KW automotive » O’Sullivan captures runner-up position at Formula D Seattle

O’Sullivan captures runner-up position at Formula D Seattle ( 08.13.2009 )

Dynamic Autosports – Press Release

Lake Forest, Calif. – August 12, 2009 – Evergreen Speedway, located in the heart of Monroe, Washington, hosted the highly anticipated Round 5 of the Formula Drift Championship. With the cars prepped after a strong performance at the Las Vegas Event, the Dynamic Autosports / Hankook Tire Drift Team arrives in full force ready to practice on the Washington State high speed course. Eric O’Sullivan and Robbie Nishida completed several laps around the track and comfortably moved onto the qualifying round for the main 32-car event. With a strong performance by the drivers, who are equipped with the ultra high performing Hankook Ventus RS-3 Tires, the entire Hankook Tire Drift Team qualified into the main event, securing strong positions for the main competition the following day.

In the Top 32, Eric O’Sullivan faced off with veteran Formula Drift driver Kenji Yamanaka, with Eric leading the first run. Starting strong O’Sullivan took a high line along Evergreen’s high speed bank, gaining a staggering lead against Yamanaka, and topping it off with a strong finish. Changing positions, O’Sullivan chased Yamanaka, staying door to door with his competitor, scoring high and winning the Tandem bout. Robbie took on Joon Maeng; Robbie led first with a deep angled drift along the high section of the bank with Joon close by. Robbie chased Joon on the second run, staying only inches behind, and during the infield transition Joon slipped wide on a corner and and Robbie went for the pass, sealing his victory. Ryuji Miki faced last years 4th place overall contender Daijiro Yoshihara, but after suffering a major crash during practice Daijiro is unable to run. Eric, Robbie and Ryuji all moved onto the Top 16.

In the Top 16, Eric faced off with Drift Emporium’s Jodin Lejeune in his V8 Supercharged Infiniti G35. Leading first, O’Sullivan aggressively dove into the long bank of corner one, creating a large gap between his competitor and him. Maintaining his distance, O’Sullivan finished a strong first run. Chasing his supercharged V8 competitor, O’Sullivan took an aggressive line through the power section, leaving no room for Lejeune to escape, earning Eric a spot in the Great 8. Ryuji is paired to chase Tony Brakiohiapa in the first round. After completing an impressive run, Ryuji pushed the APEX’i RX-7 to it’s very limits having led run 2, he scrubbed the wall by taking an aggressive line, finishing the event in the top 16. Robbie faced Ryan Tuerck beginning with Robbie chasing closely behind Tuerck, and Tuerck scrubbed the wall. After leading a strong chase, Robbie finished in the Top 16 in the event and remains the Top Hankook Driver and a season contender for the championship in points overall at a strong standing of 7th place and Ryuji 17th place out of 45 drivers.

In the Great 8, Eric O’Sullivan took on Tony Brakiohiapa. With Tony leading the first run, Eric aggressively chased his competitor across the Washington course. Changing positions, O’Sullivan led another strong run against Tony ending with the judges calling for a One More Time. In their second bout, Tony led again staying high along the bank, but O’Sullivan kept a tight chase, pressuring his competitor. Tony pitched too wide on the inner corners of the track, and giving Eric room for to pass Tony. Leading the next tandem, Eric dove into the bank, running a high line, pulled away from Tony, winning the tandem battle and moving Eric onto the Final 4 round.

In the Semi Final Round, Eric took on Falken Tire’s Vaughn Gitten Jr., with Vaughn leading first and Eric giving chase. Riding the wall, Vaughn takes a strong line, but Eric stays right on him, not letting up. In the second run while Eric led, there was a major crash on the bank of the course. After the Judges deliberated over the cause of the crash, the ruling was in Eric’s favor; he won the battle and moved onto the final round, but due to the damage was unable to participate in the final round, earning him the 2nd place win and setting him up as the major contender for the coveted Rookie of the Year.

Congratulations to Eric O’Sullivan in the Dynamic Autosports / Hankook Tire Subaru WRX for winning 2nd place Overall and Robbie Nishida in the Dynamic Autosports / Hankook Tire 350z and Ryuji Miki for finishing in the top 16 at Formula Drift: Round 5 at Evergreen Speedway.

Team Dynamic Autosports with the Hankook Tire/Dynamic Autosports 350z & Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Subaru STi would like to thank all our sponsors:

Hankook Tires, Rockstar Energy Drink, Seibon, APR Performance, Brian Crower, ACT Clutches, Weds Sport, Enkei Wheels, Status, APEXi, KW Suspension, HPI Racing, AEM, C-West, Crooks and Castles, Attic Clothing, JE Pistons, Portflow, PPG, Nissan, Subaru, Raydog Graphics, Instyle Graphics and Driveshaft Shop

Team APEXi/ Hankook Tire would like to extend a special thanks to: Exedy Clutch, RMagic, Bride, NGK Spark Plugs, SEIBON Carbon, and Torco Oil