Driver Blog: Fredric Aasbo>> My Exciting New Team

Dear fellow Speedhunters readers, I have some exciting news to announce. It’s been 8 months in the making, and it has taken countless emails, phone conversations, long nights functioning in dual time zones and a handful trips traveling across the globe and back (although I’ve squeezed in some drifting in between)!

In one way it’s just over, and in another way it has just begun. Today, I have officially become a Team Need for Speed drift driver, and I’ll be driving the full 2011 Formula Drift Championship!

But there is more to it. I have been given a certain Tanner Foust’s seat as his extraordinary career is currently geared towards international Rallycross and being a Top Gear USA host. Trying to look at it objectively, I consider Tanner and Papadakis Racing to have run the most successful team of Formula Drift over the last four years. Their drift program has been the benchmark and the idol of many – including me. I still can’t believe what is currently happening… For me, WOW doesn’t even remotely describe it!

Starting at the Formula Drift Round 1 in Long Beach, California this April, I will be driving the 2011 Team Need for Speed Scion tC. It’s a new build that Papadakis Racing has begun and it’s based on the 2011 edition of the popular tC. It will sport Toyota’s 2AR-FE turbocharged four cylinder all-aluminum motor, a Jon Sibal designed body kit and there’s even a few Supra parts thrown into the mix.

We just had to keep something from our 2010 Formula Drift ventures with the Japan Auto FSR Supra. Being helped, motivated, inspired and even physically pushed onto the track by fans, sponsors and friends from around the globe is such a priceless, extraordinary memory to have. It’s hard to describe how it all felt, and how it still feels, but I will never forget what I experienced during the 2010 season. We became Formula Drift Rookie of the Year, I received the Hardest Charging Driver of The Year award and we won the Insane Entry Award at the Irwindale finals. And we did it in what some people would call a mildly seasoned Toyota Supra; he was battered, bruised and to some extent held together by zipties, rivets and duct tape. And his name is Chucky.

We did a couple of minor modifications as well as suspension upgrades to the Chucky Supra during the 2010 season, but it was still a fairly stock car compared to the rest of the field. It was still a good car though, and exactly what we needed. It did the job, and all I wanted was to go out there and give it all I had. Fuelled on by passion and a drive to see how far we could go, we went all-in. Sometimes it worked out, and sometimes it did not!

The reason that the Supra survived the season following the many crashes and bruises is entirely down to good friends putting in extreme efforts combined with sheer Toyota reliability.

Considering the 2011 Scion tC is originally a front wheel drive car, Stephan Papadakis and the Papadakis Racing crew are modifying the car extensively within the boundaries of the Formula Drift rulebook. It’s basically receiving the full treatment – it’s becoming a proper race car carefully designed on the merits of a championship winning dream team. Needless to say, I am stoked out of this world to be allowed into such an operation, and I can’t wait for the FD season to kick off!!

I’m really excited that I will be involving the Speedhunters audience in deciding on how some parts of the car will look. For example, do you prefer the all white rim or the red pinstripe?

Despite being an inline four instead of a six cylinder, we are building the Toyota 2AR-FE motor for the tC in a way that should yield about the same characteristics as the 2JZ of the Supra. The motor is being stroked to 2.7 litres, and it’s running high compression and a mild cam tune to preserve torque and driveability. Furthermore, we are putting in a Supra LSD similar to what we have in the Supra to help my transition even more. I am swapping from RHD to LHD for the new build – which will be a change back to what I am originally used to. I will be heavily involved with the new Scion tC build, and Stefan Papadakis and I have already had many discussions on my driving style and the specific things I would like incorporated into the vehicle.

I think the real challenge in adapting to the car and getting the most of it partly lies in getting all the small details right. Toe settings, steering geometry, and so on. More importantly, it’s a case of getting seat time – with actual competition seat time being the best practice you can get.

In addition to competing in the Formula Drift series, Team Need for Speed is preparing a European leg of its drift team. Our so called ‘Euro Supra’ is part of that team composition. I am delighted to announce that we will be running a couple of events in Europe this year under the NFS flag – one of those events being the Gatebil main festival in Norway in July!

