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AEM Induction Systems Sponsors New Formula DRIFT Halftime Show

Formula Drift AEM induction systems Halftime Show logo

Formula DRIFT Halftime Show sponsored by AEM Induction Systems

AEM Induction Systems is proud to announce that it will be partnering with Formula DRIFT – the world’s premier competitive drifting series – to bring fans a brand new Formula Drift halftime show for the 2018 season. AEM is sponsoring the show which will be available to event spectators as well as viewers of the Formula DRIFT livestream broadcast.

AEM Induction Systems has a long history with Formula DRIFT. In the last 10 years, its sponsored drivers have won six FD championships. AEM also uses the extreme environment created by the series to validate the effectiveness of their filters.

Beginning with the Formula DRIFT final round at Irwindale Speedway in 2016, and at several FD rounds during 2017, AEM Induction Systems hosted the Maximum Driftcast halftime podcast from its booth in the paddock area. These shows were extremely popular with both FD fans and the Team AEM sponsored drivers thanks to some great story lines and interaction with the fans.

At the same time, Formula DRIFT was investigating different ways to expand its live broadcast. It has one of the most viewed livestreams in the world, reaching more than 2.5M fans annually. The series wanted to provide more stories to its fans and bring greater insight at each event, so it made perfect sense for Formula DRIFT and AEM Induction Systems to team up for 2018 to present the Formula DRIFT / AEM Halftime Show with Maximum Driftcast throughout the 2018 season.

maximum driftcast hosts Corey Hosford, Paco Ibarra and Sam Nalven in car

Maximum Driftcast Hosts Corey Hosford, Paco Ibarra and Sam Nalven

Two more key Formula DRIFT partners, Nexen Tire and Motegi Racing, will also be on board as supporting brands, adding more content and features to the halftime show.

Maximum Driftcast has become a leading outlet for drivers to announce breaking news, tell their stories, and connect with fans like never before. Frequently, fans catch drivers off guard with tough questions, and those moments are what make the show so great. Along with the humor, knowledge, and passion from the hosts Corey Hosford, Paco Ibarra and Sam Nalven. These elements will now be brought to the big screen, with FD fans being able to enjoy the Formula DRIFT / AEM Halftime Show from the event venue or on their mobile devices via the livestream.

It can be viewed by accessing formulad.com/live during any live event as well as major platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. The schedule for each event is available at formuladrift.com

Kristaps Bluss Showed His BMW E92 Eurofighter in the Motul Booth at SEMA 2017

Click the video link to hear all the details about Kristaps' Eurofighter and what makes it tick

Click the video link to hear all the details about Kristaps' Eurofighter and what makes it tick

The HGK Motorsports E92 BMW drift fighter was supposed to make its show debut under the AEM tent last month at the Formula D finale at Irwindale. Instead, it was pressed into service as the 2017 car was about to launch its engine and driver Kristaps Blušs sat third in points. Rather than sit out the round, the Latvian driver strapped into the E92 Eurofighter and made it into the top 8, knocked out by the eventual winner.

What separates the E92 Eurofighter from most drift cars is its body is almost entirely made of composites. Rather than overfenders, new fenders were molded from a kevlar/carbon weave from strength and durability, along with other parts likely to contact other cars. Only the roof and rear window surround are pure carbon. Kristaps estimates the car is 90% covered in composites, which drops about 34% of the weight of a road-going E92. Power comes from a Dart aluminum small blocked bored and stroked to 427 CID built by Mast Motorsports that produces 900 horsepower without any forced induction, but drawn through a sizeable AEM panel filter.

Behind the mighty mouse motor is a Samsonas 5-speed sequential transmission to a Winters Performance quick-change rear. Brakes are from Wilwood, shocks from Nitron, and tires from Achilles. About AEM, Kristaps comments that “we’ve been working with AEM for five years. They give us service and quality – they’re perfect partners.” And now you’ll have a chance to see the HGK Motorsports E92 sitting still in the AEM Booth 22755 at the 2017 SEMA Show or watch the video about this amazing car.

A Mast Motorsports 427ci behemoth powers Kristaps Bluss' BMW E92

A Mast Motorsports 427ci behemoth powers Kristaps Bluss' BMW E92

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Chris Forsberg's Insane SR20DET-Powered Datsun 510 Wagon Debuts at SEMA 2017

Click the video to hear what Chris Forsberg has to say about his wife's new grocery getter

Click the video to hear what Chris Forsberg has to say about his wife's new grocery getter

Three-time Formula D Champion Chris Forsberg just can’t leave well enough alone. He purchased a clean and straight 1972 Datsun 510 wagon off of Craigslist for his wife Michelle to drive. But before she knew it, the talented drifter and car builder was tearing the PL-510 down to the bare chassis to make it a more modern, powerful, safer, and more street-able daily driver. The first step was to remove all rust from the 45-year-old car and replace it with fresh metal.

