2018 Konig Formula Drift Drivers

2018 Konig Formula Drift Drivers

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Getting to know 2018 Konig Supported Formula Drift Drivers

The 2018 Formula Drift Season is in full effect with the Streets of Long Beach just behind us and Orlando approaching this weekend. We thought we’d take a few minutes and give you a quick rundown of our 2018 FD drivers and telling you what wheels and fitment they’re running. Check them out, show them love, and remember to follow their journey this season here! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Lawrence – Formula Drift (RB30DET powered Nissan S14.3)

Kevin Lawrence hails from Florida and has been drifting Nissan cars as long as we can remember. He took home the 2015 Three Palms Drift Championship and has never looked back in his drifting career. His reliable RB30DET powered Nissan 240sx helped him drift his way to the Pro 2 championship last season. An amazing victory at Texas Motor Speedway with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders allowed him to become Pro 2 championship by the thinnest margin in Formula Drift history of just two points.

Kevin Lawrence and the Enjuku Racing team are clear favorites for the 2018 Formula Drift Rookie of the Year award in the pro series. Kevin also is heavily involved in the drifting community in Florida and tours the country with his demo R32 Nissan Skyline to events like Hyperfest in Virginia.

Kevin is running Konig Dekagram in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Vankirk (SR20DET powered Nissan 240sx)

Matt VanKirk comes to you from the Northwest where the drift scene is strong! He really has become known for his aggressive driving style and his 3rd place, podium finish in Formula Drift Pro 2 last year. This year he is now stepping it up a notch as he competes in Formula Drift Pro! We’re excited to watch MVK try and earn that FD Rookie of the Year award! 

Matt is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm front and 18×10.5 et 25 rear in Race Bronze. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ryan Litteral – Formula Drift & Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 350z)

Ryan Litteral is a driver famous for having a drift vehicle with top class style over the years. Ryan comes from Southern California and has been drifting for 12 years now. He earned his license with his black S14 in the Just Drift series back in 2013. His last appearance in Pro 2 was in 2016 where he finished a solid 6th  place running his own program.

For the 2018 season he has teamed up with KoruWorks in Marietta, Georgia to campaign an LS3 powered Nissan 350z. The team will attend all four rounds that have a Pro/Pro 2 weekend and they will do double duty trying to sweep the Formula Drift weekend with a victory at both levels. You can also catch his YouTube series called IT’S LITT! Documenting his demo car 240sx build.

Ryan is running Konig Ampliform in 18×9 et 15mm front and 18×10 et 20mm rear in DARK METALLIC GRAPHITE. The Konig Ampliform is Flow Formed.

 

Geoff Donati

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geoff Donati – Formula Drift Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 240sx)

Geoff Donati hails from a small town in Ohio and once he discovered drifting he wasted no time heading out to the track to give it a shot. His first full season of Pro-Am soon followed at the Midwest Drift Union in 2016 and where he fell just short of earning a license when the year ended by one point! Geoff went right back to MDU for the 2017 season and managed to win almost every round that year and became champion of the series with ease.

Geoff Donati dominates his competitors with consistency and some have even compared him to a young Chris Forsberg. He seems incapable of making a mistake at times behind the wheel and looks to carry that ice in the veins approach into Pro 2 for 2018

Geoff is running Konig Hypergrams in 18×9.5 et 25mm front and 17×8 et 40mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Travis Reeder Konig Ultraform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Travis Reeder – Formula Drift Pro 2 (LS3 powered Nissan 240sx)

Travis Reeder is a drifter from the Pacific Northwest who cut his teeth in the Evergreen Drift series. Travis dominated the 2016 season in the Evergreen Drift Pro Am easily becoming the champion of this regional Pro Am series. He made his Pro 2 debut last season and managed to earn Rookie of the Year for his amazing efforts behind the wheel in his 240sx. In fact, he was basically announced champion at Texas Motor Speedway and could only mathematically lose if Kevin Lawrence qualified first and then won the event. Sadly, that happened and he finished the season in second place by the smallest margin in Formula Drift history after some amazing drifting all year.

Travis Reeder caught the world’s attention when he won Road Atlanta last year and took a commanding early lead in the Pro 2 championship. He has committed to the Pro 2 season again for 2018 and is determined to win the championship at all costs.

Travis is running Konig Ultraforms in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25mm rear. The Konig Ultraforms is Flow Formed.

