Drift Force: Teamwork also soon leads to success 🎥
UNCOMPENSATED EFFORT The racing team from Emmetten contested the second round of Formula Drift 2022 in Atlanta, USA, with two Toyota GT86s for the first time. Joshua Reynolds was only able to take part in practice, while Yves Meyer was eliminated in the first battle against the best qualifier.
Around 60,000 fans attended the multi-day motorsport festival at the Road Atlanta Circuit in the US state of Georgia on the second weekend in May. The highlight on Saturday evening was the Formula Drift duels on a section of the slightly uphill and downhill circuit.
For The Drift Force, the racing team from Nidwalden founded by Joshua Reynolds (gallery left) and Yves Meyer (gallery center), the second race of the season turned out to be another unforgettable experience in the premier class of this spectacular discipline, even though the sporting expectations could not be met.
Long journey across the pond
Due to the worldwide logistics problems in the transportation industry, Joshua Reynolds' Toyota GT86, which had already been shipped from Switzerland to California several months ago, only arrived a few days before the event. It was only thanks to the efforts of the entire team and its technical partners that it was possible to get the car to the starting line at all without prior test bench trials.
Yves Meyer: "We suddenly had to ship Josh's car to the USA three weeks before the agreed date, and then the container arrived in Los Angeles twelve weeks late. It then had to be transported from there to Atlanta in just a few days. Because we had changed the electronic system at home without being able to test it, we had to do this on site. Without the enormous help from Maptec in Romanshorn, we wouldn't have been able to get the Toyota up and running."
The newly installed KW Competition suspension also had to be set up for the track. However, as there was no prospect of success in the short time available, the team withdrew the car (gallery right) after training.
Small mistake with consequences
Only then was Toyota Gazoo Racing Switzerland able to concentrate on Yves Meyer's GT86 with the support of its American partner team. The four-cylinder turbo engine with over 900 hp, which runs on E85 and NX nitrous oxide, ran perfectly, but after a gearshift error, it only just qualified for the first elimination of the top 32 in 32nd place in the field of 38 drivers.
According to the regulations, Meyer faced the fastest qualifier in the sixteenth-place final. The Swiss driver was by no means without a chance against Matt Field in a Corvette C6. Because his front wheel got caught up with the front wheel of the Chevrolet in the chase run and both cars spun as a result (see video), this meant the end for Meyer despite a strong lead run.
Yves Meyer: "Without the small driving mistake, I would have qualified better. The fact that I ran into Matt Field, who is practically our team-mate, was a coincidence. Our battle could have ended in my favor if I had hit him ten centimetres further in front or behind, which is not forbidden."
Toyota leads the championship
Despite the problems in Georgia, Yves Meyer draws a positive conclusion.
Yves Meyer: "Our Toyota GT86 is awesome, even though it is one of the older cars in the field. We have the pace to keep up with the top drivers. So it's up to us to realize this potential. We now want to take this flow to the next race."
The third round of Formula Drift will take place on May 20 and 21 at the Orlando Speed World in Florida. Norwegian Fredric Aasbo, who won the final round at Road Atlanta in his powerful Toyota GR Supra, will be the championship leader. Toyota also leads the interim standings in the manufacturers' standings.
