For the 2011 Formula DRIFT Finals at Irwindale Speedway in California, Speedhunters decided to mix their coverage up a bit. First, they had Matt Powers photo blog made in French cartoon style.

Then, they had Fredric Aasbo’s take on the Irwindale Title Fight made up as a Manga inspired comic by the artist John Yip.

Here it is: The Norwegian Hammer by John Yip.

Those of you that know Fredric will likely recognize the incredible attention to detail that is part of this comic. Enjoy!

The original Speedhunters post is available here: http://speedhunters.com/archive/2011/11/04/comic-gt-gt-the-norwegian-hammer.aspx

It was my first year as a Need for Speed athlete, and my first year as a Scion Racing driver and my first year of working with Papadakis Racing. All in all, a lot of things were new, but luckily the things of importance stayed the same. I am very grateful to still be able to work with the people that have helped me out over the years with Japan Auto.

We ended up winning in Abu Dhabi, at Silverstone, in Texas and at the new Rudskogen track during Gatebil. We earned our first FD podium in Seattle, and I learnt a lot about myself and all the things I have left to learn.

Most importantly, 2011 gave me a ton of great memories from hanging out with good friends from around the world. Thanks for everything!!

And now – roll, on 2012.

Feel free to check out my 2011 Year in Review blog over at Speedhunters: http://speedhunters.com/archive/2011/12/23/driver-blog-aasbo-2011-year-in-review.aspx

Below is my Need for Speed Year in Review Video courtesy of Speedhunters’ Will Roegge.

- This victory is an incredible feat to my team and every single one that has helped us along the way, Fredric said. – To be able to stand on top of the box at probably the most legendary drifting circuit in Europe feels completely and utterly unreal!

The event packed the grandstands like never before, and an estimated 20 000 tickets were sold for the event as a whole. Feel free to check out Stephen Brooks’ and BDC’s official video edit below:

- In light of the tragic happenings back home we decided to run a Norwegian flag on the car in honor of the victims and their families. It’s incredible to see how the people of Norway stick together in times like these, and this was our way of showing our unconditional love. Stay strong, and thanks for the incredible support!

Feel free to check out my full driver blog over at Speedhunters: http://speedhunters.com/archive/2011/07/26/driver-blog-fredric-aasbo-gt-gt-gatebil-it-s-the-little-things-that-matters-the-most.aspx

We won “Breisladden” and “Car of The Show”! I would like to extend a huge thanks to all of you that came by our pits and cheered us on – thanks for a great time!

As NASCAR Camping Truck Series, IndyCar, Texas Motor Speedway, Formula Drift, Scion Racing and Motegi Racing all went together to put on the world’s first collaboration event of its sort on the weekend of June 9th-11th, Fredric Aasbo was invited along with 7 other Formula Drift licensed drivers. The team decided to bring out the Japan Auto Toyota Supra for the event, which was last campaigned for the 2010 Formula Drift Championship season and earned Fredric the 2010 Rookie of the Year title.

Ultimate Drift was all about bringing in new fans to the more traditional form of US racing, as well as taking the sport of drifting to a whole new crowd. It all came down to smoking out the house and bringing a full-on drift show to the 65 000 spectators that was there to watch.

The weekend started off with a thursday practice, and a Victory Lane press conference with Former Supercross legend and NASCAR Camping Truck Series driver Ricky Carmichael, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal, Formula DRIFT DRIVER Michael Essa and Fredric Aasbo. Mike and Fredric then took the two drivers for a spin in their two drift cars!

Ricky Carmichael was amazed by the transitions and angles that could be held in the Japan Auto Supra!

Later in the evening, Michael and Fredric was taken for a couple of hotlaps in the IZOD two-seater IndyCar driven by none other than American racing hero Mario Andretti.

- That ride was just incredible, Fredric said. – The g-forces you feel in the banks exceeds everything I’ve ever felt before and much respect goes out to these drivers that hold it pinned round after round after round in speeds exceeding 200 mph (300 km/h)!

