Behind The Wheel Podcast: Kelsey Rowlings (Formula Drift Pro Spec)!

Behind The Wheel Podcast: Kelsey Rowlings (Formula Drift Pro Spec)!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

On today’s podcast, we are joined by Formula Drift Pro Spec driver, Kelsey Rowlings! With Formula Drift’s opening event only being 2 months away, we figured its time to start the convo! We are joined by Kelsey Rowlings as she tells us what to expect in this FD 2022 season, what is next for her and so much more! You don’t want to miss this one.

Go check out Kelsey Rowlings:
Website: ► https://www.driftchick.com/
Instagram: ► @kelseyrowlings
Facebook: ► https://www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
YouTube: ► Kelsey Rowling’s Channel

Thank you for Tuning in and please, if you like the podcast and what we’ve been doing here, please SUBSCRIBE! We’re on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and we always put the full video interviews on our YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/konigwheels)

(we’d love if you subscribe there as well!) Thank you for listening!

 

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The “Fix” – Kelsey Rowlings Recaps!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Kelsey’s drifting for August 2019 – The “Fix” is in!

August was another busy month of drifting for team Drift Chick.  First up was Round 3 of Formula Drift Pro2 competition.  Having developed a new method for mounting our power steering pump, and having finally identified and resolved our round 1 crash related issues, we were optimistic heading into the event.

Formula Drift St. Louis

We arrived in St. Louis August 6, ready to head out to the World Wide Technology Raceway for Formula Drift. The team felt good with the new power steering set up as we had a chance to do some quick, but short, testing before we departed and all appeared to be good.  The new set up, which we reviewed in the June/July newsletter, dramatically reduced power steering pump speed and should make a big improvement in pump reliability.

Kelsey Rowlings 1

After checking and prepping the car Wednesday, Kelsey started the first of two practice sessions early Thursday afternoon.  With all drivers seeing the new St. Louis track layout for the first time, everyone was taking it easy in the early runs, feeling out the new course. Kelsey looked OK her first run, but upon returning to the hot pit she noted the steering had stiffened up. We were all quite disappointed with this turn of events. Given two practice sessions were scheduled, the team decided to forgo the rest of the first session to head back to the pits to more thoroughly check the car. Given the pump seemed to be working we were at a loss as to the cause of the stiffness. We changed the steering rack in the event that was the problem and carefully flushed, bled and rechecked the system.

Kelsey Rowlings 2

Kelsey headed out for the second practice session. For her first run, the steering was fine, but suddenly it stiffened once again.  At this point we realized the problem was heat related, but were still not sure the cause.  So we improvised. After each run Kelsey shut the car down once back to the starting grid. The extraordinary crew happily pushed the car all the way to the start line. When ready to go, Kelsey fired up the car and took a run. The bandaid solution to manage heat was working and she managed to get in a few more practice runs. But, on this new course, we feared missing the first practice session would be a real disadvantage.

Early Thursday evening it came time to qualify and we continued to manage the heat problem as we did during practice. Unfortunately, the loss of a critical practice session was evident as Kelsey failed to qualify in the highly competitive field.

Kelsey Rowlings 3

On Friday we spent more time investigating the heat issue. We now had a theory and we removed the steering shaft assembly to test it.  Sure enough, we found that as the steering shaft heated the shaft would bind in the bushing that holds the shaft in place. After Round 2 in May we replaced the shaft and bushing asthey were impacted by the severe Round 1 crash. It may well be the new shaft was just ever so slightly larger than the steering shaft we replaced and heat from our exhaust manifold now heated the shaft just enough to expand and bind in the bushing. Kelsey attended two other events after the shaft change, prior to St. Louis, and experienced this very problem to some degree. Not realizing the cause, we assumed we still had pump problems during these events. We even changed pumps at these events, which did not help once the car heated up again. We also thought significant change in pump mounting we made priuor to St. Louis had solved the pump problem (it did).  Little did we know it was the bushing.

Kelsey Rowlings 4Kelsey Rowlings 5

The steering fix is in!

