W&HM / Wheels and Heels Magazine / www.wheelsandheelsmag.com / Py Pai
Under the beautiful slightly overcast and sometimes sunny yet sometimes foggy Long Beach Spring weather,
Formula Drift 2018 season Opener started at the streets of Long Beach!
This year the
Formula Drift marketing team is under a new management, and we highly appreciate their accommodation and accesses that they granted us! With this opportunity, we have a complete coverage of both on the track as well as off the track to the pits and lifestyle expo as well as the Autocon car show. It's one of the most wonderful experiences that we enjoy covering the Formula Drift for the 9th straight years!!
We had our
same day coverage from Friday already that you should not miss as well!
We also love to give our cover and feature models in the event that gave us these beautiful looks so we can capture them and bring them back to you! They are simply the angels of the event!!
From the top:
Nicole Marie Reckers and Arley Elizabeth for Achilles, Jess Harbour for Nexen, Jessica Diane and Christina Riordan for Worthouse, Ashley Twomey for Magnaflow, and Ashley Harrell for Falken!!
Drift Cars and Vendor Cars
One of the highlights of the event is to get up and close and personal about the cars that you see on the track flying by with tons of smoke and debris when they practically flew with their competitors. From the Toyota Corolla driven by Aasbo to totally souped up drives that defined the professional drifting level as the top of the world!
Autograph Session
After the first day (Friday) practice and competition runs, it's a relaxing time for fans to meet the persons behind those dare-devil runs against each others. Handshaking, selfie-taking and freebie grabbing were all part of the fun!
Umbrella Girls
Umbrella Girls are a grand tradition of the event. Coming from the Race Queen equivalent in Japan, here at Formula Drift, we have more exotic combination of styles and personalities!
Achilles Tires with Nicole Marie Reckers and Arley Elizabeth
Worthous with Christina Riordan and Jessica Diane
Nexen Tires girls of Erica Nagashima, Jess Harbour, and Karina Velez
Falken Tire Girls with Courtney Day, Andrea Campero Wells, Ashley Harrel
Nitto Tire Girls Leanna Decker and Courtney Riggs
NOS Energy Drink Girls
Competitions for the top
The competitions were really fierce to the hairpin precision. Many times we saw cars rammed into walls, or touching each other with wheels in front of each other, or even making unintended full donuts due to lost of control. It's like everybody put their 110% to aim at the big trophy to put on their own resume...
Autocon Car Show
During the half time, it's the static calming moment from the adrenaline rushes during the drifting competition. Autocon is known of cool cars and amazing mods. Here is no exception and the looks and muscles and mods were on a grand display to show off what cars can become!
Opening Ceremony
At the opening ceremony, the drive and umbrella girls line up for introduction is always a crowd pleasing time! The combination of talents from the drivers, girls and cars is simply the utmost show of professional drifting showcase!
Final Four
The final four racing is just a hair standing experience... Not only the stakes were high, the crowd was wild, the efforts by each driver was obviously 200% by now!
The Long Beach Championship Title Competition!!
It all came down to the two super drivers, Aasbo and Wang. The former has been a champion in the past but not the last, while the latter had a hiatus for a year and aimed to come back to the top spot!
Now it's more than hair raising, it's now a nail biting moment! The race was sooooo fierce that at the end, the crowd and the judges had call a one-more-time rerun to gain further decision for the victor!
At the end,
Fredric Aasbo took the big cup home!! Many congratulations!!!
Vendor Awesome Promotional Models
On the other side of the track was the lifestyle expo while the soothing display of various vendor gears as well as gorgeous promo models were giving the happy vibes through out the days!
Overall, it's such an awesome experience and great event, that we cannot wait to see them again at the next one in So-Cal! This is a great event of professional drifting that is for drifting enthusiasts as well as family bonding time! Great job all!
(to contact us, emailto:info@wheelsandheelsmag.com)
W&HM / Wheels and Heels Magazine / www.wheelsandheelsmag.com 
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