First displayed as a completed project at the AEM booth at the 2017 SEMA Show, the 510 wagon proved to be a real show-stopper. While the project started out in Chris’s two-car garage, it was clear he needed some space/help so the whole operation was moved over to RAD Industries.

Starting underneath the car all the worn ball joints and bushings and tired shocks have been replaced by a Techo Toy Tuning front end including a coil-over conversion, various rods and links, and a pair of camber plates for up on top of the inner fender.

The original Safari Gold paint was reapplied, but with metal flake and a clear coat top

Much work was required to fit the flairs. Check out the prototype rear suspension and the rear discs

At the rear is a custom four-bar plus Panhard bar solution (remember Datsun 510 wagons were fitted with solid rear axles and not IRS) also developed by Techno Toy Tuning that utilizes coilovers to replace the leaf springs and shocks.

Under the hood is a full-tilt SR20DET by Mazworx in Florida. It’s literally one of those “best of everything” builds: an oversized tapered conical AEM air filter, carbon billet intake manifold, top-mounted Garrett GTX turbocharger, Supertech valvetrain, JE pistons, all held together with ARP hardware. An oversized aluminum racing radiator replaces the tiny stock unit. Backing up this drift-worthy motor is an upgraded automatic so as Chris says “you won’t be splashing your morning coffee when you’re trying to shift gears.”

The exterior features CarbonSignal full-flared fenders, a real trick on a PL-510 wagon which required three separate pieces to align perfectly. The body was sprayed by Sam’s Autoland in the original factory Safari Gold with some added metallic and a clear coat too, as Chris puts it “give it that extra shine we’re looking for.” The stock color also helps to keep its Q-Ship factor low, but it has been fitted with a 2000GT-X Skyline grille, for the cognoscenti to recognize this is no ordinary wagon as if the lack of front and rear bumpers and the addition of a front spoiler weren’t enough.

The turbocharged Nissan SRD20 engine fits in the 510 wagon like a glove

The engine bay is super sanitary. Any unneeded holes were welded and ground smooth before paint

Wheels are massive era-appropriate Speedstar MKIII, which Chris modified to what he believes are the largest rear wheels ever fitted to a 510 wagon. Behind the wheels is a big brake kit from Techno Toy Tuning that features Wilwood calipers on all four corners.

Interior comforts have not been forgotten as, after all, this is supposed to be a daily driver. Dynamat was installed around the interior to keep engine and chassis noise down, while a modern air conditioning system has been fitted along with the Los Angeles-mandatory GPS system. Reclining Recaro seats keep driver and passengers secure and comfortable.

Chris has been an AEM-supported driver for a number of years, but with the number of choices out there why does he favor AEM? “We choose AEM because we’re always looking for reliability, even in our street cars. AEM has such a wide variety of intakes that they’ll fit any car you’re looking for, whether it’s a street car or a race car. We want to make sure we keep all the particles out of the engine because if you let any of those particles through, you’re going to have a failure.”

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Dylan Hughes Transitions From Mechanic to Formula D Pro 2 Drifting Sensation

Dylan Hughes pilots his V8-powered Nissan S13 drift car at Evergreen Speedway in Seattle, WA

Dylan Hughes pilots his V8-powered Nissan S13 drift car at Evergreen Speedway in Seattle, WA

In high school, Dylan Hughes was into lifted trucks and rock crawling. After growing up in a household with a dad who was into racing cars and dirt bikes, it didn’t take long for Hughes to get tired of moving slowly. Hughes was initially exposed to drifting via Youtube when a friend who was into drifting showed him some videos, and it triggered memories of riding freestyle dirt bikes, but with cars. Soon after, Hughes had purchased a 240SX. As is typically the case, Hughes quickly moved from the stock KA24 engine to a Japanese SR20DET. After that motor had met its’ demise, Hughes started to look into power upgrade options and stumbled upon the “Tuerck’d” and “Drift Garage” Youtube series. Hughes got motivated and decided to swap his 240SX to a V8 engine, which he completed in his garage with his dad.