Upon returning from St. Louis we implemented a few changes.  We slightly enlarged the bushing to allow more room for thermal expansion. We also removed an exhaust manifold and applied a ceramic thermal barrier coating to help reduce heating of the shaft.  After completing these steps we then tested the car at Orlando Speed World. During the test we allowed the to car idle while changing tires between test runs to simulate competition conditions and to provide the maximum heat input to the steering shaft.  The results were good. No binding.  But, the ultimate test before competition would be the Grid Life event.

Gridlife South

Next up was the GRIDLIFE South 2019 Music & Motorsports Festival held August 23 through 25. The event was held at the beautiful Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. With a tremendous crowd on hand, a number of different motorsports were brought together with a broad array of musical talent to again create one of the best festivals in the U.S. Of course, most fans came to see the drifting. And, with a number of amazing drivers, the drifting did not disappoint.

Kelsey Rowlings 6

Over the three day event Kelsey had a few sessions each day to drift the car.  This was a great opportunity to really test the changes made to steering set up. We are thrilled to report the issue seems to have been resolved as Kelsey had no issues whatsoever with the steering bind we experienced in St. Louis.  Overall, an excellent weekend and excellent event!

Kelsey Rowlings 7

Moving Ahead

Next up is Round 4 of Formula Drift Pro2 which will be held at the Texas Motor Speedway September 12 through 14.  This will be the season finale and we are looking forward to finally having the car working well for the event!  Preparation is now underway with the primary focus being placed on our transmission which we just removed and inspected. We determined some gears will need to be replaced to help assure reliability. We are hoping hurricane Dorian, which is headed our way, won’t affect parts deliveries or our ability to complete repairs and maintenance before we depart for Texas on September 10.

Looking Good

Kelsey’s Voodoo Ride S14 always looks great for photos. How do we do it? Prior to and during each event the car gets some much needed TLC from a number of the amazing Voodoo Ride detailing products. The Crew Chief is quite impressed with the spray detailer and glass cleaner.  Check them out at VoodooRide.com.

As always, we will continue to get out there to compete hard and to constantly learn and improve.

All the best to each of you!
Kelsey (aka Drift Chick) and Dan Rowlings

www.driftchick.com
www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyrowlings/

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

Kelsey Rowlings recounts FDATL!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT PRO 2 ATLANTA, GA 2019 – ROUND 2

Kelsey’s drifting for April 2019

After a power steering pump failure led to a bad crash in the first round of Formula Drift Pro 2 competition, my team and I were crunched for time with only a week to repair the car for round two at Road Atlanta. We were determined to make it happen, and with the help of our friend Billy Mitchell at Sanford Paint and Body, we were able to get the car on a frame machine as early as possible.

The damage had pushed the strut tower in, but we were able to get it back to “close enough,” to align and compete with. We knew the car was not going to be perfect, it just needed to work. We were able to get our vinyl quickly reprinted by Socal Sign Craft, and our good friend Tahir at Guardian Wraps made himself available to re-wrap the damaged parts of the car on short notice. Including some sleepless nights for repairs by my crew chief, it was a true group effort, which ultimately gave us time to take a couple of laps on the skid pad of OSW right before we left for Atlanta, to make sure our newest power steering pump and changes in the system were working.

While the power steering pump seemed to be working, I was noticing some resistance and notching in the steering. We discovered that the tweak in the firewall had slightly changed the angle of our power steering shaft. We already didn’t have a lot of room with our steering shaft passing between runners of our exhaust manifold, and the damage was just enough to cause a problem. We spent some time sanding down the steering shaft, which appeared to help, and we continued on to Atlanta.

Our first practice session was pretty decent considering we only had time for 2 laps. They weren’t laps up to my standard, but I knew they were laps I could build upon in the next session. When the next session came around, I started noticing the resistance in my steering again. I radioed to the team and we figured that the amount of heat in the engine bay was causing everything to expand and rub again. When we were testing, we never ran the car long enough to let it experience the same levels of heat.

With qualifying quickly approaching, we decided to pull out of the line a little early to address the steering shaft. We borrowed a file from another team and tried to hand file the parts that appeared to be rubbing based on the score marks on the steering shaft, and just turning the wheel side to side in the air. We hoped that the additional filing of the steering shaft and allowing it to cool before qualifying would help our problem.

