2018 Konig Formula Drift Drivers

2018 Konig Formula Drift Drivers

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Getting to know 2018 Konig Supported Formula Drift Drivers

The 2018 Formula Drift Season is in full effect with the Streets of Long Beach just behind us and Orlando approaching this weekend. We thought we’d take a few minutes and give you a quick rundown of our 2018 FD drivers and telling you what wheels and fitment they’re running. Check them out, show them love, and remember to follow their journey this season here! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Lawrence – Formula Drift (RB30DET powered Nissan S14.3)

Kevin Lawrence hails from Florida and has been drifting Nissan cars as long as we can remember. He took home the 2015 Three Palms Drift Championship and has never looked back in his drifting career. His reliable RB30DET powered Nissan 240sx helped him drift his way to the Pro 2 championship last season. An amazing victory at Texas Motor Speedway with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders allowed him to become Pro 2 championship by the thinnest margin in Formula Drift history of just two points.

Kevin Lawrence and the Enjuku Racing team are clear favorites for the 2018 Formula Drift Rookie of the Year award in the pro series. Kevin also is heavily involved in the drifting community in Florida and tours the country with his demo R32 Nissan Skyline to events like Hyperfest in Virginia.

Kevin is running Konig Dekagram in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Vankirk (SR20DET powered Nissan 240sx)

Matt VanKirk comes to you from the Northwest where the drift scene is strong! He really has become known for his aggressive driving style and his 3rd place, podium finish in Formula Drift Pro 2 last year. This year he is now stepping it up a notch as he competes in Formula Drift Pro! We’re excited to watch MVK try and earn that FD Rookie of the Year award! 

Matt is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm front and 18×10.5 et 25 rear in Race Bronze. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Litteral – Formula Drift & Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 350z)

Ryan Litteral is a driver famous for having a drift vehicle with top class style over the years. Ryan comes from Southern California and has been drifting for 12 years now. He earned his license with his black S14 in the Just Drift series back in 2013. His last appearance in Pro 2 was in 2016 where he finished a solid 6th  place running his own program.

For the 2018 season he has teamed up with KoruWorks in Marietta, Georgia to campaign an LS3 powered Nissan 350z. The team will attend all four rounds that have a Pro/Pro 2 weekend and they will do double duty trying to sweep the Formula Drift weekend with a victory at both levels. You can also catch his YouTube series called IT’S LITT! Documenting his demo car 240sx build.

Ryan is running Konig Ampliform in 18×9 et 15mm front and 18×10 et 20mm rear in DARK METALLIC GRAPHITE. The Konig Ampliform is Flow Formed.

 

Geoff Donati

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geoff Donati – Formula Drift Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 240sx)

Geoff Donati hails from a small town in Ohio and once he discovered drifting he wasted no time heading out to the track to give it a shot. His first full season of Pro-Am soon followed at the Midwest Drift Union in 2016 and where he fell just short of earning a license when the year ended by one point! Geoff went right back to MDU for the 2017 season and managed to win almost every round that year and became champion of the series with ease.

Geoff Donati dominates his competitors with consistency and some have even compared him to a young Chris Forsberg. He seems incapable of making a mistake at times behind the wheel and looks to carry that ice in the veins approach into Pro 2 for 2018

Geoff is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm front and 17×8 et 40mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Travis Reeder Konig Ultraform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travis Reeder – Formula Drift Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 240sx)

Travis Reeder is a drifter from the Pacific Northwest who cut his teeth in the Evergreen Drift series. Travis dominated the 2016 season in the Evergreen Drift Pro Am easily becoming the champion of this regional Pro Am series. He made his Pro 2 debut last season and managed to earn Rookie of the Year for his amazing efforts behind the wheel in his 240sx. In fact, he was basically announced champion at Texas Motor Speedway and could only mathematically lose if Kevin Lawrence qualified first and then won the event. Sadly, that happened and he finished the season in second place by the smallest margin in Formula Drift history after some amazing drifting all year.

Travis Reeder caught the world’s attention when he won Road Atlanta last year and took a commanding early lead in the Pro 2 championship. He has committed to the Pro 2 season again for 2018 and is determined to win the championship at all costs.

