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Settling for the 2nd place on the podium, Eric O'Sullivan took home a strong finish. Photo by Wrecked Magazine.
Drift racer Eric O'Sullivan in action. Photo by Wrecked Magazine.
Transitions are often a difficult part of change for people. Relate it to your own experiences and you'll see that change almost always brings a challenge to the table. Some people shy away from challenges, some welcome it. In the case of Eric O'Sullivan, he's the type of person that not only welcomes challenges, but also typically excels when faced with them.
Eric O'Sullivan drives a North American spec Subaru Impreza STI. Photo by Wrecked Magazine.
If you track Eric's life back to a year ago, he was a national drifting champion in a professional European drifting series. He loved traveling Europe, racing, and meeting new people. When Eric was presented with an opportunity to expand his racing career to North America however, he didn't think twice before packing his bags and taking on a new challenge.
Before his arrival to the states, Eric had established relationships with various companies that backed his racing endeavors. In addition to the companies that were on board with Eric's racing program, he picked up a few more sponsors such as AEM, Dynamic Autosports and Hankook Tires. For his rookie year in the '09 Formula Drift Championship series, Eric had a huge transition ahead of him.
One of the more prominent differences in Eric's drifting campaign happens to be his car. Formerly, Eric piloted a right-hand-drive AE86. Upon joining the Dynamic Autosports / Hankook Tires / Rockstar Energy Drink team however, he was placed behind the wheel of a North American spec Subaru Impreza STI. The STI is of the left-hand-drive variety and converted to rear-wheel drive. It took Eric a couple competitions to warm up to the new vehicle. However, Eric has overcome many obstacles along the way and set himself up for the coveted Formula D Rookie Of The Year Award.
It was at Formula D's fifth round of racing that Eric climbed through the competition to really prove his drifting mastery in the states. The fifth round of racing in the Formula D series was held at the Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington on August 7th and 8th. The Hankook Tires team did exceptionally well as all members qualified into the Top 16.
As eliminations began, Eric was pitted against veteran Formula D driver Kenji Yamanaka. The initial tandem run had Eric leading with Kenji giving chase. Eric took a high line along the high-speed bank of the Evergreen Speedway. Gaining momentum against the bank caused a substantial gap between the two competitors, giving a strong finish to Eric. On the second tandem run, Yamanaka led and Eric stayed door to door with his competitor, the judges called it and Eric moved onto the Top 16. During these eliminations, Eric's teammates Robbie Nishida in his Nissan 350Z and Ryuji Miki in his RX-7 moved onto the Top 16 as well.
In the Top 16 race, Eric raced Drift Emporium's Jodin Lejeune in his supercharged-V8 Infiniti G35. Since a smaller-displacement four-cylinder engine powers the Dynamic Autosport's Subaru, Eric knew he had to utilize the bank maneuver once more to gain a lead against Jodin. Eric dove into the bank and maintained his distance. In the following run, Eric chased Jodin and drew an aggressive line to take the win and secure his position in the Great 8 elimination.
The Great 8 competition was a much closer race than the previous bouts. Running against Tony Brakiohiapa, Eric turned up the pressure and chased Tony closely in the first run. With Eric leading, Tony did the same and the race was too close to call. The judges demanded a "One More Time" to determine the winner. During the OMT race (One More Time), Tony pitched his car too wide on the inner corner and Eric passed. On the next tandem run, Eric ran a high line along the bank, pulling far away from Tony. The judges called the round in favor of Eric, which moved him into the Final 4.
Lining up against Falken Tire's Vaughn Gitten Jr. in the Semi Final proved Eric's place to run with the top contenders. Gitten led in the first run with a strong line, however Eric did well by staying close behind. On the 2nd run, Eric led but there was a major impact between the two racers. The judges deliberated over the cause of the crash and ruled in favor of Eric. Even though this decision forwarded Eric into the final, the damage to his vehicle was too great to compete. Settling for the 2nd place on the podium, Eric took home a strong finish.
With two more rounds of racing left in the Formula D championship series, Eric plans to land another podium finish before the final. With the amount of ambition that Eric possesses, we don't doubt that we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.
In the Unlimited-4 class, the first eliminations race began well as Carl moved up in the ranks. Photo by Jeff Nemecek.
Claiming three wins at the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series (LOORRS) in rounds 5 and 6, Team Renezeder came into the seventh and eighth rounds of the series with confidence. However, the team was on track for a true test of character and professionalism, as their weekend of racing would become a 48-hour thrash to the finish line. Even with a baffling amount of disappointments, Team Renezeder not only completed the race but also maintained their first-place overall standing in both the Unlimited-2 and Unlimited-4 divisions.
Driver Carl Renezeder managed to qualify both race trucks on the pole amongst a competitive lineup. Photo by Jeff Nemecek.
The weekend of short-course racing took place at the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex in Lake Elsinore, California on July 25th and 26th. As the initial qualifying races concluded in the Unlimited-2 and Unlimited-4 classes, things looked very positive for the team. Driver Carl Renezeder managed to qualify both race trucks on the pole amongst a competitive lineup.