My goal for the first qualifying lap was to take somewhat of a safe lap to get a score and make sure the steering was feeling better. While it definitely wasn’t my best, it gave us a score of 62 and it was something to build off of the next run. Unfortunately, not long after my first qualifying lap, the skies opened up and it started to pour.

We were forced to take a break due to the heavy rain and lightning, but we were able to continue once the storm lightened up. The only difference was that we now had a wet track and completely different driving conditions from practice, and it showed. My 62 managed to keep us on the board up until our second qualifying lap. I knew I could improve on it and get a safer score to keep me in the competition for the top 16 battles the next day.

I took my sight lap and quickly discovered that the track was like ice all the way through the entry and first outer zone. The car was able to find a bit of grip through the horseshoe, before losing it again on the way back down and up the hill to the start line. Being from Florida and pretty confident in the rain, I felt good about my lap all the way up until I tried to throw my car into the first turn.

Because of the wet conditions, I knew I didn’t want to flick the steering wheel too hard. I tried a small flick, went to grab my handbrake, and suddenly realized there was no pressure. My car simply bobbled with my little flick because my rear wheels didn’t lock up. I desperately yanked on the hand brake a coupled more times to build pressure and then threw it sideways heading towards the first inner clip. I was pretty sure I was past the final initiation cone, which would result in a zero, but I was determined to put down a good rain lap.

I made my way around the up the hill and into the keyhole. I clutch kicked where I found grip and rode the slide down the hill and transitioned into the final turn up the hill. It was a solid wet lap, besides the entry. My suspicions were confirmed and I was given an incomplete run due to my entry. I was disappointed in the hand brake failure, but proud of the lap otherwise. Our win in Atlanta was being able to show up with a fixed car that was able to make it around the track. We now have some issues to sort out before St. Louis, but I know that we can make some magic happen now that we have a little more time to spend on the details. On to St. Louis!

All the best to each of you!
Kelsey (aka Drift Chick) and Dan Rowlings

www.driftchick.com
www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyrowlings/

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

Kelsey Rowlings season begins! Recap of FDORL ’19!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT PRO 2 ORLANDO,FL 2019 – ROUND 1

Kelsey’s drifting for April 2019

April was an exceptionally busy month as it included a round trip from Florida to California to have the car wrapped in its new incredible livery and to attend the Voodoo Ride Bash. During the bash the new livery was revealed as was our new title sponsor, Voodoo Ride. Voodoo Ride develops extraordinary car cleaning products that work and we are proud to be working with Voodoo Ride. Be sure the check them out.

Kelsey Rowlings 1

After all the activity it was very quickly time for the 2019 season of Formula Drift Pro2 to begin. Here, Kelsey summarizes the event:

2019 Formula Drift Pro 2 Round One – Orlando

Team Drift Chick was feeling very confident going into the 2019 Formula Drift Pro 2 season. Round one would be hosted by our home track, Orlando Speedworld, so we were in comfortable territory. Unfortunately, our confidence was short lived.

Due to some power steering pump issues plaguing us since we built the car, we have been making small changes to our system in hopes of alleviating the issues. We thought we had found a solution in a new brand of pump, but our excitement only lasted a few months when it also failed. We decided to give that brand of pump another try since it had lasted the longest without issues so far, and we couldn’t rule out the possibility of leftover metal bits from other pumps causing its failure. Because of this, we decided to replace everything in the system to brand new parts so we could rule that out as a possible culprit for the failure.

I drove 60 laps on that pump at the Import Alliance Atlanta demo issues with no power steering issues. We were relieved and hopeful it would hold up. We traveled out to California for the wrapping and reveal of our new 2019 livery, as well as to announce our new title partner, Voodoo Ride. At their Voodoo Ride bash event, I noticed my power steering stiffening at points and my heart sunk. We found metal “specks” in the power steering fluid reservoir, and I immediately knew we were back to where we started with only a couple weeks before round one in Orlando.

Kelsey Rowlings 2

At this point, we constructed a plan for preventative maintenance. We would always have three pumps in circulation; One was on the car, while we had one with us as a spare, and another being rebuilt or as a second spare. Knowing that two of these pumps lasted at least 60 laps before failing, I was confident we could use this system, and start with a fresh pump for each competition, to get through the season so we can find a more permanent solution in the off-season when there is more time.

