Bridgestone Brand, Rhys Millen Announce Unveiling Of New Red Bull Pontiac Solstice GXPNew drift car for Bridgestone-sponsored 2006 Formula D driver
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 4, 2006) - Already poised for a repeat of last year’s Formula Drift Championship win, Rhys Millen, sponsored by the Bridgestone® brand, will debut his new ride, a turbocharged Red Bull Pontiac Solstice GXP, at the third drifting event of the season on June 10 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
He will drive his current Pontiac GTO in competition one last time in round two of the Formula D championships at Road Atlanta, Ga., May 12-13. Although his drift vehicle will change, his tires will not; Millen will continue to ride on Bridgestone Potenza RE-01R tires.
The high performance street and track tire delivers the advanced grip and handling performance essential in professional drift competition. “With the added power of the turbocharger and continued reliability of the Potenza RE-01R tires,” said Millen, “the new Solstice is sure to give me a boost against some very strong competition while fighting for our second drift title."
Some lucky drifting fans were able to catch a glimpse of Millen’s current drift vehicle at the first drifting event at the Streets of Long Beach, Calif. It was there that Millen drove off with a second place win in round one of the Formula D series. There are six more rounds leading up to the championships at Irwindale Speedway on Oct. 14 where the title will be awarded to the overall point leader.
Rhys Millen with Team RMR is one of the world's top competitors in drifting. Millen became just the second champion in the short history of the United States' top drifting series Formula D. Rhys has two wins in his Formula D career: the 2004 season finale at the Irwindale Speedway and the 2005 season opener at the Wall Speedway in Wall Township, N. J. Rhys Millen will return to the track for the third consecutive year against his father, Rod Millen of Team Grenade.
For a downloadable image of the vehicle, please visit:
http://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/corporate/news/releaseimages/RBPontiacSolsticeGXP.JPG
About Formula Drift:
Entering its third season, Formula Drift, produced and wholly owned by Irvine, Calif.-based Formula Drift, Inc., continues to expand into new markets as the first and only sanctioned and recognized North American professional drifting championship series (sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing). A well-established sport in Japan for more than a decade, Formula Drift, Inc. and its sister-company Slipstream Global Marketing, Inc. were instrumental in bringing the first official competition to the United States in 2003 at the Irwindale Speedway (Irwindale, Calif.)
About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America.