 

Kelsey Rowlings Konig Hypergram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelsey Rowlings (5.0L Coyote powered Nissan 240sx)

Kelsey Rowlings earned her Pro 2 license in the Three Palms Drift series down in Florida and became the first-ever female to earn a Pro 2 license through the Pro-Am drift promotion ladder. Kelsey was one of the few drifters who traveled in the younger part of her career and she managed to also compete in the Streetwise Drift, Lone Star Drift, and XDC series before stepping into the Pro 2 stage.

Kelsey’s engine package makes her one of the most unique car setups on grid in 2018. Instead of the traditional LS-engine setup, her team has picked the 5.0L engine out of a new Mustang GT to power her 240sx. Kelsey returns to the Pro 2 series in 2018 looking to outperform last season.

Kelsey is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Garrett Denton Konig Dekagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garrett Denton (2JZ powered Nissan 240sx)

Garrett Denton is one of the most unique racers in the Pro 2 field today. At the age of 14, Garrett was the youngest driver to win a sanctioned NASCAR event race in North America. His love of driving and racing started as early as 5 years old and he has been behind the wheel ever since. Garrett also came from the Midwest Drift Union series where he finished in second place in 2017 and took plans to run in the Pro 2 series.

His Pro 2 campaign involves a crew full of University of Northwest Ohio graduates where he also attended college earning an in dual Associates Degree in High-Performance Motorsports Technology and Automotive Technology. Garrett will be taking to the Pro 2 circuit with a 2JZ powered Nissan 240sx with support from Koruworks to help him make a run for the championship.  

Garrett is running Konig Dekagram in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25mm rear. The Konig Dekagram is Flow Formed.

 

Alec Robbins Konig Hypergram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alec Robbins (LS powered Nissan 350z)

Alec Robbins is a unique individual who famously ran a slammed pickup truck drift build with an LSX engine in the Pro-Am ranks. Alec Robbins saw success as the 2016 Midwest Drift Union champion and made his rookie year debut in 2017 in the Koruworks 350z for some Pro 2 rounds.

Looking forward to the 2018 Pro 2 season, Alec Robbins has built his own 350z with a LS engine making 550/560 to the wheels. This should be a great setup to keep up with the competition at all four rounds of the Formula Drift Pro 2 series.

Alec is running Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9.5 et 25 rear in RED OPAL. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

 

Adam Knapik Rennform

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adam Knapik (LS powered Nissan 240sx)

Adam Knapik hails from Southern California and earned his Pro 2 license through the Just Drift Pro-Am series. In 2016, he managed to take home the Just Drift Championship and has been working to improve his LS-powered Nissan 240sx ever since. His day job is a Porsche driving instructor giving him endless amounts of time behind the wheel of racecars. Moving into the 2018 Pro 2 season we cannot wait to see what Knapik Racing has put together to go out and compete with the big boys of Pro 2.

Adam is running Konig Rennforms in 18×9 et 23 all the way around. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.

 

Donovan Brockway e30 beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donovan Brockway (LS powered 2014 BMW 2-Series)

While Donovan Brockway has opted to take the 2018 season off he is still a part of the Konig Wheels Drift team. His 2018 season off is allowing him to put a new “BeastMW” together that starts with an F22 BMW 2-series chassis that will have a full HGK carbon/Kevlar widebody kit and one big RHS 427 race engine. We know Donovan will be missed on the paddock this year but we cannot wait to follow his build progress and see it debut on Konig Wheels in the 2019 Pro 2 season.

Donovan is currently running Konig Rennforms in 18×8 et 35mm front and 18×9 et 35 rear on his 1000hp e30. The Konig Rennforms is Flow Formed.
ampliform

However on the F22 he will be running the Konig Ampliform’s! Make sure to stay tuned to his build!

LITTLE’S NEW LIVERY FOR 2018!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Savanna Little has been a long-time friend and sponsored driver of Konig Wheels and its about that time of the year, where all drivers are revealing their new livery for the season! We are super excited to display and debut Savanna’s new livery for 2018 of the LS350z!

Savanna Little is a Konig Sponsored Driver and currently runs Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25mm all around. The Konig hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Savanna Little on INSTAGRAM!

SAVANNA LITTLE IN D-SPORT!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

Our long-time friend and Konig Wheels sponsored driver, Savanna Little makes it onto the D-Sport Magazine pages! From model to one of motorsports upcoming drivers she gives us insight into her journey in the motorsport world. Make sure to get your copy which is available on news stands now!

Savanna Little is a Konig Sponsored Driver and currently runs Konig Hypergram in 18×10.5 et 25mm all around. The Konig hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Savanna Little on INSTAGRAM!