Travis is running Konig Ultraforms in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25mm rear. The Konig Ultraforms is Flow Formed.

 

Kelsey Rowlings Konig Hypergram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelsey Rowlings (5.0L Coyote powered Nissan 240sx)

Kelsey Rowlings earned her Pro 2 license in the Three Palms Drift series down in Florida and became the first-ever female to earn a Pro 2 license through the Pro-Am drift promotion ladder. Kelsey was one of the few drifters who traveled in the younger part of her career and she managed to also compete in the Streetwise Drift, Lone Star Drift, and XDC series before stepping into the Pro 2 stage.

Kelsey’s engine package makes her one of the most unique car setups on grid in 2018. Instead of the traditional LS-engine setup, her team has picked the 5.0L engine out of a new Mustang GT to power her 240sx. Kelsey returns to the Pro 2 series in 2018 looking to outperform last season.

Kelsey is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Garrett Denton Konig Dekagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garrett Denton (2JZ powered Nissan 240sx)

Garrett Denton is one of the most unique racers in the Pro 2 field today. At the age of 14, Garrett was the youngest driver to win a sanctioned NASCAR event race in North America. His love of driving and racing started as early as 5 years old and he has been behind the wheel ever since. Garrett also came from the Midwest Drift Union series where he finished in second place in 2017 and took plans to run in the Pro 2 series.

His Pro 2 campaign involves a crew full of University of Northwest Ohio graduates where he also attended college earning an in dual Associates Degree in High-Performance Motorsports Technology and Automotive Technology. Garrett will be taking to the Pro 2 circuit with a 2JZ powered Nissan 240sx with support from Koruworks to help him make a run for the championship.  

Garrett is running Konig Dekagram in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25mm rear. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.

 

Alec Robbins Konig Hypergram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alec Robbins (LS powered Nissan 350z)

Alec Robbins is a unique individual who famously ran a slammed pickup truck drift build with an LSX engine in the Pro-Am ranks. Alec Robbins saw success as the 2016 Midwest Drift Union champion and made his rookie year debut in 2017 in the Koruworks 350z for some Pro 2 rounds.

Looking forward to the 2018 Pro 2 season, Alec Robbins has built his own 350z with a LS engine making 550/560 to the wheels. This should be a great setup to keep up with the competition at all four rounds of the Formula Drift Pro 2 series.

Alec is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear in RED OPAL. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Adam Knapik Rennform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Knapik (LS powered Nissan 240sx)

Adam Knapik hails from Southern California and earned his Pro 2 license through the Just Drift Pro-Am series. In 2016, he managed to take home the Just Drift Championship and has been working to improve his LS-powered Nissan 240sx ever since. His day job is a Porsche driving instructor giving him endless amounts of time behind the wheel of racecars. Moving into the 2018 Pro 2 season we cannot wait to see what Knapik Racing has put together to go out and compete with the big boys of Pro 2.

Adam is running Konig Rennforms in 18×9 et 23 all the way around. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.

 

Donovan Brockway e30 beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donovan Brockway (LS powered 2014 BMW 2-Series)

While Donovan Brockway has opted to take the 2018 season off he is still a part of the Konig Wheels Drift team. His 2018 season off is allowing him to put a new “BeastMW” together that starts with an F22 BMW 2-series chassis that will have a full HGK carbon/Kevlar widebody kit and one big RHS 427 race engine. We know Donovan will be missed on the paddock this year but we cannot wait to follow his build progress and see it debut on Konig Wheels in the 2019 Pro 2 season.

Donovan is currently running Konig Rennforms in 18×8 et 35mm front and 18×9 et 35 rear on his 1000hp e30. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.
ampliform

However on the F22 he will be running the Konig Ampliform’s! Make sure to stay tuned to his build!

LITTLE’S NEW LIVERY FOR 2018!

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Savanna Little has been a long-time friend and sponsored driver of Konig Wheels and its about that time of the year, where all drivers are revealing their new livery for the season! We are super excited to display and debut Savanna’s new livery for 2018 of the LS350z!

Savanna Little is a Konig Sponsored Driver and currently runs Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25mm all around. The Konig hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Savanna Little on INSTAGRAM!

Getting to know Kelsey Rowlings!

