General Motors Dominates American Drifting?

The Cars:
The manufacture breakdown for vehicles in the Top 10 spots represents a shift in the drifting landscape, with GM makes and models accounting for 5 of the top 10 cars. Conrad Grunewald in a Chevy Corvette, Rhys Millen and Ryan Tureck in Pontiac Solstices, Darren MacNamara in a Saturn Sky, and Daijiro Yoshihara in a Pontiac GTO. Nissan follows GM with 3 cars and Ford and Chrysler round out the top 10 with a car apiece. Although the Toyota Corolla may still hold the hopes and dreams of amateur drifters out there, not a single Championship point has gone to a Corolla yet in 2008, the closest thing being Ken Gushi in 21st place with his Frankenstein Scion tC.

Points Race:
Enough about cars, lets take a look at the drivers. So far the Formula D winners podium in 2008 has been a game of musical chairs. After a strong start in Long Beach, neither Chris Forsberg nor Samuel Hubinette managed to break past the top 8 in Atlanta or New Jersey. Rhys Millen, who sat out the Long Beach event, and Tanner Foust have each made two appearances on the podium, with Tanner Foust taking the championship points lead. Most interesting to me is how close the points are for the top 10 drivers, only 87 points separate the number 10 driver, Darren MacNamara, from first place.

Looking Ahead:
The next event this season takes place in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on July 12th. The D1 GP has used this venue in the past, but this is the first time that Formula D hits the Vegas Strip. The track and air temperatures at this event will put a considerable amount of stress on engine and suspension setups and should make for an interesting show.

DriftLive unofficial Top 10:

1. 259 - Tanner Foust - Nissan 350z
2. 228 - Samuel Hubinette - Dodge Viper
3. 226 - Chris Forsberg - Nissan 350z
4. 217 - Daijiro Yoshihara - Pontiac GTO
5. 206 - Michihiro Takatori - Nissan Skyline
6. 199 - Ryan Tuerck - Pontiac Solstice
7. 187 - Rhys Millen - Pontiac Solstice
8. 182 - Vaughn Gittin Jr - Ford Mustang
9. 173 - Conrad Grunewald - Chevrolet Corvette
10. 172 - Darren McNamara - Saturn Sky

See the Full Formula D Score Sheet