Last Sunday, November 16th, the drifting community welcomed two Euros. For the first time, Formula Drift, held its World Championship presented by Red Bull at the Port of Long Beach. The event invited 32 top level drifters from around the world. This included several from Asia, Canada, and our two Euro representatives from the Netherlands.

Both cars regularly compete in the International Drift Series in Europe. The first is Remmo Niezen who brought his E30 M3 V8. Unfortunately he lost in the first round against Rhys Millen who ended up winning the championship. The car was impressive to see with its extreme widebody and Testorosa-style doors.
The other car was campaigned by Paul Vlasblom. He surprised the judges and the crowd with his E36 Touring. It was the only wagon in competition and nearly made it to the second round of competition.
Although, both BMWs didn’t finish high in the rankings, it was a great effort for trying in the drifting community. But it goes to show that Euros are better for real road course racing!

As for the winners of the event, they are no strangers to the North American drift scene. Rhys Millen took home first place with his Pontiac Solstice. Second place belonged to teammate Dajiro Yoshihara with a Pontiac GTO. Third place was won by former champion Tanner Foust and his Nissan 350Z.
 “All the teams, fans, sponsors, supporters and especially Red Bull and the City of Long Beach made the Red Bull Drifting World Championship truly historical event,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We were able to bring the entire drifting world together under one roof and made for one of the best drifting competitions ever.”
The event was highlighted by an extremely fast entry and six technical turns. Event winner Millen set the speed bar high by also claiming the highest entry speed with 103.7mph during the finals. The track proved to be challenging with many drivers falling victim to the walls and barricades and other drivers stepping up to show off their total car control.
We’re excited to see the action next year and hope some hardcore Euro drifters will place higher. For more information, visit www.formulad.com.