April 7th, 2007, Long Beach, California - Sporting the new Falken color scheme, Robbie Nishida drifted his way to a Top 16 finish at this weekend's Formula Drift Streets of Long Beach season opener in Long Beach, California. Following the first round of qualifying, Robbie was in 16th place. After a pep talk from team manager Eddie Kim, Robbie went out for his second qualifying run, improving his position to 15th place, good enough for a "show" spot. During the first round of elimination, Robbie was paired against Falken's own Vaughn Gitten Jr. Proving to be a worthy competitor, Robbie smoked and then chased Gitten Jr around the the track, making it a tough decision for the judges. After the crowd demanded a "One More Time", Robbie once again had a chance to show his stuff. But Gitten Jr's trademark smoky drifts from his 600+ hp Mustang proved too much and ended up taking the round.

Robbie Nishida will remain in California for yet another week to pilot the Q Racing/Peak Performance Nissan 240SX S14 around the streets of Long Beach once more in the Long Beach Grand Prix next weekend (April 14-15). Peak Performance would like to thank Robbie for his continued effort and we promise not to get him anymore tattoos when he's drunk.

We'd also like to thank our sponsors: Q Racing, Injen, NOS Energy Drinks, ACT Clutches, Apex'i USA, Sparco, Enkei, JE Pistons, Brian Crower, Meguiars, Vertex, TandE, KW Suspension, adaware.net, and last but definitely not least, Falken Tires.

The next stop in the 2007 Formula Drift Championship Series will be Road Atlanta on May 12th, 2007. Stay tuned for updates on Robbie Nishida and the Q Racing/Peak Performance Nissan 240SX S14 until then.

Watch ESPN2 for Formula Drift: Streets of Long Beach airing dates and times.