On Friday, a four car drift tandem was held right before the start of the Winstar 400 NASCAR Camping Trucks race. Kyle Mohan, Joon Maeng, Tony Brakohiapa and Fredric all put on a strong show in front of the tens of thousands of spectators.

Tony Brakohiapa went out in a huge fireball, but fortunately the crew got the car back for Saturday’s Top 8 competition.

And as the sun started setting and the grandstands filled up just before Saturday’s much anticipated IndyCar finals, the competitors lined up for an all out battle starting off with a high speed entry down pit lane.

Fredric was to battle Jeff Abbot first, and put on two very smokey runs. Despite Abbott’s strong pace Fredric moved on the Top 4!

Tony Brakohiapa was up next, and both drivers were on fire – however not literally this time! In Tony’s chase run he tapped Fredric’s door at the entry nearly coming to a halt, whereas Fredric mirrored Tony’s every move as they transitioned through the bank of Texas Motor Speedway. The judges made it official – Fredric was through to the finals!

Kyle Mohan and his RX-7 had climbed the other side of the ladder and was ready to bring it all in the finals. With both drivers grinning of joy at the start line, they shot down the infield and through the course with the crowd packing up the huge Texas Motor Speedway grandstands. It went to a One More Time!

In his lead run, Fredric put on one of his hardest and most smokey runs of the night, as he nailed the course better and better for every run. So did Mohan, but on the last run of the finals Fredric rubbed his rear quarter on the entry and kept it pinned through the long left hander with the race fans screaming of joy.

And as the smoke settled and the two cars rolled up in the bank and was greeted by the track officials, the judges awe away the call. Fredric, Steffen and Team Japan Auto got the win!

- I have always been a fan of American racing ever since I first saw Days of Thunder as a kid, and being allowed to go all out at what is actually holy ground in US motorsports is a dream come true to me. Being able to get away with the win is even more incredible, but after all this all came down to bringing the sport of drifting out to the masses and as far as I can tell I think we did just that! I can’t thank my sponsors, my crew chief and spotter Steffen, Formula Drift and Texas Motor Speedway enough for making this all happen!

Pictures courtesy of Larry Chen / Speedhunters / Team Need for Speed.

Formula Drift recorded another record spectator turnout during the eighth year at the Road Atlanta racetrack in Braselton, Georgia. With 95+ MPH entry speeds, the action did not let the crowd down.

Fredric was eager to compete in his Need for Speed Scion Racing tC around Road Atlanta, as it was his first time at this venue. He quickly found his groove and qualified in a respectable 13th place.

In his battle of the top 32, Fredric found himself paired with Pat Cyr. Fredric led and entered into the first clipping point with great angle. Cyr followed in after him, but went too wide and was unable to recover. Fredric continued on to put down a great run, with plumes of smoke shadowing him throughout the course. When it was Fredric’s turn to give chase, he mimicked Cyr’s line while maintaining a good amount of angle. Fredric was awarded the win and would move on into the Sweet Sixteen.

In his top 16 battle, Fredric was matched with Daijiro Yoshihara. “I knew I had to give it all I had,” says Fredric, “as Dai won here last year and has one of the fasted cars in the field.”

Fredric gave chase at the first run, initiating into the first clipping point right behind Dai, and stayed glued to him throughout the course. When it was Fredric’s turn to lead, he came in hot down the hill and entered nearly backwards with a speed of 94 MPH. Maintaining a wide line throughout the horseshoe, Fredric blasted out of it like a madman while leaving his competitor in a thick haze of smoke. After two sets of amazing runs from both drivers, the judges awarded the advantage to Dai, and Fredric would be forced to settle with 13th place overall at Round 2.

“This marked my second event in the Team Need for Speed Scion Racing tC,” says Fredric. “I am able to throw it in backwards now and couldn’t be happier with the progress we made over the weekend!”

