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George Kiriakopoulos qualified 11th at Formula Drift Orlando, but would have to retire early

Kiriakopoulos started the season out in Orlando with no major expectations as a rookie, experiencing his first Pro 2 event alongside more than 20 other drivers. After the Thursday practice and qualifying session had ended, Kiriakopoulos had put his Universal Machine 370Z in 11th qualifying position, which guaranteed him a spot in the tandem battles. Unfortunately, during the practice session just prior to the Top 16 tandem battles, Kiriakopoulos broke the dogbox transmission in the car. Without a replacement available in time for the tandem battles, Kiriakopoulos would have to sacrifice his battle against fellow AEM Induction-sponsored driver Travis Reeder.

George Kiriakopoulos dealt with a broken steering rack at Formula D Atlanta, which cut down practice

In his first practice run out of the gate, Kiriakopoulos came into the first turn a bit too hot and pushed the front end of the car off course, which damaged the steering rack. The team worked hard to make the rack straight enough to run for the weekend, but the lost practice time made it difficult to qualify. Although Kiriakopoulos put two solid qualifying runs down that were scored, ultimately those scores wouldn’t push him into the top 16. By comparison, only 10 of the 30 other drivers were able to put down two full passes in qualifying, showing just how tricky the course can be.

George Kiriakopoulos unfortunately didn't make the cut for Top 16 at Road Atlanta

For Seattle, Kiriakopoulos will be debuting a new wrap design, which features AEM Intakes more prominently along with some other new partnerships. Kiriakopoulos has also removed some additional weight from the car, which should make the car quicker and more predictable in grip. Kiriakopoulos feels that he has the car and the skill to be competitive in Pro 2, and is anxious to showcase that at the upcoming Evergreen Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway events.

George Kiriakopoulos knows he has the car and team to be successful in the second half of the season

Kristaps Bluss earned 95 points in qualifying at Formula Drift New Jersey, a career high for him

Kristaps Bluss dialing in his HGK Motorsports BMW E46 during practice at Wall Speedway

In Atlanta, Bluss qualified in third position, a season high which gave him an automatic bye into the Top 16 round. Bluss then defeated Nate Hamilton in the round of 16 and fellow European driver Piotr Wiecek in the round of 8 to advance into the Final 4. Bluss would push Kearney to not one but two “One More Time” rounds with his aggressive driving. Unfortunately, contact with Kearney in the final run of the first “One More Time” round was narrowly unrepairable within the competition timeout window, which allowed Kearney to move on by default. Bluss still earned third place by virtue of his qualifying results, but he and the team were disappointed, knowing they were just seconds away from having the car successfully repaired.

Kristaps Bluss chases down Dean Kearney in practice at Formula Drift New Jersey

Although the qualifying position was one notch lower than Atlanta, the team was excited to earn the highest score to date and still would earn a bye run into the Top 16.

Kristaps Bluss defeated series points leader James Deane in the Top 8 at Formula D NJ

Kristaps Bluss celebrates his second straight podium victory at Wall Speedway in New Jersey

The upcoming fifth round of the Formula Drift series will take place at Autodrome St. Eustache just outside of Montreal, Quebec.

Kristaps Bluss celebrated his podium victory alongside Odi Bakchis and Michael Essa at Formula D NJ

The AEM 21-806C cold air intake system offers an estimated boost of 8-HP on 2014-15 Lexus GS350s

A performance sedan, the GS was slotted between the entry-level compact luxury IS and the large, flagship LS and was assigned the same chassis as the one used on the Toyota Crown premium sedan.

The car is now in its fourth generation and features 6-cylinder and V8 engines and rear-wheel drive configuration, which were introduced in the second and third generations as well as all-wheel drive and a hybrid that was released in 2005.

The GS first appeared in the United States and Europe and selected nations in Asia in 1993. An inline-6 engine powered the car.

The car debuted with a new platform and a V8 engine at the start of its second-generation in 1997. It was the first V8 used on GS models outside Japan.

A V6, V8 and hybrid powertrain was included on the third generation models, which were unveiled worldwide in time for the 2006 model year.

By the time of the introduction of the fourth generation models, the GS series models were available with a choice of six engines.

• 2.0-liter 8AR-FTS I4 turbocharged gasoline engine

• 2.5-liter 2AR-FSE I4 hybrid/gasoline engine

• 2.5-liter 4GR FSE V6 gasoline engine

• 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V6 gasoline engine

• 3.5-liter 2GR-FXE V6 hybrid/gasoline engine

• 5.0-liter 2UR-GSE V8 gasoline engine

Four transmissions were available:

• 6-speed automatic

• CVT automatic (hybrid)

• 8-speed AA80E automatic

• 8-speed AA8IE automatic

The engines that power the GS350 include:

• 2.5-liter 2GR-FSE V6, which produces 304-horsepower (227 kW; 309 PS) at 6,400 RPM and 278-lb-ft (38.4-kg-m; 377 N-m) at 4,800 RPM. The engine features port injection and new dual fan spray pattern direct injectors that move perpendicular to the piston travel with wide cylinder dispersion, which aids in the mixing of the air and fuel resulting in increased power and efficiency.

