Hankook Tire America Corporation Debuts World's First Drifting Porsche to Compete in 2007 Forumu

Hankook Tire America Corp., manufacturer of ultra high-performance passenger, light-medium and heavy-truck radial tires, today announces its sponsorship of the world’s first Drifting Porsche. The specially built, custom 993 GT2 Porsche, designed and manufactured by JIC USA / CROSS North America, made its official debut in the Hankook Tire exhibit at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show October 31, 2006. “This is the world’s first Porsche to be purpose-built for drifting,” said Bill Bainbridge, marketing director, Hankook Tire America Corp. “While the sport of drifting is clearly one of the fastest growing forms of motorsports in the U.S. today. With cars sliding sideways at high speed through a marked course, always on the edge, it’s spectacular to watch, and we think the Porsche equipped with Hankook Ventus ultra-high performance tires will deliver a whole new dimension of excitement and performance.” The Hankook Tires/JIC Magic Porsche’s awesome performance comes from a 3.8-liter, 6-cylinder fully built race engine rated at 600+ hp and equipped with twin IHI turbos, six individual throttle bodies and custom exhaust and manifolds by JIC. It is specially designed with a 993 GT EVO body. Maximum handling capabilities are provided by Drift-spec JIC /CROSS competition race coil-over shocks, and custom JIC/CROSS suspension arms and rods. Optimum road-holding and grip is courtesy of Hankook Z212 Ventus Drift tires. Inside, a GT2 factory roll cage surrounds a COBRA Imola Racing seat and COBRA Suzuka Racing seat, provided by Sube Sports, and a selection of custom gauges. The entire package is wrapped in a custom Pearl White paint by DTM Autobody and highlighted with special Hankook Tire graphics by 5th Dimension Sign Works.
The Hankook Tires/JIC Magic Porsche drift team will compete in the 2007 Need for Speed: Formula Drift Series, which is scheduled to begin the first week in April 2007 at Long Beach, Calif. The Hankook Tires/JIC Magic Porsche may compete or participate in demonstration events in other series as well, though its primary focus will be Formula Drift. Drivers include Kenji Yamanaka of Yokohama, Japan.and a second driver to be named in the future. “We are pleased to be sponsoring this remarkable drift racer,” said Bainbridge. “The collaborative decision with JIC USA to enter the first Porsche in Formula Drift will bring another new element to the sport. This car will be unique and quite competitive.” About Hankook Tire America Corp. Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire America Corp. is a technology-focused, market-driven company that supports motorsports enthusiasts and racers at all levels. Hankook is known and respected around the world for its superior racing tires that stand up against the toughest competition. Hankook remains at the forefront of racing tire development to achieve optimum performance. As Hankook expands its motorsports activities, the focus will remain on technology that will keep Hankook-equipped vehicles in the winner’s circle. Hankook is one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world, manufacturing a full range of tires for almost any type of vehicle. About JIC USA /Ziel Motorsports JIC USA was known in Japan as Ziel Motorsports, where it competed in high-profile racing series including the All Japan Grand Touring Series, N1 Endurance races, LeMans races and the BPR International Endurance Championships. In 1997, Ziel Motorsports made its way stateside, competing in prestigious events like the Daytona 24 Hours and the American LeMans Series. In 1999, Ziel Motorsports teamed with JIC Magic, a highly respected Japanese tuner to further strengthen the US motorsports industry. Currently headquartered in Downey, California, and competing wide range of racing series, JIC USA /Ziel Motorsports fields a fleet of racing vehicles for all types of motorsports, from drag racing, to drifting and time attacks.

Fighting Irishman Battles His Way To A 2nd Place Finish

Falken Drift Team newcomer, Darren MacNamara, is relatively unknown to United States drift fans. However in Europe, D-Mac as he is affectionately known, is an established standout in the PRODRIFT European Series. His consistent track record, high speeds, and extreme angles caught the attention of Falken Tire Corporation who signed him for the 2007 season. Round 2 of the Formula Drift Series took place at Road Atlanta. It was D-Mac’s second Formula D event ever and although he had one of the lower powered vehicles in the field, Darren still managed to qualify 12th behind teammate Ross Petty who held the 8th position. A recurring problem was the graded sweeping turn in which D-Mac had trouble keeping the Falken Corolla in drift. With some quick recalculations, the Falken Tire Motorsports crew reduced the size of the Azenis RT-615 tires resulting in a consistent drift and billows of smoke! Through the ladder D-Mac tested his skills amongst some of Formula D’s top competitors such as Daijiro Yoshihara and current points leader Tanner Foust. Proving they were no match, Darren continued on to the finals where he captured 2nd overall. D-Mac contributed his performance to the entire Falken Motorsports team and his Falken Azenis RT-615 tires. For more information on Falken Tire products and the 2007 Falken Tire Drift Team please visit www.falkentire.com .

St. Louis Are You Ready? NOPI Drift and NDRA

This weekend sets up the stage for the 3rd event of NOPI’s New Professional Drift Series and this event will be paired up with NDRA as well, on June 9th and 10th at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis. You can be assured that with NDRA and NOPI Drift going on in the same weekend and the same location there will not be one minute without action and entertainment throughout the entire weekend!“We feel that we bring one of the best event series to the enthusiasts and race teams. With this weekend being a perfect example of how NOPI covers all of the bases at each event that we throw. We decided to pair up our 2 events into 1 monster event for St. Louis, with NDRA and NOPI Drift together, we are sure that each enthusiast will leave our event with a smile on their face! With NDRA racers running some amazing numbers at our last event, the fans are sure to get some exciting action as some of the race teams will be trying to back up the scorching numbers that they put down at Maryland International Raceway.” Says Michael Meyers, President of NOPI Motorsports. “With NOPI Drift in it’s 3rd event, the points standing is starting to look interesting. With the top drivers wanting to keep their points lead, there will be some extremely exciting competition this weekend.”
NOPI Motorsports is proud to provide enthusiasts with a non-stop action packed weekend with its events. Starting with NDRA and NOPI Drift paired up for this weekend. That’s not all though, as with every NOPI event there will also be a NOPI Car Show and a NOPI Swimsuit Competition for the NOPI Chic’s out there. With all of this going on, there is sure to be something for everyone! NOPI looks forward to seeing you there and would like to thank you for your continuing support for NOPI Motorsports.