For the last 8 years, Sam Hubinette has been piloting high
performance Dodge and SRT vehicles including the Viper, Charger
and Challenger in various drift circuits around the world. But last
week, “The Crazy Swede” announced his retirement ahead of the 2012 Formula Drift
season.Hubinette retires with two
Formula Drift championships and 9 event wins – making him the winningest driver
in Formula D’s history.
The cause for Sam Hubinette’s decision to leave the drifting
world where he has done so well is that two of his team’s major sponsors “changing
interest”.There is no detail beyond
that, but we have to wonder if one of those major sponsors is Dodge/Mopar. Over the past few years there has been no name more prominently advertised by
The Crazy Swede on and off the track. Due to drifting’s lack of popularity in the US, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock if the Chrysler Group found their
support of the drift program to be non-beneficial to the company.
“Two of our main sponsors changed their marketing
direction, so we decided that the best thing to do with the Dodge Challenger
SHR drift car is to focus on doing demos. For competition, we’re pursuing
opportunities in rally cross and off-road truck. We hope to run a round or two
of the Formula DRIFT competitions for 2012, but won’t know for sure until
things settle down,” Hubinette. “It has been such a good time to be
part of the Formula DRIFT Series from day one and to be the inaugural Series
champion means a lot to me. Drifting and Formula DRIFT has given me many
opportunities in my career including stunt driving in movies and car
commercials. “
Hubinette, who began racing with Dodge Motorsports in 2004, entered
into the world of off road truck racing last year with a successful season with
Team Mopar in a Ram race truck. Hubinette netted four event wins, 7 podium spots and a 4th
place finish in the 2011 season standings – making for a very successful rookie
year in the world of truck racing.
Luckily for the drifting world, Sam Hubinette plans to
continue participating in international drifting exhibitions but we won’t be
seeing him – or his high performance Dodge products – winning any more Formula
Drift championships.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
For the last 8 years, Sam Hubinette has been piloting high