“Fredric and the car seem to be working well together with such a close round against Dai (the eventual winner) showing not only the potential but the current competitiveness of the team,” said Stephan Papadakis. “I can’t wait until the next event in Florida. No one has any laps on that new course and it should separate the best drivers.”

ABOUT DRIFTING

Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control skill. Drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways at high speeds in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, it is the fastest growing form of motorsport in the world.

ABOUT FREDRIC AASBO

The 2010 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the year, Fredric Aasbo, launches a new phase of his career in 2011 as driver for the Papadakis Racing squad in a new Need for Speed Scion tC. A two-time Nordic Drifting champion (2007, 2008), 2011 marks his first full U.S. competition season in the premier Formula DRIFT championship. Aasbo ran select Formula DRIFT events in 2009 and 2010, and he made his U.S. debut at a global drifting invitational in 2008. He has built a reputation in the United States as an icon of David versus Goliath drifting battles, earning the nickname “The Champ Killer” for his ability to edge out senior drivers in competition. Aasbo has recently moved from his hometown of Ski, Norway, to the United States, where he makes his home in Redondo Beach, California.

ABOUT PAPADAKIS RACING

Team owner Stephan Papadakis, a legend of sport-compact racing, began building his reputation in the 1990s with the first front-wheel-drive, tube-chassis drag car in the U.S.

The team earned multiple records and championships in this discipline, turning in elapsed times and trap speeds previously thought unattainable in front-drive drag cars. Papadakis’ successes in front-wheel drive were matched by his efforts in rear-wheel drive when he campaigned a Civic that became only the fifth car to join the NHRA’s Sport Compact 200 MPH club.

Papadakis Racing signed its newest member, the Norwegian driver Fredric Aasbo, when Tanner Foust announced his retirement from the sport after the 2010 season.

The team began drifting in 2005, and has shown impressive results in five years of Formula DRIFT competition, earning two championship titles, (2007, 2008). In the 2010 Championship, the team finished in the runner-up position, with Foust taking second-place points behind the wheel of the team’s first-generation Scion tC.

The 2011 Need for Speed Scion tC is the team’s latest competition build.

PAPADAKIS RACING AND FREDRIC AASBO IS PARTNERED WITH:

Need for Speed, Scion, Hankook Tire, AEM, Motegi Racing, ACT Clutch, SPC Performance, Torco Oil

Episode 1 goes online Wednesday May 5th. Teaser below:

Just three days after Scion Racing’s Downtown Los Angeles Press Reveal, Team Need for Speed, Papadakis Racing and Fredric Aasbø fielded the brand new Scion tC at the Formula Drift season opener in Long Beach. Despite some inevitable minor technical upsets at Friday’s practice, the team went all in and came out in the Top 8 out of the 47 teams entered.

- I could not be happier with our season debut, Fredric says following Saturday’s finals. – It’s very unusual for a brand new build to be this competitive right out of the box, and I consider this a huge feat to Papadakis Racing and the Scion Racing program. This marked my second event on Hankook tires, and I am in love already. The forward bite of the car and tire combo is unparallelled!

Next up is Formula Drift Round 2 at Road Atlanta in Georgia on May 6th and 7th. The team is now back in the shop preparing for the car’s second outing in the 2011 Formula Drift Championship.

- We gathered a lot of data and experience in Long Beach and we have an extensive list of improvements that we will be working on over the next weeks. However, the main point is for me to get some more seat time and as I felt that we improved substantially for every run in Long Beach, I can’t wait to hit the track again. This car is just so much fun to drive – it’s easily an eleven out of ten on the fun scale!

Feel free to check out Team Need for Speed’s Official Long Beach Press Release for videos and further info on Fredric Aasbo and team mate Matt Powers’ phenomenal podium finish. Stay tuned for Fredric’s Driver Blog over at Speedhunters.

It was the perfect setting for a get-together with sponsors, media and friends and it definitely set an exciting vibe for the 2011 Formula Drift Championship! Please enjoy the photos below, courtesy of Speedhunters and additional media outlets.