We installed a brand new pump and planned to test the Saturday just before Thursday qualifying. In our first bit of bad luck, I was stepped on by a horse Friday and sustained a lot of injuries around my heel and ankle, leaving me unable to walk, let alone drive a drift car. Everything on the car, besides the power steering pump, was the same as usual, so I didn’t think that missing testing would really hurt us since we have had longer life out of these pumps than any before. I was very familiar with the track and I felt ready.

Kelsey Rowlings FD Orlando

This is where things went very wrong for us. Being comfortable with the track, I decided to go all in for the first lap of practice. I put the car on a very high line around the bank of the first turn. Everything was feeling great until half to three-quarters of the way around the bank. My power steering cut out and tried to rip the wheel from my hands. I tried to save it, but I was already so close to the wall that there was little I could do to avoid a collision.

The damage was fairly extensive. All of the suspension on the driver’s side was broken, and the front strut tower was pushed in. The car would need a frame machine to be repaired safely, and qualifying was that evening.

Because of the time crunch, and because the wreck happened in our first “open practice” session and not our first “official practice” session, we decided we had a better chance of getting back on track if we switched to a different car instead of fixing the wrecked car for this round.

Our SR22 powered S14 demo car was sitting at home with the valve cover off and no cams, in the middle of a repair from its most recent double rocker arm failure on cylinder three. However, we knew it would be faster to get it running than it would find a body shop willing to take us in last minute. Crew Chief Dan and Tom drove the 45 minutes home to get the SR car running, while Daniel M. stayed behind to get new suspension parts on the Ford-powered FD car to get it at least rolling again.

The SR car arrived at the track at the same time I returned with some last minute decals cut by Tahir of Guardian Wraps (We have a brand new wrap planned for the demo car, but due to unfortunate circumstances it continues to be put on hold). We unloaded the car during our second practice session, but it was running very rough. With the help of Andrew DiMartino from Haltech, we got to work trying to set the timing and diagnose any issues. As time went on, we were moving from one possibility to another as to why the car wouldn’t run right. We checked and swapped spark plugs, checked grounds, checked fuel injectors, and we even checked compression. It came down to our second qualifying run and last chance to qualify. I hadn’t driven a full lap all day, but I decided that even if the engine was hurt if I thought I could get around that track, I would make it take one lap.

After calling for a competition time out to get out there at the last possible second, I pull up to the track in the demo car, sporting the brand new Voodoo Ride decals. As I’m doing so, the engine drops a cylinder. I’m devastated. I pull into the burn out box hoping for a miracle and to at least show in front of our fans. I do a few donuts but the engine continues to sound worse and worse.

At this point, I did not think the car would make it around the bank safely and it would just be a risk to the car, and myself, if I were to try. I signaled to the officials that I was calling it quits and exited the track.

Although we were unable to make a qualifying lap, I know that the team and I did everything we could to rally after such an unexpected and untimely failure. Fortunately, the support system and web of fans have been overwhelming, and they led us to Billy Mitchell, of Sanford Paint and Body. He had us on a frame machine Monday evening after business hours and stayed late to help us pull everything out in one night.

While we don’t have time to address our power steering issue before the next round, we do have some new ideas and adjustments to make on our current system. We have parts on the way and plan to make the changes as soon as we return home. In the meantime, if we experience another power steering pump failure at Road Atlanta, we are hoping our power steering preventative maintenance plan be more successful since the walls are further away and harder to hit there! We stay in good spirits and are looking for redemption in Atlanta!

As always, we will continue to get out there to compete hard and to constantly learn and improve.

All the best to each of you!
Kelsey (aka Drift Chick) and Dan Rowlings

www.driftchick.com
www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyrowlings/

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

Great Season for Kelsey Rowlings! FDIRW Recap!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT PRO 2 IRWINDALE, CA – FINAL | Oct 12th and 13th

“BREAKTHROUGH”

After a long drive from Florida, I finally arrived at Irwindale Speedway for the final round of the 2018 Formula Drift season. The team and I were feeling pretty confident now that our new power steering pump seemed to fix our previous steering issues. After a few warm-up laps, I already was feeling comfortable on the track and was running very high lines on the bank. I kept cleaning up each run and got settled very quickly, only making small changes to our setup before qualifying.

