Who Gets to Play on Saturday

Formula D Irwindale 2008 Unseeded Qualifiers
- Bill Sherman - 93.75
- T. Yoshioka - 93.00
- Pat Mordaunt - 90.17
- S. Yamamoto - 90.08
- Justin Pawlak - 90.08
- T. McQuarrie - 89.93
- M. Haraguchi - 89.00
- M. Orido - 87.67
- K. Hayashida - 86.67
- Yasu Kondo - 86.50
- Tony Angelo - 85.75
- Alex Pfeiffer - 85.67
- T. Brakahopia - 83.25
- Taka Aono - 81.08
- J. Russakoff - 79.25
- Quoc Ly - 78.33
Tanner Foust takes Sonoma

1st - Tanner Foust
2nd - Rhys Millen
3rd - Bill Sherman
4th - Ryan Tuerck
Final:
- R. Millen vs T. Foust
Final 4:
- R. Tuerck vs R. Millen
- T. Foust vs B. Sherman
Top 8:
- S. Hubinette vs R. Tuerck
- R. Millen vs C. Grunewald
- T. Foust vs V. Gittin
- B. Sherman vs C. Forsberg
Top 16:
- S. Hubinette vs R. Miki
- R. Tuerck vs K. Gushi
- R. Millen vs R. Nishida
- C. Grunewald vs K. Yamanaka
- T. Foust vs M. Takatori
- D. Yoshihara vs V. Gittin
- B. Sherman vs S. Verdier
- C. Forsberg vs K. Mohan
Qualifying:
- Sam Hubinette - 97.00
- Tanner Foust - 96.67
- Bill Sherman - 96.42
- Rhys Millen - 96.00
- Conran Gruenwald - 94.5
- Chris Forsberg - 94.5
- Dai Yoshihara - 94.25
- Ryan Tuerck - 93.83
- Ken Gushi - 93.67
- Vaughn Gitten Jr - 93.58
- Kyle Mohan - 93.17
- Kenji Yamanaka - 92.17
- Robbie Nishida - 91.75
- Steph Verdier - 91.75
- M. Takatori - 91.17
- Ryuji Miki - 90.72
Taka Leads the Charge into Sonoma!

Longtime grassroots supporter and DriftLive favorite, Taka Aono, has taken the top unseeded qualifying spot. Except when he is drifting his swank Cressida wagon, Taka is a hardcore AE86 driver, and has been behind the wheel of a Corolla since the early days of drifting in Southern California. Sonoma has not typically been a track that favors Corollas because climbing back up the hill after the huge slid down tends to require some power. Hopefully the turbo setup that Taka is running proves up to the task.
Unseeded Qualifiers:
- Taka Aono 92.17
- Kenji Yamanaka 91.58
- Justin Pawlak 90.67
- Bill Sherman 90.25
- M. Haraguchi 89.75
- T. Yoshioka 88.50
- Tony Brakahopia 88.33
- Tony Angelo 85.83
- JT Wharerau 84.17 92.2mph
- Blake Fuller 84.17 86.9mph
- Quoc Ly 84.00
- Hiro Sumida 83.50 94.8mph
- Patrick Mordaunt 83.50 84.9mph
- Steph Papadakis 83.08
- Ross Petty 82.92
- Y. Kondo 82.50
———
Calvin Wan 81.58
Tyler McQuarrie 81.33
All Ties are broken by entry speeds.
Results from everythingdrift.com
Millen Takes Washington, Hubinette Takes Lead
The Boys are Back in Town:
Samuel Hubinette is back in a Viper and back in first place. Rhys Millen just took his second event win of the season. Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette have long dominated the Formula D Championship series, and it looks like they are interested in retaking their crown(s) after a “rebuilding” season in 2007. Collectively they have won 3 out of the 4 season run since 2004, and consistently find themselves on the podium. Tanner Foust is currently running second in points, followed closely by Daijiro Yoshihara
What Lies Ahead:
After another strong finish from Rhys at Washington, he has closed Samuel’s lead to 54 points, but with only 2 events remaining in the series, 54 points is a steep hill to climb. In his drifting career, Sam has only failed to make the top 16 a single time, during the 2007 season at Road Atlanta. The maximum number of points that Rhys could earn with two first place finishes is 216. A bit of quick math (216 - 54 = 162) reveals that not only does Rhys have to place well, he needs Sam to place poorly. Considering that Sam has only failed to make Top 16 a single time (Road Atlanta 2007), Rhys may need to try to grab a low qualifying spot at the next two events and try to take his destiny into his own hands. Considering his 14th spot at Washington, Rhys may already be thinking along these lines.
Let us not forget Tanner Foust and Daijiro Yoshihara. Both drivers have the necessary skills and well prepared vehicles. Tanner took the championship last year thanks in no small part to his strong qualifying record and rock solid consistency. Daijiro’s GTO has elevated his threat level, and may end up being a roadblock for teammate Rhys on his road to Championship #2.
1st - Rhys Millen
2nd - Samuel Hubinette
3rd - Robbie Nishida
4th - Tanner Foust
Finals:
- S. Hubinette vs R. Millen
- T. Foust vs R. Nishida
Final 4:
- S. Hubinette vs R. Nishida
- T. Foust vs R. Millen
Top 8:
- S. Hubinette vs R. Miki
- R. Nishida vs R. Tuerck
- T. Foust vs M. Takatori
- D. MacNamara vs R. Millen
Top 16:
- R. Miki vs C. Forsberg
- S. Hubinette vs K. Gushi
- R. Nishida vs J. Pawlak
- D. Yoshihara vs R. Tuerck
- D. MacNamara vs T. Angelo
- K. Hayashida vs R. Millen
- M. Takatori vs C. Grunewald
- T. Foust vs K. Mohan
Qualifying:
- Samuel Hubinette
- Tanner Foust
- Kazu Hayashida
- Robbie Nishida
- Daijiro Yoshihara
- Darren MacNamara
- Michihiro Takatori
- Ryuji Miki
- Chris Forsberg
- Conrad Grunewald
- Tony Angelo
- Ryan Tuerck
- Justin Pawlak
- Rhys Millen
- Kyle Mohan
- Ken Gushi
Patrick Mordaunt Qualifiers in Top Unseeded Spot

Formula D Washington 2008: Unseeded Qualifiers
- Patrick Mordaunt
- Ross Petty
- Taka Aono
- Justin Pawlak
- Tony Brakohiapa
- Joon Maeng
- Henry Schelley
- Blake Fuller
- Tommy Suell
- Tony Angelo
- Kyle Mohan
- Kazu Hyashida
- Calvin Wan
- Seigo Yamamoto
- Brian Peter
- Chris Kregorian















