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Adam Knapik Recaps Formula Drift Seattle!
FORMULA DRIFT SEATTLE – PRO 2 Round 3 | August 4th and 5th
Round 3 of the Formula Drift Pro2 series was held in Evergreen Speedway, located in Monroe Washington. This track has a massive high speed 5/8th mile banked right hand turn, and immediately follows into an infield that has a slower technical portion that has two outer clipping zones and two inner clipping points. I had never been to Evergreen but have only heard great things about it, so me, and the whole teams excitement was high to be testing our abilities there.
The drive up to Washington from Southern California was effortless, but that’s where our good fortune stopped. Come Thursday’s practice we where met with constant challenges and issues.
For this round we had installed a supercharger system, as we knew that we would need more power than the back up stock LS2 that we had in the car. With this new system on our car came some hurdles that we didn’t foresee. Because the long bank puts so much stress on the motor, and then coming off the bank unloads just as much, we where having issues with our serpentine belt snapping. Since the belt controls the water pump and power steering as well, when that belt goes, you looks everything. On our third practice run we hit some more bad luck. Our belt had snapped, and the slave cylinder o-ring had failed. We got the car back to the pits and noticed that when the belt snapped, it had also hit the wiring to the fans and not just cut the wiring, but had pulled it out of the fans. . The team scrambled like champs though. In no time the car was in the air, the front end was disassembled to get to the fans so that we could re-solder the wiring, changed the belt, and the transmission was out so we could replace the o-ring. We got the car back out for some practice runs, but on our 2nd lap the belt tensioner actually broke past the “stopper” and the pulley seized up. Again we brought it back to the pits and started working away. Right away one of the guys hopped into the truck to run over to a parts store to get another belt and tensioner. Unfortunately all local stores where out, and the closest store was 20 minutes away. And as luck would have it we where due to run our qualifying runs in about 15 minutes. We did what we could with what we had. We popped the tensioner back over, realigned the pulleys, threw on a new belt (that luckily Jeff Jones was nice enough to lend us), and lined up to qualify!
First run I put 2 tires off on the first infield outer “touch and go”, scoring a 61, and on the second run the belt had had enough, and snapped when I was coming off the bank. Down on power because the blower was no longer working, and with no power steering I was almost able to finish off the run, but unfortunately straighten at the very end, giving us a 0.
The score landed us just outside the top 16 in 18th place. The weekend was a tough one for us, but everyone worked great as a team, we learned alot, and can’t wait for the final round in Texas!
Adam Knapik is a Konig Sponsored Professional Drift driver that competes in Formula Drift Pro 2 Series. Adam drifts on Konig Rennforms in 18×9 et 23 all the way around. The Konig Rennform is Flow Formed.
Make sure to follow Adam Knapik on INSTAGRAM!
The Konig team is ready for Formula Drift Round 6!
THE KONIG FORMULA DRIFT TEAM
Nate Hamilton has returned back to FD Pro and has really shown his skills and maturity in the sport. This season as proven to be almost a graduate course for Nate. He has had more top 16 finishes this season then in his entire career. It just seems that Nate gets better and better at each event. That has shown through his confident and aggressive driving. Currently in 16th place the last two events this season are going to be defining for Hamilton. Of course it will be his best professional season in Formula Drift but it will also be an incredible benchmark in his professional drifting career. We’re super proud of Nate and are excited to be part of his program. Go get’em Nate!
Nate is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Kevin Lawrence is for sure a rising star in the Formula Drift series. With his most recent win at FD Orlando, Kevin and the Enjuku Racing team are pushing for another “W” in Seattle and are chasing that championship. Kevin is an extremely knowledgable and all around great person. He is the definition of a true enthusiast not to mention has one of the coolest cars in FD pro2 with his right hand drive RB25 powered S14. Kevin is making that journey across the country and looks nothing less than ready and prepared to come out on top! Kevin is currently in 5th place.
Kevin is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Travis Reeder is a 100% the one to beat on the PRO 2 track! The battle for the series at this point could be a face off between two Konig sponsored drivers, Reeder and Lawrence. Travis placed 2nd in Orlando to Kevin Lawrence but took the win in Atlanta. He is currently in 1st place in the pro 2 rankings. Travis and his 240SX are on Konig Ultraforms and are coming into Seattle armed and ready to take out the competition!
Travis is running Konig Ultraforms in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25 rear. The Konig Ultraforms is Flow Formed.
Kelsey Rowlings is an exciting driver to watch and definitely ready to show the field what she’s made of. Kelsey’s driving style is super agressive which makes her the one you can’t keep your eyes off. She’s struggled a bit the first half of the season but not due to lack of effort or skill. Seattle could really be an exciting breakout event for her. Its refreshing seeing a women driver in professional drifting but be very clear, Kelsey is as solid of a professional drift driver as anyone in pro 2. Make sure to keep your eyes on her, because she really is an incredible driver!
