Formula DRIFT Round 5: Throwdown Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 5: Throwdown Results;
Fredric Aasbo Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Standings

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Long Beach, Calif. – July 25, 2015 – Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro returned to Evergreen Speedway for Round 5: Throwdown. Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Scion tC takes the victory and lead in both the Pro Championship and World Championship standings.

Round 5: Throwdown provided plenty of on-track action and excitement for the capacity crowd at Evergreen Speedway. With shifting weather conditions, the drivers had to make constant adjustments throughout the weekend making for a technical competition. Over 330,000 fans tuned into the Driftstream over the weekend to see the action unfold.

“This was quite an event as we witnessed the consistency of Aasbo to take the victory and see the talents of a young driver in Alec Hohnadell to reach his first podium,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “This event saw a shakeup in the Pro Championship standings, which will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.”

The semi-finals saw Alec Hohnadell in the 11 Racing Nissan S14 go against veteran Justin Pawlak in the Roush Performance / Car Crafters Ford Mustang. Hohnadell advanced to the Finals with both drivers receiving a double zero on the second run of their battle and having the advantage on the first run. Pat Goodin in the Enjuku Racing / Falken Tire Nissan S13 lost out to the consistent driving of Fredric Aasbo. Pawlak finished in third place with the higher qualifying position than Goodin. The rain began to pour into the Finals and Aasbo proved that he can handle the wet conditions taking his second consecutive victory and his third victory of the season. Aasbo moves into the top position in both the Pro Championship and World Championship standings. Hohnadell earned second place for his first career Pro Championship podium.

“What a wild rollercoaster of an event,” said Fredric Aasbo, winner of Round 5: Throwdown. “It was wet, it was dry, it was intermediate and I think growing up on the snowy, frozen lakes of Norway was a huge advantage. We kept it cool and ended up with the win and are exactly where we want to be leading the points championship.”

The 2015 Formula DRIFT season will continue to Round 6: Showdown on August 21-22 at Texas Motor Speedway. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

 

Round 5: Throwdown Event Results

 

1. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Scion tC Winner
2. Hohnadell, Alec 11 Racing Nissan S14 2nd Place
3. Pawlak, Justin Roush Performance / Car Crafters Ford Mustang 3rd Place
4. Goodin, Pat Enjuku Racing / Falken Tire Nissan S13 4th Place
5. Field, Matt CX Racing / Yokohama Nissan S14 5th Place
6. Saito, Daigo Achilles Radial Nissan GT-R 6th Place
7. McQuarrie, Tyler Mobile 1 / GoPro Chevrolet Camaro 7th Place
8. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 8th Place
9. Moen, Kenny Bridges Racing / Achilles / Gatebil Nissan S14 9th Place
10. Gushi, Ken GReddy Racing / Hankook Tire Scion Racing FR-S 10th Place
11. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 11th Place
12. Denofa, Chelsea BC Racing / Chelsea DeNofa Motorsports / GT Radial BMW 12th Place
13. Essa, Michael SLP Performance / Yokohama Tire Chevy Camaro 13th Place
14. Whiddett, Mike RedBull / Mobil 1 Mazda “Radbul” 14th Place
15. Coffman, Matt Coffman Racing Nissan S13 15th Place
16. Stoneback, Geoff Achilles Radial / Parts Shop Max / Enkei Nissan S14 16th Place
 

2015 Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by GoPro Top 3 Standings After Five Rounds

 

1. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Scion tC 373.00 Points
2. Tuerck, Ryan Ryan Tuerck Racing / Retaks / Maxxis Scion FR-S 297.00 Points
3. Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis Feal Suspension / ARK Performance / Nitto Nissan 240SX 293.00 Points
 

Manufacturers Championship Standings After Five Rounds

 

1. Scion 785.00 Points
2. Nissan 417.00 Points
3. Ford 407.00 Points
4. Chevrolet 300.00 Points
5. Mazda 225.00 Points
6. Dodge 170.00 Points
7. Infiniti 159.00 Points
8. BMW 139.00 Points
9. Toyota 105.00 Points
 

Tire Championship Standings After Five Rounds

 

1. Hankook 751.00 Points
2. Nitto 516.00 Points
3. Achilles 510.00 Points
4. Falken 485.00 Points
5. Yokohama 447.00 Points
6. Maxxis 401.00 Points
7. GT Radial 266.00 Points

ROUSH Performance Talks Formula Drift with Justin “JTP” Pawlak

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jtp_newsletter_1ROUSH Performance drifter Justin “JTP” Pawlak took a little time to sit down with us and talk all things Formula Drift, including how comfortable he is behind the wheel of his 2013 ROUSHcharged Ford Mustang (after only having one day of testing before the car’s Formula Drift debut), how he feels about the understated livery of the car, and his relationship with SLP-counterpart Michael Essa. Read on!

Stephanie Davies: If you would’ve had it your way, how much seat time would you have needed to feel really comfortable in the car going into the Streets of Long Beach event?

