Formula Drift: Streets of Long Beach 2016 Formula Drift’s 2016 season is underway as drivers and spectators make their way to Long Beach for Round 1. Day 1 of The Streets of Long Beach started off slow due to the rain, but that didn’t stop didn’t stop fans from having a good time. The atmosphere of Formula drift was energetic as fixed up cars, popular vendors, tasty food trucks, and attractive models filled up the place. The Vertex RC booth built a track for their rc cars to drift on, fans were quite amused. Scion ending up getting a whole lot for themselves to showcase their cars.
The rain was falling harder which forced the drivers to go back to their tents. Fans took this time to take pictures and get autographs from their favorite drivers. Track conditions forced Formula Drift to cancel qualifying and would go by last year’s standings. The rain stopped for a few hours and gave drivers the opportunity to get a few practice runs in. Many of the drivers had some good runs while others were having mechanical problems. Scion Racing Drivers Fredric Aasbo and Ryan Tuerck were limited to only a couple runs since both cars had engine failure. Their teams worked very fast swapping new motors into their cars just in time for the Top 32. BMW drivers Chelsea Denofa and rookie Alex Heilbrunn were definitely the ones to watch coming into the Top 32 as they were killing the wet track with killer lines and style. Fans were filling in early for day 2 of Formula Drift Long Beach. Everyone was here to see who was going to be crowned the winner. Rain or shine, the fans came to see some drifting.
The rain let up towards the round of 16, giving the fans one of the best Formula Drift events ever. Each battle was very close, drivers staying really close to each other and aweing the crowd with style and smoke. Underdog Chelsea Denofa stole the spotlight in his BC Racing BMW E46, climbing up the brackets beating out Formula Drift’s finest. Denofa was earning his right as the fan favorite of the day beating out Stoneback, Forsberg, Gittin Jr., and Gushi to face Aasbo in the Final. The final fight between Aasbo and Denofa was extremely intense. Both drivers were putting on a show as they were riding each other out until the finish. Denofa ending up beating the reigning champ Aasbo. This was Denofa’s first podium finish in his 6 seasons being in Formula Drift and he ended up getting first. Ken Gushi ended up taking third and Fredric Aasbo took second giving Scion Racing 2 drivers on the podium. Denofa was very humble claiming he has no big sponsors and was glad that there were no major wrecks or failures during the event. Chelsea Denofa starts his season with a bang, heading to Road Atlanta with full force. Clinton Lum, Edwin Camanag, Gary Phung, Larry Gamboa and Joel Bonifacio were there to capture the action. For more information visit: formulad.com
