Podium finish keeps Hübinette in championship hunt
Mopar NuFormz Racing Dodge Viper SRT10 driver Samuel Hubinette's championship fortunes took a positive turn with a solid third-place finish in the Formula Drift Round Four: High Stakes on Saturday, July 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Coming into the event, the fourth of seven in the Formula Drift Series, the Team Mopar drifter was second in championship points, 31 markers behind leader Tanner Foust. When Foust was eliminated in the first round, it left open the door for Hubinette to gain ground and perhaps even reclaim the top spot.
Hubinette put himself into good position with a second-place qualifying effort that had the capacity crowd cheering wildly. He then disposed of Ryan Tuerck in the first round and Max Orido in the Great 8 to set up a semifinal match with Toshiki Yoshioka. A fierce "one more time" battle ensued, with Yoshioka pulling out a slim victory. Hubinette then defeated Michi Takatori in the consolation finals to take his place on the podium.
"We always aim for first every time we go out, but a podium finish certainly puts us in a more solid championship position heading to Round 5," Hubinette said. "The NuFormz crew had a great setup on the Mopar Dodge Viper and my BFGoodrich Tires gave the fans plenty of big smoke. This was a great event for our first time in Las Vegas and by the looks of the crowd it might have been our largest ever for Formula D."
Hubinette is now just eight points behind Tanner as the Team Mopar hotshoe begins to look forward to Round 5 Breaking Point at Evergreen Speedway near Seattle, Wash. on August 9. For more info on the Formula Drift Series, visit formuladrift.com.