As I pulled up to the line to qualify, the nerves hit. The intimidation of this track, both in its layout and history, was intense. Not only was it the final round of the series, but it has been known as the “House of Drift,” and has the potential to destroy your car with its walls. I floored it down the straight and clutch-kicked into the bank. I held a very high line, very close to the wall at the top of the bank. Pumped on my bank run, I lost a bit of concentration coming off the bank and ended up being off the first inner clip by a few feet. Knowing I had to make up for the mistake I slid the car deep into the next outer zone, right up against the inner bank wall. I carried my momentum through the zone, past the final inner clip and finally past the finish line. Overall, it was a solid run with a score of 82. I knew I could do better, but I ended up with an 80 on my next run. With my higher score of an 82, I qualified 7th and was put in the bracket against one of my Konig teammates, Alec Robbins.

When we arrived at the track the following day, we prepped the car for top 16 practice and mounted some fresh Achilles tires to our Konig Hypergrams. My very first lap of top 16 practice ended up being one of my best runs of the weekend, so I was feeling very confident. Unfortunately, that confidence was shut down aggressively in just our fourth lap when we wrecked hard into the wall just before the finish line. Between running a little too wide, getting into the marbles, and finishing off my tires at the very end, we slid right into the wall and popped the car into the air a few feet. I broke both of my Konig wheels on the passenger side, the front Coilover, and brake line, and I bent the front lower control arm, rear lower control arm, and rear knuckle. With only about an hour before top 16 battles started, I wasn’t sure if we would make it.

We got the car back to the pits and the team was already pulling out all the spare parts we had. Andy Hately and his crew also rushed over to help us with the car, knowing we had our work cut out for us. Fortunately, we had most of the parts we needed. The rear knuckle and front lower arm were reused since we didn’t have spares, but everything else was replaced. Unfortunately, the Coilover broke so bad that it fell out on track and was taken away by the track cleanup crew, but I needed the spring. We had been running a 10k spring in the front but our spare Coilovers had an 8k spring on them. Because we had no choice, we decided to just run the different springs. We were able to get a top hat from James Deane since we also broke the Wisefab-specific top when our Coilover was ripped out.

We finally got the car to the point where we could align it and bleed the brakes after installing the new brake line. Because of the bent parts we had to leave, we had to get the alignment as close as we could. When the brakes were being bled, I ran over to participate in the top 16 opening ceremonies without my car, but I knew it would get done and we were going to make it out to compete.

My first run after the wreck was my lead run in competition against Alec Robbins. I threw the car into the bank as committed as I could, but I could tell it felt very off. I struggled to settle the car while still trying to position it in all the right places. After the inner clip, I transitioned into the inner bank and the car was so unsettled I had to shut it down or risk putting it into the wall again. Because of receiving an incomplete on my first run, I knew it would be hard to make up for it. I could have stopped just then, but since it was the finals, I knew I had to go out again and do better.

This time, I had an idea of what to expect from the car when I threw it sideways behind Alec. I kept some distance on the bank since I knew I would be fighting the car, but started closing the gap as we approached the first inner clip. I managed to stay with him around the remainder of the course with decent proximity. Although overall the performance was not my best, I knew I did the best I could at the moment and I was proud of myself and the team for getting the car back out there for the competition. This season has definitely been one of learning, but even more so of improvement. Now that we are entering the off-season, I can’t wait to refresh the car and see what we are capable of achieving next year!

www.driftchick.com
www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyrowlings/

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

Rowlings FDSTL recap!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Hello St. Louis!!! In this guest blog, Kelsey Rowlings takes over the Blog and tells us her story of FDSTL. With a solid finish in Atlanta, Kelsey and the team walked into St. Louis with confidence and ready to take on the Gateway Motorsport Park. Below Kelsey gives us details on her adjustments to the new track and much more…

FORMULA DRIFT PRO 2 St. Louis – ROUND 2 | August 10th and 11th

Coming into the second round of Formula Drift Pro 2 in St. Louis, the Drift Chick team was feeling hopeful and excited. After a 7th place finish in Atlanta for round one, we were looking for similar or better results. It was the first time Formula Drift would make its way to Gateway Motorsports Park and very few competitors had driven the track before which slightly leveled the playing field. Although our team was one of those that had never driven the track, we were excited for the high speed drifting it would allow.

