After many successful seasons with NuFormz Racing/Mopar, Samuel Hübinette is moving on to a new chapter in his illustrious career. The two-time Formula DRIFT (FD) champion will strike out on his own in 2010, forming his own racing operation, Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR). With support from sponsors including Dodge and BFGoodrich, Hübinette’s SHR organization will field a two-car team for the 2010 FD season. The veteran Hübinette will drift his new SHR Dodge Challenger, while Andrew Comrie-Picard will take the wheel of the SHR Dodge Viper SRT10. Comrie-Picard, owner of ACP Racing, is an accomplished rally driver, winning the 2009 North American Rally Championship, and will make his debut in FD competition.

Samuel Hübinette was born and raised in Jokkmokk, Sweden, close to the Arctic Circle. Controlling a car while sliding on snow and ice was a skill Hübinette’s father taught him at a young age. When Hübinette was just eight years old he began sliding cars around on the Arctic frozen lakes. With northern Sweden covered in snow eight months of the year, drifting became second nature to the young Swede.

By the time Hübinette was 16 he was competing regularly in Rallycross events in Sweden. Hübinette began working as a test driver for Volvo Cars at the age of 23. During that period, he acted as stunt driver for all new Volvo commercials. He also began competing in Touring Car Racing for Team TDR. Hübinette worked at Volvo for nine years, then set his sights on America. He traveled to Newport Beach, Calif., in 1998 to “hang out” for a year. While in California he attended a BMW driving event, where his skills behind the wheel caught the attention of the event’s instructors. Hübinette hoped to catch on as driving instructor with Skip Barber; however, without a green card, he was forced to return to Sweden, hoping one day to make it back to Newport Beach. Some would call it luck, others would call it God’s blessing, but shortly thereafter Samuel won the green card lottery! He soon jumped on the next flight to the U.S.

After a few years working as a driving instructor with Skip Barber and many driving/racing gigs, including forming his own racing school, Hübinette landed his dream job—drifting a Dodge Viper for Mopar in the FD Series. Hübinette went on to win the inaugural FD competition at Road Atlanta, and captured three of four events that season, along with the inaugural FD championship. Hübinette added another championship in 2006 and his nine career FD wins are a series high.

Hübinette is a member of LAMotorsports, a premier stunt team. He works regularly as a stunt driver in car commercials and in Hollywood films, including the last two installments of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, “Crank 2,” and “Knight and Day.”

QUICK FACTS

  • Won 6 out of 6 races in the 2005 Viper Racing league series in a Competition Coupe Viper. 
  • First driver to qualify and win an SCCA Formula D Series event with a domestically manufactured vehicle: the Mopar Dodge Viper Competition Coupe.
  • Selected to be one of eight (out of 52 Americans) to compete in the first D1GP American drifting competition ever held.
  • Worked as a performance driving instructor, including a three-year stint at the Skip Barber Racing School, where he gained experience driving Dodge Vipers. Hubinette was a member of Skip Barber’s elite Special Product Group.
  • Competed as a driver in Touring Car racing for Volvo from 1997-2000. Worked for nine years as a test driver in product development for Volvo, conducting high-speed and aggressive tests across Europe.
  • Became a U.S. citizen in 2006.
  • Married his fiancé Stina in late December 2006.
  • Hübinette also works as a stunt driver and has driven for major Hollywood films such as The Fast and The Furious franchise, Knight and Day and Crank 2 and several car commercials
  • Developed his taste for speed in his native Sweden, pushing snowmobiles, motorcycles and cars to their limits.
  • Used to be the record holder of motorcycle high-speed wheelies
  • Became a Specialist Reserved Officer with the LAPD last year.
  • Samuel worked for his dad as a truck driver for many years

PERSONAL

  • Favorite musical artist is Def Leppard.
  • Favorite movie is “Forrest Gump.”
  • Hobbies included tennis, skiing, mountain biking, go-karting and travel.
  • Nicknamed the “Crazy Swede.”
  • Hübinette’s role model is his father.

Samuel Hübinette

Nickname: The crazy swede
Age: 39
Hometown: Jokkmokk, Sweden
Current Residence: Newport Coast

Team: SHR/DODGE Drift team
Crew Members: Brad Manka, Ryan Schumacher, Andreas Svensson, Stina Hübinette
Drift Car: 2010 Dodge Challenger
Car number: 77

Nationality: Swedish, American
Languages: Swinglish
Occupation: Pro Driver, Stunt Driver
Daily driver: Dodge Ram

Favorite FormulaD track: Evergreen Speedway and Irwindale
Accomplishments in FD: Two-time Champion, Two-time Runner up, Finish 5th as the worst in 07, Most winningest driver in FD history

Sponsors: Dodge, Discount tire, Verizon, V-LEDS, Magnaflow, BFGoodrich, Eibach, Weld Racing, Ignite, AIT, Sparco, K&N, Amp research, AEM, Stack Performance, Royal Purple, Wilwood, APR, Tilton Engineering, Os Giken, Braille battery, Azunia Tequila, Mequiars