Austin Phipps uses Bluestuff pads and GD Sport Rotos on his V8-powered saloon
Arizona-based Austin Phipps of the Mulletsport race team is a professional drifter, currently using a modified 2012 Audi S4 with manual transmission and rear-wheel drive conversion in various drift series across the USA.
We previously caught up with Phipps and the team as they fought through a rollercoaster of a Hotpit Autofest event in the spring. As well as a new engine, Phipps has also upgraded EBC’s Bluestuff brake pads and GD Sport Rotors for the 2026 season.
Below is how the rest of the year panned out for the team, with Phipps and his Audi achieving remarkable successes thanks to their now-solid setup.
Read how it panned out in Austin’s own words below…
Round 3: Smaller Brakes, Zero Issues
“For Round 3 on July 11, we made the only brake change in three years of running the S4: we swapped the larger vented front rotors for the same lighter, solid GD Sport Rotor we run in the rear, so all four corners now match. The goal was to take weight off the front end of the car.
“That’s not a small decision. Brakes mean a lot in drifting: cold bite on the first entry, wear across a full event and season, and heat through back-to-back battles all decide whether you can trust the car. Going smaller up front puts every one of those to the test.
“The GD Sport Rotors passed. Paired with the Bluestuff pads, they worked extremely well, and we had zero issues moving to the smaller setup. We got the weight savings without giving anything up in stopping power or confidence.
“On track, Round 3 was a solid event. We drew Formula DRIFT PRO driver Rome Charpentier in our Top 32 battle, and I overdrove the car. That one’s on me, and it’s exactly the kind of battle I want more of. Knowing I needed more seat time behind the car we have set up to compete. I ran a local event where we lost the motor a few laps in. A broken exhaust valve blew a hole in a piston and took out our complete motor. Damaging every cylinder.”
Round 5: Las Vegas, and Brakes that Worked Too Well
“We had to skip Round 4. After all the valvetrain failures, the budget for a new motor wasn’t there in time, so we regrouped and put everything into being ready for the season finale in Las Vegas on October 17.
“The all-new 6.3L high-compression motor fought us on tune up before qualifying, which put us in a death match just to get into the Top 32. In that battle, I made contact with the back of the lead car in a section where I expected them to stay on throttle. That probably didn’t help with making over 800whp now.
“Vegas gave us a problem most drivers would love to have: the front brakes were working too well. With that much bite from the Bluestuff pads, the front tires were the limit, not the brakes. We had to add more front grip to the car to keep up with them.
“That’s a good place to end a development year. When you’re tuning the chassis to match your brakes, you know the brakes aren’t the weak link.”
Same Pads, All Season
“That kind of peace of mind is something most drifters take for granted, and with our crazy season, we sure did. It wasn’t until we sat down to list what went well this year that we noticed EBC Brakes was first on the list. Zero issues, and we checked the pads at every event. We ran the same pads all year on all four corners. In the past, we needed new pads halfway through a season, especially in the rear.”
Looking Ahead to 2027
“I’m working to come back to Hotpit in 2027, with a list of things to refine and polish this off-season. We know we have the program and the car, so we don’t plan to change much on it.
“What I need now is seat time and to get my mind right behind the wheel. Right now, building, maintenance, logistics, and driving all sit on my shoulders. Balancing those better is the biggest upgrade I can make for next year.
“One thing that isn’t changing is the brakes. We’ll run the same EBC setup in 2027: Bluestuff pads with GD Sport rotors at all four corners. We love the light weight, the feedback, and the feel. From a program standpoint, it’s a win too. One rotor fits both the front and the rear, which means a smaller spares bin to haul to every event.
“A huge thank-you to EBC Brakes for standing behind Mulletsport again this year. We’ve been working together for several years, and EBC has given us a great foundation to build on. When the engine and transmission kept letting us down, the brakes never did. That’s exactly what you want from a partner.”
Photo Credits: David Kerny, Colin Lake, Sam Toutenburg
Bluestuff NDX Pads
The Bluestuff-grade pad from EBC Brakes is a truly high-end premium pad: beds in fast for street use on premium cars with ZERO noise, squeal or vibration. Also EBC’s recommended pad for driving to/from AND performing on track days.
GD Sport Rotors
All EBC rotors including USR Slotted Rotors are British made and are precision machined in the UK. Rotors are made from high quality grey iron to exacting standards and undergo extensive testing and rigorous quality control.
