Long Beach, Calif. – March 15, 2012 – The 2-time Formula DRIFT champion, Samuel Hübinette has announced today that he will not be returning for the full 2012 Formula DRIFT pro championship season.

After 8 seasons with the Series, Hübinette will not be competing in the full Formula DRIFT schedule due to sponsors’ changing interest. Team Samuel Hübinette Racing will continue to participate in Formula DRIFT international demos and is still working on participating in some Pro Championship events. Hübinette will concentrate on other racing opportunities for 2012.
  
“Two of our main sponsors changed their marketing direction, so we decided that the best thing to do with the Dodge Challenger SHR drift car is to focus on doing demos. For competition, we’re pursuing opportunities in rallycross and off-road truck. We hope to run a round or two of the Formula DRIFT competitions for 2012, but won’t know for sure until things settle down,” said Samuel Hübinette, professional driver and team owner of SHR. “It has been such a good time to be part of the Formula DRIFT Series from day one and to be the inaugural Series champion means a lot to me. Drifting and Formula DRIFT has given me many opportunities in my career including stunt driving in movies and car commercials. “

In 2011, Hübinette drove in both Formula DRIFT and the Traxxas TORC Series ending up with a few conflicts that resulted in missing a couple rounds in Formula DRIFT. The highlight of the season was gaining a first qualifier spot in the Samuel Hübinette Racing Dodge Challenger at the —– round. With 2 championships and 9 event victories, Hübinette maintains the record for most Formula DRIFT victories.

“We will miss having a competitor like Samuel this season,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We know that when the funding and sponsorship re-align, Samuel will be able to return to the Series and continue to be a competitive driver.”

For more information visit: HYPERLINK “http://www.formulad.com” www.formulad.com.

In Saturday eliminations Hübinette made quick work of No. 32 qualifier Pat Mordant, while “Karnage” Kearney kept his Viper clean in an opening round win over Ryan Kado. The two SHR stars then took part in a fan autograph session during the half-time break, with fans packing the Dodge Motorsports/V-Leds pit area.

After the break, Hübinette battled it out with Chris Forsberg in one of the hardest-fought drift matches of the weekend. The two former FD champs were evenly matched on their first two tandem runs, prompting the FD judges to call for a “One Time More.” Hübinette led first on the extra tandem laps, hitting each clipping point perfectly and putting his Dodge Challenger exactly where it needed to be.

When it came time for Hübinette to shadow Forsberg, the “Crazy Swede” had his Dodge Challenger right on the door of Forsberg’s Nissan during the tandem battle — perhaps too close. Hübinette nicked a track barrier, causing a small correction. The crowd cheered loudly for the two talented competitors, but the judges awarded the round win to Forsberg. Kearney also fell in the Top 16, losing to eventual event winner Tyler McQuarrie.

“We finished the year up very strong by qualifying No. 1,” said Hübinette. “It feels good to end the year on a strong note. Both my Dodge Challenger and the Dodge Viper were strong all weekend. Dean did a great job at this event. I had a tough, hard-fought battle with Forsberg in the Top 16. It’s always hard to come out on the losing end, but hearing the crowd cheer in appreciation after our match made me feel very proud.

“It was also so cool to have the chance to thank my sponsors and spend time with them during our special SHR sponsor night at Irwindale. I’m so grateful for all their support; I think we gave them a good show at Irwindale. We’ve learned a lot this year, we’ve battled, and I feel like this event will send the SHR team into next year on a very positive note. We have a great organization here and I am really looking forward to 2012.”

With the book closed on his 2011 FD campaign, Hübinette will change gears to compete in his final Traxxas TORC event of the year at Cycle Ranch MX in Floresville, Texas, Oct. 15–16. Hübinette has won three times in his rookie season, garnering six podium finishes in his Jenkins Brothers Racing Mopar Ram. He’s third in the PRO Light standings heading into the event and is looking to claim the runner-up spot in the championship fight (his teammate Andrew Caddell has already clinched the PRO Light title).

“I’m excited to head to Cycle Ranch and take the wheel of my Mopar Ram Truck in off-road competition,” said Hübinette. “It’s a new track, so all the drivers will have a bit of a disadvantage. We’re fighting for the runner-up position in points, and we have the inaugural $15,000 to-win Traxxas PRO Light Cup as well, so there’s quite a bit on the line. I feel like I have some good momentum heading in there. I want to end my first TORC season in the winner’s circle.”

Hübinette has done double duty in 2011, also competing in the PRO Light Class in the Traxxas TORC Series. In his rookie season of off-road action the native of Sweden has shined, claiming three wins with one event remaining. Despite his hectic racing schedule, Hübinette will have no trouble switching focus from the off-road to the drift course at Irwindale.

“It’s always been on my ‘bucket list’ to get a victory at Irwindale,” said Hübinette. “It’s regarded by many as the place where drifting was born in the U.S. The stands are always packed and the fans there are extremely knowledgeable — and extremely loud. A first victory there would mean so much to me, and it would be an unbelievable way to cap our 2011 season.”

Hübinette will also see action in his Dodge Drift Cab, a specially built Dodge Charger SRT8 powered by a Mopar HEMI. Hübinette will provide thrill-rides in the four seat beast for his sponsors and media on Thursday, Oct. 6 during practice for the Irwindale event.

