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December
3, 2005 Open Practice Video
Music by "Second-Hand Sin"
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December
3, 2005 Group A Competition Video PART 1
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December
3, 2005 Group A Competition Video PART 2
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Group
A Competition Scores & Season Points
Drift Session Dec 3rd, 2005
The anticipation was high as was the heat on this muggy Championship determining day. Competitors and spectators trickled in as though the previous night’s work (or partying) had taken its toll and they were too tired to get out of bed this morning. But come they did, nevertheless. It wasn’t long before they got started with the action though and by around 10:30 am most of the Group “A” drivers were there and prepping the cars for their first practice laps. A few new paintjobs, as well as cars were evident and this has become quite the norm at Drift Session events. By the end of the day a few more new cars and paint jobs would be needed to make corrections to the various bumps, and bangs (and worse) that were suffered throughout the day.
The normal track direction was identified early in the day (as the direction for the eventual competition) and throughout practice most Group “A” drivers paired up delivering massive tandem drifts around the entire ¾ mile Short Course. Of course, this was the day that would determine the 2005 Championship and eligible drivers; Shige
Hirabayashi, Barry Wong and Steve Oliberos were anxious to get started as were the rest of the Group “A” drivers. Everyone eligible was prepared to battle it out for the event victory and hopefully improve on their final Championship standings. The day’s schedule was announced and the track opened on time. A few potential new Group “A” drivers immediately hit the track, but were nowhere to be seen towards the end of practice due to various mechanical difficulties. There were two new additions to Group “A”, the first; Jerry
Fuente, who earned his way in throughout solid morning practice runs and a last minute addition of Forrest Wang. This brings the current list of eligible Group “A” drivers to eighteen. 
Meanwhile, organizers were busy coaxing Long Course participants into the competition held there on an event-by-event basis just after noon. There are usually a few of the more experienced Short Course competitors (who haven’t yet graduated to Group “A”) who take the drive over to the end of the drag strip to see how they will fair against the guys who have had the whole morning to practice the course (which is basically single “u-turn”). Drift Session feels it is important for up and coming drivers to enter the competition, which might discourage some entries simply due to the “buy-in” requirement arranged for the purse. It’s quite a struggle on most days to get a field of ten drivers to cough up $10 each, so in order to get a minimum field of 5 entries the “buy-in” is often lowered to a $5.00 fee. The cash “buy-in” is intended to bring out the drivers who feel they have the potential to win the competition and is set at a cost that will produce a minimum field of 5 drivers. 
Team
Niztech’s, Sean Oliberos, was the only person to take the drive over from the short course and was first to line up for the competition. One of the most challenging aspects of a driver coming over to the competition from the Short Course is that they are not allowed to practice the run before the competition. Sean found this out for the second event in a row and the spin out he suffered scored him no points. He was the victim of some gravel at the “late” apex of the corner which may have contributed to the slow speed spin. Other short course competitors faired much better and with the exception of Max Pham and former winner, Corey Takamatsu. No other spinouts or off-course incidents were observed. The eventual winner was a (two in a row) repeat for Jason Lee, with Dominic Concordia 4 points back in 2nd and Kai Kuku a distant 3rd. 
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