looks to make a name for himself in the Formula Drift Championship series.
With extensive drifting experience, Jodin LeJeune has competed for more than two years in the NOPI Drift Series. His high entry speed consistently places him at the top of the qualifying charts. In 2010, LeJeune will pilot his blue Nissan Motorsports-sponsored Stillen supercharged Titan V8-powered Infiniti G35 Coupe.
Ron Ewerth has been involved in professional motorsports for more than 25 years and has competed in the NOPI Drift Series for the past two years. Ewerth will pilot his orange Nissan Motorsports-sponsored Stillen supercharged Titan V8-powered Infiniti G35 Coupe in 2010.
“The Drift Emporium team always puts on a good show and they have a great chance to really make some noise this year with the return of Takatori, LeJeune and Ewerth and the addition of Wang,” added Kukainis. “BFGoodrich is proud to partner with them again in 2010.”
BFGoodrich Tires’ g-Force T/AKDW tire is the ultimate go-to ultra high-performance tire. With more than 80 sizes to fit 15 to 24 inch wheels, the BFGoodrich g-Force T/AKDW covers more car, truck and SUV fitments than any other Ultra-High Performance (UHP) tire line. The BFGoodrich g-Force T/A®KDW tire features the highest level of balanced wet or dry performance in the industry, providing stability in rain or shine, using a double compound silica reinforced tread and unidirectional tread design.
Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 35 years, BFGoodrich® Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally and extreme rock crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combine technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.BFGoodrichTires.com. In 2009, BFGoodrich Tires developed a gathering place for auto enthusiasts to celebrate the thrill of GO through an online community, Nation of GO, where people with a passion for driving can celebrate and share what they love to do best at www.NationofGo.com.
