Dai sets out to defend his 2011 title in Episode 2 of GTChannel’s “Behind the Smoke” in front of another Long Beach sellout.  In this second show from Long Beach check out Dai advance through the tough Formula Drift field on his way to 2nd Place.

See Dai’s exclusive battles with Matt Field, Fredrick Aasbo, Ken Gushi and Daigo Saito and Justin Pawlak.

“Once again I really love coming to Long Beach.  The crowd, the track and just the overall atmosphere makes me feel really comfortable and we got 2nd, so I am happy,” said Dai last week.  The winner in Long Beach was Justin Pawlak who looks to be a very formidable challenger for the 2012 Formula Drift title.

All the teams are back bigger and stronger with more horsepower and new tires. The day began with an open practice session for the top 32 drivers and a record breaking 19 rookies, including Daigo Saito who finished a respectable 3rd Place in his first Formula Drift start.

Ever since Tokyo Drift was release it seems everybody is on the hunt for a car that can drift. Look who wouldn’t want a thrilling ride while going sideways. Here is a video clip of a guy in his very well looked after Nissan 200Sx drifting around a parking lot like Ken Block. This is by far one of the best short drift clips in a Nissan 200sx S13 I have seen in a while.

Dai sets out to defend his 2011 title in Episode 2 of GTChannel’s “Behind the Smoke” in front of another Long Beach sellout. Formula DRIFT kicked-off the 8th championship season on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Street Course.  Check out Dai maneuver his way through the qualifying stages of Day 1 and as always there were challenges to overcome.

“Long Beach was great, I love that track and the atmosphere down there.  There is a lot of talent out here this year and more drivers to contend with,” said Dai last week.

All the teams are back bigger and stronger with more horsepower and new tires. The day began with an open practice session for the top 32 drivers and a record breaking 19 rookies.  Round One of Formula Drift was a success at last the scent of rubber is back in the summer air and Dai’s hair was perfect.