SHR DODGE/BFGoodrich Drift Team roars into the road to the Championship
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
05/24/2010
BRASELTON, Georgia (SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING) – Samuel Hübinette Racing’s Dodge/BFGoodrich team roared into the second round of the Formula DRIFT championship at Road Atlanta this weekend with enthusiasm and momentum.
The new two-car team, featuring team owner Hübinette behind the wheel of a new Dodge Challenger and drift newcomer Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard in the familiar Dodge Viper, were popular with fans at the event putting on a strong showing on the track in practice and competition rounds.
Hübinette’s performance in the Dodge Challenger drew huge reaction from the packed audience. The aggressive car, with its grumbling 800-plus horsepower, is rapidly becoming a fan favorite.
“We were really quick and the car ran well, yet we still have some more development to do,” said Hübinette. “We have to be happy to have qualified in the top 10 bracket, but we will keep tweaking things to be even more competitive.”
The two-time champion Hübinette secured a ninth-place qualifying spot, but was knocked out in the Top 16 bracket – along with several other Formula DRIFT favorites. Matched with defending champion Chris Forsberg, the round came down to a one-more-time battle that saw Hübinette drop a wheel in the dirt. The slight misstep was enough to end Hübinette’s event.
“I’m still adapting to the longer wheelbase,” said Hübinette. “But now that’s out of the way, and I’m ready to move on to the next round.”
The team will next appear in competition at Round 3, “The Gauntlet” at Wall Speedway in Wall, NJ, June 4-5. Hübinette said his previous experience at the Wall, NJ, track and the Challenger’s Eibach Suspension and the bolt on performance from the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW tires will be valuable advantages for the steep-banking-to-flat surface transitions.
Formula Drift newcomer Comrie-Picard said Road Atlanta was a challenge. With a strong field of 50 drivers vying for the 32 qualifying positions, a spin on his first run and a missed shift on his second meant he did not qualify.
“I’m working on controlling that wild Viper at the limit, while also getting used to a synchro gearbox after years with dog-engagement gears in rally. The good news is that I’m getting more consistent in the car and feel I was very close to qualifying,” he said. “I’m loving the sport, and I’ll get it nailed.”
He said he and the team continue to work on car setup and his aim is to crack the Top 16 before this summer’s X Games (July 31).
To celebrate the team’s 2010 Dodge partnership, Dodge Motorsports was on-hand to treat fans to drift thrill rides throughout the two-day event. Three lucky fans also had the chance to ride along with Hübinette himself in the team’s competition-prepared Dodge Challenger.
The SHR team’s competition vehicles will stay at Mike Hayes Dodge on the east coast for tuning to adapt to Wall Speedway’s 30 degree banking and flat combinations, while the team members return to their home base in California.
ABOUT SAMUEL HÜBINETTE —
A native Swede, Hübinette has been living and competing in the United States since 2004. He became a US citizen in 2006.
When he isn’t competing, Hübinette is also a serious motorcycle rider and a working stunt driver in car commercials and in Hollywood productions including Fast and the Furious franchise, Crank2, and Knight and Day.
Hübinette developed a taste for speed in his native Sweden, where he earned a reputation for pushing snowmobiles to their limits. He competed as a driver in Touring Car racing on a team for Volvo from 1997 through 2000 and worked for nine years as a test driver in product development for the company.
He has also worked as a performance-driving instructor, including a three-year stint at the Skip Barber Racing School, where he was a member of the elite Special Product Group.
ABOUT ANDREW COMRIE-PICARD —
Andrew “ACP” Comrie-Picard is campaigning the series in the team’s Dodge V10 Viper for his first season in the sport. Although new to drifting, he is an accomplished driver: a four-time X Games veteran and the defending North American Rally Champion. He also works as a stunt and precision driver and host of the new Discovery show Ultimate Car Buildoff, airing Mondays at 9 pm from June 21st.
SAMUEL HÜBINETTE RACING PARTNERS —
Dodge, BFGoodrich, Eibach, Weld Racing, AIT, Sparco, K&N, AEM, Stack Performance, ES Motorsports, Royal Purple, Wilwood, Mopar, Tilton Engineering, OS Giken, ITI Performance, Magnaflow, Azunia Tequila, Meguiar’s.
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