,
 |
| Look closely, as not only can you see how Matt reacts, but look at the front wheel on John’s Car. It is THROUGH the firewall! That is why “J-Style” Cages need to go away! Both drivers sustained injuries, John required a trip to the hospital and Matt’s leg was bruised and swollen but he was able to continue. |
Now it was time for the Mattley Crew, Matt Powers and his Need for Speed S14 and John Russakoff in his Nexen Tire/Megan Racing K24A-powered Corolla! While initiating into the bank first, John could not get his car to drift and because he stayed in grip, his car went driver’s front first into the guard rail. As he came down, the passenger side rear of his car made contact with Matt’s driver’s side door, ripping it off and causing damage to the B-Pillar, the roll cage, and his knee. Matt was able to get out of his car with minor leg injuries, but John had more trouble. He had to be taken to the hospital with a possible broken leg. Thankfuly he was seen in the pits a few hours later in a full length brace. The damage to his car is what was really shocking. “His car looks worse than Taka’s car from Evergreen (last year),” said Mike Kojima. While the damage on the outside was bad, what was horrifying was the firewall and how the tire broke through and that was what hurt John’s leg. Looking at how his car was built and consulting with Mike after the event, it’s pretty clear that the old-school, “J-style” roll cage build needs to be withdrawn from competition.
 |
| Thank goodness no one was seriously injured, but this could have been bad! |
If you’re asking what a “J-style” roll cage is, it’s a cage with the front down tubes IN FRONT of the dash board. This makes it a prime area to have leg injuries if not from contact from the cage, then from a wheel entring into the firewall like what happened to Russakoff. If the front down tube was at the firewall as most modern drift cars are starting to be built like, John’s leg injury might not have been as bad. Luckly, the rumor in the pits is that roll cage rules will be changed for 2012.
 |
| Here is a look at Matt’s Door bars. Formula Drift did declare them safe. Matt had SPD Metalworks reinforce the front part of his cage in the off season and was thankful that he did as the cage held up well and saved him from more serious injury. |
 |
| He didn’t just deal with it, he dealt with it! |
With John causing the carnage, Formula Drift gave the win to Matt Powers. Next was the Hankook Tire Camaro of Conrad Grunewald and the Nexen Tire/Megan Racing Corolla of Taka Aono. Because of the underpowered disadvantage of Taka Aono, his lines were shallow in order to hold the bank where as Conrad was able to pull off more angle and keep his distance even in the infield section of the course which gave the win to Conrad Grunewald. Next was Otto Graven in the Monster Mob 350Z and Matt Waldin in the Helix Energy 350Z, while Matt Waldin’s runs looked excellent, the edge was given to Graven! Then came the Konig Wheels/Kenda Tire S14 of Dennis Mertzanis and the Falken Tire 350Z of Tyler McQuarrie, but bad understeer from Mertzanis’ lead run gave the win to Tyler! Next was the Nitto Tire sponsored RX-8 of Joon Maeng and the Forged Motorsport sponsored S14 of Odi Bakchis, but the runs never really got going as Joon’s RX-8 broke and never completed the course, giving the win to Odi.
 |
| A Bakchis Crew Member watching on as Odi’s tires are changed. |