CHAIRSLAYER & SAVANNA AT SEMA 2017!

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IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN! THE SEMA SHOW IS BACK!

IF YOU’RE AT SEMA, STOP BY BOOTH & SAY HELLO TO ROB “CHAIRSLAYER” PARSONS & SAVANNA LITTLE

BOTH WILL BE IN BOOTH #43069, TAKING PICTURES & SIGNING POSTERS!  ROB WILL BE SIGNING, TUES, WED AND THURS FROM 2PM-3PM.

NOT AT SEMA?  MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
WE WILL BE GIVING YOU INTERVIEWS OF BOTH ROB & SAVANNA!

WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE INTRODUCING THE LATEST KONIG WHEEL RELEASES FOR 2018 ON OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS …

FOR MORE INFO, MAKE SURE TO STAY TUNED:
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
YOUTUBE

2018 WHEELS SNEAK PEEK!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN! We are headed back to Las Vegas, NV for the the 2017 SEMA SHOW. SEMA is not only an exciting show it’s also the benchmark of the automotive year. At the show we will be launching and debuting our newest wheels!

Can’t make it to the show? NO PROBLEM! We have you covered! This year we will be using Facebook and Instagram Live to stream these products to you!

JOIN US AS WE GO LIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
ALTHOUGH, THE SEMA SHOW IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC… WE WANT TO GIVE YOU AN EXCLUSIVE VIEW OF OUR NEWEST WHEELS, AS WELL AS SOME INSIDE VIEWS OF THE 2017 SEMA SHOW!

CHECK OUR FACEBOOK
TUESDAY 10/31/2017
10AM PST / 1PM EST
FOR FURTHER DETAILS on our go live times!

FOR MORE INFO, MAKE SURE TO STAY TUNED:
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
YOUTUBE

Kevin Lawrence smokes out Hoonigan Donut Garage

Posted on by KONIG

Konig Sponsored, Formula Drift Pro2 Driver and 2017 Formula Drift Pro 2 CHAMPION Kevin Lawrence dropped by the Hoonigan Donut Garage to cause a blackout. He took a perfectly good set of Hankook Tires and well…Tire smoke for days…check it out!

Travis Reeder breaksdown FDTX & 2nd place series finish!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY TRAVIS REEDER****

FORMULA DRIFT TEXAS – PRO 2 FINAL ROUND | August 8th and 9th

Prepping for Texas wasn’t as smooth as previous rounds for the team. Just nine days before the car had to be on the road we had an internal engine failure while testing some setup changes we had made after seattle. The timing chain had snapped which netted us eight bent valves, two bent pushrods and a collapsed lifter. Luckily the pistons were fine. We quickly got ahold of the awesome guys over at Thompson Motorsports of Texas and they got us everything we needed to rebuild and had the car in he trailer and back to 100% just in time.

As we arrived at Texas motor speedway we were quick to get unloaded. The team performed the usual fluids changes, alignment and bolt check. We were ready and eager to get out on track and demolish some Achilles radials.

Practice was a definite learning process. The track at Texas was extremely fast with brutal consequences if mistakes were made. After focusing on perfecting a line and finding the correct gear ratio for the car we were ready for qualifying.

The team and I felt solid going into qualifying. On my first run I had made a slight mistake after inner clip one and ended up throwing my line off for the rest of the run. Run one scored a 67 which at the time was already deemed out of the top 16.

With the pressure building I lined up for my second run. All second runs granted a parade lap before the run due to some fluids spilled during Danny George’s roll over. I threw a new set on the car and decided to make two full runs. Practice is practice right? I ended up with a 79 which put me in the 9th spot for the big show.

With the bracket set for Friday I was lined up against Austin Meeks. I knew his car was fast so I was preparing for a solid battle. Austin led first due to qualifying position. I matched his pace all through the course until he made a correction in front of outer zone 3, at the wall. From my perspective it looked like he was going to drive off track so I dove in and attempted to finish my run. He then jumped back on track and we made contact, which was unavoidable. I was deemed at fault for the contact and Austin was awarded 10 minutes to look over his car and fix what I assumed to be a bent suspension arm or tie rod.

Once fixed, we were ready to swap positions. I made as close to a perfect lead run as I could as Austin made some mistakes in the chase position. The judges awarded a one more time.

On our second run I was in the chase position first, again. I maintained proximity with Austin through the first half of the course and ended up making a small mistake through the last inner clip and going a bit wide. On my lead I put down a solid lead run as Meeks made a very similar mistake as I did in my chase run. After some review from the judges it was a 2-1 decision flavoring Meeks and my weekend was cut short.