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GETTING TO KNOW KELSEY ROWLINGS

We had a chance to catch up with FORMULA DRIFT PRO II DRIVER | KONIG WHEELS SPONSORED DRIVER Kelsey Rowlings. Kelsey is in full prepmode for the 2018 Formula Drift Pro2 Season but gave us a few minutes learn a little more about her, last season and how she anticipates this season will go.

Konig: Who Are You and What Do You Drive?

Kelsey Rowlings: My name is Kelsey Rowlings and I drive a ’96 Nissan 240sx with a supercharged Ford 5.0 Aluminator in the Formula Drift Pro 2 series.

Konig: What First Brought You to be involved in Drifting?

KR: I didn’t get involved in motorsports until I was 18. A friend showed me videos of drifting and I was immediately drawn to the sport and had to try it, even though I had no previous experience with cars or motorsports.

Konig: Who do you look up most to in motorsports?

KR: I look up to all women who are paving the way in motorsports because it is so male-dominated. While I don’t think we face challenges involving skill, I do think there are some challenges we face with social acceptance and it can take a thick skin to break through the norms of society.

Konig: Do you think you face any challenges being the only girl in all of Formula Drift?

KR: I don’t think I face any additional challenges because of being a girl. Once you’re strapped into the car, the driving is all that matters. The biggest challenge is honestly having to basically take my whole racesuit off just to use the restroom. It’s pretty inconvenient!

Konig: You had a pretty rough 2017 season finishing 23rd in Pro 2. What unexpected struggles did you face with your program and what improvements are you making for 2018?

KR: We had pretty rough 2016 and 2017. Building a brand new car with an engine swap that had never been done before, and going from drifting a 500 horsepower turbo 4 cylinder to a supercharged v8 was a huge transition. We struggled with steering issues the past two years that we were never able to diagnose. I felt like the steering was binding at certain points, but it also felt like my power steering was cutting out at times. Since last year, we have completely changed out our front suspension components to the Wisefab kit, and we also changed to an actual power steering fluid versus running ATF. We have had a couple test days where the steering has felt MUCH better so I am hopeful that this year will be a turning point and that we have weeded out all of the issues.

Konig: What brought you to select your unique engine package?

KR: I have never been one to just be a part of the crowd. Everyone in drifting was going with the LS platform, and while it has been tested and proven in Formula Drift, I really didn’t like the idea of doing what everyone else was doing. Before deciding on the Ford engine, we were interested in the 2JZ because I am definitely a fan of the sound and powerband since I was coming from an SR22det. But after a conversation with Formula Drift driver, Justin Pawlak, I really liked the idea of the Aluminator. Not only did it have great power, but he also mentioned how reliable it had been in his Mustang, and as a privateer in Formula Drift Pro 2, reliability was an important part of being successful. Since we have put the engine in the car, we have not had a single engine issue, and we are entering our 3rd season with no rebuilds required!

Konig: What is your Dream Car?

KR: This is a very loaded question as I have several dream cars, but I think I would have to say an FD RX7 powered by a 2JZ would definitely be towards the top of my list. However, if I had no budget in mind, I’d probably pick up basically any Mclaren… or maybe a C63 AMG black edition… or maybe a Porsche GT3… So many choices!


Konig: What is your favorite looking Konig Wheel?

KR: My favorite Konig wheel is definitely the Hypergram, which is what I currently run on both of my drift cars. I absolutely love the look of the Hypergram, and its also light enough with a tire mounted for me to lift it.

— KONIG: ONE WORD ANSWERS AND GO! —
Konig: Cats or dogs?
KR: Dogs

Konig: Formula 1 or NASCAR?
KR: Formula 1

Konig: Summer or winter?
KR: Summer

Konig: Pepsi or Coke?
KR: Neither!

Konig: Boots or sandals?
KR: Sandals

Konig: Vacation at the Beach or Mountains?
KR: Mountains!

Konig: Roller Coaster or Ferris Wheel?
KR: Roller Coaster!

Konig: Star Wars or Star Trek?
KR: Both!!!!

Kelsey Rowlings is a Konig Sponsored Professional Drift driver that competes in Formula Drift Pro 2 Series. Kelsey runs Konig Hypergrams she runs a 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Kelsey on INSTAGRAM!