For me, Gatebil was where it all started. A couple of years ago I was driving my old BMW E30 as hard as I could around the Rudskogen and Vålerbanen circuits. Gatebil is where my friends are driving the guts out of their wild Skylines, S-body Nissans, Audis and BMWs – I can’t wait to be driving with them again.

First out, however, is the Formula Drift invitational event at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi on February 25th. For the first time ever, drifting will be showcased at what is probably the world’s most extraordinary racing circuit! The event will be streamed online via the Driftstream service.

The Euro Supra, carrying its 2011 Need for Speed livery designed by car livery mastermind Andy Blackmore, is set to arrive in Abu Dhabi one of these days.As for our US Supra, I know some people would have liked us to continue campaigning it in the Formula Drift series. Keeping that in mind I just want to say that there is a time for everything. I’ve always been in drifting to learn, and I still am, and when I get a chance to learn from the best in the business… Then I hope you understand that is what I will pursue. To me, working with the likes of Team Need for Speed, Papadakis Racing, and staying true to the Toyota family through the Scion brand is a match made in heaven!

The only thing left to be seen, is whether the driver does the team justice…

There is no secret that the Formula Drift championship is more than slightly competitive. It’s a field of two faced Jekyll & Hydes – the camaraderie off track is simply unparalleled in the world of racing, yet on the track, when the lights drop, you’re entering a battle zone.

And that’s what I love about all of this. Out there, during the 20 to 30 second duration of the run where you battle your opponent, nothing else matters. It might not be such high stakes as a good ole’ cowboy revolver duel, but sometimes, it feels like we are pretty close to exactly that. Maybe that’s just me. Nonetheless, I feel like we have a good view to hone the weaponry this year.

I would never have gotten here if it wasn’t for all the people supporting me along the way. If it was not for Japan Auto giving me the opportunity to build and run the Supra back in 2008, all my friends and associate sponsors stepping up along the way and FSR Motorsport Creations offering all they had to help us out in 2010, I wouldn’t have been even remotely able to dream about an opportunity like this. Most of all, I am deeply grateful for all the support you guys and girls have shown me. I owe it all to you.

I have gotten countless messages and greetings from all around the world following our drifting ventures over the last couple of years, and I am overwhelmed by all the positive feedback. Sometimes it feels undeserved – I am just doing what I love and I can’t understand why I am so lucky to be supported to such an extent. At the same time, it is very heart warming if what we do inspires people around us. The thought of inspiring others is such a grand inspiration in itself it’s making me look forward to the season even more!

One of the things I look forward to the most is hitting the track practicing with team buddy Matt “Mattley Crue” Powers. We share the same drifting ideals (as well as taste in music, although Matt brings that to a whole new level!), making us push ourselves in the same direction.

Furthermore, Steffen, my right hand and “partner in grime” throughout the 2010 season is onboard the new team constellation. He will be keeping track on me from the spotter tower, continuing where we left off after the 2010 season. We are still set on our step by step approach in working hard to learn the game and eventually get closer to what it’s really all about: kick ass driving.

My first goal is to get comfortable in the car. Secondly, it is to get up to speed and proximity to opponent and the clipping points in both lead and follow runs. And then – I have to admit it – eventually a podium will be pretty frickin’ awesome.

My parents have modestly asked for one of those carbon fiber vases to decorate their living room… And although I’ve told them those kinds of vases aren’t that easy to come by, I am definitely on the hunt for one.

All in all, there is a lot of thinking and mental preparations going on over here right now. Partly, I am assisting Papadakis Racing and Scion in preparing the tC in a way that works for all of us and suits me as the driver. Furthermore, my travel itinerary for this month is pretty compressed: Norway, Spain, Morocco, Norway, Canada, Norway, Abu Dhabi, California. I am getting introduced to the whole Need for Speed universe and everything that surrounds it. Sometimes it feels hard to grasp what is real and what is not, and being in the middle of the most integrated racing game franchise has been a wonderful experience. One day I’m driving Vaughn’s Mustang at Irwindale Speedway in SHIFT2; the next I’m battling him in real life on the streets of Long beach. And both events feel live – or fictional – it all depends how you view them. Sometimes I have to pinch myself that this is really happening.

