DeNofa is the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Champion, Ford wins 2023 Auto Cup, GT Radial takes Tire Cup, and Noback wins Round 8
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Location: Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, CA
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 8: Type S Title Fight
RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 8
1. Nick Noback (USA) – Noback Racing Co E46 BMW by Jerry Yang Racing
2. Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15
3. James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2023 FD PRO CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
1. Chelsea DeNofa (USA) – Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2. Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15
3. Matt Field (USA) – Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette
NOTES
- Returning to Irwindale Speedway, The House of Drift, for the Final Round traditionally brings high drama, and the 20th Anniversary season was no different
- Four drivers arrived with a mathematical chance of winning the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship title. Chelsea DeNofa was the favorite with a comfortable 53 point cushion to Matt Field (USA). The two Norwegians, Simen Olsen and Fredric Aasbo, were 77 and 81 points behind DeNofa, respectively
- The drama began in the Top 32 competition heats when DeNofa was eliminated by a rogue nitrous injection failure. He was joined by Field and Aasbo, who both hit the wall and removed themselves from the contest
- Only Olsen advanced through the Top 32, but would need to win the Final Round to claim the Championship title. So no pressure!
- Olsen was defeated in the Top 16 by three-time FD PRO Champion Chris Forsberg (USA) after a superior chase run by the driver of the NOS Energy Drink / GT Radial Nissan Z
- In that moment, DeNofa was the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Champion following a dominant season for the RTR Motorsports team that saw DeNofa take three wins while teammates Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) and Adam LZ (USA) grabbed one each. The team accounted for five of the eight Round wins
- DeNofa is one of only five one-time FD PRO Champions in the past 20 years. The list of one-hit wonders includes Rhys Millen (New Zealand), Daijiro Yoshihara (Japan), Daigo Saito (Japan), Michael Essa (USA), and now Chelsea DeNofa (USA) who announced his departure from the series earlier this week
- The majority of Champions hold multiple titles, including Samuel Hubinette (Sweden), Tanner Foust (USA), Chris Forsberg (USA), Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA), Fredric Aasbo (Norway) and James Deane (Ireland)
- The only RTR driver not to win a Round was three-time FD PRO Champion Deane. Following a huge crash during Friday practice, Deane managed to qualify sixth but seemed unlikely to compete given his physical condition. However, a Saturday practice run convinced him otherwise and Deane placed third on the night; his birthday. Securing his second podium of the season moved Deane to fifth in the Championship standings
- Amid all the Championship celebrations, Noback quietly set about a perfect weekend – qualifying first and winning Round 8. It was the best result of his short FD career, which began as a PROSPEC Rookie in 2020 before joining the PRO Championship last year. Arriving at Irwindale in 20th position, the win bounced him to 12th overall
- Second place in Round 8 for Bakchis was the icing on an incredible season, which included a Round win in St Louis. The amassed points allowed him to leapfrog Aasbo, teammate Olsen, and Field to claim second in the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship – the best result of his FD career
- While Bakchis enjoyed personal accomplishments, enormous satisfaction must also have come from his success as the leader and manager of Team Feal. Not only did Ben Hobson (USA) win the PROSPEC Championship driving the Pedal Commander / Feal Suspension / Koruworks / Motegi Racing Nissan S14, but Simen Olsen clinched fourth in the PRO Championship in the Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9. Both drivers were new to the team this year and greatly benefitted from the experience of Bakchis
- Papadakis Racing didn’t win a single round in 2023, with both the three-time and reigning FD PRO Champion Aasbo and teammate Ryan Tuerck (USA) failing to take advantage of some impressive qualifying performances. Aasbo achieved three podiums and Tuerck finished fourth on three occasions, including Round 8. Aasbo finished the night in 21st and the season in sixth, while Tuerck was fourth and seventh, respectively
- Field’s early demise dropped him down the table, finishing 22nd on the night and third for the season despite three podiums, which included a Round 1 win
- Both Forsberg and Tuerck were eliminated by Noback. The slower Noback Racing Co E46 BMW by Jerry Yang Racing appeared to surprise them in Outside Zone 1, causing both to hit the wall
- Robert Thorne (USA), the 2022 FD Link ECU PROSPEC Champion, won the 2023 FD PRO Rookie of the Year title in the ASM E46 BMW Sedan Pro Edition. Finishing 12th in Round 8, he placed 20th in the Championship table, 32 points clear of nearest rival, Diego Higa (Brazil)
- GT Radial claimed the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Tire Cup after a close battle with Nitto. Ford won the Auto Cup at the previous round and further extended its lead in Irwindale thanks to RTR Motorsports
ROUND 8 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Nick Noback | 103 |
| 2 | Aurimas Bakchis | 90 |
| 3 | James Deane | 76 |
| 4 | Ryan Tuerck | 64 |
| 5 | Forrest Wang | 48 |
| 6 | Chris Forsberg | 48 |
| 7 | Branden Sorensen | 48 |
| 8 | Kristaps Bluss | 48 |
| 9 | Kenshiro Gushi | 33 |
| 10 | Dylan Hughes | 32 |
| 11 | Simen Olsen | 32 |
| 12 | Robert Thorne | 32 |
| 13 | Kazuya Taguchi | 32 |
| 14 | Jhonnattan Castro | 32 |
| 15 | Vaughn Gittin Jr | 32 |
| 16 | Dean Kearney | 32 |
2023 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Chelsea DeNofa | 480 |
| 2 | Aurimas Bakchis | 445 |
| 3 | Matt Field | 427 |
| 4 | Simen Olsen | 419 |
| 5 | James Deane | 413 |
| 6 | Fredric Aasbo | 399 |
| 7 | Ryan Tuerck | 392 |
| 8 | Chris Forsberg | 360 |
| 9 | Dylan Hughes | 329 |
| 10 | Kazuya Taguchi | 304 |
| 11 | Rome Charpentier | 264 |
| 12 | Nick Noback | 249 |
| 13 | Jhonnattan Castro | 240 |
| 14 | Jonathan Hurst | 224 |
| 15 | Dean Kearney | 209 |
| 16 | Forrest Wang | 194 |
2023 AUTO CUP TOP 5 RESULTS
| Ford | 1048 |
| Toyota | 837 |
| Chevrolet | 619 |
| Nissan | 472 |
| Dodge | 209 |
2023 TIRE CUP RESULTS
| GT Radial | 1275 |
| Nitto Tire | 1249 |
| Vitour Tire | 536 |
| Nexen Tire | 402 |
| Kenda Tire | 386 |
FORMULA DRIFT IRWINDALE RECAP
A recap of all the action from FD IRW will be available on Monday with event images
NEXT SEASON
The 2024 Formula DRIFT PRO and PROSPEC Championship schedule was announced today. Please visit formulad.com for the competition schedule
ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT
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 the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com
WATCH FORMULA DRIFT
The series livestream is available at youtube.com/Formuladrift an
