CENTER LINE, Mich. — After leading the Formula D Drift points race for the entire year, Team Mopar’s Samuel Hubinette fell to second following the Round 5 event at Seattle. The heat was on and it was crunch time entering Round 6 at New Jersey’s Wall Township Speedway. Hubinette knew it was do or die. The “Crazy Swede” had to deliver.

And deliver he did, piloting his NuFormz Racing Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 to his third win of the season on Saturday, taking a 36-point lead over Rhys Millen entering the last event, scheduled for October 14 at Irwindale Speedway in California. If Hubinette, the inaugural 2004 Formula D champ, emerges on top after Irwindale, he will have earned his second championship in the first three years of the series.

Hubinette had his best qualifying effort of the year, taking the second spot and knocking out Seigo Yamamoto in the Top 16, followed by Kenji Yamanaka in the Great Eight round and Hiro Sumida in the Final Four, setting up a final round match-up against Tanner Foust. With his win over Foust, Hubinette now has notched eight career Formula D event victories.

“Coming out of Seattle and dropping down from the points lead was hard to deal with,” Hubinette said. “I had a rough time at this track last year, and I was so hungry when we got to New Jersey to climb up as high as possible in the points race heading into Irwindale. It’s still a battle and anything can happen, but our performance here definitely gives us room to breathe.”

“This was a great team effort,” said Shaun Carlson, owner of NuFormz Racing. “Sam was on his game the entire weekend, and Kenny [Nevins] and the entire NuFormz Racing crew really earned their keep at New Jersey. If we want to win the championship, we can’t have any let up at Irwindale. The competition is just too tough to let our game slip.”

“If we can win the championship, it would be very important to me,” Hubinette added. “If we put the Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10 at top of the standings for the second time in three years, it would definitely be a great feeling for myself and Mopar.”

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Title: BioShock(tm)
Platforms: Xbox 360, PC DVD-ROM
Publisher: 2K
Developer: Irrational Games
Release Date: Spring 2007
ESRB: RP

BioShock is a revolution in the shooter genre that will forever change the expectations for the FPS. Going beyond “run and gun corridors,” “monster-closet AIs” and static worlds, BioShock creates a living, unique and unpredictable FPS experience. BioShock is the Shooter 2.0.

After your plane crashes into icy uncharted waters, you discover a rusted bathysphere and descend into Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea. Constructed as an idealistic society for a hand picked group of scientists, artists and industrialists, the idealism is no more. Now the city is littered with corpses, wildly powerful guardians roam the corridors as little girls loot the dead, and genetically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn.

Make meaningful choices and mature decisions, ultimately culminating in the grand question: do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture…or save them?

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The MOTEGI GT300km race, Round 7 of the 2006 AUTOBACS SUPER GT, took place at Twin Ring Motegi (one lap 4.801 km) in Tochigi Pref. on September 10, and the RAYBRIG NSX driven by Sebastien Philippe and Shinya Hosokawa raced to their first victory of the season in the GT500 class.

Blessed by fair weather, the race started at 14:00. From the pole position, Philippe pulled away from the pack to run alone in the lead, and he held that lead until he turned over the wheel to his teammate, Hosokawa. Aside from giving up 1st position momentarily for its routine pit stop, the team maintained its lead throughout the race.

This was the second consecutive win here at Twin Ring Motegi for the RAYBRIG NSX team, following last season's victory. This win also put Philippe and Hosokawa on top of the drivers ranking in a tie with the No. 36 Lexus SC team drivers Juichi Wakisaka and Andre Lottere. With two races remaining in the series and little difference in the point standings from 3rd and below, there is sure to be plenty of hot racing ahead.

In the GT300 class, the JIM CENTER FERRARI DUNLOP machine driven by Tetsuya Tanaka and Takayuki Aoki came from second position on the GT300 class grid to claim the class victory. （Spectators: 50:000）

■ Winner comments

No.100 RAYBRIG NSX [GT500]
Sebastien Philippe: "It has been the greatest weekend. The car's condition was good the whole time. I am grateful to everyone on the team. We owe this second consecutive Motegi victory to Honda and the fans who have cheered us on. I really want to thank everyone. This means that we will be carrying handicap weights at Autopolis, but that is a track where we have had very good test results. So, I want to try to win as many points as possible there." Shinya Hosokawa: "The machine was perfect. I knew that if I didn't make any mistakes and ran the machine at 100% of its potential we would win the race. I am very glad because that is exactly what happened."