Hughes took out Josh Robinson in the FInal 4 of the Pro 2 event at Evergreen Speedway

Hughes took out Josh Robinson in the FInal 4 of the Pro 2 event at Evergreen Speedway

The V8 swap went relatively smoothly thanks in large part to Hughes’ fabrication skills. When he was into trucks, Hughes became the go-to for all of his friends to build tube bumpers and rock sliders for those trucks. Shortly after high school, Hughes would get a job working at the famed Dirtfish Rally school outside of Seattle, Washington, and worked his way from grading the courses to helping with some of the general mechanical upkeep of the cars. In 2013, Travis Pastrana’s foray into Global Rallycross was supported by the Dirtfish school, and Hughes would help out with the racing team when they were testing at the school. Hughes would get to know the team, and even help out as a mechanic at a few events. Through a twist of fate, Hughes would meet Brian Wilkerson at SEMA in 2013 while working for the Pastrana GRC team, and Wilkerson would ask Hughes to help turn wrenches for Forsberg Racing as they expanded to a two-car team in 2014 with Jhonnattan Castro behind the wheel of the second car. Forsberg would go on to win the 2014 championship, and Hughes would become a go-to helper for the CFR team.

Hughes faced Matt Vankirk in the final but fell just short of the event win at his first Pro 2 event

Hughes faced Matt Vankirk in the final but fell just short of the event win at his first Pro 2 event

Hughes would move from the Pacific Northwest to live near Baltimore, Maryland before the 2015 season to work fulltime at MA Motorsports, the shop run by CFR crew chief Wilkerson. Putting his fabrication skills to work, Hughes would become the “roll cage guy” at the shop and caged more than 20 cars in his time at MA Motorsports. Hughes is quick to credit Derek Nelson at Dirftfish for teaching him many tricks to automotive fabrication, and continued to see his skills develop while at MA Motorsports. After watching drifting from the pits for nearly two years, Hughes decided to enter the final US Drift ProAm event of the season in 2015, a decision which would re-ignite his passion for driving. Hughes placed second at the event, and made the commitment to run the entire US Drift ProAm series in 2016 to focus on his own driving career.

With the guidance and knowledge from working with Wilkerson, Forsberg, and the CFR team, Wilkerson was able to win the US Drift ProAm championship in 2016, which granted him a Formula Drift Pro 2 license for the 2017 season. After CFR and MA Motorsports parted ways, Hughes returned to his West Coast roots and returned to work at Dirtfish Rally School as a driving instructor. His success in the US Drift championship helped him build his credentials as a driver, and some additional training allowed him to start to teach others about car control and driving techniques while on gravel and dirt.

Forsberg rushed Hughes in the winners' circle to celebrate his 2nd place finish

Forsberg rushed Hughes in the winners' circle to celebrate his 2nd place finish

Unfortunately, running the entire 2017 Pro 2 season wasn’t an option from the get-go. With Hughes living in Washington and the first event in Orlando, Florida, more than 3,000 miles away, just showing up to the first event would have cost more than running the entire US Drift ProAm series the season before. While Hughes had the support of a few sponsors, the decision to skip the first two Pro 2 events allowed him to save budget and focus on driving at an event that was local to him. Formula Drift rolled into Evergreen Speedway outside of Seattle for the third round of the 2017 Pro 2 season, and Hughes decided to enter to see where he stacked up against the rest of the Pro 2 field. During Thursday qualifying, Hughes would take Q3 in qualifying, showing he could drive the line that judges requested during the drivers briefing. As the tandem ladder would shape up, Hughes would defeat Gyorgy Szilveszter in the Top 16, Travis Reeder in the Top 8, and Josh Robinson in the Final 4 before finally falling to Matt Vankirk in the final. Finishing in second place was far ahead of expectations for Hughes, and Forsberg was one of the first to rush to the winner's circle to congratulate him.

Hughes sat out the final round of the 2017 Pro 2 season but is eyeing a possible full season run in 2018 knowing his driving skills are on par with the best drivers in the class.

Dylan Hughes earned 2nd place at his first Formula D Pro 2 event at Evergreen Speedway

Dylan Hughes earned 2nd place at his first Formula D Pro 2 event at Evergreen Speedway

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AEM-Sponsored Formula Drift Drivers Bring Home Trophies in 14th Season

Fredric Aasbo claimed his 10th career victory at Montreal, most all-time in FD History

Fredric Aasbo claimed his 10th career victory at Montreal, most all-time in FD History

Over the course of the 2017 season, AEM’s sponsored drivers took home seven trophies, including two event wins, and had a combined tandem record of 55-37. Overall, the drivers debuted three new cars over the course of the season, with much fanfare. AEM drivers played a part in the OEM championship (Toyota Racing), the Tire Manufacturer Championship (Falken Tire), and two drivers finished in the Top 5 of the final Formula Drift championship standings.

