This weekend, Titan Motorsports will be participating in the ADRL Hardees’ Gateway Drags, at Gateway International Raceway. After laying down a team best of 4.056 @ 181.25 mph, briefly breaking the record at the US Drags II, Team Titan looks to make another finals appearance in St. Louis this coming weekend. The car has been running consistent these last few months, and now that #1 points position is in sight. Look for Titan to be throwing it down with the Big Blocks in XTF, this weekend in St. Louis. We’ll see you at the races!
Last weekend we participated in the ADRL US Drags II. After sorting out a few problems in testing, we were very optimistic about Friday night’s qualifying. “Friday night is always the best opportunity to make a good run in qualifying so we didn’t want to waste it” said crew chief Brett White. Indeed he was right, as Team Titan managed to make a career best run of 4.056 @ 181.25 mph. That pass landed us in the #2 qualifying spot and also broke the national elapsed time record in the XTF class!
On Saturday, we faced our first round opponent Randy Matlock. First round was run during the heat of the day so track conditions were the worst we would face all weekend. We made adjustments to soften the tune up to make sure we made a clean run. This turned out a 4.18 @ 177 mph which advanced us into the second round.
In the second round we faced Dave Hance. By this time the sun had begun to set and track conditions had started to get a little better. We decided to try to creep up on the tune up just a little bit while still making sure we didn’t over power the race track. The car responded really well to the small changes and ran a 4.072 @ 180 mph which backed up the 4.05 run. This set the national record at 4.056 for a few minutes before Chuck Ulsch reset the record again.
In the semi final round we were up against Joel Bayless. We were trying to keep the car consistent and managed to do just that, running another 4.07 @180 to win the round, and a chance to compete in the finals for the second time this season.
In the final race we were matched up with Chuck Ulsch, which proved to be somewhat of a David vs. Goliath scenario. Chuck has a brand new racecar with the most powerful motor in the class to this point and has been very tough to beat. At the drop of the tree, the cars left the starting line with Gary posting a .123 reaction time and Chuck a .160 reaction time. Both cars got really loose and slid around a lot in the middle of the track. Both cars were eventually corralled and we ended up running a 4.070 to Chucks 4.032. In the end Chuck Ulsch came away the winner by .001 seconds. It was another tough break for the Titan crew, but the quick and consistent times has advanced Team Titan to the #2 points position at just past the half way mark in the season.
That’s right, our own Bottle Deliwala himself will be making a cameo on Versus T.V. on June 7, 2009 at 3 pm. There will be a brief interview, and a bunch of racing action. Check out the rest of the 2009 National Guard ADRL Versus Television Schedule for all the races, times, and details. Also check out the ADRL site for additional info. http://www.adrl.us/index.php/main/show/
We are heading to Michigan! After being rained out at the ADRL Memphis Drags II, Team Titan will be continuing where we left off at the upcoming ADRL Summer Drags V. We will be going into third round eliminations against our long time rival Billy Glidden. Come out and enjoy the 2 for 1 battle as we look to finish the Memphis Drags II, as well as compete in the Summer Drags V in Martin Michigan. We still have a few tickets available, so if you need any, feel free to email JonS@titanmotorsports.com, and we’ll be sure to send you some tickets on the house. We’ll see you at the races.
Titan Motorsports will be participating in the ADRL Hardees’s Georgia Drags V at South Georgia Motorsports Park, in Adel Georgia, on April 10-11. We have tons of free tickets to the race, so if any of you would like a few, please email JonS@titanmotorsports.com with your name, address and quantity of tickets you request. We hope to see you out there wearing your Titan colors. We’ll see you at the races!
Titan Motorsports will be competing once again in ADRL, in the Extreme 10.5” class. We will be competing throughout the 2009 season. We would like to take an opportunity to show you a small token of our appreciation for your loyalty to Titan Motorsports. Titan Motorsports will be participating in the ADRL Dragpalooza V at Houston Raceway Park, in Baytown Texas, on March 6-7. On behalf of ADRL and Titan Motorsports, we would like to extend to you free tickets to the race. Simply email JonS@TitanMotorsports.com with your name, address, and the amount of tickets you need. The tickets are good for both days of the event. Please join us in Texas (wearing your Titan colors) for what is sure to be an exciting weekend. For times and specifics, visit http://www.adrl.us/index.php/main/insidepage/schedule/ for more information. We’ll see you at the races!
This weekend I had the pleasure of heading to Long Beach, California for the Red Bull Drifting Finals. I’ve been attending import events for over 10 years now, and as hard as it is to believe, this was my first drifting event. That being said I could not have picked a better event to attend, Red Bull and FormulaD truly outdid themselves in the planning and execution of this event, and it ran flawlessly.
We flew in Thursday Night and headed to downtown Long Beach for the pre-party. FormulaD organized a pre-party upstairs at Smooths, and also arranged for the streets to be closed off so the cars could line up through downtown. It was a great time with plenty of beers and Red Bulls being consumed from friends of new and old, along with some of the best drifters from around the world. The drivers picked straws to determine their qualifying order and then proceeded to parade back to the pier for the following days testing.
Here is a quick video of the cars lined up in front of Smooths in Long Beach during the straw pull / pre-party.
On Friday a Pro-Am event was held on the course. Without access to the event we spend the day enjoying some of the fun things to do around Long Beach. I was highly impressed with how clean Long Beach as a city was. The air quality and Smog left a lot to be desired, but I can’t count how many people where picking up trash, washing sidewalks and windows, etc on the cities dime.