No.11 JIM CENTER FERARRI DUNLOP [GT300]
Tetsuya Tanaka: "This is fantastic! Also, this is our first victory since Aoki and I have been driving together. It's the first time we have won on a dry track since changing to this machine, and that is something that makes us even gladder. It will be difficult to win the series title from the way things stand now, but you never know what will happen in the last two rounds. So, we won't give up hope and I'll keep driving hard." Takayuki Aoki: "I won here last year (driving a different machine) in a runaway victory. But this time there was some trouble from the qualifying stage, so I am very happy that we were able to win."

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The first-ever meeting of NASCAR stars and Drifters was an overwhelming success, as a jam-packed crowd of NASCAR and drifting fans came together to experience a historic event at the “Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear.” The thrilling exhibition had attendees on the edge of their seats at Southern California’s Irwindale Speedway, known as the “House of Drift.”

Fans of both NASCAR and drifting swarmed the Irwindale Speedway midway for an autograph signing with all the drivers, the line snaking behind the grandstands. NASCAR Cup stars Kasey Kahne (driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger), Matt Kenseth, Bill Elliott, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon, Scott Wimmer and Casey Mears (driver of the Texaco/Havoline Dodge Charger) mingled with drifters such as Team Mopar’s Samuel Hubinette, Rhys Millen, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Tanner Foust, Ken Nomura, Tatsuya Sakuma, Toshika Yoshioka, Takahiro Ueno, and Hideo Hiraoka during pre-race ceremonies.

The Drifters kicked off the exhibition with a jaw-dropping all-eight tandem drift, drawing thunderous cheers as tire smoke wafted up into the crowd. Kahne (who went on to sweep the NASCAR Busch and Cup races at California Speedway over the weekend) and his NASCAR compatriots next took turns drifting the Irwindale course.

After tandem runs from the drifters, the NASCAR drivers attacked the course once again, impressing the crowd with their drifting skills after only a few hours of practice. Kahne and others, including Chris Cook, co-owner of ShiftIntoGear, Inc., drifted the high bank at Irwindale and took part in tandem runs. The night was capped off with the spectacle of another all-eight tandem run by the drifters.

“What a great event,” said Hubinette, who was named Drift All-Star of the exhibition, with Kahne taking home honors as the NASCAR Drift Star. “We raised money for the Kasey Kahne Foundation and gave fans a show they’ll never forget. The NASCAR guys, especially Kasey, really caught on to drifting quick and had some impressive runs. I hope we can do it again next year.”

The funds raised at the event benefited the Kasey Kahne Foundation, which raises and donates funds to charitable organizations that care for chronically ill children and their families, including Ronald McDonald children’s charities.

“This event was one that people will be talking about for years to come, and Mopar was proud to take part as the event sponsor,” said Kevin Milller, Senior Manager, Mopar Brand, Performance & Motorsports. “Bringing Kasey, Sam and the other Drifters and NASCAR drivers together made for a unique event, giving fans the chance to witness history. Most importantly, all the fun helped support a really worthwhile cause.”

Hubinette will be on the move again this weekend, heading from the West Coast to the East Coast for Round 6 of the Formula D Drift Series on September 9 at Wall Speedway in New Jersey. Hubinette, the 2004 Formula D champ, is only 11 points out of first, with two wins and three podium finishes on the season.

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Attention all drifting fans… your dreams have come true. D1 Grand Prix Professional Drift is now released in the USA by Yuke’s Company of America for the PS2 console.

This Game simulates drifting to its fullest potential with game features that will blow you out of your cockpit.

Features include:

Six different modes of play: D1 Grand Prix, Time Attack, Survival Mode, Battle Mode, Xtreme Mode, and the Free Run Theater (unlockable movies of actual footage of the D1 Grand Prix).

The graphics in this game are satisfactory. It gets the job done but doesn’t exceed the expectations of Gran Turismo 4 gamers. Graphics are more on par with Gran Turismo 2, though they included a lot of detail in all the cars, even down to the smallest stickers.

Playing the game is very easy… once you get the hang of getting sideways. It is a quick game that will give you enjoyment of destroying a car without the expense of paying for the repairs. Drifting physics are very well done, and do have characteristics of a real car drifting through the corners.

However, you must remember this is not a sim game, and the car tends to have the floating effect rather than feeling the grip and loss of traction as in GT4. The tutorial must be completed before you can compete in the D1 Grand Prix, this makes it a more realistic experience since it’s like getting your D1 license first. One cool feature is the instant replay which allows you to put the action in slo-motion to see how awesome your drift was.

Sound effects from the game are realistic from the screeching tires to the crazy commentating that the judges spew out as you drift around the course. You will find the judges often dogging on you, but I wish they kept the original Japanese commentating that we are used to hearing in the Option vids.

