AEM's Matt Field Inks His First Formula Drift 2nd Place Podium at Texas Motor Speedway
- Jan 7, 2014
Case in point, Matt Field, the Formula Drift racer who's literally driven to succeed told us only a couple months ago, "This year (2013) has been a huge improvement for the team and me. We went from worrying about qualifying each round, to worrying about making it into top-16." At Texas Motor Speedway during round 6 of Formula Drift series, Field took another gigantic leap forward as he managed to knock the first podium monkey of his back, and then he immediately readjusted his sights like the demanding professional that he is. "It felt like second place," said Field about his first Formula Drift podium finish, "not quite good enough, but not too bad either. I am very excited to get the team's first podium out of the way, but we won't stop with a second. It is awesome to know that the car is capable, that the team is capable, and I am as well. We still have a long way to go, but it feels good knowing we can do it."
"In the top-32 Will Parsons in his Corolla spun in front of me in the last corner and we smashed into him, and we advanced," reflects Field on his round 6 highlights. "Then we went against Forrest Wang in his 2j powered s14, and we were able to apply pressure and advance into the great 8.There we faced Robbie Nashida, and this time we would get our redemption for Seattle, and not only smash into him, but also beat him. He had a slow up going into the first corner and this caused me to put my front bumper into his quarter- panel." "After that we battled Patrick Mordaunt in the top-4. He was doing well all weekend, but our car was working so well that we were able to stretch on him during our lead run, and apply pressure for the entire follow run. We won that and moved into the finals!" In the final it was Field versus Formula Drift veteran Mike Essa for all the enchiladas. "We followed first, and a small mistake at the touch and go section of the track screwed me up. I came up short on my transfer and made a mistake. That was the nail in the coffin for us. I had a fantastic lead run, but it wasn't enough." Filling the third tier of the podium was AEM's Chris Forsberg.
Field and his Reckless Drift Krew clearly found another gear in the later rounds that had competitors taking note. "We put nitrous on the car before Seattle," he explains. "What a difference. We are only using the NOS to fill the gap in the rpm band. So we spray the nitrous low, and shut it off once the big nasty Vortech supercharger comes into optimal boost. We also made some large suspension changes right before Seattle, and paired together, the combination really has seemed to work well." "The confidence is there, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself," commented Field regarding the final round 7 contest. "Coming off a win at an invitational event in Colorado, and then the 2nd place in Formula Drift Texas, we are feeling good, but it's not a first place. That is what I am hoping for at Irwindale Speedway. Obviously it will be a huge task, but that is what we are shooting for!" After finishing the Formula Drift season in 33rd, then in 19th in the past, Matt Field's 7th place finish overall this year represents yet another impressive surge towards the top. Yet it would be reasonable to believe he's already way over his solid top-10 finish, and that he's eyeing a spot in the top-five next season. Smart money wouldn't bet against it. Use the AEM Product Search to find AEM performance products for your vehicle. To find an AEM dealer near you, use Search for AEM Dealer or simply visit AEMintakes.com. |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