JTP: In years past, we get like two to three test days potentially, and I mean, that’s kind of enough but if I had it my way, I’d probably want a handful of days. The more seat time you have in a vehicle, the more comfortable you are with exactly what it’s doing, and also you can use that seat time to develop the suspension and the overall handling characteristics of the car. It’s just one of those things, like practice makes perfect. The proof is in the pudding on that.

SD: Would you say the majority of your time is spent doing chassis/suspension stuff, as opposed to engine tunes?

DKAR-8991JTP: Yeah, definitely. Once you get the engine, like now we feel confident in the tune we have in the car, the car makes good power. To be honest in-between Round 1 and Round 2, the only thing that we’re really working on is the cooling system. We didn’t really experience any high temperatures per say, but we’re also in Long Beach at 72 degrees. We’re not in Atlanta where it’s going to be mid-80s to 90s with high humidity. Same thing with Florida and New Jersey the next three rounds. So we just want to make sure that the cooling system is more than capable of keeping the temperatures down, especially since we are running a blower setup and there is heat-soak with that setup. Also in Atlanta, there is no real cool down time in-between runs. It’s just knowing the obstacles that we’re going to be facing, we’re just trying to rectify any potential issues that we may have that would take away from our competitive advantage. We’re working on the cooling system and then also, we are paying attention to some suspension changes as well that should give us a competitive advantage. We will be dialing-in the suspension setup throughout the year. That’s kind of like an ever-changing deal because every track is different, every suspension setup is going to be different, since there are different characteristics on each track that you are tuning for.

SD: About this car, it’s obviously a pretty understated look that you guys have gone with this year. It’s much different than the other cars on the track that tend to be over the top in styling. Do you wish it was a little more over the top? Is that more your style?

DKAR-0963JTP: No, I love it, I love it. I think it’s definitely a good representation of me. I’m not really a flashy guy per say. I’m more into the performance aspect of drifting. I definitely like the styling, but I’m more on the just clean, classic styling. In the past, it’s more about kind of a Japanese-influence styling with other cars that I’ve built, even with the most recent project that I’ve done with ROUSH and StangTV – it’s more of a Japanese styling twist on a Mustang. With this one, we kind of went with more of a classic hot rod – you know the satin black, clean lines, simple livery, and I think that really just plays well into the Mustang kind of being a retro-styled car. I’m not really into the super flashy neon colors and that sort of thing. I mean, it works for other drivers and the style that they’re going for, but I really like the whole classic hot rod style that both Essa and I chose to go with this year.

SD: Do you have a close working relationship with Essa and his team? Do you guys have any sort of rivalry brewing up? What’s going on there?

JTP: I mean it’s definitely like a friendly rivalry if anything. We’ve known each other for quite a long time. We both live in Southern California, we both actually started drifting in RX-7s. I met him a long time ago, and we traded some tires. I was looking to get some road racing tires and he wanted some drift tires, so we traded some tires probably in 2004 or ‘05 or something like that. It’s been probably 10 years that we’ve known each other. We’re both kind of cut from the same cloth where we build our own cars, we drive our own cars, we both run our own shops. This off season, being that we’re partnering, I helped him a little bit with his car, and at the track, our crew guys kind of help each other out and what not. It’s cool because his crew and my crew are all kind of cut from the same cloth too, so we all get along really well. When Mike got knocked out early in Long Beach, his crew guys came over and helped us out, so that was really cool. The following weekend we were all kind of helping each other as well at the Super Drift during the Grand Prix, and then we ended up lining up against each other. Obviously when we’re lining up against each other there’s a rivalry there because that’s the nature of the beast, however there’s not really a grudge per say.

SD: Do you have a favorite Formula Drift event? Do you have a favorite track?

DKAR-7892JTP: Long Beach is probably one of my favorite tracks. It’s right up there, just because it’s in the streets of Long Beach. You rarely have an opportunity to drift on public streets legally so it’s pretty cool. The back drop is amazing. I lived in Long Beach for quite a few years, so it was always kind of special for me in that respect. Just being able to ride my bike from my house down to the track was always pretty cool, and it’s a super challenging track. It may not look that impressive from the stands looking down on the track, however when you’re going through K-rails that are above your window and you’re making corners that you can’t see where they open up to, it’s a pretty cool experience inside the car. And then I would say, another track that I really like is Irwindale (I don’t know why they’re both in Southern California), but Irwindale is one of the first professional tracks I drifted on, and it’s the “House of Drift” – it’s where drifting started in the United States. And at the end of the season, there’s always a lot of emotions, or you know a championship on the line. It’s just always a really unique event and there’s always some drama that unfolds or something amazing that happens.

Keep it locked right here for more from ROUSH Performance and Justin “JTP” Pawlak!

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Ford’s Return to Formula DRIFT Features Elite Mustang Teams, Bigger ‘Drift with Ford’ Sweepstakes and New Track Action

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LONG BEACH, Calif., April 1, 2015 – Ford Motor Company’s return to Formula DRIFT will be bigger and bolder in 2015. In its third year as official sponsor of the series, Ford will support Mustang drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Justin Pawlak, while ramping up its “Drift with Ford” sweepstakes giveaway and track activities at all seven Formula DRIFT events. The custom Focus ST giveaway kicks off April 10-12 at the season opener in Long Beach, California.

