As the traditional end to the Formula DRIFT season, the series organizers held their annual Awards ceremony the evening after the thrilling finale at Irwindale Speedway. It gives drivers and teams a chance to honor the top drivers, rookies, fan favorites and the people who play important roles behind the scenes in both the Formula DRIFT PRO and PRO2 categories. Formula DRIFT also wants to thank all the event staff, media and fans for supporting the series throughout the year
Here are the awards for outstanding performances:
2019 FD PRO CATEGORY AWARDS
2019 FORMULA DRIFT BLACK MAGIC PRO CHAMPIONSHIP
1. James Deane – Champion for third consecutive time
2. Fredric Aasbo
3. Odi Bakchis
AUTO MANUFACTURER’S CUP
Toyota wins for a second year in a row
TIRE MANUFACTURER’S CUP
Falken wins again
FAN FAVORITE DRIVER
The public vote went to Matt Field
FAN FAVORITE CAR
The public chose the Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D driven by Vaughn Gittin Jr
TOP QUALIFIER OF THE YEAR
James Deane again had the highest average qualifying position, with an average qualifying position of 3.13
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Won by Travis Reeder – the 2018 Formula DRIFT Link ECU PRO2 Champion finished 16th in the 2019 PRO Category
MOST IMPROVED DRIVER
Based on a comparison of his results from 2018 to 2019, Ryan Litteral won the award by virtue rising 13 places – he finished 32nd in 2018 and reached 19th this year
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Presented to the driver who has the biggest jump from event qualifying to finishing position, the award went to Ryan Tuerck after qualifying 29th at FD Texas and finishing in 8th place – an improvement of 21 places
BEST DRIFTING STYLE
Chelsea Denofa was voted by his peers as the driver with the best drifting/driving style throughout the 2019 season
HARDEST CHARGER
Awarded to Piotr Wiecek for being the driver who put it all out there, on every run, in every battle throughout the 2019 season
SPIRIT OF DRIFTING
Pat Goodin was voted by his peers as the driver who best represented the sport of drifting during 2019 with his tenacity, professionalism and positivity
PERFECT EVENT AWARD
Presented to the driver who qualified first and won the event – for the first time in FD history it went to three recipients: Fredric Aasbo at FD Atlanta, Piotr Wiecek at FD Seattle and James Deane at FD St Louis
SPOTTER OF THE YEAR
Voted for by FD hardcard holders, Renee Burkett from RAD Industries won this accolade for assisting husband Dan at each round
CREW MEMBER OF THE YEAR
Jimmie Cadwell from Chris Forsberg Racing was voted for by FD hardcard holders
CREW CHIEF OF THE YEAR
Also voted for by hardcard holders, the award went to Tony Clark from RTR
TEAM MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Hardcard holders again voted for Stephan Papadakis from Papadakis Racing who also made a significant contribution to Toyota’s first place in the Auto Manufacturer’s Cup
2019 FD PRO2 CATEGORY AWARDS
2019 FORMULA DRIFT LINK ECU PRO2 CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Trenton Beechum – Champion
2. Alec Robbins
3. Garrett Denton
FAN FAVORITE DRIVER
The public voted for Adam LZ
FAN FAVORITE CAR
The public chose the Dustin Miles Garage / Moon Power / Rays / Achilles Tire Nissan 240SX S13 driven by Dustin Miles
TOP QUALIFIER OF THE YEAR
Dalton Gernhart had the best average qualifying score
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Rome Charpentier finished fifth overall in PRO2
MOST IMPROVED OF THE YEAR
Trent Beechum improved 15th places from finishing 16th in 2018 to being crowned PRO2 Champion in 2019
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR
Josh Robinson advanced 14 places at FD Atlanta, qualifying 15th and going on to win the event
NEXT SEASON
The schedule for the 2020 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship and the Formula DRIFT Link ECU Pro 2 Championship will be announced at SEMA 2019 and posted to formulad.com – all media registered for SEMA are invited to attend the press conference.
