The Passing of a Great Friend

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The Gardella Racing Team truck driver and great friend to all, Bruce Soltys, passed away this Saturday from a cardiac arrest. He was with the team in Monticello, NY doing some volunteer testing. Bruce was loading the Chevy pickup truck, preparing to leave the track after testing had been completed and fell. He was rushed to the Catskill Regional Medical Center Hospital in Callicoon, NY where he lost his life.

Bruce was a member of GR program for close to 5 years, who was considered more than a truck driver; he was part of the family. Bruce started working with the team in 2007 when Gardella was competing in NHRA Sport Compact Drag Racing. His first event of that season was West Palm Beach FL at Moroso Speedway. He brought his soon to be wife, Kim, along because he was nervous about how he would get along with everyone. Within the first hour of being at the track, Bruce found a home and friendship within the team.

Bruce will be missed by everyone he met. He always seemed to make friends no matter where he went. “I have so many great stories to share about this man,” remembered Gary Gardella. “I will surely miss my old buddy,” he continued “his shoes will be difficult to fill.”

If you knew Bruce please show his family any support you can by sending flowers or a donation to his family. The GR team will be attending the wake from 7-9pm. There will be a passenger van leaving the race shop around 5:30. If anyone would like to ride along with the team, please contact Gary ASAP as seats are going fast.

Thursday December 2nd
Buyus Funeral Home
426 Lafayette Street, Newark, NJ 07105
Visitation will be from 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM

Formula DRIFT Announces the Inaugural Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition

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Formula DRIFT Announces the Inaugural Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition;
Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates to Host Event on February 25, 2011

Long Beach, Calif. – November 18, 2010 – Formula DRIFT Holdings, LLC; operators of the Formula DRIFT Championship and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management; operators of the Yas Marina Circuit have announced a deal to bring the Inaugural Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on February 25, 2011.

“The partnership with Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management is a perfect fit to introduce the Formula DRIFT UAE Invitational Competition,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Even though drifting has been to the UAE before, we are excited to bring a world class combination of the world’s most advanced circuit along with the world’s leading drifting series.”

“I am delighted that motorsports fans in Abu Dhabi and the UAE will get to experience the spectacle of Formula DRIFT at Yas,” said Richard Cregan, Chief Executive Officer of Yas Marina Circuit. “Drifting will add a new dimension to the range of motorsports offered here and I believe it will attract a large following, just as drag racing has.”

Eight of the top drivers and cars from Formula DRIFT, will showcase world class drifting in competition format to the Persian Gulf region. The 8 drivers include 2-time Formula DRIFT champion and 3-time X-Games Gold Medalist Tanner Foust, 2010 Formula DRIFT rookie of the year and past Scandinavian champion, Fredric Aasbo, 2009 Formula DRIFT champion, Chris Forsberg, Darren McNamara, Ryan Tuerck, and Daijiro Yoshihara. The final two drivers will be announced at a later date.

As the premier professional drifting championship in North America, Formula DRIFT has helped bring drifting around world including South America, South East Asia, and now the Middle East. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com