ORIGINALLY AIRED: 7/10/2005

Round 3 - Houston, Tx.

Episode #5009

Things were starting to heat up in all ways as the third competitive event in the 2005 Formula Drift season kicked off at Reliant Center in Houston, Texas as the world's top drifters competed for the coveted top 16 spots that qualified for tandem rounds.

Like racetracks, tracks made for drifting vary in design and structure and can have a tremendous impact on a competitor's performance, as was evidenced in Houston as several top contenders from previous events were not able to break into the Top 16. Rather than build the track inside the arena, the drift track for the Houston event was built in the parking lot of the center, which meant that drivers had to navigate a more uneven surface with features such as drainage ditches that could potentially lead to a dangerous run.

Houston also made history as a female driver named Yoshie Shuyama became the first female driver to ever make it into the top 32, but she was still unable to qualify for the top 16.

The first round of tandem runs saw some top contenders get left in the dust as newcomers took the lead, such as in the case of Tanner Foust beating out Vaughn Gittin Jr. for a spot in Round 2. Competitive regular Taka Aono surprised the judges and everyone else by qualifying second and beating out Andy Yen for a place in Round 2 after nearly destroying his AE86 during the previous day's exercises.

Samuel Hubinette vs. Hubert Young
Vaughn Gittin Jr. vs. Tanner Foust
Conrad Grunewald vs. Calvin Wan
Taka Aono vs. Andy Yen
Ken Gushi vs. Chris Forsberg
Mike Peters vs. Tyler McQuarrie
Seigo Yamamoto vs. Daijiro Yoshihara
Rhys Millen vs. James Bondurant

Round 2 saw things heat up some more as first-time Top 16 contender Tanner Foust beat out Atlanta's first-place finisher Samuel Hubinette for a spot in Round 3 and as Taka Aono had to exit the competition after hitting the wall with his newly-repaired car.

Samuel Hubinette vs. Tanner Foust
Taka Aono vs. Conrad Grunewald
Tyler McQuarrie vs. Ken Gushi
Seigo Yamamoto vs. Rhys Millen

Round 3 really had everyone on the edge of their seat as Houston local Conrad Grunewald beat out underdog Tanner Foust for a spot in the final battle. Then, 18 year-old Ken Gushi and his Mustang took on Rhys Millen and his Pontiac GTO in a battle of the muscle cars...and won. Millen then had to challenge Foust in the remaining battle for third place and claimed his spot in third once again. The final round was close and tense, but Ken "The Future" Gushi was able to pull his way into a first-place victory.

Tanner Foust vs. Conrad Grunewald
Rhys Millen vs. Ken Gushi

Battle for Third Place:

Rhys Millen vs. Tanner Foust

Final Battle:

Conrad Grunewald vs. Ken Gushi

Winner: Ken Gushi
Second Place: Conrad Grunewald
Third Place: Rhys Millen

For the full point totals and season totals, please visit this page.