“V” is for Vegas!
I wasn’t sure what to think about Round 4 as we cruised by the Vegas Strip on our way to Thursday’s test session. Round 3 at The Wall in New Jersey was an absolute disaster for the team and I knew the guys had done all they could in the interim five weeks to solve the issues that caused me to spin in both qualifying laps. The mood was a bit different in our pit this time, the jokes were a bit more personal and the competition pressure was pushed squarely in my court.
The test session didn’t answer many questions. I wasn’t willing, with all the concrete around, to simulate the same scenario that had caused the car to spin in New Jersey. I approached the limit slowly, too slowly, and it looked conservative. Sure, we made suspension and gearing changes to hone the car for this new, diverse course, but I wasn’t taking the same committed lines that JP or Ueo demonstrated because I knew that a little too much angle could still cause the front tires to rub the frame, locking them up and spinning the car straight into the wall at over 80 mph.
I strapped some on for qualifying and threw the car hard into the first left hand corner at 84 mph. It over rotated and my worst fear was happening as it began to back into the wall! I was at full lock and half-expecting a spin as I looked behind the passenger B-Pillar at the impact point. Something was different though and the car began to come back to straight as it slid sideways now at 60+ mph. I let out the clutch and added throttle only to stall the engine! Red warning lights in my face and the wall quickly approaching I shifted to second and popped the clutch while the car was still at a descent drift angle. The NASCAR TRD V-8 fired and I finished the run without losing drift or the line… it wasn’t pretty but it was enough to get into the show.
What happened there was exactly what I needed. I found the new limit of the car and could now proceed with a bit more confidence. After Qualifying, Stephan, the team manager, told me not to worry about bending the car this weekend. “Just push hard and don’t be a p#$$y.” he said. That “pep” talk was actually much needed, and I threw the Scion into the course as hard as I could for the rest of the event.
Every run felt better and better. I could get on the throttle earlier and earlier, which was smoking out the place. The Rockstar Scion TC sounded awesome, the Hankooks took the most ridiculous punishment imaginable in stride and the win was as sweet as I’ve ever experienced. Thanks go out to Formula D for a great event, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the hard-core Vegas fans and the guys on the Rockstar Drift Team (Stephan, Sean, Carlos, Rob) for a job well done!
Tanner Foust