Fredric Aasbo debuted his Toyota Corolla iM this year and contributed to Toyota's OEM Championsh

Fredric Aasbo debuted his Toyota Corolla iM this year and contributed to Toyota's OEM Championship

Leading the way, Fredric Aasbo kicked off the season by debuting his new Toyota Corolla iM chassis and pushed the car to an event win in just its’ second competitive event in Orlando. Aasbo would win again in Canada, and in doing so, would become the first driver to earn ten event wins over his Formula Drift career. Overall, Aasbo finished in second place for the third time in four seasons, with his championship in 2015 being the sole time he didn’t finish in second place. Aasbo also joined Ken Gushi and Ryan Tuerck in contributing towards the OEM Championship for Toyota, their first manufacturer championship in Formula Drift. Aasbo also contributed to manufacturer wins with Toyota’s sister company Scion in 2014, 2015, and 2016 prior to the Scion brand being sunsetted.

Kristaps Bluss debuted his E92 "Eurofighter" chassis at the Formula D season finale at Irw

Kristaps Bluss debuted his E92 "Eurofighter" chassis at the Formula D season finale at Irwindale

Kristaps Bluss had a breakout year in Formula Drift this season, earning three podium finishes and a career-best finish of fifth in the final championship table. Bluss’ E46 BMW chassis was frequently one of the fastest cars on the grid, and after an unfortunate issue on the dyno prior to Irwindale put the E46 on the sideline for the weekend, Bluss debuted his E92 “Eurofighter” car ahead of the planned 2018 unveiling. Bluss made the Top 16 at every round this season, one of only three drivers to accomplish that through the eight-event season. In just his third season of competition in the US, Bluss has become one of the most feared competitors with his HGK Motorsports drift team.

Chris Forsberg's twin-turbocharged 370z earned second place at Formula Drift Texas

Chris Forsberg's twin-turbocharged 370z earned second place at Formula Drift Texas

Coming off the 2016 championship, Chris Forsberg made the decision to switch from the V8 powerplant that he has run for the past eleven seasons to the original V6 powerplant that came in the Nissan 370z chassis he pilots in the series. Some testing issues pushed the debut of the car back to New Jersey, and the change took a few events to get back to their winning ways. Forsberg would pilot the twin-turbocharged Nissan VQ37 engine to a second place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, his first trophy in a turbocharged car since he won the Formula Drift Irwindale event back in 2005 in an SR20-powered Nissan S15. Overall, development of the new car pushed the team further down the final championship table than they would have liked, but they feel confident going into 2018. The second place finish was Forsberg’s 34th career podium, a high water mark in Formula Drift history. Forsberg continues to be one of only three drivers to have competed at every Formula Drift event to date, a total of 96 through the end of the 2017 season.

Matt Field contributed to the Tire Manufacturer Championship for his Falken Tire sponsor in Montreal

Matt Field contributed to the Tire Manufacturer Championship for his Falken Tire sponsor in Montreal

With back-to-back wins and a fifth place overall finish to end the 2016 season, Matt Field felt like 2017 was his year to challenge for a championship. Unfortunately, Field couldn’t add to his trophy collection over the course of the 2017 season and finished in 17th overall in the championship. His Top 8 finish in Montreal would contribute 52 points towards the Tire Championship for Falken Tire, a championship title which Falken won for the second consecutive season. Field has already announced that he will be retiring the Nissan S14 chassis that he has piloted since 2012, instead moving to a 2013 C6 Chevy Corvette for the 2018 season.

Dan Burkett faced a tough Rookie season adapting from Formula D Pro 2 to the Pro class

Dan Burkett faced a tough Rookie season adapting from Formula D Pro 2 to the Pro class

Dan Burkett faced a tough rookie effort in the premiere Pro class of Formula Drift, having graduated from the Pro 2 class that he ran in 2016 with the same Toyota Supra chassis. Burkett earned his first tandem victory in the Pro class at Seattle, knocking out Kyle Mohan in the Round of 32 before losing to eventual event winner and season champ James Deane in the Top 16. Burkett used 2017 as a learning and development year and plans to return in 2018 with a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in the top class of Formula Drift.

AEM thanks all of their drivers for their hard work over the course of the 2017 season, and is thankful for all the success they have seen while utilizing AEM products. We look forward to continuing to work with our drivers in 2018 and beyond!

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