With Texas being the final round, the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and reflecting on what an awesome rookie season I had in formula drift pro 2. I ended up 2nd in points for the season which felt amazing and was awarded rookie of the year on top of that! I can’t thanks my family friends and sponsors enough for the outstanding support, especially Konig Wheels for lacing the car up with the raddest wheels in the game! That’s a wrap for me, see everyone next year!

Travis Reeder is a Konig Sponsored Professional Drift driver that competes in Formula Drift Pro 2 Series. Travis runs Konig Ultraform in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25 rear. The Konig Ultraform is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Travis on INSTAGRAM!

Kelsey Rowlings FDTX PRO 2 FINAL ROUND recap!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

**** GUEST BLOG – BY KELSEY ROWLINGS****

FORMULA DRIFT TEXAS – PRO 2 FINAL ROUND | August 8th and 9th

The Final round of Formula Drift Pro 2 at Texas Motor speedway arrived quickly after round three in in Seattle. After some repairs from our incident at Evergreen Motor Speedway, we were ready to take on Texas.

This round, the schedule on Thursday was completely different than previous rounds. Instead of Pro 1 and Pro 2 alternating practice sessions, and Pro 2 qualifying occuring at the end of the day, Pro 2 practice was one long session, followed by qualifying, with Pro 1 practice occuring at the end of the day. I was excited for the change, because I felt like I would have more energy with qualifying earlier.

While I was hoping for some good luck this round, my Thursday morning started early with feeling nauceous around 4 am. Determined to push through, I headed to the track and suited up for practice. Despite feeling worn out from a rough morning, I was actually feeling very confident during practice. By my third lap, I felt like I was ready to qualify. I was putting together very solid runs and took a break around halfway through the long session to watch some of the other drivers.

After some rest and rehydration, I returned to the track for more practice. I wasn’t driving quite up to par with earlier that morning and decided to lower the pressure in the tires mounted on my Konig Hypergrams due to the higher track temperatures and loss in grip. I made a few more decent laps before pulling into my hot pit to wait for my turn in qualifying.

I lined up for my first qualifying pass and took off from the starting line. Immediately I noticed my tires spinning more than anticipated and I knew I had to adjust my driving for the loss in grip. I managed to enter into the outer zone and settle the car into a nice line leading me right past the first inner clipping point and into the second outer zone, filling it completely. I extended from the second outerzone to the second inner clipping and aimed for the final outerzone. After passing the front clip with good proximity, I transitioned and lost it. I spun and backed my car lightly into the tire wall lining the outer zone. I was devastated. The run was going so well, and now the pressure was on.

I knew I didn’t have enough grip on my first run so I decided to lower my tire pressures slightly before the second run. I didn’t want to change too much and risk having too much grip on a such a technical track. I was in my head and nervous. I lined up for my second run and took off. Again, I didn’t have enough grip but I knew I could drive through it. I set my car to angle in the first outer zone and kept it locked there to the first inner clip and into the second outer zone. My rear wheel was on the rumble strip as I exited the outer zone and towards the second inner clipping point. I realized my line was a little too shallow and “bobbled” past the inner clipping point. At that point I got in my head because I knew I couldn’t afford such a silly mistake, and because of my “bobble,” I was off line heading into the final outer zone. I try to extend my drift and push out towards the zone but I’ve lost to much speed. I push past the final clip and cross the finish with disappointment. I knew it wasn’t a good score, and I knew I could drive so much better.

At the drivers meeting, my suspicions were correct. I received a score of 54 and it wasn’t enough to get me into the top 16. While I had a rough year and didn’t finish the season the way I had hoped, I learned so much from every new experience and I have Konig Wheels to thank for that. I am looking forward to putting all of my new knowledge to use and come back stronger next year!

Kelsey Rowlings is a Konig Sponsored Professional Drift driver that competes in Formula Drift Pro 2 Series. Kelsey runs Konig Hypergrams in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25mm rear. The Konig Hypergram is Flow Formed.

Make sure to follow Kelsey on INSTAGRAM!

Lawrence Takes Top Honors FDTX!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

FORMULA DRIFT TEXAS – PRO 2 FINAL ROUND | August 8th and 9th

Formula Drift texas

Formula Drift Pro 2 Podium Filled By Konig Drivers:

The last and final round [Round 4] of Formula Drift Pro 2 was insane! Starting the Top 16 there were 5 Konig Sponsored drivers ready to throw down and claim a win. Kevin Lawrence, Matt Vankirk, Travis Reeder, Alec Robbins and Donovan Brockway all had qualified and were ready to battle in top 16.  