There are a few bad things that the impatient gamer may give up on such as the long loading time. This is a big nuisance since the drift runs last less than a minute and yet the loading time is almost just as long. Yuke’s also should have done their menus better since during game play, it is difficult to just start over the battle right away, instead you are forced to go through all the menus and load time again. It would be nice to have a free run feature where you can just screw around on the track without any time limit or penalties.

Overall, D1 Grand Prix is a very enjoyable game. This game is a great game to sit down with a few friends and talk trash as you slide through the corners as a Japanese or American pro. Yep, you will find many of your favorite stars from Japan and the USA in this game so get ready for "1 More Time!"

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You can see how they try to slide it out for some great drifting action. You gotta love how the JDM drifters have a style of their own and in this vid you will see how they are on a totally different level.

BMW just came out with their new edition to the M series... The M5! Watch how this car stacks up agains the M3 CSL, 911 Carrera S, Lamborghini Gallardo, and the Nismo R34 Skyline GT-R Z-Tune! One of the best BMW segments I’ve seen by far. Have you ever seen a big STOCK sedan slide? You’ll be in for a surprise.

The new edition of the Pontiac Solstice has turned heads and having the competitors feel uneasy about their car. See how this roadster stacks up against its rival, the MX-5 Mazda Miata Roadster. Pontiac has really stepped up with this car and you are in for a surprise.

There is also a GT Live Special in this edition of Best Motoring 19. Join Max Orido and Nob Taniguchi as they go to Phoenix, AZ to battle it out in the sun. For such a low key event there was some great GT racing action here.

Also, look for the extra cd-rom filled with HKS stuff which adds a great addition to this dvd.

Now Available at 247Motoring.com

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Center Line, Mich. — Two racing worlds are about to collide, as some of the best professional drifters prepare to take on NASCAR’s brightest stars in the “Mopar D1 All-Star Duel presented by ShiftIntoGear.” The drifting exhibition is set for Thursday, August 31, at the “House of Drift,” Southern California’s Irwindale Speedway.

On one side: drifters such as Team Mopar’s Samuel Hubinette, Vaughn Gittin Jr., Rhys Millen, Tanner Foust, Yasuyuki Kazama and Ken Nomura. On the other: NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bill Elliott, Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon and Casey Mears. Foust and Kenseth are the latest drivers to join the historic lineup.

“It is absolutely an honor to be involved in the first meeting of NASCAR drivers and drifters on the same track,” said Gittin Jr. “I’m looking forward to meeting all the other drivers, competing, having a lot of fun and putting on a exciting show with them!

“The fact that this event is even possible shows how fast the sport of drifting is growing. It is only a matter of time before it becomes as large as NASCAR. It has everything spectators, especially Americans, love about motor sports: speed, smoke, the smell of fuel and rubber, screaming engines, amazing door-to-door action, body panels flying off and, most of all, a display of pure talent and car control by the drivers! You never know—some of the NASCAR drivers might find a new love August 31!”

The NASCAR drivers are prepared to get a crash course in Drifting 101. Driving instructor and professional racer Chris Cook, co-owner along with Pennsylvania businessman Chris Evans of ShiftIntoGear, Inc., will instruct the NASCAR drivers on drifting techniques next week at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. ShiftIntoGear, Inc., based in Mooresville, N.C., is one of the world’s premier personal training and coaching resources for established racing professionals and young, up-and-coming development drivers.

The exhibition will feature three trophies (the NASCAR Drift Star, Drift All-Star, and Overall Event Winner), and will give attendees a lot of action. Eight drivers from each series will go head-to-head in tandem battles in the NASCAR vs. D1 Challenge, with the NASCAR stars competing in drift cars provided by D1. The drifters will also test their sideways skills against one another in the D1 All-Star match race, then go at it again with their Nextel Cup counterparts in a NASCAR vs. D1 tire-smoking competition. Fans will not want to miss the D1 All Eight tandem drift, which will showcase all eight D1 drivers drifting simultaneously in an insane full bank formation on the Irwindale track. Fans will also be able to take part in a brief autograph session with the drivers.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Kasey Kahne Foundation, which raises and donates funds to charitable organizations that care for chronically ill children and their families. The Foundation is also committed to positive cultural changes, focusing on diversity awareness and providing at-risk youth ample opportunities for success.

The event Web site, www.kaseykahne.com/drift, is also now online. The site has up-to-date information on purchasing tickets. Visitors can also find press releases on the event; check out driver information; and view action photos and videos at the site.

Gates for the event open at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 31. Tickets for the event are still available, and can be purchased online at www.irwindalespeedway.com.

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