Category: FD News

Formula DRIFT Announces 2015 World Championship Details; $300,000 Prize Purse Up for Grabs

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For Immediate Release

November 4, 2014

Formula DRIFT Announces 2015 World Championship Details;
$300,000 Prize Purse Up for Grabs

Long Beach, Calif. – November 4, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced the 2015 World Championship schedule. Ten rounds of competition will consist of seven US Pro Championship rounds and three International rounds of competition beginning in March. In addition, drivers will now be competing for a total prize purse of up to $300,000 that will include the championship earnings, per round earnings, and new $100,000 Triple Crown bonus.

Entering its twelfth year of competition, Formula DRIFT will be the first professional drifting series to hold a true world championship. The world championship will consist of seven Pro Championship rounds in the United States and three international rounds of competition. Japan, Canada, and China will host the international events. All ten competition round points earned will go towards the inaugural World Championship.

“After 11 seasons of Formula DRIFT, we are excited to launch the World Championship,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “There is a ton of anticipation to take on this new challenge and raise the global standard for drifting by continuing to grow the Series domestically and internationally. We are here for the long run and thus laying this foundation for the future growth of drifting.”

All current Formula DRIFT Pro licenses holders are eligible to compete and aggregate points toward the World Championship. However, to be eligible to aggregate points toward the overall World Championship, drivers must attend at least one non-domestic US round. Additionally, each individual event round winner plus the top eight drivers in the series following the conclusion of the event in Montreal, Canada will qualify for a vehicle transportation and subsidy to the final round of the overall World Championship in China, where the World Champion will be crowned.

The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue with seven rounds of competition with a champion to be crowned at the Irwindale event in October. The Pro 2 Series will also continue in 2015 within four of the seven US rounds of competition with events in Orlando, FL, Seattle, WA, Fort Worth, TX, and Irwindale, CA. Each of the ten rounds of the World Championship will be live streamed globally.

Drivers will now compete for a prize purse of up to $300,000 that includes championship, per round, and the new triple crown bonus. The triple crown bonus of $100,000 will be awarded to the driver that can win at three select rounds of competition within the World Championship. These rounds of competition will be announced soon. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaDrift.

2015 Formula DRIFT World Championship Schedule

April 10-11, 2015         Streets of Long Beach, USA              World / Pro
April 17-19, 2015         Streets of Long Beach, USA              Invitational Event
May 8-9, 2015              Road Atlanta, USA                          World / Pro
June 5-6, 2015             Orlando Speedworld, USA                World / Pro / Pro2
June 26-27, 2015         Wall Stadium, USA                           World / Pro
July 11-12, 2015           Fuji Speedway, JAPAN                     World
July 24-25, 2015           Evergreen Speedway, USA               World / Pro / Pro2
August 21-22, 2015      Texas Motor Speedway, USA             World / Pro / Pro2
September 6-7, 2015    Autodrome St. Eustache, CANADA     World
October 9-10, 2015       Irwindale Speedway, USA                 World / Pro / Pro2
November, 2015           CHINA                                             World

*schedule subject to change

ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT

Entering its twelfth season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges each driver’s driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for professional drifters to compete nationwide for the coveted Formula DRIFT Championship crown. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the world-wide leader for the Sport. For a competition schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.

Formula DRIFT Asia Championship, Round 3, Sydney Motorsports Park Results

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Formula DRIFT Asia Championship, Round 3, Sydney Motorsports Park Results;
Australian Levi Clarke Takes Competition Victory in an all Australian Finals

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Long Beach, Calif. – October 22, 2014 – Formula DRIFT Asia Championship returned to Australia by making a stop at Sydney Motorsports Park for the first time as part of the World Time Attack Challenge weekend. Australian Levi Clarke in the Exedy Drift Team Nissan Silvia S15 takes the win.

The HiTec Oil Formula DRIFT Australia presented by Achilles Tire was the third stop in the seven year old Formula DRIFT Asia Championship. The Series returns to Australia by bringing the sport to a new venue, Sydney Motorsports Park, as part of the World Time Attack Challenge weekend. The South Circuit section that was used provided an unique and challenging, almost hill climb like, all uphill drift course. This 3-day event was an international spectacle with drivers from all over the world.

The Semi-Finals / Top 4 paired up Norwegian Aasbo against Australian Levi Clarke and New Zealander Whiter against Australian Nic Coulson. Aasbo had to forfeit to Clarke after one run due to mechanical issues and Coulson topped Whiter setting up an all Australian final. In the Finals, neither driver let up and drove aggressively but cleanly. At the end, top Australian drifter Levi Clarke stood on top of the podium to be the first Australian win to any Formula DRIFT competition.