SAVANNA LITTLE IN D-SPORT!

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Our long-time friend and Konig Wheels sponsored driver, Savanna Little makes it onto the D-Sport Magazine pages! From model to one of motorsports upcoming drivers she gives us insight into her journey in the motorsport world. Make sure to get your copy which is available on news stands now!

Savanna Little is a Konig Sponsored Driver and currently runs Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25mm all around. The Konig hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Savanna Little on INSTAGRAM!


Kevin Lawrence smokes out Hoonigan Donut Garage

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Konig Sponsored, Formula Drift Pro2 Driver and 2017 Formula Drift Pro 2 CHAMPION Kevin Lawrence dropped by the Hoonigan Donut Garage to cause a blackout. He took a perfectly good set of Hankook Tires and well…Tire smoke for days…check it out!

Kelsey Rowlings putting in work at FD SEA!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY KELSEY ROWLINGS****

FORMULA DRIFT SEATTLE – PRO II Round 3 | August 4th and 5th

After a long break, and a long drive from our home in Florida, my team and I arrived at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington for round three of the Formula Drift Pro 2 series. I was coming into this track with very little practice since my first and only other experience there was when my SR engine lost compression during my rookie season… on the first lap.

Needless to say, I was hungry for practice time to try to make up for my lack of experience, as well as to take a shot at the extremely long bank. After taking the couple laps, I realized I had way too much grip dialed into the car. Along the bank, the car was wanting to straighten into the wall if I lifted at all and I was fighting the car the whole way around. After making adjustments during the remainder of the first session , the car was finally starting to feel more settled in drift.

Heading into the second practice session before qualifying, I was less concerned about the handling of the car, and I could now perfect where I was putting the car throughout the course. My spotter was watching my runs as well as listening to judge feedback. One of the main tips was to enter later; Since I was entering at the second set of entry cones, it was suggested that I enter at the last entry cone.

With this in mind, I decided to concentrate on my entry. I accelerated towards the bank and threw the car sideways – too late. My rear end hit the wall and started to rotate. I tried to turn my wheel fast enough to save the front but I had too much momentum. The front of the car hit and I bounced off the wall and down the bank to a halt.

As soon as the safety crews arrived and checked me out I jumped out of the car to assess the damage. When I returned to the pits we got to work replacing: Broken rear wheel, bent rear upper control arm, bent front lower control arm, bent tie rod, bent cross-member, and broken power steering rack. Unfortunately, due to time restraints and qualifying just around the corner, we decided to leave the bent suspension in the rear and just try to align it close. For the front, we hammered on the cross-member to bang it back into shape and then replaced the lower control arm and tie rod end. The power steering rack had to stay due to time constraints.

We were just about to put the car on the ground when we were informed it was out turn for qualifying. We weren’t ready, so we pushed forward to make it for the second qualifying run. When I took the car to the burnout box to test the car and see how bad the steering was, I realized that while I did have power steering, the rack would get stuck when I turned to the left and I would have to force it back the other way instead of it returning to center like normal.

I decided to run the car as-is and attempt to qualify. If I just managed to get a score high enough to get me in the top 16 I could have swapped the rack for the competition the next day.

I threw the car into the bank. My line was alright, but I had to make corrections to stay up high on the bank as I entered the infield. I managed the transition with the broken rack and continue the course. I wasn’t as close to the second outer zone as I would’ve liked, but I was able to wrap around the final two clipping points and make it past the finish line. I was pumped. It was definitely a score-able run, but it was only a 49.

I knew there was little hope to making it into the top 16 and my suspicions were correct. Although I didn’t make it into the top 16, I was really proud of myself and my team for pushing through and getting the car back on track. Now we can come home and prepare for the finals in Texas!

Matt Vankirk wins FD SEATTLE!

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**** GUEST BLOG – BY MATT VANKIRK****

FORMULA DRIFT SEATTLE – PRO II Round 3 | August 4th and 5th

Matt Vankirk

PICTURE PERFECT!

