Citing a proud heritage of racing success, Nitto is extending its motorsports program by sponsoring four teams during this year’s Formula Drift series. All will be running on the company’s NT05 maximum performance street tire.
Driver Joon Maeng of Bergenholtz Racing will campaign a Mazda RX-8, Michael Essa is introducing a brand-new BMW 350R to the circuit, grassroots participant Matt Powers will be behind the wheel of a Nissan S14 as Alex Pfeiffer of Tanaka Racing takes to the track in a C5 Corvette.
Maeng finished 17th overall during his 2009 rookie season. For 2010 his Mazda will be on the move with a tri-rotor 20B engine built by Mazdatrix. It is fully ported and powered by a custom-matched turbocharger producing 600 horsepower.
“In drifting it is crucial to have tires that can handle harsh driving conditions,” Maeng reports. “The NT05s provide plenty of traction and predictability.”
Essa is the first driver to campaign an E92 BMW in the series. Under the hood he’s using a more powerful M5 V10 powerplant built specifically for drifting in place of the stock in-line six. To accommodate the switch, GSR Autosport rerouted piping and parts throughout the engine bay.
His career highlights include being a drift instructor, race car fabricator and professional drift driver. “The Nitto NT05 is a great tire; it’s incredibly consistent and has tons of grip,” says Essa. “They give me the confidence to drive the car at the limit, sideways, next to walls.”
Powers is a longtime grassroots racer who made his way into the professional arena in 2009. In the four events in which he competed during his rookie year, he finished three of them in the top 32. During the series break, he joined with Team Need for Speed, which added several power upgrades to his Nissan.
“I love the insane smoke and awesome grip of the NT05,” Powers says. “My car is an animal and it feeds on NT05s.”
Alex Pfeiffer teamed up with Tanaka Racing for the 2010 season. His career includes stints in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) road race series, plus two-and-a-half years as a Formula Drift judge before he returned to the driver’s seat last year, piloting a Lexus SC300. This year he will campaign a completely different vehicle, an 800-hp Corvette.
For more information, visit www.nittotire.com.
