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Deane x Więcek: All Or Nothing by Speedhunters

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If there was one feeling that was prevalent in the Worthouse Drift Team before Texas last weekend, it was exhaustion.

This was the seventh round of the 2017 Formula Drift Pro Championship, and for the seventh time this season, the team congregated from around the world to come and do battle. Lots of air miles have been racked up by the team, and the drivers especially. This would be James Deane’s and Piotr Więcek’s 12th competitive event this year, spanning four countries, two continents, and not including demonstration runs.

At the previous round in Seattle, James had narrowly extended his championship points lead over Fredric Aasbø, whom he defeated in a thrilling final battle which required a One More Time before a winner could be decided. However, with a maximum haul of 107 points at each event and a 57-point lead, James’ advantage could easily be overcome should he suffer a shock defeat or non finish in Texas.

Any dreams of a championship win in his first full Formula Drift season were firmly at the back of his mind.

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2017 Formula Drift Texas Worthouse Speedhunters by Paddy McGrath-6

 

They say that ‘everything is bigger in Texas’, and they are not wrong. Host to this round of the championship was the 181,000-plus capacity Texas Motor Speedway. I’ve honestly never attended a venue so large in my life before; it took 20 minutes to just drive around the outside before finding the entrance. It’s breathtaking.

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Formula DRIFT Texas 2017 by Super Street Magazine

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The 2017 Formula DRIFT pro championship is decided. Oh, we know there’s still one round left on the calendar, and Fredric Aasbo – 2015 champ and driver of the Rockstar Energy Corolla iM – is mathematically still breathing, even though at this point he’s a distant 96 points behind leader James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team S15, and not very likely to catch him. It’s that last part we can’t reconcile, and anyone who wants to believe there’s still a chance for Deane to falter and Aasbo to somehow make a miracle happen – well, we hate to break it to you, but there’s no denying fate.

Formula DRIFT texas 2017 accel decel mapPhoto 2/161   |   Formula DRIFT Texas 2017 Accel Decel Map

It looked a tad bit more possible going into Round 7 of 8, set on a section of the infield road course at Texas Motor Speedway; then, Deane was only 57 markers out of reach, and with a lucky break (heck, Aasbo even had a chance to eliminate Deane!) this story might be different. But as he has in the last two rounds—Montreal and Seattle—Deane qualified number one, and again looked unbeatable.

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results;

James Deane Increases His Chances for a Championship with the Win

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Long Beach, Calif. – September 9, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Texas Motor Speedway for Round 7: AutoZone Showdown. James Deane in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan S15 had a perfect weekend as the number one qualifier and with his second consecutive event victory.

Irish driver James Deane has tied a Formula DRIFT record with his fourth event victory in a single season to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings with only one event remaining. The capacity crowd was entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the event.

“This was quite the weekend here in Texas,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “With so much on the line, it made for an intense competition that I hope the fans enjoyed.”

In the Top 4, number one qualifier and current points leader, James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 faced off against former champion and second in points, Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM. Deane was able to edge past his opponent to move into the Finals. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Nissan 370Z faced Aurimas Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240. A mistake by Bakchis on his chase run gave Forsberg the win. In the Finals, Deane’s consistent driving proved to be too much as Forsberg fell back and took a shallow line on his chase run, which ultimately lead to his win and a considerable lead heading into the Finals.

“I’ve drifted plenty of tracks in my time, but I’ve never drifted coming out of the first corner with a straight so long where you’re sitting behind the lead car just filled with smoke,” said James Deane, winner of Round 7: Showdown. “It worked out for me this time. I’m just super happy for everyone that supports me and everyone back home.”