WE DID IT! The team received our very first win in Formula Drift Pro2 during Round 3 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe Wa! The entire MVK Racing team worked very hard for this moment and there was no better place to do it than our home track in front of all our fans, friends and families! Knowing this we decided to go all out for this event debuting “The Vankirk Experience” where fans are able to drive the MVK Racing Formula Drift S13 onto Evergreen Speedway in a Fanatec Club Sport Racing Simulator paired to a VR Headset. With all the extra attention we knew we needed to look apart so F7LTHY Clothing provided us with shirts that stand out amongst the crowd. Popeye Energy Drinks brought everything together by providing an expo booth and all natural energy that propelled us onto the podium!

Fanatec Club Sport Racing SimulatorThe Vankirk Experience

CHANGES

When we showed up to practice / qualifying on Thursday we had a few different changes to the car. We are making quite a bit more power thanks to the Brian Crower 272 cams, valve springs, retainers and a tune by GetADomTune. We upgraded our wheels to Konig’s new HYPERGRAM model which saved us a lot of rotating mass compared to our previous wheels. This was my first time running Achilles Radial 123s tires, we ran Achilles ATR Sport 2 the past two events, so we came into the event expecting to have a lot more power and grip than what we are normally used to.

PRACTICES

Our goal for practice on Thursday was to dial in the vehicle and set up our Fortune Auto Dreadnought Pro 2-way suspension and Achilles Radial 123s tire pressure for the new amount of power we are now making. After a few laps we actually left the tire pressure where we started. Matt from Fortune-Auto stopped by to adjusted our rebound a little bit and we felt good heading into qualifying!

QUALIFYING

As we head into qualifying I tend to get a tad nervous even though I was feeling quite comfortable with the track and car in practice. During our first lap I transitioned a little too soon in the power alley which made me have a slight correction and the judges gave us a score of 75. During my 2nd run all my nerves dissipated and I was ready to put everything on the line to up my previous score. On my 2nd qualifying run I felt like we hit all of our clipping points and did everything the judges wanted to see. We received a score of 85 which put us as the 4th Qualifier.

Matt Vankirk

TOP 16

Friday the team showed up ready for the big day! In top 16 we got paired up with Austin Meeks. Unfortunately in practice before the main event Austin had hit the wall and his car was unrepairable. This gave us the opportunity to do a bye run and feel out the track before heading into the great 8.

Matt Vankirk

GREAT 8

We went up against round 1 winner, Kevin Lawrence! I knew this battle was going to be a tough fight. Kevin was looking solid all weekend and this track really resembles his home track at Orlando Speed World. We ended up leading first. We had a great line on the bank and even tapped the wall half way through it! After transitioning in power alley we finished off the run cleanly and Kevin Lawrence was right on our tail! During my follow Kevin laid down an identical run as us and from the live stream it almost looked like two identical runs! Coming into the final turn Kevin over rotated slightly and we advanced on to the Final 4!

Top 8

TOP 4

The Final 4 battle was the battle our team has been waiting for all year! We were up against Dirk Stratton in the Lingenfelter Corvette who beat us in round 1 by completely out running us! Now that we teamed up with Brian Crower and was able to upgrade our engine we felt confident at getting our rematch! Dirk lead first and remembering how fast his car was in Orlando I took off of the line before him and by the time he caught up we were a little over half way on the straight and he slingshot right past us. We were able to reel him in on the bank and got back on his door by power alley and finished of the course with him. My spotter Justin relayed to me that we had to put it all on the line if we were going to advance and I knew that after our follow run was not what we hopped for. Taking off the line I went as fast as I could and initiated right up on the wall which looked like it threw Dirk off a little as he ebrake entered and brought him up into the wall with the back of his car. We rode the wall all the way around the 5/8ths and with Dirk trying to play catch up coming off of the bank he went 4 tires off and could not catch back up to us. We were awarded the win and advanced on to the final match of the evening.

Round 4
Round 4

FINAL

The grand finally against Dylan Hughes! The team and I were excited to make it to the finals but it wasn’t over yet we put our game faces on and headed into the final match of the night. Dylan was looking solid all day with some of the best tandem runs that weekend so I knew we would have to be right there with him throughout the track. Dylan led first, as we initiated into the bank I was right there with him. This was one of our closest tandems of the night as I left foot brake across the 5/8th’s. Coming off the bank we were a little shallow compared to Dylan due to me having to clutch kick and not having that low end torque Dylan has but we stayed with him and finished the run. On my lead run we pulled about 2 car lengths on Dylan but coming off the bank we went two tires off resulting in a OMT.

