Yesterday marked the opening day of the 2011 Formula Drift season and GM opened the season up with a bang! Thanks to some fearless driving during qualifying by Conrad Grunewald and his GM Performance Parts-powered Chevy Camaro, GM earned the first qualifying position among the top 32 competitors out on the field. Conrad’s Camaro is powered by a GMPP Crate Engine version of the upcoming supercharged Camaro ZL1 powerplant, so there’s plenty of power to swing the Camaro’s rear end around. We’ll be excited to see just how well those ponies can leave little bits of Hankook rubber on the Streets of Long Beach track today.

Formula Drift action opens up today at 11:30 PM PST and we’ll be carrying all of the action here on GMTunerSource.com via the livestream here - http://www.gmtunersource.com/gmracing/drifting/formula-drift-live

In case you can’t sit glued to your computer all day, GMTS will be broadcasting up to the minute updates during competition runs on our Facebook page here - http://www.facebook.com/GMTunerSource

SOURCE: Wrecked Magazine

Falken Tires is by and large the dominant tire manufacturer that’s involved in Formula Drift. At every FD event they have a team of guys filming every second of the action so they can make the cool videos that you can see after the jump. Their latest video is from Round 2 of Formula Drift at Road Atlanta where Darren McNamara and his LS2-powered Saturn SKY was kicking up dirt and trading paint with anyone who came too close. Check out the action from the ATL right after the jump.

This weekend is Round 3 of the Formula Drift season and we’re happy to be able to bring you all of the action LIVE, right here on GMTS all weekend long! The coverage starts tomorrow at 11am and you can watch the whole event for free on our livestream right here. The schedule of this weekend’s events is located on the bottom of the coverage page so you can make sure that you don’t miss any of the qualifying or elimination rounds. Let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments section.

For all of the rookies to professional Drifting, there are three GM cars running for the Formula Drift championship this season so even if you don’t have a favorite driver, you can easily find one to root for. Ryan Tuerck is piloting the Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice, Conrad Grunewald will be slicing up the track in his Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro and Darren McNamera will be tearing it up with the top down in his Falken Tire Saturn Sky.

Cheer them all on online and trash talk their competition all LIVE on our livestream right here - www.gmtunersource.com/index.php/gmracing/drifting/formula-drift-live

 

Gary Gardella and his band of merry men at Gardella Racing have been bringing the heat for the 2010 Formula Drift season. Seemingly burning the candle at both ends, the boys at Gardella Racing appear to be everywhere lately. We came across a video they put together to show everyone exactly what the Gardella Racing team is all about. It’s definitely worth the watch with interviews from Gary and Ryan and some wicked shots of the Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice in action. Check it out after the jump.

Formula D is without a doubt a staple in the Youth Automotive Culture and for GREAT reason! They have stood the test of time and have won over fans of all ages and backgrounds. They put on one of the best events in the industry – all first class. The World Finals is being held in California at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, CA - October 16-17. GMTS is very excited about the event, and will be bringing you up to date tweets from twitter and posts before and after the event. You may be asking, yourself, why is this such a big deal?

Formula Drift Atlanta was a huge event for Pontiac drifting: two Solstices on the podium and the GTO in fourth. It was a long haul for event winner Rhys Millen, who persevered through two qualifying rounds and four elimination rounds. Rhys had an unwaivering focus. This will probably make me sound old and dorky, but remember Ice Man from Top Gun€™? That was Rhys this weekend: no mistakes. None. Then there'€™s modest Dai Yoshihara, claiming that he was still getting used to being behind the wheel of the GTO. . . Dai, I don'€™t think you can say that any more, because it'€™s clear you have pretty good handle on it! And Ryan Tuerck. Only his second Formula Drift event in his new Solstice with a new team, and he lands himself on the podium.

Team RMR has now stood on the Formula Drift podium with team mates Dai Yosihara and Rhys Millen at four of the past five events, making team RMR the most winning team in Formula Drift history.

Drifting is the hottest form of motorsport right now so it was only a matter of time before these sideways phenoms got some official air time on the old moving picture box. Drifting is a fantastic sport but unless you live in one of the 7 scheduled event stops, you probably haven't seen an actual drifting competition in its entirety and are left wondering what all the hype is about. Starting this Sunday though, you'll have the chance to watch the 2009 Formula DRIFT season from start to finish, right from the comfort of your own home, courtesy of VERSUS. If you're an ECOtec fan, you'll start out with a favorite driver too as Ryan Tuerck in his Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice has been tearing it up all season.

To kick off the 2007 season, the GM Tuner Tour exploded on the scene at the Long Beach Grand Prix and Formula Drift event.