“It’s a shame. I just recently said in an interview that a dogbox is at the top of my upgrade list but we haven’t had a chance to get that done.” Carl says and continues, “The 2nd-3rd quick upshift is done in the easiest part of the entire Road Atlanta course, but it has to go quick. When the 3rd gear synchro wears out, the gearbox needs almost a second to allow the rpms to drop for the gear to go in. That is enough of a pause that the car straightens out with the fast chassis setup we were running. Very disappointing.”

On a so called dogbox, a special type of racing specific gearbox, this type of malfunction cannot occur since there are no synchros. A dogbox is specifically designed for immediate/quick gear changes.

On a positive note the Rydquist Racing / Berk Technology team were able to get an idea of the positive impact of their new rear suspension design, with the car launching much quicker off the line and having more forward traction on the course.

“The car seemed more competitive”, Berk Technology owner Bryan Min explains. “We never got to see the full story, missing out on Top 32, but it was clear that when launching from the lights Carl was now able to keep a much more constant distance to the cars that at Long Beach were leaving us in the dust off the line. “

The Road Atlanta Formula Drift event was jam packed with dedicated fans, many of whom stopped by the team’s pit area to check out the Rydquist Racing / Berk Technology / City Tire powered by Champion Nissan 350Z, talk to the team and become fans.

“The Atlanta fans are always the greatest bunch”, Carl says. “The same goes for all of what we saw in Georgia, it’s such a friendly atmosphere here. I can’t wait to return next year.”

PHOTO: WRECKED MAGAZINE