To every single one of you, be sure to pop by if you see me in the pitlane. For me, getting to drive the Team Need for Speed Scion tC in the Formula Drift Championship is way beyond a dream come true; it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I feel extremely grateful to have the support of some of the most accomplished people and companies within the sport of drifting. At the same time, I realize I have huge shoes to fill and a long way to go, following in the footsteps of quite possibly the best Formula Drift driver this far: Tanner Foust. Remember, I’m just a guy from a small town far away, and I’m taking on a challenge unlike anything I’ve ever faced before.

There is a saying in motorsports that goes like this: The only thing certain, is that nothing’s certain. What I can assure you, however, is that I will give this team absolutely all I’ve got… And then some. And I promise to do that for all the fans, every single time I go into a battle.

Yours truly,

Fredric

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1

Dope! can't Wait for dubai!

2

Awesome writeup! Congrats again man, you deserve it all! You have been an inspiration to many and im sure you will continue to be. I look forward to seeing you out in Seattle again!

3

Go Fredric! Great to see you for the full season. Thats awesome.



Supra kicks ass. Scion looks great too, but the base tc is a dud. Smart design guys.

4

congrats fredric!

5

Great news Fredric. Deserved! Bye Tanner :)



Every Team NFS design is awesome, but I think this is my new favorite.



I like the Matt Black with the Bright red, almost looks orange like the old Marlboro Penske's. For your wheel question, kill the red stripe. Black would be better, like your Supra.



See you on the podium

6

Grattis mr!! Hold stumt!!!

7

You deserve every bit of it. I envy that you get to do what you want for a living, I hope I can someday know what that is like. Good luck in all of your endeavors. Finish first!

8

How cool is this. Wow!! Almost a tear in my eye, you if anybody deservs this. But we will really miss chucky. Good luck this season/Peter from Sweden

9

Im happy for you. But Scion should be banned from drifting until they make a RWD car in real life. All this taking boring cars and converting them so they can race or whatever is a joke.

10

Wow big news! You deserve it!

11

Is mad mike not competing in formula D this year?

12

AASBO is a BEAST!! glad hes a part of team NFS. I just wish he would have kept that supra for FD, i cant imagine him driving a scion TC.

13

Great news! Looking forward to following you in a competitive team finally. You deserve it if any. My fave FD driver by far. HOLD STUMT!!!

14

This is truly deserved!! Can't wait to follow this season! Hold stumt!

15

You deserve it Fredric! Rip it up out there dude, and make sure to have fun.

16

Sad to see Tanner away from FD but hearing the Assbo is taking his place is very good news indeed. Congrats on getting a full time ride and with such a professional team.



btw go with the red pin stripe on the wheels and the car.

17

Wow!! Congrats Fredric and best of luck to you and the team.

18

Congrats, Fredric! Lot's of luck in the 2011 season of FD. Also I hope to see some good footage from Abu Dhabi!

19

Rad!!!! I'm SO feelin this! So glad to see you got a ride for the full season! CAN NOT WAIT to see you killin it! Congrats holmes!

20

nice developments in Formula D!!



should be a very interesting 2011 season ;)

21

Awesome stuff

the red stripes would look better if they were actully red, as in the picture they're some kind of unattractive shade of orange

22

WOW!!! Sick!! This is a dream come true!! :) Congratulations, the supra looks awesome!

23

I'm very excited to see you at Road Atlanta Fred!! Both cars are looking very awesome.

24

What a fantastic design. Another great one from Andy. Love the Red quarters, reminds me of his old car. Not digging the white wheels on the Scion. First time I have seen a nice Scion LOL.



25

Pinstripe rimms

26

Congratulations to team NFS! I see great things happening this season!!

27

AASBO FOR 2011 FD CHAMPION!!!!!

28

That's the way it is! Go big or go home! The best of luck for to 2011!

29

WOW! fredric that is amazing!

What will be of the 2JZ?

Good luck and drive that scion like you drove the 2JZ!; like there was nothing to lose!

See you @ Long Beach!

