Last weekend we braved triple-digit temperatures for another thriller in Las Vegas, NV. While Wuste and MFest will remain at the top of our events list in Sin City, round 5 of the 2010 Formula Drift series caught our attention at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With drifting as the headlining event, there was also drag racing, car show and monster truck demo to draw in a sold-out crowd. But you might be asking yourself why we’re interested in this Japanese-focused motorsport. Typically we don’t care about drifting, but we were excited to see our boy Michael Essa return to the track with his E92 BMW 335i featured on the cover of et 8/10.
If you missed the feature on Essa’s car, you can read about it HERE. To recap, this isn’t your typical 335i. Under the hood houses a 5.0 liter V10 engine from the E60 M5. It’s upgraded with AEM intakes, Pectel engine management and a custom exhaust and fuel pump setup thanks to GSR Autosport – the Anaheim-based shop responsible for the car. To prep the E92 for sliding sideways, suspension, drivetrain and brakes were built to spec with a six-speed Quaife sequential tranny, quick-change rear diff, custom driveshaft, KW coilovers, Wilwood brakes and a four-piston hydraulic hand-brake. On the outside, the fenders and bumpers were pulled; however for the Vegas event, Essa’s repainted the car from a drab black to more eye-catching grey.
Because this is the first European car that’s been specifically modified for the Formula D series, it inevitably caught our attention. However, since this is its first season in competition, it has had some hiccups. The first round in Long Beach experienced technical problems which caused it to crash and not qualify. Round two showed signs of hope as the car finished 4th overall, but in rounds 3 and 4, Essa was knocked out in the Top 32.
We were crossing our fingers for glory and a podium finish in Vegas. Essa started out at Friday’s qualifying looking pretty good but was only able to achieve 27th place. Because of his placement, he was pitted against Tyler McQuarrie who qualified 6th in the first round. The competition was close but Tyler won the round and eventually went on to win the whole event in his Nissan 350Z.
Currently 23rd overall, it’s unlikely Essa will be able to bounce back with only two events left. But we’re certain the experience this year will help prepare Essa for a better 2011 season. If you want to check out his E92 racer this year, Formula D Infineon arrives September 10-11 and the Irwindale Finals is on October 8-9. For more information and details visit the Formula DRIFT website at: www.formuladrift.com
Please enjoy these photos from the car show. Because of the insane temperatures, the show lacked a high number of display cars and foot traffic. Why don’t they plan this thing in the winter? Despite the heat, there were still a few cool cars which caught our eyes...