Automotive Industry News G4 to Launch "The Whip Set"
By G4 Media
Mar 29, 2005, 12:07
G4 - VIDEO GAME TELEVISION - SLIDES SIDEWAYS WITH PREMIERE OF NEW PROGRAMMING BLOCK "THE WHIP SET" FEATURING ALL-NEW SERIES "FORMULA D" AND "STREET FURY"
G4 to be Exclusive Television Broadcaster of Formula Drift Championship Series with "Formula D"
Enter the Fast-Moving Worlds of Drifting, Import Car Racing and Car Modification
Beginning April 10 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT
LOS ANGELES, CA - March 29, 2005 - Video games and motor sports collide when G4 - video game television - takes the rubber-burning, heart-thumping worlds of drifting, import car racing and modifying from the street to the screen with the premiere of its all-new automotive block, The Whip Set, featuring two original series "Formula D" and "Street Fury." Beginning April 10 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT, The Whip Set gives viewers a legit, inside line on the fastest cars, the hottest drivers and the culture behind motor sports today.
The first series to showcase the competitive, high-speed world of drifting, "Formula D" provides a trackside seat to this tire-screeching sport. Imported from Japan's underground street scene, drifting has hit the U.S. and is fast becoming a cultural phenomenon. As the exclusive television broadcaster of the Formula Drift Championship Series, G4 is helping launch drifting into the mainstream with extensive event coverage including profiles and interviews with the sport's hottest stars, expert commentary and analysis, drifting tips and tricks from the pros, as well as coverage of the fans and culture.
"Driving games are enormously popular with our viewers and so is the real thing," comments Laura Civiello, vice president of acquisitions & development for G4. "‘Formula D' and ‘Street Fury' tap into both of these passions by bringing together drifting, tuning, modifying and the video game generation."
Attracted to flashy visuals and non-stop action, many pro drifters discovered the sport by playing hit driving games such as Need for Speed Underground, the second highest selling sports game for EA. Racing games also make the automotive scene appealing to video game fans who easily change gears from joysticks to stick shifts.
Formula Drift was founded by Ryan Sage and Jim Liaw in 2003 and has expanded rapidly to include six events across the nation this year. Opening in Wall, NJ on April 16, the Formula Drift Championship Series will also take place in Atlanta, GA on May 7; Houston, TX on June 11; Sonoma, CA on July 9; Chicago, IL on August 6 and wraps up in Irwindale, CA on August 27.
"Formula Drift is being elevated to a whole new level this year with G4," says Sage. "Fans can look forward to a killer season in '05 with fierce competition from well-known drifters and a few new faces."
Following "Formula D," "Street Fury" takes on the adrenaline-drenched world of import car racing and modification. Produced by TOKYOPOP, the world's largest English-language publisher of manga, "Street Fury" goes beyond geek-speak for gearheads and flaunts the rides, shows, clubs and women that create the irresistible import car lifestyle. Host Carlton "Big C" Lewis travels the country hitting car shows like SEMA and Hot Import Nights, hanging with racing champs, checking out the country's top mod shops, getting tuning tips from the pros and chilling at local car clubs. One of the luckiest car lovers in the world, "Big C" will also drop in on the 2005 Asian Beauty calendar girls, race cars with Vivica Foxx and Mos Def, pull wheelies with the US Stunt Riders and practice slides at the Derek Daly racing school.
Tune in to The Whip Set for the inside line on drifting, tuning and modifying, on "Formula D" premiering Sunday April 10 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT and "Street Fury" premiering Sunday, April 10 at 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT on G4.
"Formula D" will pre-empt "Street Fury" to air one full hour surrounding each Formula Drift event. The first one-hour event special featuring all the action from Wall, NJ premieres Sunday, May 8 at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.
About G4:
G4 - video game television - is the only 24/7 television network dedicated to video games. G4 airs all-original programming that covers every aspect of the video game culture. Shows feature breaking industry news, reviews, the hottest games, gear and technology, celebrity interviews, insider opinions and the underground trends that feed the video game generation. Launched in April 2002, G4 is available in 50 million cable and satellite homes nationwide. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and is owned by Comcast Corporation. To learn more, log onto www.g4tv.com.
About Formula Drift Inc.:
Formula Drift, Inc. is North America's first and only professional drifting championship, and the first in the world to be sanctioned and recognized by a motor sports body, SCCA Pro Racing. The 2005 championship will be comprised of six official rounds at locations across North America. Formula Drift is the only drifting competition that will have dedicated television programming as a result of its representation on G4.