In the Unlimited-4 class, the first eliminations race began well as Carl moved up in the ranks. During the first lap, there was an extremely hard impact between Carl and fellow racer Kent Brascho. Although there is a fair amount of contact during these races, something didn't seem quite right. Carl kept climbing through the competition until he reached the second place position in the race. It was then that the team realized how catastrophic the accident with Brascho really was.
As Carl fought to hold his second place position, the truck finally gave in with major tubing breaking loose from the center of the truck. The damage deepened as several oil lines and the oil filter were ripped from the chassis. Without oil circulating, the engine died and the entire drivetrain was crippled. The decision to repair the truck at the team's nearby raceshop was quickly given priority. However the crew had to remain at the track until Carl completed the Unlimited-2 race.
As Carl switched gears, he jumped into the Unlimited-2 truck and the race was on. It seemed that Team Renezeder's luck had turned around as Carl pulled away from the pack with a 10-car lead! As fate would have it, the huge lead promptly vanished on the last lap when the right rear tire shredded to pieces. Carl was driving aggressively and the tire couldn't hold up to the extreme pressure. With Todd LeDuc gaining on the injured truck, Carl skirmished for the lead until the final turn where Todd pulled away and took the win. It was a close race, but in the end Carl would take the second-place position on the podium.
As the LOORRS Round 7 came to an end, the team devised a plan of attack to repair the Unlimited-4 truck and restore the Unlimited-2 truck back to race-ready condition for the following day of competition. Half of the crew hauled the Unlimited-4 truck to the raceshop located in Lake Forest, California while the other half remained at the racetrack with the Unlimited-2 vehicle. The following day, the team had prepped the U2 truck and installed a fresh AEM DRYFLOW air filter. By 8am, all crewmembers converged at the raceshop to ensure the U4 truck was race ready. At 5pm, the team pulled into the Lake Elsinore Motorsports Complex just in time for a two-lap shakedown with only two hours before the start of the race.
A few laps into the eighth round of Unlimited-4 and Carl pulled ahead of the pack. It seemed that all of the team's efforts were going to pay off, however the excitement was short lived as the radiator cap blew off. As the Crew Chief, Mike Seat, attempted to communicate to Carl through the radio, it was apparent that Carl's radio wasn't working. It wasn't until the mandatory yellow flag that Mike was able to replace the radiator cap but it was too late and the truck DNF'd (Did Not Finish).
The Unlimited-4 DNF took a toll on the spirits of the already exhausted team. With one more race to go, the crew gathered themselves and made sure the U2 truck was staged for racing. In the Unlimited-2 race, the problems surfaced early on as the rear brakes gave out along with other underlying issues that ate away at the truck. The trained racer didn't forfeit however and did what he could with no braking power. Carl amazingly locked in the second-place win, but seized the engine as the checkered flag was waved.
After the race, Carl concluded "It's weekends like this that make us appreciate the good ones". Even though the team was put through the ringer during the weekend, it really validates the merits of the team and demonstrates what true championship teams are made of.
Amidst the hardships, Team Renezeder managed to maintain their reign over the championship point's standings. The two 2nd place finishes in Unlimited-2 moved Carl from 5th in points to 1st with a four point lead over Jeff Ward. In the Unlimited-4 division, Carl's 24-point lead was narrowed to only four points, however he still holds the first-place standing in points. Hopefully Team Renezeder's luck turns around in time for the next LOORRS race on October 17th and 18th at the Speedworld Off-Road Park in Surprise, Arizona.
The European segment within the Sport Compact community has made a huge impact in the automotive scene. Exciting releases from renowned Euro manufacturers have helped to fuel the Euro markets popularity to another level. Such releases include the 1-Series BMW stuffed with a six-cylinder twin-turbo engine and the V8-powered E92 BMW M3. Even a couple years back, Volkswagen stirred up the industry with their R32 while Audi showed what dreams are made of with the Audi R8.
A modified Audi A4 is seen here in Audi's Ibis White color
Audi's Brilliant Black color is seen here on a modified A4 model
Along with great cars, the Euro community brings a style that is proprietary to their clique as well. Often times, this Euro-inspired look ignites others in the sport compact community to adopt the Euro style or technique of tuning. A handful of key Euro styling trademarks are now considered mainstream to import and domestic enthusiasts alike. Extremely clean lines, subtle exterior arrangements, ridiculously-low ride heights and aggressively-deep offset wheels are all style queues that we can thank the European enthusiasts for.
AEM's new Cold Air Intake System for the 2005-2008 Audi A4 2.0L Turbo (PN: 21-681C)
Another gift that came from the Euro scene in the mid nineties was the compact Audi A4. Since the German car manufacturer introduced the A4 model in 1994, the A4 has become a staple in the European car lineup. The A4 chassis is offered in a variety of configurations. It is available in front-wheel drive or in Audi's 'Quattro' permanent four-wheel drive system. The A4 is also available as a sedan (saloon), a wagon (Avant), and previously as a convertible (Cabriolet). Performance spinoffs of the A4 are also offered, such as the slightly higher performance Audi S4 and of course the race inspired Audi RS4.
