The car had suspension problems that plagued the team all weekend, but despite the adversity, everyone was in high spirits. Michael walked away from the crash unharmed and the car suffered only minor damage. Watch as the team hustles to repair the car in time for a last attempt to qualify.

Scion Racing has posted this video of the drift team at Round 1: Streets of Long Beach.

Be sure to follow Scion Racing and their Drift team on Twitter – @scionracing

Watch Nitto’s sponsored teams drift in downtown Long Beach at the 2010 Formula Drift season opener. See Joon Maeng of Bergenholtz Racing and his Mazda RX-8; Michael Essa and his brand-new BMW 350R; grassroots racer, Matt Powers, and his Nissan S14, and Alex Pfeiffer of Tanaka Racing and his C5 Corvette. All four teams tear it up with Nitto’s max-performance tire, the NT05.

Check out the video of Ryan Tuerck and team owner Gary Gardella talking about how important it is to have a solid team to be successful in the sport of drifting.

Gardella Racing Promo from Death Machines on Vimeo.