The action continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14 at Irwindale Speedway. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Round 7: Showdown Results

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

Winner

2. Forsberg, Chris

NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z

2nd Place

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

3rd Place

4. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

4th Place

5. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

5th Place

6. Yoshihara, Dai

Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ

6th Place

7. Gushi, Ken

GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire Toyota 86

7th Place

8. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

8th Place

9. Coffman, Matt

Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240

9th Place

10. Tuerck, Ryan

Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86

10th Place

11. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

11th Place

12. Essa, Michael

Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46

12th Place

13. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

13th Place

14. Pawlak, Justin

Roush Performance Ford Mustang

14th Place

15. Hohnadell, Alec

Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240

15th Place

16. Castro, Jhonnattan

Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 7 Events

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

582.00 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

486.00 Points

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

367.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 7 Events

1. Toyota

837.00 Points

2. Ford

632.00 Points

3. BMW

331.00 Points

4. Dodge

275.00 Points

4. Nissan

275.00 Points

6. Infiniti

156.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 7 Events

1. Falken

1065.00 Points

2. Nexen

892.00 Points

3. Achilles

807.00 Points

4. Nitto

664.00 Points

5. Hankook

645.00 Points

Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results

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Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results;

Kevin Lawrence Does the Impossible to Win the Event and the Championship

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Long Beach, Calif. – September 8, 2017 – The Formula DRIFT PRO 2 season came to a dramatic conclusion at Texas Motor Speedway. Florida native Kevin Lawrence in the Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240 defies the odds and wins the event and the PRO 2 Championship.

PRO 2 returned to Texas Motor Speedway for the final event of the season. Fans witnessed the biggest comeback in Formula DRIFT PRO 2 history as Kevin Lawrence entered the event in 5th place overall with an 81 point deficit to win the event and ultimately the championship.

“What a way to end the PRO 2 season,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. ”In what was the largest comeback in PRO 2 history, Kevin Lawrence did the impossible, and ended the season in dramatic and exciting fashion.”

The championship was up for grabs when the top 4 drivers failed to move past the Top 16 bracket giving a small mathematical chance to Lawrence. In the semi-finals, Norwegian driver, Ola Jaeger in the Japan Auto Toyota Supra faced Alec Robbins in the KoruWorks Nissan 350Z. In the second run of their battle, Robbins went off line to give the win and his first podium to Jaeger. In the second semi-final battle, Lawrence met Riley Sexsmith piloting a Subaru BRZ. Sexsmith made a major mistake by going off-course on the first run to give Lawrence the advantage and eventual win to move him into the Finals to meet Jaeger. Sexsmith finished the event in third place. In the Finals, both drivers made mistakes in the first battle in which the judges called a “One more time.” In the second run of the battle, Jaeger fell dramatically behind creating a large gap that proved to be his downfall, which gave Lawrence the event victory and the championship by a mere 2 points. The PRO 2 championship finished with Travis Reeder in second place and Matt Vankirk in third place.

“It hasn’t really set in yet and it’s just amazing that I was able to battle to the first position and win the championship by 2 points. I never thought this would happen, ” said Kevin Lawrence, winner of PRO 2: Texas and the 2017 PRO 2 champion. “I want to thank everyone on board from Enjuku Racing, Hankook Tire, BC Racing, Competition Clutch, Vibrant Performance, Konig wheels and everyone that has been part of the team over the years I really couldn’t have done it without any of them.”

Formula DRIFT continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14, 2017. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Formula DRIFT PRO 2: Texas Results

1. Lawrence, Kevin

Winner

2. Jaeger, Ola

2nd Place

3. Sexsmith, Riley

3rd Place

4. Robbins, Alec

4th Place

5. Hately, Andy

5th Place

6. Gyorgy, Szilveszter

6th Place

7. Meeks, Austin

7th Place

8. Waters, Randall

8th Place

9. Beechum, Trenton

9th Place

10. Reeder, Travis

10th Place

11. Vankirk, Matt

11th Place

12. Robinson, Josh

12th Place

13. George, Danny

13th Place

14. Schmidt, Brandon

14th Place

15. Kiriakopoulos, George

15th Place

16. Brockway, Donovan

16th Place

Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Championship Final Standings

1. Lawrence, Kevin

Champion

2. Reeder, Travis

2nd Place

3. Vankirk, Matt

3rd Place