“The Dodge Drift Cab is just pure fun,” said Hübinette. “It gives the uninitiated a first- hand experience in the sideways world of drifting, sliding full speed around the drift course with the tires screaming and the rubber burning. It’s pure excitement and the ride of a lifetime.”


Round 7: Title Fight is scheduled for Oct. 7–8 at Irwindale Speedway. For more information on the Formula DRIFT Series, including ticket info, visit HYPERLINK

Hübinette, a legend and two-time champion in the Formula DRIFT Series but a newcomer to TORC, was running third near the halfway point of the 19-lap Joliet opener on Friday when he got upside down on the front straight away in his Mopar Ram. The man known as the “Crazy Swede” walked away unscathed, but his night was over.

With a large television audience watching the action live on SPEED, Hübinette rebounded with a vengeance in the Saturday event finale. He launched his Mopar Ram from the back of the pack to a podium position in a pin-back-the-ears charge to the front. The podium spot was the perfect present for birthday boy Hübinette, who also earned his sixth podium finish in his TORC rookie season.

“I’m very positive about my performance at Joliet, coming from all the way in the back, sixteenth out of 18 trucks, and making it to the podium,” said Hübinette, who has earned three wins this year. “I’m happy about the performance of the Mopar Ram truck. It was a great package, with some sticky BFGoodrich Tires. The Jenkins Brothers Racing crew did a fantastic job of dialing in the truck for me.

“There were a lot of fans at Joliet. It was neat seeing the stands so full. The track was also very demanding; the jumps were tough and you had to drive smart.”

Hübinette’s fellow Mopar-powered Ram driver, Andrew Caddell, has locked up the PRO Light championship. Hübinette is third heading into the 2011 Traxxas TORC Series season-ending event in Floresville, Texas on Oct. 15–16, and is gunning to claim the runner-up spot in the final standings in his debut season.

“I’m definitely trying to be the runner-up for sure, that’s my goal,” said Hübinette. “Three (drivers) are close points-wise, so it’s going to be a very interesting weekend.”

Hübinette will now switch gears from the off-road to the drift course. He’ll close out the 2011 Formula DRIFT season at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway on Oct. 7–8, and also get in some commercial work in his third profession as a Hollywood stunt driver while the busy native Swede and U.S. citizen waits to return to the track.

“The Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR) crew is working hard to prep the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Viper SRT10 for the finale at the House of Drift, Irwindale Speedway,” said Hübinette. “It’s nice to have a little down time and chill back home in Newport Coast, and do some stunt driving. But when it comes time I’ll be excited to go to Irwindale and hopefully get some podiums for Team SHR.”

Photo Courtesy of Mike Roth- www.mikerothphotography.com

“It was a tough-luck weekend at Crandon, having to deal with tire issues on Friday, on-track incidents with other competitors on Saturday, and then rear-end trouble on Sunday,” said Hübinette. “It was a blow to our championship hopes, but this Mopar Ram/Jenkins Brothers Racing team is resilient. We are going to bounce back this week.”

Hübinette is encouraged by the course setup at Joliet, which should be comparable to previous tracks at which he has excelled.

“It’s going to be a similar venue to Charlotte, which worked very well,” said Hübinette, who scored a podium finish at the Charlotte Traxxas TORC event in July, of the Joliet course. “Chicago is a great location and I think we’ll have a good crowd there with NASCAR in town. It will be a very important event for me, after having trouble at Crandon. I have to really get the momentum going now and make it on the podium.

“Only four events remain, and anything can happen in racing. My goal is two win both events at Joliet and then just build from there. Our Mopar Ram will definitely be in the mix from here on out. I intend to close out my first year with the Traxxas TORC Series with a bang.”

Round 12 of the Traxxas TORC Series will air on Thursday, Sept. 15 on SPEED beginning at 9 p.m. (ET). For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series, visit www.torcseries.com.

Hübinette, the two-time Formula DRIFT champion, who has won three times this season with the TORC (The Off-Road Championship) Series, was the No. 31 qualifier, despite having trouble with the power steering on his car during qualifications, as he made his first drift start since June.

Hübinette recorded the highest initiation speed of the weekend at 101 mph in his Dodge Challenger, and had an epic duel with longtime rival and event winner Rhys Millen in the Round of 32, falling to Millen on a “One More Time” overtime run.

Hübinette also debuted his 2011 Dodge Charger Drift Cab at the event, which will be utilized to give demos to drift fans.The unique thing with the 2011 Dodge Charger is that it is equipped with a manual gearbox and a 392 HEMI. It also has a set of Willwood brake calibers just for the e-brake.
With the 4 Sparco racing seats the fans get a exhilarating, but safe ride along.

Kearney, piloting the V-LEDS Dodge Viper SRT10 for Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR), was the No. 15 qualifier and took on Patrick Mordaunt, the No. 18 qualifier in the Round of 32, falling to his opponent.

“We had a great crowd around the Dodge Motorsports display and SHR rig the entire weekend,” said Hübinette. “The temperature was over 100 degrees, but the crowd was still huge, which shows the dedication of drift fans.”

Next up for the Mopar-powered Dodge Motorsports drifters is the Formula DRIFT season finale in Irwindale, Calif., Oct. 7–8. For more information on Formula DRIFT, visit http://www.formulad.com.