Big Als Z28
05-03-2004, 02:14 AM
Drifting is a screeching success
By DAVID COFFIN
Monterey County Herald
Sun, May. 02, 2004
Ken Gushi, a 17-year-old high school senior from San Gabriel, scored an upset of sorts and won the International Drifting Shoot-Out to complete a full day of racing activity Saturday at the Road & Track U.S. Sports Car Invitational at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Gushi had a little "accident with the law," his team said and cannot even get a driver's license until he is 21. He has been doing drifting competition for four years, however, and has an SCCA Pro License.
The drifting competition was run in a drag racing format with bracketing and eliminations. In the finals, Gushi, driving a Nissan 240SX for Team Rotora, defeated Rhys Millen of Huntington Beach in a new generation 5.7 liter Pontiac GTO for Team RMR.
The competition was run through Turn 2 (the Andretti Hairpin) and Turn 3, then back through the two turns in reverse direction.
"I just treated it like two different tracks," said a jubilant Gushi, whose father, Tsukasa, is his mechanic and mentor. "It's a lot funner going down hill (the normal direction)."
The Laguna Seca event was an exhibition and Gushi is competing in the four-event U.S. Formula D series, sanctioned by the SCCA, which is in its first year as a professional event in the United States.
Gushi said that what appeals to him about drifting is, "You are going beyond the limits of the tires' traction. At any time, you can spin out and crash. I see a big future for drifting."
Team manager Richard Tang said they receive no support from Nissan at a factory level, but, "Superior Nissan, a Southern California dealership, helps us out."
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/mcherald/8572761.htm
By DAVID COFFIN
Monterey County Herald
Sun, May. 02, 2004
Ken Gushi, a 17-year-old high school senior from San Gabriel, scored an upset of sorts and won the International Drifting Shoot-Out to complete a full day of racing activity Saturday at the Road & Track U.S. Sports Car Invitational at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Gushi had a little "accident with the law," his team said and cannot even get a driver's license until he is 21. He has been doing drifting competition for four years, however, and has an SCCA Pro License.
The drifting competition was run in a drag racing format with bracketing and eliminations. In the finals, Gushi, driving a Nissan 240SX for Team Rotora, defeated Rhys Millen of Huntington Beach in a new generation 5.7 liter Pontiac GTO for Team RMR.
The competition was run through Turn 2 (the Andretti Hairpin) and Turn 3, then back through the two turns in reverse direction.
"I just treated it like two different tracks," said a jubilant Gushi, whose father, Tsukasa, is his mechanic and mentor. "It's a lot funner going down hill (the normal direction)."
The Laguna Seca event was an exhibition and Gushi is competing in the four-event U.S. Formula D series, sanctioned by the SCCA, which is in its first year as a professional event in the United States.
Gushi said that what appeals to him about drifting is, "You are going beyond the limits of the tires' traction. At any time, you can spin out and crash. I see a big future for drifting."
Team manager Richard Tang said they receive no support from Nissan at a factory level, but, "Superior Nissan, a Southern California dealership, helps us out."
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/mcherald/8572761.htm