Our first practice session went well but had a few hiccups. We had recently returned the car to run unleaded Thunderbolt E85 instead of lead. When we did this, one of the oil pressure safeties we had set up on the Haltech had reset itself to a higher number, so anytime the car would drop below a certain oil pressure, even if just for a split second, it would trigger the safety and lower our rev limiter to five thousand RPM. This is a great safety in case of loss of oil pressure because it would save the engine without completely cutting power and making for a dangerous situation in drift. Unfortunately, it was set too high and was dropping the limiter in a few of my runs, making it impossible to Drift the high-speed course. Fortunately, the safety rev limiter was an easy fix. We just had to lower the trigger oil pressure number to a lower, but still, safe number and our problems were solved for the next practice session which was right before qualifying.

Going into our second practice session, our runs were getting more and more consistent, but I also notice my previous power steering issues seemed to be coming back. The power steering feel was stiffening up under any slow speeds, off-throttle/hand-braking or deceleration. We thought we had solved our problem by switching from ATF to an actual power steering fluid because it had less chance of over-cavitating and seemed to work for a few events. Unfortunately, I was noticing the issue getting worse and worse. Even though my last two runs before qualifying were fantastic runs, we were thinking about whether we should try to make any changes, like changing the power steering fluid, before qualifying.

Ultimately we decided not to make any changes at the risk of possibly making it worse, and since our last two runs were definitely qualification level runs, we decided to ride out the problem and worry about fixing it after qualifying and before top 16 competition. Heading into my first run I was feeling very confident. I had great proximity to the first clip and went slightly wide on the second, but I had great speed and angle. I continued the course and positioned the car in the touch-and-go and had great proximity to the third inner clip. Heading into the only outer zone in the final sweeper of the course, I carried a little too much speed. This forced me to drop a couple tires into the outer zone, and once I was two tires off, I couldn’t get any traction in the slippery grass and it sent me sliding off track and into the tire wall, a problem that many drivers had throughout the weekend.

I drove the car back to the pits and everything felt fine. We went over the car and were pleased to find that the damage was only cosmetic and I could easily go out for my second run. However, I was sitting on a zero for my first run so the pressure was on. The sun was starting to set as I lined up for my second run. There were no lights out on track so seeing in the dim lighting proved somewhat difficult to perceive depth. As I floored it down the straight, I ended up entering just a fraction of a second too early, which forced me to put a wheel up on the huge rumble strip in front of clip one. This completely unsettled the car as I tried to transition for clip two so at that point, I was just trying to save it and keep drifting in hopes I could clean up the second half of the run. Unfortunately, I was so off-line and struggling with the power steering that I had to straighten slightly before the third inner clip, closing the door on our hopes of qualifying.

Although we didn’t have the results we wanted, it allowed us to realize that there is still more R&D needed to make this car reach its full potential. I think that once we get everything working properly, we will have a lot of success, and we can’t wait until the third round in Texas to see were our changes put us!

www.driftchick.com
Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
Follow on Instagram: @kelseyrowlings

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

Kelsey makes to TOP 8 at FDATL!!!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT PRO 2 ATLANTA, GA – ROUND 1 | May 11th and 12th

“BREAKTHROUGH”

On Wednesday May 9, in the rolling hills of Braselton, Georgia, Kelsey’s 2018 PRO2 season of Formula Drift officially began by passing tech inspection for the new season. Held at Road Atlanta, the premiere drift venue in the country, the setting and weather were perfect for the next few days of competitive drifting and Round 1 for all the Pro2 drivers and teams. Team Drift Chick was ready to go and Kelsey was feeling good with the fixes made to the car’s steering working well.

After taking advantage of the awesome setting and scenery for some photo shoots with the new livery on the car, the crew got to work checking and making final adjustments to prepare the car for competition. Every fastener and wiring connection was checked to help make sure car reliability would not be a problem. With the Crew Chief declaring the car good to go, the team took the evening off, to rest up and be ready for Qualifying on Thursday.