“Ford and Formula DRIFT fans share a deep passion for performance, making the series the perfect venue for demonstrating the capabilities of our vehicles,” said Steve Ling, Ford North America car marketing manager. “We had a strong response with last year’s ‘Drift with Ford’ sweepstakes when we gave away a custom EcoBoost-powered Fiesta ST. This year we’re bringing back the sweepstakes with the hot Focus ST, and expanding our trackside presence with displays and activities at every Formula DRIFT event in North America.”

Following a successful 2014 season, Ford is stepping up the “Drift with Ford” sweepstakes, giving away to one lucky fan a custom EcoBoost®-powered Focus ST. Fans can enter the sweepstakes at any Formula DRIFT event or through the Formula DRIFT website.

“Fans love to watch teams fielding V8-powered Ford Mustangs battling for the top spot in Formula DRIFT,” said Mickey Matus, Ford Racing marketing communications manager. “Vaughn and Justin are both elite drivers who have proven they know what it takes to win. We believe they’re poised for great success in Ford Mustang, and can’t wait for the season to get under way.”

Ford has been part of the Formula DRIFT scene since 2005, when the series triggered a successful Ford Racing performance parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 crate engine. Ford has increased its support and involvement each year, earning the respect and attention of series fans.

“I am pumped for the 2015 Formula DRIFT season to kick off in Long Beach as the action at this event is always epic,” said former champion Gittin. “My team and I have been working hard in the off-season, and I can’t wait to hit the track, scrape walls, and run door-to-door with my opponents from behind the wheel of my Ford Mustang RTR.”

The enthusiastic response from Formula DRIFT fans has encouraged Ford to step up its involvement this year. Fans can visit the Ford display at each event to experience the latest lineup of Ford performance vehicles including the all-new Mustang, which is similar to the cars driven by Gittin for the Monster Energy team and Pawlak for the Falken team.

“I’m extremely excited to get back into my Ford Mustang for the 2015 Formula DRIFT season,” said two-time Long Beach winner Pawlak. “I look forward, as it’s a proven platform for drifting. Both Vaughn and I have earned great success with it over the past few years.”

The first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT takes motorsports to the extreme, attracting enthusiasts from all walks of life. Highly skilled drivers maneuver high-powered cars into controlled slides at high speeds through a marked course. Judged on speed, execution and style, drifting is often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross.

“We are so excited to have Ford back on as a major sponsor of the series,” said Ryan Sage, vice president and cofounder, Formula DRIFT. “With the success of last year’s vehicle giveaway, Ford has graciously doubled down, returning with another massive sweepstakes. The brand totally gets this audience and because of that, fans of the sport benefit in unique and creative ways.”

For the first round of the championship series, Formula DRIFT slides its way on one of two street courses used for professional drifting – the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The two-day event is one week prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and uses turns nine, 10 and 11 of the street course. With a high-speed entry and very tight spacing between cars and walls, there’s no room for error, making the first round of Formula DRIFT one of the most exciting series events of the year.

For more information, visit the Formula DRIFT website or Facebook.

No purchase necessary, Open to licensed drivers 18 and older. Ends 10/10/2015. See http://www.driftwithford.com/ for full details.

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About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 187,000 employees and 62 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

Essa Autosport Welcomes SLP Camaro To 2015 Formula Drift Program

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DKAR-4467Essa Autosport is excited to announce a new partnership with SLP for the 2015 Formula Drift season. Michael Essa will be piloting a 2013 Chevrolet Camaro SS generously provided by SLP, stepping away from the BMW platform the team has popularized in Formula Drift since Essa’s early professional drifting career. Together with SLP and parent company Roush, Essa Autosport will be teaming up with friend Justin Pawlak, making for an interesting Chevy/Ford conglomeration in the Formula Drift paddocks.

DKAR-4470With the first round of Formula Drift quickly approaching on April 10-11 in Long Beach, the Essa Autosport team has their work cut out for them. The Camaro is currently in the tear down stage for upgrades such as Formula Drift legal cage and restraints, drivetrain upgrades such as transmission and differential, and several steering and suspension upgrades to make the car handle Essa’s extreme angle driving style. The full tear down, weight reduction, and power adding process will be extremely limited due to budget and time restrictions. Essa Autosport expects an interesting 6-7 weeks of building the car and sourcing parts.

DKAR-4486Testing is expected to be done nearing the car’s debut in Long Beach. Cutting it close to the big event ensures that no corners will be cut in the build in order to make early testing days. Essa Autosport has high expectations for the addition of the Camaro to their professional drift program. The first year in a chassis is tough, but Essa’s team is excited and motivated to work through the shake down and tuning process to earn results and podium appearances they strive for.

The 2015 Formula Drift season opens on April 10-11 in Long Beach, one week before the world renowned Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Words and photos by David Karey – AmDrift.com – [email protected]