UTI Hosts Formula D Pre-Season Tech and Preview Day

Formula D Day
Universal Technical Institute
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
April 4, 2009

Ever wonder what makes your favorite drift car tick? Well the wait is over, as Universal Technical Institute (UTI), The Official Technical Institute of Formula Drift, kicked off the 2009 Formula D Series with its first ever pre-race tech day inspection party. Drift teams were invited to UTI’s Rancho Cucamonga, CA campus to get their cars inspected before the opening race in Long Beach. Students from the campus were involved with performing safety checks and assisting teams with any adjustments that needed to be made to the cars.

UTI will be providing students to teams like Forsberg / NOS and Pawlak / NITTO Racing to help out in the pits during five of the seven races this year under a project called the UTI Student Slider Progam. UTI is also looking into a future initiative that would open up the campuses during the Drift season to teams that may not have shops readily available to them. At the impressive campus they can use lifts, tools, dynos, and an assortment of other resources to get their vehicles ready for race day.

This was a great event for students because they got a first look at some of the pro drift cars that are debuting this season like Tanner Foust’s new Scion and some old favorites like Tanaka Racing’s insane Corvette. A lot of students want to get into motorsports and now they get to use the training they receive at UTI for just that.

More than 1,300 enthusiasts got the opportunity to check out UTI’s campus and see how technical education can lead from turning their passion for cars into a career in motorsports.

Attendees also had the opportunity to meet Formula D drivers, teams and techs, and watch the pre-race inspection live and a chance to talk to UTI graduates who are actually working with drift teams and getting real-world experience while still in school.



As magazine editors we occasionally take our insider media access for granted, often kicking it in the pits for a much closer look at the cars, drivers and crews, but thanks to UTI and Formula D every enthusiast in attendance was granted this rare VIP access. The event was a great opportunity to check out UTI’s automotive training programs and get hands on with some of the racing industry’s newest drift cars. Be sure to visit www.uti.edu for more information.