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Formula Drift

STILLEN Event Tracking

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Formula Drift Round 1: The Streets of Long Beach

April 1, 2017

By Richard Fong

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On the streets of Long Beach, April 1st was no Fool’s Day. Drivers waged fierce battles in the first round of the Formula Drift Championship, leaving no room for anyone faint of heart or too timid to push beyond the limit.

 

Now in its fourteenth year, Formula Drift kicked off the 2017 season on a moderate spring day in Long Beach. The weather could not have been more conducive for a day of tire-smoking fun and enjoyment for all. Attendees could walk through the competitor pits while also checking out the expanded vendor row that occupied the area adjacent to the pits as well as the infield behind the bleachers with the AutoCon Car Show.

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Bye, Bye, Bye

As fans of drifting, we were bummed about the number of bye runs that kicked off the Top 32 eliminations. The top five drivers enjoyed automatic advances into the sweet 16 round for a couple of reasons. First, the usual attrition that comes with drifting, K-rails and tire barriers and, second, a reduction in the number of qualified drivers on the Pro roster. There just weren’t enough to fill a field of 32. We are hopeful that more drivers will see the opportunity to compete and fill the driver list in the near future.

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Upsets Abound

Despite the number of bye runs, the 2017 season kicked off with a shake-up of the norm as numerous upsets throughout the eliminations by up-and-coming drivers sidelined veterans and champions alike. Top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. faced elimination in the Top 16 round at the hands of Dean “Karnage” Kearney.

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Former champions Dai Yoshihara and Michael Essa faced off in the first round. Yoshihara suffered an unfortunate mishap when he snapped a power steering belt just before finishing turn 10. This caused him to straighten out and almost collide with the K-rail, suffering a loss.

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The 2015 champion Fredric Aasbo competed in his new Toyota Corolla iM drift car as if he’d been driving it for years. After his first round bye run, he beat Kristaps Bluss to move on to the Great 8 against Alex Heilbrunn. Heilbrunn also enjoyed a first round bye before beating Juha Rintanen to advance to his match up with Aasbo. Heilbrunn upset the Norwegian Hammer and advanced to the Final 4.

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Three-time champion Chris Forsberg defeated Alec Hohnadell in the first round before facing Ken Gushi in a too-close-to-call second match. Forsberg and Gushi delivered a great battle that many felt could have gone for a one-more-time rebattle, but the judges ruled in Forsberg’s favor to the dismay of the crowd, who chanted a chorus of “One-More-Time” as the judges’ decision was posted on the Jumbotron. Forsberg faced elimination by the number two qualifier, James Deane in the Great 8. Deane enjoyed a bye run before defeating Essa on his way to face Forsberg. Deane’s victory over Forsberg put him into the Final 4.

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First Time Finalists

Bakchis has competed for seven years and podiumed six times, while Tuerck has thirteen years in Formula Drift competition and twelve podiums to his credit, according to driftstats.com. By comparison, Heilbrunn has just one year in Formula Drift Pro2 and one year in the Pro Championship. Deane competed at four rounds of Formula Drift competition back in 2010 and returned for the first time since to compete in the USA at Long Beach. Bakchis paired with Heilbrunn while Tuerck matched up with Deane.  The sophomore drivers each prevailed, putting both into the finals for the first time. When the smoke cleared and the contenders lined up in front of the grandstands, the judges awarded James Deane his first Formula Drift event victory as Heilbrunn proudly claimed his first podium as runner up. Since Tuerck qualified higher than Bakchis, he was awarded third spot on the podium.

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With the first round in the books, Formula Drift and its roster of drivers prepare to make the trek across the US of A to Round 2 at Orlando Speed World. On the weekend of April 28-29, the state of Florida will feel the thunder as both the Pro and Pro2 divisions lay down rubber to the tarmac. This season is already shaping up to be an exciting one so be sure to keep your eyes focused on the Formula Drift Championship!

Daijiro Yoshihara Driving in the 2013 Formula Drift Long Beach

2013 Formula Drift season kicked off this past Saturday to a sold out crowd in Long Beach. Thousands of fans gathered as the the worlds best in drift battled it out for the top spot. After a long day of smoked tires, Daijiro Yoshihara in his 240SX came out on top, followed closely by Vaughn Gittin Jr. in second and Chris Forberg in third.

2013 Formula Drift Long Beach

2013 Formula Drift Long Beach

The Slammed Society Car Show and Vendor Village were a great way to kill some time in between rounds.

Slammed Society Car Show

Z at the Slammed Society Car Show at the 2013 Forumla Drift Long Beach

Slammed Society Car Show at the 2013 Forumla Drift Long Beach

2013 Long Beach Forumal Drift

Scion’s FR-S has been everywhere lately, the Forumula Drift was no exception.
FRS with AP Racing Brakes

2013 Formula Drift FRS

Quite a few of them fitted with AP Racing Big Brake Kits
AP Racing at 2013 Long Beach Forumal Drift

2013 Formula Drift Long Beach

FRS with AP Racing Brakes at the Slammed Society Car Show

Slammed Society Car Show

Slammed Society Car Show at the Formula Drift Long Beach

AP Racing Brakes on 2013 Formula Drift Display Vehicle

Scion tC Engine Bay

Slammed Society Car Show at the 2013 Forumla Drift Long Beach

All in all, a great day in Long Beach. Congratulations to the Formula Drift crew celebrating their 10th year. Round 2 will be held in Braselton, GA on May 10 & 11. Visit the Formula Drift site for more info: http://www.formulad.com/

