Team Mopar Driver Hübinette Takes Sixth at 25 Hours of Thunderhill Endurance Race
Team Mopar Formula Drift star Samuel Hübinette joined forces with a very familiar partner-his wife, Stina-to capture a sixth-place ES class finish in a Mopar-powered Dodge Viper Competition Coupe at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill event. The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) endurance racing event took place on Dec. 5-7 at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, Calif.
Hübinette, a two-time Formula Drift champ, had never before competed alongside his wife, who in recent years has joined her husband in the motorsports arena, competing in time attack events throughout Southern California. The duo, along with co-drivers Danen Smith and James Hickerson, were forced to start from dead last in their Team Toxic Drift Racing Viper Comp Coupe, sponsored by BFGoodrich and Royal Purple, after their Mopar-powered Viper was deemed to loud during testing.
Despite the black flag and other problems, including a malfunctioning fuel gauge, the husband-and-wife pair and their team were able to work their way up to sixth in the highly competitive ES class, which featured more than 20 entries.
"I guess Mopar power was scaring them off," said Hübinette of the qualifying penalty bestowed upon his team. "But we are very happy with the result overall. This was Stina’s first ever race in a Viper Comp Coupe and she performed awesome."
Added Hübinette, "We also had a reliable Mopar-powered V10 engine in our Dodge Viper Comp Coupe that kept on going and going for all 25 hours of the race. I’m exhausted, but it’s fun to be able to take part in these kinds of events during the Formula Drift off-season, especially why I can compete with Stina."