30

Great news! About time you got into a proper team with a competetive car ready to take on the top guys. Have been following your career for a while and you are deffo my favorite driver in FD for bringing the "OMG moments", I wish you the best in your new team. HOLD STUMT!

31

Fantastic news, the smile went all around my head when I read it on your FB Fredric! Nobody deserved a team more than you! Best of luck for 2011, I'll try winning the lottery so I can come over and cheer like a little girl!

32

Wow! Was waiting for you to anounce a sponsor for yourself, kinda obvious looking at the 2010 season and all your fans ;)

But for me, the Supra made you! The trashed, battered and heavily abused Supra screaming for mercy!!

But I hope you can make the same epic entries and smokefilled drifts in the Scion!



Best of luck in the coming season!

A Fellow Scandinavian

33

Awesome Fredric!

I remember seeing you at gatebil back in 2007 when you totally killed it in your bmw.

That was awesome!

HOLD STUMT!!

34

Ohhh Shit!! there's gonna be a Viking on top of the podium this year!! :)

Concrats!! really looking forward for this season now!

35

Congrats Frederic! Everyone from Supraforums is happy that you finally got a sponsorship but were a little discontent that NFS wanted you to drive the TC. But hey, its a great opportunity for you and we all know that and also you will always be back in the Supra sooner or later. haha. What is to be of Chucky? I have to admit, I am and a lot of people are going to miss you driving the JZA80 platform. The last supra I remember driving in FD was the Jasper Supra who Rhys Millen was driving in. Best of luck to you to the upcoming year and you know that we will still be out there supporting you bud.

36

keep doing what your doing and you cant go wrong. Keep Driving Hard Aasbo!!!

37

Dammit...I understand but I still don't like the fact your jumping to a tC....www!! Chucky is an awesome machine!! Good look this year, still my fav driver! !

38

Awesome!!!! Welcome to Team Need for Speed, Fredric!!! We are very excited for you, and hope for you to bring home a championship for Team NFS, and Scion Racing!

39

Jeez. New tCs looks like utter crap overall...loved the supra though.

40

Good luck this year!

41

Fredic !! Deep respect for you and your endeavors good luck in the 2011 season! Nice to see someone so down to earth.

42

check his spelling.



any ways, good luck Fredric!!

43

Vel fortjent! Hold Stumt!

44

As much as I hated Foust in the Scion, I have to admit this could be very cool. A turbo 4, exterior designed by Jon Sibal, and Aasbo driving can only be awesome.



Put a 2J in and make sure it's slammed for total awesomeness.



And now Team NFS is Powers, Mad Mike, and Aasbo?! This is a dream team.

45

WOW!!

Its truly inspiring man!! Congrats!!

46

Agreed Reeally! Aasbo you were fantastic this year and a joy to watch, but really fake drift cars suck. Sponsors are sponsors so I understand thats what you need to pay for all this but NASCAR style fakery blows.

47

Do the red pinstripe as a homage to Chucky!

This is totally awesome and well deserved. You are a great representant of the sport Drifting!

Powers, Whidett and Aasbo is the perfect 3 man awesomesauce team!

48

You deserve every fruit of your success. I'm a big Supra fan and although I'm going to miss the Supra in the FD Championship, I'm wishing you good luck for this season and I hope that the new tC will help you fulfill your dream of more kick ass driving. Congratulations Fredric!

49

stoked on sponsorship but not so stoked on scionship

50

What an entertaining read! I hope you do more driver blog pieces this year, Fredric. I'm very excited to see what you can do with this new platform... I see nothing but good things.



-G



PS - I'd say all-white on the wheels.

51

Lost all my respect

52

Any more images of the Scion?



Fredric in FD = Awesome x3

Tanner gone = not good

Rockstar gone = not good

Supra = Awesome x3

Scion = Yawn, at least it wont have the NASCAR engine

Bodykit = Not extreme enough, did you guys design that?

Graphics = Awesome

Wheels = Black as the Supra, or keep the red line



Well done Fredric. Must be a dream come true

53

Congrats Fredric!! Can't wait to see you on those top steps :) Wish you still had Chucky, but I understand his life was hard but good and its time to be put to pasture.