Saturday we walked from the host hotel, Westin of Long Beach, down to the convention center to catch our bus to the venue. I was a little hesitant of how this was going to work out as I read about the event, however parking and the bus schedule seemed to work perfectly, and I can’t remember waiting more than 15 to catch a bus. As we drove into the port of Long Beach, the scenery went from a plush cityscape to an industrial yard complete with oil tankers, cranes and container ships. FormulaD had built a small city within this landscape and in the middle was the track where the event would be held. Bleachers, VIP stands, catch fences vendor tents, everything needed to hold a proper event where brought into this shipyard. It was truly a work of art and one of the best places you could possible hold a drifting event. Qualifying took place and the competitors where scored on their runs, combined with entry speeds from 85-104mph. There was plenty of smoke coming from the competitors tires, and blowing in from the brush fires in nearby Sylmar fires being pushed with Santa Ana winds. Combined with the already thick Long Beach smog it made breathing a bit more difficult, however it added to the industrial environment the track was constructed in. There were some great solo runs to be seen but the real event was still to come on Sunday.
Sunday morning we again boarded the bus and headed out to the venue for the main event. A big thanks to Steve @ Scion for providing us with great hospitality in the Scion VIP stand. The event kicked off with the Red Bull air team sky diving in at 80+mph, then followed by tandem sessions with 32 of the world’s best drifters. The event format was a bit different at this event, drivers were not given advantages, just a win/loss/omt (one more time) at the end of 2 sessions. The first session a driver would lead the run, then follow the section run. If the 2 runs are 2 close to determine a winner an OMT is granted so that the 2 competitors can run again until a concrete victor is determined. There were plenty of great cars participating however those that stood out where an E36 Wagon, Quad-Rotor RX7 (one of the best sounding engines I’ve heard in a while), and the ever popular Mopar Viper. The day had plenty of great drifts, crashes, but in the end Red Bulls very own Rhys Millen wont the event with his consistent drifts, 3 digit entry speeds and great transitions. We boarded the bus after a great event and flew back to Florida to get things started for 2009. I truly hope Red Bull / FormulaD is able to make this event an annual event, as I had a blast and would love to see some other east coasters fly out and enjoy the event. Will you see a Titan Supra drifting in 2009? I can’t guarantee it, but it sure would be cool.
Some other fun things we did while in Long Beach
Aquarium of the Pacific – If you make it to Long Beach definitely check out this aquarium. The exhibits range from 5,000 gallons to 3,500 gallons allowing you to view the animals in a realistic environment.
Inn-N-Out Burger – The first place we went after exiting the plane was Inn N Out Burger. Inn-N-Out burger has some of the best burgers and fries I’ve ever had at a fast food joint. They currently only have locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona. If you make it out west it’s definitely worth the trip.
PinkBerry – Everyone is raving about PinkBerry frozen yogurt on the internet and in those gossip mags my fiancé is constantly reading. Currently only open in New York and California this chain serves some of the best yogurt I’ve ever had. Basically it’s all natural non-fat yogurts in Green Tea, Pomegranate, and Original Flavors, combined with some of the freshest toppings. I’ve got to admit I’m hooked, I can only hope they bring the concept to Orlando soon to kill my sweet tooth and stay healthy at the same time.
Yard House – 215 beers available on tap. Need I say anything more. Located in Shoreline Village this restaurant has just about any beer you could want and then some, most available in their half yard sized glasses.
This weekend Nero and myself had the pleasure of heading to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA show. SEMA is an industry event that encompasses the aftermarket performance industry. After 3 days of walking the show and meeting with suppliers and contacts in the industry, I was exhausted. The gallery below has some of our highlights from the show.
Finally, after much testing, sweat, hard work and anticipation, Titan Motorsports set out for Ennis Texas for the ADRL world finals; Battle of the Belts. Team Titian had been running quite consistently in previous events and had been amongst the fastest competitors for the entire ADRL series. On October 24, Titan began qualifying for the biggest race of the year. In the first round of qualifying, Gary was able to run a 4.730 @ 172.28mph getting him safely into the 14th spot. In round 2 Gary went up against Michael Neal. White was able to get the better of Neal running a 4.235 @ 172.34mph to Michaels 4.328 @ 173.54 mph. It was a great race with close numbers. In Final Qualifying the Scion started running faster with Gary putting down a 4.208 @ 171.26 mph besting Alex Viscardi’s 4.567 @ 169.7534 mph. This put Gary and the Scion comfortably in 4th place qualifying.
Once the Eliminations round began Titan was full throttle, holding nothing back. Team Titan knew they had to lay it all out if they were going to be any competition against the racers left in the field. Gary White drew Steve Gorman in the first round. Gorman had engine trouble but Gary wasn’t looking back. He rocketed down the track with a 4.173 @ 173.54 mph. In round two, the Scion was up against Todd Moyer, one of the fastest cars in the field. Todd ran a 4.191 @ 180.45 mph resetting his own speed record and a new national record. However Team Titan was ready, dipping deep into the teens with a 4.137 @ 173.52 mph for the win. Now it’s down to the semi-finals. Titan goes up against David Janes; Janes was able to muster a 4.245 @ 175.71 mph, but the Scion, nearly busting the ET record, ran a 4.128 @ 173.63 mph with a .985 60’. So finally, it all comes down to one final round. As expected, Titan lined up against none other than Billy Glidden, Titan’s most consistent rival. Glidden got the jump on White with a .039 to White’s .099 light and snags the holes-hot victory with a 4.103 @ 175.98 mph! Ironically White actually ran a faster in the 1/8th with a 4.101 @ 174.91 mph and a .975 60′ setting the new national ET record.
It has been a great season of improvement for Titan and next year looks increasingly optimistic. The most completive year in Team Titan’s history, racing 25+ cars and ending the year with the quickest car in the field. The team is poised well for 2009 with less than 1 round out of first place in the 2009 points chase which started at Ennis.
The competition will still have to wait until next year to try to re-claim our national ET record and see what else Team Titan has in store for the ADRL!
