04-28-06 TMN Staff: When you have a sensation on your hands, you don’t stop. You put the pedal to the metal and smoke the tires. Toyo Tires knows when they have a good thing, returning Ken Gushi to the 2006 drifting season with an all new Ford Mustang GT drift car.
Gushi rocked the drifting world last season, scoring a historic first-ever win with his specially prepared Mustang GT during the third round of the Formula D Championship in Houston, Texas. He ultimately finished third in the 2005 Need for Speed Formula D Championship.
Remarkable is the fact that 2005 was a the team’s first year out of the box using a pre-production Mustang GT development car. Nobody had really built a 2005 Mustang drift car, let alone campaigned one in the big show. For 2006, the team represents an even bigger threat to drifting competitors, as it boasts a brand new 2006 Ford Mustang GT racer derived from a fully developed production chassis. Further, they have had a year to get into the Mustang and really make it fly.
Let’s face it, Mustang has been a major part of the drifting in America because there is virtually no other American car built that fit’s the profile for a good drift car. The Pontiac GTO has been campaigned by a few teams including that of Rhys Millen. While the Goat goes out of production this year, we will probably see it again in the 2006 drifting field.
In addition to several updates to the configuration of the car, the Mustang will have a bolder stance with even wider Toyo Proxes T1R™ ultra-high performance tires. Gushi’s Mustang will also sport a wild new red paint scheme with the introduction of BASF as a sponsor of the vehicle. According to Stan Chen, Project Manager, Toyo Tire U.S.A.
“Our first year with Ken Gushi as a driver has been phenomenal. As expected, he delivered a championship-contending performance, and we are confident we will be vying for the championship once again.”
Look for the Toyo Tires Ford Mustang GT at both D1 and Formula D drifting events around the country. Toyo has made a big investment and commitment to drift racing in America. We applaud their move as this new form of automotive competition is fresh, fun to watch, and is catching on in a big way.
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