Brockway, Reeder and Matt VanKirk did not advance to the Great 8, only Kevin Lawrence of Enjuku Racing and Alec Robbins of Koruworks has advanced on.  That is where this story takes an interesting turn.  Going into #FDTX Matt Vankirk and Travis Reeder were the Formula Drift Pro 2 series top point holders.  Kevin Lawrence, who won Round 1 in Orlando and was the top point holder going into Round 2, went into Texas ranked 5th.  

At the start of the day if you tried to think about how Lawrence could even potentially reclaim the series you would have to have a “perfect storm” the way the event would play out.  Essentially Konig drivers Matt Vankirk and Travis Reeder, both top point holders, would have to lose their first matches in Top 16 or not qualify.  Then Kevin Lawrence would also have to win (his second event for the season) in Texas.  Clearly this isn’t something you could ever plan for.

Going into the Great 8, with both Reeder and Matt Vankirk not advancing, the stage for Lawrence was set.  There was still a ton of work to do, and clearly while the thought may have occurred somewhere in the back of Kevin’s head, he couldn’t let that occupy his thoughts!  But round after round, Lawrence proved he meant business.  In the Great 8 Kevin defeated Gyorgy, then Saxsmith in the Top 4 and Finally Jaeger in the Final Battle to win his 2nd event of the season and become the 2017 Formula Drift Pro 2 Champion by only 2 points!  

Congratulations to Kevin Lawrence on his INCREDIBLE win  at FD Texas and becoming the 2017 Champ!  Also a big congratulations to Travis Reeder and Matt Vankirk.  They were standing on the season podium right next to Kevin Lawrence as they took 2nd and 3rd respectively.  It was a great honor to be involved and a small part of these driver’s programs.  Having all 3 spots of the podium filled with Konig sponsored drivers is a real honor for us.  These driver’s and their teams work so hard all year long to maintain and run these programs and we thank them for their support!

Stay tuned for exciting recaps from all of our sponsored Formula Drift drivers including Nate Hamilton, who still has the last and final round to head too for Formula Drift Pro in Irwindale, CA!

Kevin Lawrence

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
Travis is running Konig Ultraforms in 17×9 et 25mm front and 18×9 et 25 rear.
The Konig Ultraform is Flow Formed.

Matt Vankirk
Matt 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 makes top 8 at FDSEA!

Posted on by Konig Gfx

After a long couple months off, the team and I were anxiously awaiting Seattle and stoked to get back on track. Here is a breakdown and recap of our weekend at rd 3, the throw down.

The car was prepped, up to temp and it was time to go out for the first practice session of the weekend. We were in for a rude awakening as the track conditions turned to be drastically different than previous pro-am 5/8 rounds. The car was over gripped and under powered. Unbeknownst to the team there was a NASCAR race a couple weekends back, and with pro 1 practice being before us, there was no shortage of traction to be had on the longest and largest bank in Formula d.

Once suspension changes and adjustments were made we stepped into qualifying. I kept the first run conservative, and pushed a little harder on the second. We ended up seated in the 6th position after qualifying, which the team and I were pretty happy with.

It was now time to step into top 16 eliminations. We were paired against Brody Goble, who’s a good friend of ours and absolutely rips behind the wheel. I led first and put a decent lead run on the board with some minor corrections. Brody ended up getting into the wall behind me and disrupting his line slightly and I got the small advantage. On the second run I chased Brody on the bank with decent proximity as well and through the rest of the course, I was awarded the win and advanced to the great 8.

Now on to my favorite battles of the weekend, not due to stellar driving but due to the fact I got to drive against one of my best homies, Dylan Hughes. Dylan led first due too a higher qualifying score. I made a few mistakes on the bank in the chase position but kept proximity in the power alley and latter part of the course. On my lead run dylan fell back in proximity at times during the run which led the judges declare a one more time battle.

During dylan and I one more time battle I made a pretty sizable mistake on the bank in the chase position, giving dylan an advantage going into run two. On my lead run I did my best to put down a solid run but unfortunately I was unable to overcome my mistake in the chase position and dylan advanced.

Seattle overall was an amazing event in more ways than one. We learned a lot about car setup as well as team work. I had an absolute blast driving my home track and can’t wait to get back in the drivers seat. Massive thanks to Konig wheels, my family, friends and sponsors that have a hand in making my program run. See you all in Texas!