We Got Next

Two-time Formula DRIFT champion Samuel Hübinette has a next generation ride for 2010—a Mopar®-powered and Dodge Motorsports-backed Dodge Challenger.

Words: Darren Jacobs

Perhaps no other motorsports series appeals to Generation Next like the Formula DRIFT (FD) Series. Buy a ticket to an FD event, take a stroll through the pits, and if you’re at or above the age of 35, you’ll feel like it’s time to sign up for your AARP card. The extreme sport of drifting, born in Japan and yielding a bumper crop of young fans in the U.S., attracts a youthful demographic like no other, with 87 percent of FD fans falling in the 18–34 age range. This isn’t your father’s racing series.

So it’s extremely fitting that Samuel Hübinette, a two-time FD champion and owner of the most wins (nine) in the series’ history, is waging his 2010 FD campaign in a new, next-generation Mopar® muscle car—a Dodge Motorsports-backed Dodge Challenger.

“The reaction from fans has been great,” said Hübinette, a newly-minted team owner himself with his Samuel Hübinette Racing (SHR) organization, of his fresh drift ride. “We had standing ovations at the first race after each run, because the car is loud and high revving, and it’s also the largest platform in the series. It looks really spectacular coming in sideways and hugging the walls. It’s gotten a lot of very 
positive feedback.”

“Drifting is the fastest growing motorsport in the world,” added Bryan Viger, Head of Dodge Motorsports/Racing Program. “It started as an underground racing society in Japan and has boomed into a world-wide, youth-racing phenomenon with the American youth leading the charge for continued growth. This is a great opportunity for Dodge to showcase its young-at-heart design and performance attitude.

“Sam is a two-time Formula DRIFT champion and as the performance brand of Chrysler Group, Dodge is a perfect fit to support SHR. We’ve enjoyed great success in the past with Sam behind the wheel of a Mopar-sponsored Viper, and for him to return to the series with factory support from Dodge presents a great marketing opportunity to showcase our brand and the Dodge Challenger to drift fans in 2010.” 

Hübinette, who has campaigned with Mopar power since the inaugural FD season in 2004, relished the chance to have Dodge Motorsports back his 2010 SHR two-team assault and remain in the Chrysler Group LLC family. Hübinette is also fielding a second FD car, a Mopar-powered Dodge Motorsports Dodge Viper SRT10,® driven by X Games rally driver Andrew Comrie-Picard.

“I’m proud to be sponsored by Dodge, as I was proud to be sponsored by Mopar for years,” Hübinette said. “I’m proud that they believe in me to help promote their brand. We’re on a mission to help sell more Dodge cars. They’ve been very enthusiastic about the program.”

“Sam’s talents behind the wheel are impressive to say the least,” said Viger. “He’s simply a master at car control. What I also respect about Sam is his passion for family, friends and his fans. He’s always got a smile on his face and truly enjoys what he is doing, both on and off the track. Sam’s enthusiasm for the sport is contagious. The SHR team is made up of true advocates for the Dodge and Mopar brands.”

Hübinette demonstrated his high degree of advocacy by qualifying eighth in his very first event in his new ride at the Streets of Long Beach event in April, advancing to the Great Eight round—quite a remarkable finish considering the work the “Crazy Swede” had to put in both as driver and team owner to prepare his Dodge Motorsports Challenger for its debut.

“We received the car as a stock 2010 Dodge Challenger in February. Two months later we were on the track competing. It was quite an achievement what we did,” said Hübinette. “We only had a couple of hours of testing at a go-kart track and we qualified No. 8 and finished in the top six out of 40 teams at the first event. That’s amazing with an untested car.

“Starting a team, building a new car and getting another car ready to go in a matter of two months, it’s definitely a stressful time. Having a crew chief like Brad Manka handling a lot of the tasks is very helpful. My wife, Stina, is also working nonstop for the team. We’ve got Stacked Performance and ES Motorsports helping a lot with everything. We’ve been blessed with a lot of help.”

The SHR Dodge Challenger team also posted a Top 16 finish at the second FD event at Road Atlanta and was eighth in the standings at press time.

“It’s very exciting that the car is running so well right out of the gate,” said Hübinette, whose Dodge Challenger is powered by a Mopar A8 Block. “We went through some stressful times, but now I’m enjoying it and we’re on a good run now. The Dodge Challenger is a much more nimble car than what it looks. It’s an exciting car and a lot of fun. We’re not as light as many of the other competitors on the series, so we’re working on getting more traction. We put on some massive 335 tires from BFGoodrich, which are the largest in the FD Series. We’re really trying to get the traction, because we definitely have enough power out of our Mopar Dodge engine.”

Prior to the start of the season, Hübinette had a chance to act in his role as brand ambassador and interact with Dodge and Mopar fans at the Chrysler Spring Festival in Irvine, Calif., in March. The car show highlights Chrysler Group LLC next-generation vehicles such as the Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 and, of course, the Dodge Challenger. Hübinette 
was stoked to see the passion of his fellow Dodge Challenger owners.

“It was awesome to walk around the Spring Festival and check out all the modifications tuner guys had made to their Challengers,” recalled Hübinette. “I met owners who had also done modifications to their cars to match the Dodge Charger I used to race. It was great to see how many people showed up for the event.”

Hübinette also listened to the urgings of the many FD fans at the event—they want to see his Mopar-fueled Dodge Challenger in the winner’s circle!

“The FD series also has the Camaro and Mustang competing out there. It makes it a really fun rivalry,” said Hubinette. “I think FD is the only series where you can find all three competing against each other. It’s a very unique and a very old-history battle, and it’s neat to be a part of that fight. I’d love to be in the top three this year. We’ve had an extremely good start to the year, and I want to keep that momentum going all the way until the end of the season.”