54

another ugly car in Formula D... yay.

55

all white rims, gleaner look!! see you in finland few years back and love the way you drift!!!

56

Sad , Supra is sooo much better than that ugly TC and more more FSR :( But good luck to him in his future :D GO FREDRIC !

57

I liked the Supra more.

58

Epic.. Congrats..

Hold stumt!



Go Supra.

59

This are awesome news :D

the only thing that makes me sad was that you won't race the Supra in FD... People liked you, and people liked that Supra so much.... It was part of the charm...

We understand that sponsors dictate that you must drive that scion, but the supra is that we gonna miss more :(



Anyway, grat to see that you have now the backup that you needed to came on top, im really glad to see my favourite Drifter getting the reward it deserves....



Congratulations!!! Best of luck!!! :D

60

Keep the original Aasbo rims/style! :) Black with red stripes on the rim! :D

61

f**k it why cant you keep the supra

62

i didnt read the writeup but if hes driving a scion instead of this supra thats a huge FAIL

63

Congratulations so much Fredric! You really deserve this! Keep up beeing that allways cheerful happy fella, that allways have time for everyone around you! Best of luck! :D

64

Nobody is more deserving, congrats, and all the best for this season...

Kick ass.

65

glad to see another competitive four cylinder in the mix but im gonna miss seeing the bubblegum-and-rubberbands supra. good luck in 2011 tho

66

Congrats! This is epic news! so excited for you.

Good luck with everything!

67

Good job aasbo. I have been rooting for you. now with the support of papadakis you will definitely get that vase for the family living room. good luck and will definitely see you at cali events this season.

68

Wish you good luck in the upcoming season!

69

orange or black wheels.

70

Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy! Please remember I'm ALWAYS available for set-up questions. Have fun and kill it!

tanner

72

Dette var skikkelig gode nyheter, måtte du gjøre NFS stolte.

This was really good news, may you do NFS proud.

73

congrats on makin it to formula d dude. wish ya good luck

74

Im so glad you finaly got a fully sponsorship Fredric, i know many ppl would miss chucky, but the car is kinda beat up and deserves a Allstar status.



I have a good faith in th Scion, 4 litre and Turbo would make the same effort as a 2jz.

As long you find it as the right path, i once remember you said that you would rather follow the right line instead of skipping the steps of evolution.



Best of congrats Fredric, 110% well earned :)



ps. 1-800-ealoken still has 24\7 service ;)



75

Totaly love it!

The TC will be a killer out there!

76

Great to see that your still in a Supra! There's precious little of them being used in competition and I was kind of sad to hear that yours would be replaced with a tC, but all is not lost!

77

Yay for Aasbo getting pro backing



BOO for another tC..... ugh the cost of trying to be competitive is always so ugly..



sorry,... but Im really happy for you Fredric I hope you do awesome this year.

78

Gonna miss the Supra, Fred. It was the only one at the pro level in FD and was competitive even in mostly stock trim, but a lot goes into that decision, so I won't judge. Best of luck to you this season....and after you give one of those carbon trophies to your parents, would you mind sending one my way? lol.

79

If Aasbo jumped on the NFS Team, along with Matt Powers, where is Mad Mike? Kicked in on the curb?......lol

80

Congrats man. and put the pinstripe on the rims!!!

81

I am surprised that this is how we hear Tanner is leaving FD. That would/should be big news!?!?!



Excellent write up, Fredric. Good luck out there next year. You have a great (Joon-esque) attitude!

82

Congratz Fredric!!! So nice to hear that you got this opportunity! And I'm looking forward to go to Rudskogen and see you drive the Supra! Good luck with everything!! Hold Stumt!! :)

83

Congrats and I love the euro supra, my favorite drift car ever!

84

Congrats, I remember just a few years ago, I was reading a finnish tuning magazine, there was an article from a finnish drifting competition and the winner of the event was an Norwegian fellow who had taken the trip of over 300 miles with the same BMW e30 he was driving at the race and won. He really has come a longway.

85

are you going to be in need for speed shift 2 fredric??

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