No. 1 Qualifier Hübinette Exits in Great Eight at Sonoma
Two-time Team Mopar Formula Drift champion Samuel Hübinette was unable to parlay the No. 1 Qualifier spot into a deep run in the FD Round Six event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on Sept. 13. Hübinette captured his second straight No. 1 Qualifier spot and third of the season but exited in the second round.
The NuFormz Racing team, led by team owner Shaun Carlson, was hitting on all cylinders as Hübinette scored the top spot in his Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10® with an overall score of 97.00, best of 32 qualifiers. The feat was especially impressive coming on the challenging Sonoma course, which features a first turn that forces competitors to initiate drift at speeds nearing 100 mph.
Hübinette triumphed in an exciting match right out of the gate, beating Ryuji Miki in a tight "one more time" fight in the Top 16 tandem eliminations. He then drew Ryan Tuerck in the Great Eight round, but disaster struck when the "Crazy Swede" put two wheels of his Mopar Dodge Viper off course on the first tandem run. Hübinette faced an insurmountable 7-0 deficit entering the second run and saw his day end much earlier then desired.
"We came out as the points leader and aimed to keep it, but I came in too hot in the Great Eight tandem run, over rotated, lost the line and got knocked out," said Hübinette. "But we qualified No. 1 out of the 32 cars, so we are definitely there. We still have a chance to win the championship. We just have to move on to the next round at Irwindale."
Hübinette and his Mopar NuFormz Dodge Viper SRT10 team will look to claim a third championship at the final event of 2008 Formula Drift season, the Round Seven: Final Fight at Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. For more info on the Formula Drift Series, visit http://www.formuladrift.com.