Thursday kicked off with a short driver’s meeting. During this meeting, the Formula Drift judges explained the course layout as well as their expectations for the drivers. By the end of the session, the judges had clearly explained what was needed to attain a high score in the qualifying rounds.

Following the driver’s meeting, practice began. The drivers had a few hours to practice on the course while teams made needed adjustments to the cars in anticipation of qualifying runs. With the crew watching from their hot pit on the top of the hill, Kelsey put down a number of solid runs in practice with her spotter offering advice for improvement during each and every practice pass. With practice complete, it was on to qualifying. Each driver is given two passes to obtain their best qualifying score. In Kelsey first pass, she scored an 80. Pretty good overall, but the field included 30 talented drivers and Kelsey felt she could do better. On her second pass, she improved to a score of 84 which would be good enough to qualify ninth in the field of 16. Over all, the team was pleased with the first qualifying round of the season and looked forward to Tandem completion the following day.

On Friday, the crew again got to work and completed a thorough check of the car to make sure everything was ready for tandem competition later in the day. During this time, the car was also on display in the pits and Kelsey engaged with many fans stopping by to say hello.

Under the setting sun, a short tandem practice round began. After a few solid runs it was time for opening ceremonies. With a solid crowd of fans cheering them on, the drivers were introduced one by one. It was then game time.

In the round of 16, Kelsey was paired against the number 8 qualifier, Josh Robinson. Josh hails from Australia and is an awesome driver. In 2017, Kelsey competed head to head with Josh in the Orlando round, ultimately losing a close battel. Kelsey was determined to even the score. In the first pass, Josh led and Kelsey followed. Kelsey had a good follow run while Josh had some problems in the lead position. Going into Kelsey’s lead run, it appeared she had an advantage. In the second pass, Josh followed Kelsey. While Josh gave it his all, Kelsey put down a solid lead run. After a few moments to evaluate both passes, the judges awarded Kelsey the win. It was on to the Great 8!

In the Great 8 round, Kelsey was paired against Travis Reeder. Travis is a formidable driver and missed winning the 2017 season of Formula Drift Pro2 by just two points! But, Kelsey had been driving well, so an excellent battle was anticipated by all. Unfortunately for Kelsey, Travis’s car was a little quicker off the starting line and he created a gap ahead of Kelsey that gave him an advantage in his lead run. With Kelsey’s crew and spotter totally stressed, Kelsey calmly lined up for the second run. Kelsey took the lead position and put down her best lead run of the entire round. Unfortunately it was not quite enough and the win was awarded to her opponent.

Ultimately, Kelsey finished seventh in Round 1 of Formula Drift Pro2 competition, her best performance to date and a real “breakthrough”. Kelsey and the entire team were ecstatic and look forward to improving the performance of the car further in advance of Round 2. The next round will be held August 9 and 10 in St. Louis, Missouri when the team plans to build upon success.

www.driftchick.com
www.facebook.com/KelseyRowlings
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyrowlings/

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

FDATL 18 Friday Need To Know!

Posted on by KONIG

Tonight at 6pm EST Formula Drift will be heading into Pro1 Qualifying and then directly following that, around 10 pm EST, Top 16 for FD Pro2 will kick off.  We wanted to bring you up to speed in case you want to follow some of the Konig Team as they take to the grid!  So here is your Friday Need To Know for Formula Drift Atlanta.

In Pro1 make sure to look out for Kevin Lawrence and Matt VanKirk as they attempt to qualify.

In Pro 2, FIVE out of SEVEN Konig Drivers qualified into the top 16.  Travis Reeder, Kelsey Rowlings, Adam Knapik, Ryan Litteral and Geoff Donati.

Travis Reeder is your #1 seed as he qualified with a 95!  You should also note that Travis won this event last year so he’s looking for a repeat victory!

Make sure to watch it all godown LIVE starting at 6 pm.  http://www.formulad.com/live

And make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our PODCAST!  We will be running through highlights from this event early next week and we will do so after every Formula Drift event!  If you like the PODCAST, please subscribe (available on iTunes and Google Play)

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!

Getting to know Kelsey Rowlings!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

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!