LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 3, 2015) — Formula Drift L.L.C. promoters are touting Ford Motor Co.'s return to the competition this year as “bigger and bolder.”
The Dearborn, Mich.-based auto maker, which is in its third year as sponsor of the series, will support Mustang drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Justin Pawlak and plans to ramp up its “Drift with Ford” sweepstakes giveaway, along with trackside activities at all seven 2015 Formula Drift events. The company's custom Focus ST giveaway kicks off April 10-12 at the Drift season opener in Long Beach.
“Ford and Formula Drift fans share a deep passion for performance, making the series the perfect venue for demonstrating the capabilities of our vehicles,” said Steve Ling, Ford North America car marketing manager.
“We had a strong response with last year's ‘Drift with Ford' sweepstakes when we gave away a custom EcoBoost-powered Fiesta ST. This year we're bringing back the sweepstakes with the hot Focus ST, and expanding our trackside presence with displays and activities at every Formula Drift event in North America.”
Fans can enter the Ford sweepstakes at any Formula Drift event or through the Formula Drift website.
Mickey Matus, Ford Racing marketing communications manager, said “fans love to watch teams fielding V8-powered Ford Mustangs battling for the top spot in Formula Drift. Vaughn and Justin are both elite drivers who have proven they know what it takes to win. We believe they're poised for great success in Ford Mustang, and can't wait for the season to get under way.”
Ford has been part of the drifting scene since 2005 when, according to promoters, the series triggered a successful Ford Racing performance parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 crate engine. The car maker has increased its support and involvement each year since.
Formula Drift said the enthusiastic response from fans has encouraged Ford to step up its involvement this year. Fans can visit the auto maker's display at each event to experience the latest lineup of Ford performance vehicles including all-new Mustang — which is similar to the cars driven by Mr. Gittin for the Monster Energy team and Mr. Pawlak for the Falken Tire Corp. team.
Ryan Sage, vice president and co-founder of Formula Drift, said the series is “excited to have Ford back on as a major sponsor….
“With the success of last year's vehicle giveaway, Ford has graciously doubled down, returning with another massive sweepstakes. The brand totally gets this audience and because of that, fans of the sport benefit in unique and creative ways.”
For the first round of the championship series, Formula Drift is staging races on one of two street courses used for professional drifting — on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach — one week prior to that event, using turns nine, 10 and 11 of the street course.
“With a high-speed entry and very tight spacing between cars and walls, there's no room for error, making the first round of Formula Drift one of the most exciting series events of the year,” promoters said..
