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The final runs in the Top 16 would be a Drift Alliance fight between Ryan Tuerck and Chris Forsberg. Tuerck was able to keep a small gap and showed that he could pull gaps in his lead run. However, Forsberg’s ability to reel him in in the banks and Tuerck’s lack of “nearness” meant that Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink/Hankook Tires Nissan 370Z would face his other Drift Alliance brother in the Great 8, Justin Pawlak.
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| I don't think there will be enough GoPros to cover this Tire smoking action! Really, they are just going to be covered in spent rubber! |
The pilot round of the Great 8 would not just be the battle of horsepower, but the great war of cylinders. Daigo Saito in the 2JZ-GTE Achilles Tire SC430 powered by a Garrett Turbo would bring a fight to Conrad Grunewald in the LS7 Hankook Tires Camaro, no turbo. While both drivers had great lead runs, it was the follow runs that would make the judges call for a One More Time. After both drivers made tire changes, it would start over again. Conrad brought it all against Saito, but in the end Daigo was declared the winner and moved on to the Final Four.
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| While Daigo gets the win, both drivers can rest assured that the mosqito population hates them both equally! |
Tyler McQuarrie in the GoPro/Mobil 1 Chevrolet Camaro had an uphill challenge against Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tires/Falken Tire Nissan 240SX. It wasn’t a horsepower disadvantage that Tyler would be facing; it was the repairs that had to be made to his car. The GoPro/Mobil 1 guys did a great job bringing the car back from damage that would normally knock out most competitors!
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| Tyler McQuarrie has heart, his team brings cars back from the dead! |
It really showed how well the team McQuarrie helped put together runs. With Eric O’Sullivan spotting, McQuarrie brought out everything the Camaro had in it. It was a valiant fight, but in the end, the Judges favored Yoshihara. Wall has a habit of turning cars into zombies and while most of those zombies become brainless and dead, the GoPro/Mobil 1 Camaro proves that with the right skills, tools, and determination, anything can be brought back from the dead with cognition and seeking blood!
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| Rest assured, this loss only means that Tyler will be out for blood! Blood for the Vampire GoPro/Mobil 1 Camaro! |
In the penultimate round in the Great 8, Ready to Rock battled Already Rockin’ as Vaughn Gittin, Jr looked to charge through Matt Powers to the Final Four. Vaughn nearly charged through the wall as he left his bumper stuck between the guard rails in the first bank and hit the end of it before the transition. It straightened him slightly before the clipping point, but with him being able to turn that into a smooth transition helped keep the disadvantage to a minimum. From there his “closeness” to Matt ensured that he would move on to the Final Four. My friends watched and I ran out of synonyms.
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| Ready to Rock indeed! Vaughn Gittin, Jr. is On A Mission! |