“It’s good to be on top at Formula DRIFT,” said Levi Clarke, winner of Formula DRIFT Asia Championship, Round 3. “We had some great battles with Fredric Aasbo and the rest of the drivers.”
Formula DRIFT Round 4 | Sydney Motorsports Park | Competition Results:
1. Clarke, Levi (AUS) Exedy Drift Team / Nissan S15 Winner
2. Coulson, Nic (AUS) Team Xforce Performance Exhaust / Holden Commodore Ute 2nd Place
3. Aasbo, Fredric (NOR) RS-R / Toyota FT-86 3rd Place

2014 Formula DRIFT Banquet Awards

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2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO2 SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP
– 1st Place: Dan Savage

– 2nd Place: Geoff Stoneback

– 3rd Place: Jeremy Lowe

– PRO2 Comeback of the Year (how you qualifying to how you finish; biggest jump): Jeremy Lowe – 14th to finish 4th at Round 1: Miami Heat

– PRO2 Top Qualifier of the Year (highest qualifying percentage): Dan Savage – Average qualification of 3rd

– PRO2 Ace of the Year (most head to head wins): TIED Geoff Stoneback & Dan Savage – 8 wins in 11 matches

– PRO2 Top Gun Driver of the Year (highest head to head win percentage): Brandon Wicknick – 85.71%, 6 wins in 7 matches

2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Voted on by peers)
– Best Drifting Style: Forrest Wang

– Best Personal Style: Ryan Tuerck

– Crew Member of the Year: Brian Wilkerson

– Team Manager of the Year: Stephen Papadakis

– Spirit of Drifting: Forrest Wang

– Hardest Charging Driver of the Year: Chelsea DeNofa

2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Voted on by almost 10,000 fans)
– Fan Favorite Driver of the Year: Fredric Aasbo

– Fan Favorite Car of the Year: Forrest Wang

2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Points/Stats based):
– Comeback of the Year (qualifying rank to finishing position; biggest jump): Daigo Saito – Qualified 29th to 1st Place Win at Round 7: Final Fight

– Most Improved Driver of the Year (2013 ranking to 2014 ranking): Dean Kearney – 29th in 2013 to 8th in 2014

– Top Qualifier of the Year (highest qualifying percentage): Chris Forsberg – 3.7 average

– Ace of the Year (most head to head wins): Fredric Aasbo – 25 wins of 30 matches

– Top Gun Driver of the Year (highest head to head win percentage): Fredric Aasbo – 83%

– Rookie of the Year: Geoff Stoneback

TIRE MANUFACTURER CHAMPION: Hankook – 2nd year

AUTO MANUFACTURER CHAMPION: Scion

TURBO BY GARRETT TURBOLIFE CUP: Forrest Wang – $3,000

EXEDY CLUTCH CONTINGENCY: $10,780 Vaughn Gittin Jr. / $4,620 Kyle Mohan

2015 Formula DRIFT Licensed Drivers

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217

Newly Licensed via PRO2 Series

1. Dan Savage (286.5 points)

2. Geoff Stoneback (281 points)

3. Jeremy Lowe (259 points)

4. Jeff Jones (246 points)

5. James Evans (226 points)

6. Nate Hamilton (220 points)

7. Matt Coffman (182 points)

8. Brandon Wicknick (173 points)

 

PRO Drivers who retained PRO License

1. Chris Forsberg (561.5 points)

2. Fredric Aasbo (550 points)

3. Vaughn Gittin Jr. (393 points)

4. Aurimas ‘Odi’ Bakchis (364.5 points)

5. Forrest Wang (331.5 points)

6. Kenneth Moen (310.5 points)

7. Darren McNamara (298 points)

8. Dean Kearney (287 points)

9. Justin Pawlak (277 points)

10. Conrad Grunewald (262.5 points)

11. Robbie Nishida (261 points)

12. Ryan Tuerck (235 points)

13. Ken Gushi (227.5 points)

14. Daigo Saito (224 points)

15. Matt Field (221.5 points)

16. Michael Essa (218.5 points)

17. Tyler McQuarrie (209 points)

18. Daijiro Yoshihara (197 points)

19. Kyle Mohan (176.5 points)

20. Patrick Goodin (176.5 points)

21. Chelsea DeNofa (172.5 points)

22. Charles Ng (154.5 points)

23. Jhonnattan Castro (143 points)

24. Geoff Stoneback (137 points)

25. Joon Maeng (134 points)

26. Marc Landreville (103.5 points)

27. Mats Baribeau (102 points)

28. Ryan Kado (87.5 points)

29. Dave Briggs (86 points)

30. Patrick Mordaunt (86 points)

31. Alec Hohnadell (71.5 points)

32. Jeff Jones (70 points)

Formula DRIFT Round 7: Final Fight Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: Final Fight Results;
Daigo Saito Wins Finale and Chris Forsberg is Crowned Champion