• 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V6, which delivers 305-horsepower (227 kW; 309 PS) at 6,400 RPM and 278-lb-ft (377 N-m; 38.4 kg-m) at 4,800 RPM

The models equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 and using the 6-speed automatic accelerated from 0 to 60-mph in 5.8-seconds. Estimated EPA fuel economy ratings for rear-wheel drive models are 19-mpg in the city, 29-mpg on the highway and 23-mpg combined. For all-wheel-drive, the car achieved 19-mpg in the city, 26-mpg on the highway and 21-mpg combined.

New for 2014 was the 8-speed automatic transmission, steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, full color readout for the optional heads-up display, rear cross-traffic alerts for the optional blind spot monitoring system, an optional power trunk opener, and a Siri Eyes Free improved voice control for Apple mobile devices.

New on the 2015 model are a new infotainment display the subdivides to view and control up to three different functions including audio and navigation, 18-inch wheels that are standard, and a new limited-edition Crafted Line Trim.

Owners of a 2014 or 2015 Lexus GS350 with the 3.5-liter V6 who wish to boost horsepower, acceleration, torque, throttle response, and enhance engine sound should consider exchanging the factory air intake system with the AEM 21-806C cold air intake system. A dyno-test confirmed that the air intake offers an estimated boost of 8-horsepower at 5300 RPM.

The AEM 21-806C intake includes an AEM 21-2113DK air filter, aluminum tube and heat shield

AEM also offers 1-1000 air filter cleaner that is specially formulated to cleanse and rejuvenate the air filter so that it can be used over and over again for the life of the car.

The intake also includes gunmetal gray powder coated mandrel-bent aluminum intake tube as well as a heat shield to block hot engine air from getting into the intake, three stainless steel clamps and one coupler.

The air filter is designed to fit into the factory air box and the air intake system accommodates the factory engine emission control devices including the mass airflow sensor and PCV hose.

AEM is so sure of the quality of the 21-806C cold air intake system it covers it with a Lifetime Limited Warranty.

The air intake system can be installed using common hand tools and is designed to fit the following vehicles:

2015 LEXUS GS350 3.5L V6 Fuel Injection - All Models
2014 LEXUS GS350 3.5L V6 Fuel Injection - All Models

Matt Field debeaded a tire against Jeff Jones at Wall Speedway, ending his weekend early

Thursday’s practice session was one of the best of the season for the team, with Field’s confidence carrying him through Friday’s early practice session as well. After laying down a conservative first qualifying pass to get a score on the board, Field pushed hard in his second pass and unfortunately found and exceeded the limits of the track. A small miscalculation of a few inches pushed Field into the jagged guard rail that lines the top of the bank at Wall Speedway, which whipped the front of the car around and caused some major cosmetic damage. Thankfully, the damage was restricted to the body panels, and the Drift Cave Motorsports team had the car looking 100% before packing up for the evening on Friday.

Matt Field tandeming with Falken Tire teammate Odi Bakchis during practice prior to FD New Jersey

Amazingly, Field continued the run flawlessly on three tires and looked to have an advantage entering the second run. However, Formula Drift rules don’t allow a driver to re-mount a de-beaded tire if it happens on the first run of tandem, which effectively disqualified Field from the competition. Had the de-beaded tire happened in the second run, the runs would have been scored normally and Field may have moved on.

Field and his team were disappointed with the outcome, particularly knowing that their air pressures weren’t low and the de-beading was a pure fluke occurrence. Jones made a solo pass and was granted the tandem win. After debriefing with the team, Field signed autographs for several fans and even gave away a damaged rear bumper to a fan.

Matt Field got some tandem practice in with AEM driver Fredric Aasbo at FD New Jersey

Matt Field opened up a big lead in his tandem battle with Jeff Jones but lost due to a debeaded tire

Matt Field debriefs with his Drift Cave / Falken team prior to tandem competition at FD New Jersey

The intake tube, heat shield, and filter of bolt together as a single unit for secure installation

This intake system removes the restrictive factory air box and replaces it with a free-flowing mandrel bent aluminum tube. This tube provides a smooth transition from the large oversized 21-2027DK Dryflow air filter to the turbo of the 1.5L Malibu. The use of this large filter prolongs the time between cleanings and its molded in velocity stack significantly reduces restriction and MAF sensor signal noise. The intake tube is sized to match the MAF signal required for proper function and the extra tall MAF adapter pad positions the sensor in the proper spot within the tube. A billet PCV connector interfaces with the factory quick disconnect line, providing unmatched fit and finish.

A CAD designed, powdercoated heat shield is included to seal off the air filter area from the rest of the heated engine bay. The heat shield is designed to seal to the hood and engine bay when the hood is closed but allow full view of the intake system when the hood is raised. The factory high pressure air feed is isolated in the center of the heat shield area, blowing cool air directly on the filter while allowing the entire heat shield area as a breathable volume to ensure there is always enough airflow. The intake system works as a unit to provide estimated horsepower and torque increases up to 7% over stock. The performance increases come complete with the added style of the powdercoated heat shield and tube and the increase in engine sound that adds to the driving experience.

Installation of the AEM 21-813C intake kit can be done in less than an hour with guidance from the included instructions. The AEM 21-813C intake kit is designed for the follow models and years:

2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU 1.5L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models
2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU 1.5L L4 Fuel Injection - All Models

With the hood raised, view of the intake kit is unobstructed for added style