Kelsey is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Donovan Brockway and the Red Baron team are like no other! His turbo E30 BMW, nicknamed “theBeast”, throws more smoke than you can imagine and the platform is one of the sickest in FD. Brockway is another one of those extremely aggressive drivers. They have been working out the kinks the first half but its looking better and better every event. When they put it all together Donovan is going to pop in to action in a major way! Follow Donovan and the Red Baron team as they prepare to move up on the rankings in this round of Formula Drift Pro 2!
Donovan is running Konig Rennforms in 18×8 et 35mm front and 18×9 et 35 rear. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.
Alec Robbins and the Koruworks team are getting the 350Z on Konig Hypergrams ready for the FD Seattle! If you follow pro-am drifting last year and a bunch of grassroots drifting events you will know this dude can drive. Pairing him with one of the coolest shops on the East Coast (Koruworks) is a killer combo. Alec is currently in 15th place and is looking to show the field whats up! Unfortunately he wont be driving in Seattle due to mechanical issues, however look for him at Gridlife and back at FD Texas.
Alec is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear in BRONZE. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Adam Knapik had a rough start to the Formula Drift season. It seemed like anything that could go wrong…well…went wrong for Adam. Blown engine, crazy electrical problems, etc, etc. So this round is definitely one of redemption for Adam and his team! Gearing up the V8 powered 240SX on Konig Rennforms, stay tuned and be ready to see Knapik lace up the track this time around!
Adam is running Konig Rennforms in 18×9 et 23 all the way around. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.
Matt Vankirk is now part of the Konig family and we are super excited to have him. With a ranking of #4 on the PRO 2 board with 105pts, which is only 2 points away from 2nd place, it’s obvious Matt and his team are aiming for the top spot! MVK took second place at FD Atlanta right behind Travis Reeder. Who knows how that battle would have ended up as a mechanical issue forced MVK to shut the car down just as he entered into the first battle between him and Reeder. This event will be a test to see if MVK, Lawrence or Reeder will be the top Konig sponsored Pro 2 driver. Super exciting! Be sure to check out Matt’s 240sx on Konig Hypergrams!
Matt is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
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Nate Hamilton Recap Formula Drift: Montreal, Canada!
FORMULA DRIFT MONTREAL CANADA – PRO 1 Round 5 | July 14th and 15th
Photos by: @coreydenomy
Nate Hamilton here, this recap covers my 5th round of Formula Drift. This event marks 5/8 our season is over half way complete.
This was my second trip to Canada. If I remember correctly, the first time was in 2012, with XDC. 5 years later I am finally able to return.
Being that this was basically my first time running this track layout.. it took me a few laps to catch on. Thursday’s conditions, dry and sunny.
Friday morning was a whole other animal. With no sun in sight and the rain pouring down we had a practice session before qualifying.
At this point I was still trying to figure out the track… lol
Qualifying came quick and I was slightly nervous.
First run, with conditions half wet half dry… I scored a 61. Not the best. But a score. The second run, the track was drying out, I knew I had a score so I tried to remember my laps on Thursday, I landed an 82. Putting me in 13th overall for qualifying.
“Michael Essa vs Nate Hamilton” the headlines read, ha! I knew this was going to be a challenge and some would have counted me out on this battle. Essa is a champion and a real competitor. But I was focused and knew I would win! We had an insane battle, he lost his tire. We pushed harder as the crowd got way into the battle. I won, man it’s a great feeling to know you can do something and then actually accomplish it.
“Fredrick Aasbo vs Nate Hamilton” ok, ok! For sure I’m the underdog in this position. But, anything is possible. I kept my focus before the battle staying calm and collected. As soon as we left the line I realized I could have used a bit more grip in the car. I struggled with my timing coming out of the first outer zone and one mistake can cost the battle. Hats off to Fredrick, he is a true sportsman and it was a great learning experience to battle him in the top 16!
Results – As the event ended and my results rolled in… I kept my same position and closed the gap by gaining some valuable points in the championship race. We are 20 points away from Chris Forsberg and I cant be more stoked for Seattle Round 6!
2017 point standings: Pro1
Round 1: 22nd – Top32 Finish
Round 2: 20th – Top16 Finish
Round 3: 17th – Top16 Finish
Round 4: 16th – Top16 Finish
Round 5: 16th – Top16 Finish
Round 6:
Round 7:
Round 8:
Huge thanks to my entire team and team of sponsors. It’s 100% a blessing to be in the position I am in today and I won’t forget these moments.
Nate Hamilton is a Konig Sponsored Professional Drift driver that competes in Formula Drift Pro Series. Nate runs as part of the Enjuku Racing team and drifts on Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.
Make sure to follow Nate on INSTAGRAM!
Konig Wheels Videos
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But sometimes when you’re looking for that perfect wheel for your vehicle those thousand words are just not enough. We’ve all been there, the endless search for the perfect wheel. Right? Sometimes you’re just left with that “If I could just see the wheel from a different angle” dilemma. We’re going to try and help solve that dilemma. We have now started developing wheel videos that show off some of the most popular Konig wheels from multiple angles.
These videos are available on each respective wheel page by clicking on the media tab at the top of each wheel page. You can also view them all below in this video playlist we have put together.
KONIG WHEELS VIDEO PLAYLIST