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Long Beach, Calif. – October 11, 2014 – Formula DRIFT returned to Irwindale Speedway for the 2014 Pro Championship season finale. Daigo Saito in the Achilles Radial Lexus SC430 takes the event victory. Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z wins his second career championship.

Round 7: Final Fight held at Irwindale Speedway did not disappoint the sold out crowd with an action packed weekend that featured the Pro Championship, PRO 2 Championship, Offset Kings car show and more. The Driftstream had over 200,000 unique viewers to the live stream for the event weekend.

“What a way to end the 2014 Pro Championship season,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “We could not have asked for a more climatic ending with the championship determined at the very last battle of the season. The competitive rivalry that Aasbo and Forsberg had all season could not have been any more exciting.”

Entering the event, Forsberg lead the Pro Championship chase by a mere 26 points. As the competition progressed through the night both Aasbo and Forsberg would meet in the Top 4 to control their championship destiny. Aasbo in one of the tightest battles of the evening got the better of Forsberg for the fourth time this season in head to head battles, yet he needed to win the entire event to win the championship.

“A wild season for us. We wanted the championship so bad after last year,” said Chris Forsberg, 2014 Formula DRIFT champion. “Taking the win in Long Beach and holding the lead throughout the season to the Finals only to basically lose to Aasbo every time we went up against him. He was our kryptonite all season long. We were able to hold him off just enough to take the championship home and we are super pumped and very proud of our team for giving us the best car we ever had.”

The number one qualifier, Forrest Wang in the Get Nuts Lab / Hankook / STR Racing Nissan S14 went against Daigo Saito in the Top 4. In a close battle, Saito edged out Wang to make it into the Finals against Aasbo. In another closely fought battle, Saito beat out Aasbo, to win his third consecutive victory at Irwindale Speedway, having won the event in 2012 and 2013, and helping to award Forsberg with his second Pro Championship. Forsberg is only the third driver in Formula DRIFT history to hold two championships with his 2009 championship and now 2014 championship.

“This year we have had a very hard time with our results and ranking,” said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 7: Final Fight. “We are excited to earn a win to end the season here at Irwindale Speedway. This is also the third win for us in a row here and I am very happy.”

In addition to the 2014 Championship, both the Tire and Manufacturer Championships were determined at Round 7: Final Fight. Hankook Tire won the Tire Manufacturer Championship, while Scion won the Manufacturer Championship.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaDrift.

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2014 Final Standings

1. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 561.50 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 550.00 Points
3. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 393.00 Points
4. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 364.50 Points
5. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire / STR Racing Nissan S14 331.50 Points
6. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 310.50 Points
7. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Nissan S14 298.00 Points
8. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper SRT 287.00 Points
9. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 277.00 Points
10. Grunewald, Conrad Megan Racing / Top 1 Oil / BRE Chevrolet Camaro 262.50 Points
11. Nishida, Robbie Achilles Radial / Bridges Racing Lexus SC300 261.00 Points
12. Tuerck, Ryan Retaks Maxxis Tires Air Force PSI Scion FR-S 235.00 Points
13. Gushi, Ken GReddy Performance / Scion Racing Drift FR-S 227.50 Points
14. Saito, Daigo Achilles Radial Lexus SC430 224.00 Points
15. Field, Matt CX Racing Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX 221.50 Points
16. Essa, Michael Essa Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 218.50 Points
Round 7: Final Fight Event Results
1. Saito, Daigo Achilles Radial Lexus SC430 Winner
2. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 2nd Place
3. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire / STR Racing Nissan S14 3rd Place

Manufacturers Championship Final Standings

1. Scion 843.00 Points
2. Nissan 721.00 Points
3. Ford 670.00 Points
4. Lexus 485.00 Points
5. Chevy 471.50 Points

Tire Championship Final Standings

1. Hankook 1119.50 Points
2. Nitto 836.00 Points
3. Achilles 801.00 Points
4. Falken 681.50 Points
5. Maxxis 386.50 Points