For enthusiasts looking to get into a European vehicle, the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 (B7 chassis) of the Audi A4 is a great option. The popular engine choice for the B7 would be Audi's 2.0-liter turbocharged FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) powerplant. This engine features an increased power output from previous years bringing power up to 200 horsepower. An excellent way to increase the performance of the Audi A4's 2.0 TFSI engine is AEM's newly-released Cold Air Intake System, Part Number 21-681C.
AEM's 21-681C Cold Air Intake System for the 2005 (from 6/05) to 2008 Audi A4 2.0L is CARB exempt for these models which means it is 50 state street legal. The intake features a semi-closed heat shield design, a powder coated gun metal gray finish, and a DRYFLOW air filter. AEM engineers created a heat shield that fits snugly into the space between the right headlight and exhaust manifold with the turbocharger. The engineers also took the extra step of molding a heat shield that fits both HID headlight equipped and non-HID headlight equipped models. To withstand the high engine bay temperatures seen under the hood of the Audi, AEM has covered the heat shields in a durable powder coated black finish. Connecting directly to the turbo inlet, the AEM kit includes a smooth mandrel-bent aluminum inlet pipe that replaces the restrictive factory equipment from filter to turbo. Once the intake pipe is connected to the turbo inlet with the supplied transition coupler, the other end is topped with an AEM DRYFLOW 21-202DK performance air filter. The 21-202DK air filter's construction consists of an inside diameter of 2.75-inches (70mm) by a height of 5.25-inches (133mm). Another nice feature of the AEM Audi A4 intake is the retention of the factory fresh air duct which draws in cool air from the front fascia of the A4.
AEM Induction Systems' line of universal performance air filters continues to expand with
the release of DRYFLOW air filter part
21-2113DK. DRYFLOW air filters are made of performance synthetic non-woven filter media that does not require oil.
This filter is easy to clean and it is very durable.
AEM's new 21-2113DK DRYFLOW Cone Air Filter
This cutaway illustration shows the reinforced cage inside an AEM DRYFLOW air filter
The
21-2113DK
provides a height that is in between the two other 3.25 inch inside diameter
flange universal air filters currently available. The flange or inlet of the air filter is centered on the base. The clamping area or ''Flange Length'' measures 1.5-inches, which gives plenty of space
in most applications to fasten a hose clamp on the filter to an intake. The outside diameter of the base is 6-inches. The 6-inch base tapers up the top which has an outside diameter of 5.125-inches. The length of the air filter is 7-inches.
AEM's DRYFLOW air filter uses an oil-free filtration technology, meaning the filters do not use oil so there is no chance of over-oiling which takes the guesswork out of servicing.
The oil free filter media allows much of the surface dirt to vibrate free.
This can extend the filter's service life. AEM DRYFLOW filters use an environmentally friendly, mild, all-purpose cleaner. You
can also knock the filter a few times to remove excess dirt off the filter pleats. DRYFLOW is so durable that the media can withstand almost unlimited cleanings and resist water absorption without
significant degradation of the filter.
For more information and full specs, visit the
21-2113DK product page. If the
21-2113DK filter isn't the right size for your
needs, find another cone intake filter using the
DRYFLOW Air Filter Size Chart.
AEM Induction Systems recently launched a new website at
AEMIntakes.com.
The new website focuses on AEM's automotive air filter products including cold
air intakes, short ram intakes, Brute Force air intakes for trucks and Dryflow
air filters. The new site has improved functionality and more information so
consumers can find the perfect product for their automotive performance needs.
The new AEM Website is easy to use and find AEM products
Improved product search functionality makes it easier than ever to find AEM air intakes.
On the new website users can
search by car or truck using the year, make,
model and engine size of a vehicle. The products returned have more images
and include all product data available. For users that aren't sure of
their year, make, model, or engine size a
search by VIN
has been added. Simply enter your car or truck's VIN number from the dash
and get a full list of AEM products that fit it. Finally there is a product number search
for those that know their AEM part number and want information about it like
installation instructions, images, and power charts.
The website contains detailed information and features of
AEM's air intake systems including Cold Air Intake Systems, Short Ram Intake Systems, Duel Chamber Air Intakes, Hybrid Systems, Brute Force Air Intakes and the Brute Force HD Systems for diesel applications.
Benefits and features of AEM Dryflow Air Filters is also available to provide a deeper understanding of the AEM's
oil free filter technology and the benefits related to using it.
Round straight and tapered (Cone)
clamp-on universal dryflow air filters
with full dimensions are available on AEMIntakes.com. If you know the flange inside diameter
you need and the available space you can use the chart to find AEM dryflow air filters for your need.