Final Round
Vankirk vs. Hughes

FINAL

During our OMT battles as I followed Dylan coming off the bank we went all four tires off which put us in the advantage going into our lead run. We knew all we had to do was lay down a solid lead run with no mistakes and the victory was ours. We initiated up on the 5/8ths wall and as we were coming off I chucked the car and almost had backwards angle coming into power alley which through Hughes off and he ended up hitting us. We stayed in throttle and finished off the course granting us our first ever Formula Drift Podium!

Hamilton hits FDSEA Hard!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY NATE HAMILTON****

FORMULA DRIFT SEATTLE – PRO Round 6 | August 4th and 5th

Photo: provided by @CoreyDenomy + @Max_fuerst + @Valtersboze

Here we go again, another Formula Drift Recap presented by Konig Wheels, at your fingertips. ha! I want to start this recap by saying, thanks if you are reading this

This recap will cover Formula Drift, round 6.

hypergram

Seattle, Evergreen Speedway. My first impression…. this track is FAST. I know what you’re thinking…Atlanta is also fast. But it’s different… this track we enter fast and then go faster. Such a Rush! Teams clocked speeds of upper 80’s coming off the exit of the bank.

Evergreen Speedway

Thursday schedule, two practice sessions. The first session was basically a shake down. Remember I missed the 2016 season being in Pro2, this makes for some quick progression keeping up with the Pro1 class. Luckily, with my spotter Matt Perkins, I was able to make sense of the line and get comfortable.

Nate Hamilton

Thursday’s practice, for the most part, is especially fun, running with some of the best drifters in the world.

Friday morning, Qualifying is my main focus. Personal goal, try and qualify 11th or better. Reason being, my highest qualifying result is 13th to this day.

Qualifying results: Run1 = 79 Run2= 84
Overall Qualifying I landed in 15th position battling the 18th position which is Justin Pawlak. Not the result we were looking to accomplish but I feel great about my battle with Pawlak.

Nate Hamilton

Saturday Main Event, two goals, beat Pawlak and then beat Ryan Tuerck. This is the part of the story that hurts to type…

Nate Hamilton

You know that feeling when you don’t make many mistakes, but the mistake you do make is a big one… Welp, that sums up my battle with Pawlak.

240sx

This photo above is not a good look. Argh! I made a mistake and was late on the throttle… With the grip added to the car, this can result in a huge correction. In the wrong place, this is a front end collision to the wall. OUCH!

I do have a great team on my side and my right-hand man Bub Robarge, Is hard at work at Enjuku Racing getting this issue straightened out, literally. ha!

240sx

Huge thanks to everyone checking out this Konig Recap. I have a great group of Family/Friends/Sponsors surrounding me and thru the good times and bad times I am thankful for the opportunity to pilot this Nissan and I can’t wait for another opportunity compete and make my dreams a reality. Until Next time, Much love.

Top 5 Finish for Kevin Lawrence!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY KEVIN LAWRENCE****

FORMULA DRIFT SEATTLE – PRO 2 Round 3 | August 4th and 5th

Whats up guys! Im back with my FD Seattle Recap for your reading pleasure.

Seattle!

After a long 4day drive from Florida I finally arrived to Seattle with my crew guy Justin. A quick stop by the track on Wednesday to drop the trailer off and take a track walk reminded me just how awesome this track was. I have not been to this track in 2 years since the last pro2 stop there in 2015. My last time out there I had some car troubles that prevented me from qualifying so redemption is what I was here for!

