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Need for Speed Scion Papadakis Racing Gambles at Formula D in Vegas and Comes Up Short
Need for Speed Scion Papadakis Racing Gambles at Formula D in Vegas and Comes Up Short
Sep 8, 2011
Fredric Aasbo throwing huge angle and massive smoke in the first corner.
Formula DRIFT Round 6 After Dark was a hot event in Las Vegas, both in temperature and in racing action. Temperatures over the weekend soared to over 110 degrees during the day and a freak rain storm on Friday caused some excitingly variable track conditions. However, drift fans weren't swayed by the staggering heat and the stands were packed on Friday and Saturday as crowds flocked to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for some After Dark action. Cars topped 100 miles per hour heading into the top-speed first corner before slinging sideways into dramatic, smoky drifts under the stars and lights.
Fredric Aasbo and owner Stephan Papadakis talking tactics between races.
AEM Sponsored Need for Speed Papadakis Racing slid into Round 6 with aggression and passion coming off of their first podium finish of the season in Round 5 in Monroe, WA. The team and driver Fredric Aasbo were firing on all cylinders and Aasbo's strong qualifying run put their 2011 Scion tC square in the middle of the pack. Next, the 2010 Rookie of the Year edged out rival Matt Field in the Top 32 to set the stage for a Need for Speed match-up with teammate and top qualifier Matt Powers. Everything was looking strong for Aasbo after a fine follow run, but he sought an aggressive line during his lead run that saw him forced to come to a near stop on the course - taking heavy scoring penalties.
"We were looking to really bring the heat to Las Vegas - especially after landing on the podium at the last round," said Aasbo. "We ended up gambling a little bit, though, and it didn't go our way." Even so, it was another good weekend for the team with a flawless performance from the AEM sponsored Need for Speed Scion tC - a brand-new car built by Papadakis Racing for the 2011 season.
Aasbo applying the pressure to Matt Field in their Top 32 battle.
The 2011 Formula DRIFT season has been a great season for the Papadakis Racing crew despite only yielding one podium finish to date. Aasbo finished the championship's first round in the Top 8, debuting the new car to a strong result on the Streets of Long Beach. He earned a Top 16 finish on the challenging Road Atlanta course for Round 2, creating one of the most memorable moments of the weekend when one run saw him enter the high-speed first turn nearly backwards at a speed of 94 mph. Round 5 saw the young driver take his first overall podium and the team have their sights on holding nothing back at Title Fight in Irwindale, California, October 7th and 8th.
"I am 100 percent focused on learning the limits of the car so that we can bring out our full potential for the last round of the season," said Aasbo. "We have proven that we can be a podium contender, but my goal is to prove that every time!"
Fredric Aasbo signing autographs for fans between races.
Drift fans won't want to miss the exciting conclusion to the 2011 Formula DRIFT season at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California, October 7th and 8th. Fredric Aasbo almost eliminated 2010 Formula DRIFT champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. in Irwindale last year and they're looking to podium again this season. The last stop of the season is just around the corner and every driver is going to be leaving it all on the track!
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