| Welcome |
Hey, welcome to my official blog!
This is the place where you will find pics and updates directly from my race weekends, plus a lot of other fun stuff such as stunt driving or things not always about racing.
Cheers! /Carl |
| Pic of the week |
Grid before the race, Nordschleife 2008. |
| Songs to check out |
1. Foo Fighters - The Pretender
2. Span - Baby's Come Back
3. Adam Tensta - My Cool
4. Outkast - Take Off Your Cool
5. Alexandra Stan - Mr Saxobeat
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| Food and Drinks |
1. Redondo Beach Brewing Co, CA
3. The Standard, Hollywood, CA
3. Nic's, Bevery Hills, CA
4. Vino Pasta, Gothenburg, SWE
5. Paradise Cove, Malibu, CA
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| Other things |
| Spot to be filled with useful content. |
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| Happy New Year! |
| Friday, January 2, 2009 |
It's been a busy November and December, so here's a recap. Just a couple of weeks before the Formula Drift ProAm Nationals, when I was in the middle of some very fun 4th gear drift practice sessions, I got a call from Formula Drift. They informed me that I was granted a Formula Drift license for 2009. So, all of a sudden the pressure on the team to get the car back together in a rush, with a FD roll-cage etc, was off.
Instead, focus shifted to make the best planning possible for FD 2009. John (City Tire) and I went to Sema, attended the FD press conference and had some productive meetings. We will see when the racing season starts which parts of these talks that will actually happen, but being an independent team, things are looking stable for City Tire Online's upcoming effort for FD 2009.
 The CTO 350Z Twin Turbo got ready by mid-December, which was a great boost. The cage looks very nice and strong, built very light-weight at the same time and the engine tone is EXTREMELY aggressive.
It is a very clean looking car but don't let it mislead you, it is a real animal. The car has tons of power and very low weight, now all we have to do is increase the steering angle to insanity - this will be needed to make a difference in FD with the field being so even right now. I can't wait to drift it on the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit in April.
There were also some talks about grip racing during SEMA. This is something I am very much anticipating some good news about, it's time to stir it up a bit around here with some real Swedish speed on the tracks.
Other than that, I organized a car control clinic in December, a lot of fun. I also test drove a 670hp, 350.000 Euro car which impressed me extremely much, this was a very big reward for my appetite for speed. Very nice build, fantastic looks etc etc... Two words: Black Series.
 I recently sold my "practice car", the gray 350Z. It did its job to get me into the drift scene over here and now is time to be back in team-cars again and up the game. Apart from a fantastic race for me personally in the Levin Racing 996 GT3 RSR at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, 2008 was, as planned, sort of an interrim year for me, to establish myself as a driver in a new part of the world.
And as such, 2008 has been completely fantastic and what's even cooler is that 2009 looks to become even better. Stay tuned! /Carl
 John and me worked together to secure competitive tires for 2009.
 Hankook showing off big! The new C91 tires are the ones to beat and the RS3 are rumoured to be even better than the RS2. We will see the exact data when testing starts.
 The FD conference was very clear and concise. Jim Liaw and his associates presented the media stats, some very nice news about TV broadcasting for 2009 as well as a well thought out competition calendar.
 Formula Drift misses representing.
 BMW M3 will be back in American Le Mans this year.
 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR will be the main competitor to beat.
 The SEMA visit was rounded off by enjoying the Scion VIP party @ Planet Hollywood. Some of the top drivers and representatives for various companies were there, a lot of fun gossip exchanged... 2009 will be a very exciting year for the audience as well as the drivers and teams, no doubt. (Big thanks to City Tire and Marcus Fasth/Autorapid Motorsport for pictures) Labels: Drifting, Events, Instructing, Media, Racing, Testing |
posted by Carl Rydquist @ 6:51 PM   |
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| 1 Comments: |
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If you drift half as good in Long Beach as you did last year in your stock Z33, there will be some serious a*#-kickin going on. I hear the twin turbo Z is mad. See you there!
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| Fast Facts |
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Name: Carl Rydquist
Age: 34
Home: Redondo Beach
Web: CarlRydquist.com
Reel: Click to watch
Highlights: Winner of Zandvoort 500 (2005), Winner of Swedish Endurance 3h GT Racing Championship (2004), Winner of Swedish Endurance 8/12h GT Racing Championship (2001), Winner of Eurosport Super Racing Weekend Challenge (2001), Winner of Redline Time Attack Mod RWD (2010). 24 Hours of Nurburgring (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011). 24 Hours of Barcelona (2011). 25 Hours of Thunderhill (2010).
Memberships: FIA (intl racing license), DRAW Portfolio, Formula D, Performance Two Stunt & Precision Driving Team (Hollywood, CA), SAG Stunt Driver (Screen Actors Guild).
Teams: City Tire (Drift), AE Performance, STORM GT Racing.
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If you drift half as good in Long Beach as you did last year in your stock Z33, there will be some serious a*#-kickin going on. I hear the twin turbo Z is mad. See you there!