Thursday the whole crew arrived at the track early for pit setup and a quick once over on both my and Nate’s cars. After bolt checks and drivers meetings it was time to get behind the wheel. Seattle is a very fast track from the beginning but slows down quite a bit once the cars come off the main wall. First set of tires out was a feeler to get me into the groove of driving again since our last competition was about 3 months prior in Atlanta, We did have some days of car setup and testing but nothing really gets a driver in the proper mindset like the actual comp/qualifying days. Second set of tires now on the car and it was time to get the high line on the bank figured out. This is a rather intimidating thing as our entry speeds into the first turn are in the high 70s to lower 80s mph. I didnt quite get the line figured out on the 2nd set so 3rd set I decided to bump into my old friend the wall out there with the rear bumper just so I it knew I was back and town. Once I got the car up there and bumped the wall it was like a the flip of a switch and now I was in the groove on the high line and everything was coming together on the rest of the course in the second practice.

Qualifying.

Befrore the first pass out the team and I noticed the track temps had cooled down a bit and that eant the car was going to have a bit more bite in it which may make it harder to keep the rear up on the wall. We made some adjustments to slightly loosen up the car some and im glad we did! First pass out netted me a score of a 82! Going into the second pass we again made a bit of adjustment to the car to loosen it up a bit as the track was still cooling down as the sun was setting. My second pass out I was looking to better my score and it wasnt as clean as a pass as I wanted it to be I did better my score with an 83! After the rest of the field had made their second pass we were called to a drivers breifing to go over the official results. I landed a 5th place qualifying position putting me up against Danny George again in the top 16. Danny and I had ran against each other in Orlando where I took the win so I was ready for battle again!

Battles!

My first battle in Seattle was Danny George I was the higher qualifier so I was up to lead first. The track after practice had gripped up a bunch and unlike when it was time for qualifying the amount of grip we took out of the just wasnt enough. I wasnt able to get the tires spinning as much as I wanted on the run up to do the flick entry I had been doing before. So my entry was quite slow to angle and I was fighting the cars grip to keep it high on the bank but I did end up coming down early. From the start im not sure what happened with Danny if he didnt see the lights go out or what but I he had slept quite a bit on the line which gave me a very large lead gap on this run that he wasnt able to make up fully before the finish line. Going into my follow Danny got a gap on me on the entry that I was forced to take a shallower line on the bank to make up the distance. Closing the gap by the touch and go and really reeling him in just before the first inside clip, He made the mistake of going a bit wide on that first inside clip which ended up choking him off for the second inside clip. With no real room for him to get the car to transition around the second clip he had a moment of driving straight just as he passed the clip right before I made some slight contact with his rear bumper pushing him a bit just before the finish line. After a few mins of the judges reviewing the footage i was deemed the winner of the battle and advanced into the Top 8 where I would be up against Matt Vankirk.

This time Matt was the higher qualifier so I was due to follow first. We entered in high on the bank and I made the mistake of getting on the foot brake just a bit to much to keep the car higher on the bank for this pass which ended up giving Matt a chance to make some ground on me. I kept he car high on the bank behind him and did my best to make up the ground as well as I could. Going into the first front clip I attacked to make some ground and went a bit agressive and too shallow of a line and took out the first enter clip before making the final transition and finishing off the run. Now back at the start line it was me to lead and I knew I had to make this one count with my mistakes in the follow position. I entered high on the bank and stayed there Matt this time ended up with a bit of a lower line but good proximity to me. I filled the touch and go as well as the second outter zone and had a fast and tight line at the first front clip. Matt at this time did nearly a similar mistake to mine and went in a bit too agressive and bumped the inner clip just as I had one. I kept as much speed through the first clip as I could to finish the run out strong but ended up over throwing the transition causing me to nearly spin the car completely forcing me to pretty much “crab walk” the car through the finish line in hopes that it would be a full pull on the run. After a just a moment of consideration the Judges deemed my mistake on the lead run at the finish line was enough for me to hand Matt the win. Matt would later go on to the top of the podium with a first place finish here in Seattle at his home track.

All in all Seattle was a absoulte blast of the team and I, We were able to come back and over come our previous years bad luck of not qualifying and take home a 5th place finish!

I again want to thank everyone apart of the team for all of their hard work and efforts put into our program. By the current points standings things are looking good for me moving up to the Pro1 ranks next season and I honestly wouldnt be here with out everyones support. Texas is just a few weeks away so with a quick once over of the car we will be ready for battle in Texas with high hopes of a strong finish and moving up a few ranks in the series!

Thanks!
-Kevin

Kevin is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
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