For more photos of the event, visit the STILLEN Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stillen

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2013 Standings After One Event
1. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 112 Points
2. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang 92 Points
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z 79 Points
4. DeNofa, Chelsea BC Racing BMW 3 Series 75 Points
5. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Nissan S14 64 Points
6. Tuerck, Ryan Team Retaks Scion FR-S 64 Points
7. Gushi, Ken Greddy / Hankook Scion FR-S 62 Points
8. Essa, Michael GSR Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 62 Points
9. Moen, Kenneth Nexen Tire Nissan 240SX 58 Points
10. Saito, Daigo Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 57 Points
11. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 56 Points
12. Bakchis, Aurimas Nexen Tire Nissan S14 56 Points
13. Kado, Ryan DNA Motoring / Nexen Tire Nissan 350Z 55 Points
14. Powers, Matt Nitto Tire / Fatlace Nissan S14 55 Points
15. Mordaunt, Patrick Apexi / PM Racing / Diamond Lexus SC430 54.50 Points
16. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 54.50 Points

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results
1. Yoshihara, Daijiro America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 Winner
2. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Ford Mustang Second Place
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z Third Place

Manufacturers Championship Standings After One Event
1. Ford 146.5 Points
2. Nissan 137 Points
2. BMW 137 Points
4. Scion 126 Points
5. Lexus 111 Points

Tire Championship Standings After One Event
1. Falken 176 Points
2. Nitto 167 Points
3. Hankook 141 Points
4. Yokohama 116.5 Points

Before we dive directly into the crazy action that went down this Saturday in Long Beach, I’d like to first thanks John P and everyone over at Formula D for accomodating us with press passes for the event. We had a wonderful time and we are already stoked for the next one.  Secondly, I’d like to say it’s amazing to see how much the sport has grown over the past six years. Cars are getting faster and faster (even with the new tire size rules) and drivers keep pushing the limits of their vehicles I can’t wait to see how much farther Formula Drift will go before the end of this season.

Our day at the Streets of Long Beach started rather early which gave us a good amount of time to get some test shots in and walk around the event before the mayhem ensued.

Our first destination was the car show area presented by FATLACE / SLAMMED SOCIETY because we wanted to check out as many cars as we could before too many people got in the way.

As soon as we crossed the bridge to the car show area, we noticed a beautiful widebody s2000 that happened to be running some serious AP RACING brakes.

It’s very hard to beat that set up in terms of looks and performance. I especially love the road debris still stuck on the sideskirts from the drive in.
After we were done drooling over the widebody glory we noticed a very clean 350z

The “It’sJDMYO 350z was running an equally as clean Supercharger set up that was tucked in the engine bay very well.
Right in front of the Supercharged Z was a fine example of what happens when you combine the best of two world’s when it comes to car design.

American muscle plus Japanese flavor make for a very clean and mean set up courtesy of JonSibal and Dodge.

After we walked our way through the car show, we noticed something you don’t see at too many car shows and we were extremely stoked to see it.

A sectioned off skate area that had everything from mini ramps to ledges to fun boxes made for some unexpected action. I almost ran to the car to grab my Psycho Stick and join in on the action until I saw this guy bust a Tail Blunt to varial and kill all my confidence. 🙂

There were some AMAZING cars on display that day and there were some cars that made us wonder if the owner just entered the car show for a good parking spot.  After we were done geeking out over show cars we directed our attention and lenses to some practice sessions.

As you could see the guys were wasting no time getting used to the track before qualifying sessions started and the crowds showed up. Darren Macnamara and Frederick Asbo were going hard all day long.

Everyone’s favorite new kid on the Block Daigo Saito was getting used to the car, the track, and judging his gaps all at the same time in a few of his first outings in his new car.

Saito wasn’t the only Japanese Driver laying down some heat early in the day. Daijiro Yoshihara was getting himself warmed up for qualifications as well.

After we were done watching the crazy practice sessions, we took it as a good opportunity to walk the rest of the midway and grab some lunch.

Ever get sick of driving in traffic on your way to work? Why not just drive OVER it?

After we were done stuffing our faces and getting some refuge from the sun, it was time to announce the top 16 drivers.

Everyone’s favorite new kid in town Daigo Saito was getting a lot of attention before it was time for him to strut his stuff.

Chris Forsberg was quite literally taking his driving to a whole new level for the top 16 round.

SPOILER ALERT!!: Justin Pawlak was looking to repeat his success in 2011….. He ended up achieving that goal and taking home the W.

Matt Powers was also looking to repeat last year’s results. He gave it his all against number one qualifier Ryan Tuerck and he ended up securing himself 4th place for the weekend.

Tyler McQuarrie can just about drive the pants off anything and judging by the insanely small gap between him and Ryan Kado I’d say he was wearing his not afraid pants that day.

Ken Gushi was showing off what the new GREDDY built FT86 could do, and it was looking great all weekend.

After all that was said and done with, the 2012 Long Beach Formula Drift podium ended up shaping up like this.

1ST JUSTIN PAWLAK

2ND DAIJIRO YOSHIHARA

3RD DAIGO SAITO

We are extremely excited to see how the rest of the season shapes up and we can’t wait to see our products in action for the rest of the year.