For immediate release

August 26, 2009

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Autosport Dynamics in the chase for the Championship

With only a short break from the previous Formula Drift round in Seattle, Autosport Dynamics worked hard to make it out to Round 6 at Infineon Raceway ready to battle again and earn some valuable points towards the Championship.

After a great day of practice Thursday, ASD drivers Tyler McQuarrie, Vaughn Gittin Jr., and Darren McNamara were set to fight for the top 32 spots. When the night was over, Vaughn and the 2010 Falken Tire Ford Mustang, Tyler and the Falken Tire Nissan 350Z, and Darren McNamara and the Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky had qualified 6th, 13th, and 17th, respectively.

Going into the top 32 on Friday, Darren was matched with Formula Drift’s youngest driver, Pat Mordaunt. Darren gave chase first, sticking to Pat’s door throughout the entire course. While leading, Darren initiated early and remained quick throughout the course, while Pat struggled to keep up to the ASD-built Saturn Sky. Darren rightfully took the win and was set to move up the ranks to the next round.

Next up from the ASD team to compete in the top 32 was Tyler, who was in third place overall coming into the event. Unfortunately, the Falken Tire 350Z was having a last minute ignition sensor failure and there was just not enough time to fix it before Tyler’s turn to battle. He was forced to forfeit his run, sadly taking him out of the competition.

It was a battle of the Falken Azenis RT615’s when Vaughn was lined up to battle it out with Ross Petty for the top thirty-two. Vaughn led first, while Ross attempted to keep up with the monster Mustang, but consequently spun instead. Vaughn gave chase next, glued to his competitor’s door throughout the course. He was awarded the win and was ecstatic to join Darren in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

In the top 16, Darren was set to battle Japan’s Katsuhiro Ueo. Darren gave chase first and initiated early right behind Ueo; unfortunately, he slightly tapped his opponent’s car, even though both drivers were still able to maintain drift and finish out the run. Darren led next, with a solid run throughout the course, but it was too late as the win was awarded to Ueo.

Vaughn was next paired with Justin Pawlak for his top 16 battle. Vaughn held a flawless line while leading, maintaining the same intense angle and insane amount of Falken Azenis RT615 tire smoke as he had been all weekend. When the roles reversed, Vaughn followed Justin closely, mimicking his every move. The judges determined Vaughn the winner who would advance on to the top eight.

In the Great 8, Vaughn was up against Stephan Verdier, who had knocked out the Formula Drift Championship points leader, Chris Forsberg, in the previous round. After two close runs, Stephan took the win of the round, and went on to win the entire event.

When the tire smoke had cleared over Infineon Raceway, all three Autosport Dynamics drivers still preserve positions in the top ten of the Formula Drift Championship with one event left to go. Vaughn Gittin Jr. moved up to third place with 401.5 points, Tyler McQuarrie is close behind in fifth place with 396 points and Darren McNamara in seventh place with 370.5 points. With a full month before the Formula Drift finale at Irwindale Speedway, Autosport Dynamics will be hard at work prepping the cars for this crucial event. It’s going to be a close one! For updates and more information, please visit www.AutosportDynamics.com.

About ASD:

Autosport Dynamics is dedicated to race car fabrication, preparation, planning, and product development. Autosport Dynamics, better known as ASD, has been building and preparing race cars since the 80's. Our team of dedicated professionals have built and prepared cars for professional racing teams, club racing events, and driver’s education events.

Many professional teams rely on ASD for complete conversions of new showroom stock vehicles into race ready and rule conforming race cars. No matter what make and model or what level of track experience you are looking for, ASD can put you in the driver’s seat.

The team at ASD has a combined experience in racing of over 45 years. We have been involved with most types of racing to include NASCAR, SCORE, F1, British F3, SCCA, NASA, and most recently professional drifting through D1GP and Formula D.

We can offer everything related to these and more types of racing, including engine programs, suspension programs, parts development, chassis work and more! If you can dream it, we can help make it a reality.

About Falken Tire:

The Falken Tire brand, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, launched in its native country of Japan in 1983 and was introduced to the North American market two years later. At its inception, Falken was created as the flagship high performance radial brand under Ohtsu Tire and Rubber. Now, over two and a half decades later, Falken continues to focus on UHP (Ultra High Performance) products and utilizing professional motorsports racing to further develop and improve passenger vehicle products for worldwide distribution.
Falken Tire Corporation, based in Fontana California, is the corporate headquarters and west coast distribution center for North American operations. Additional Falken Tire distribution locations include warehouses in Tennessee, New Jersey and Texas.
Falken’s current products range from the track inspired and enthusiast targeted Azenis series to the maximum performance and luxury sport FK452. The award winning all-season performance Ziex ZE912 provides sure footed grip in any weather condition while the S/TZ04 encompasses cutting edge styling and ultra plus fitments for today’s light truck and SUV’s.
Future product development includes the expansion into rugged all-terrain, winter performance and premium touring categories.
Considered a marketing maverick in many regards, Falken Tire prides itself on its in house branding and creative capabilities. Housing a fully staffed advertising department and motorsports team allows Falken Tire to fully maximize exposure on internally operated American Le Mans and Professional Drifting programs.

For more information about Falken Tire, please visit www.FalkenTire.com.