EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, May 13, 2023
Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 2: TYPE S Road to the Championship presented by AutoZone
RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 2
1. Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) – Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2. Chris Forsberg (USA) – NOS Energy Drink / GT Radial Nissan Z
3. Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15
NOTES
- Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta has been part of the Formula DRIFT series since 2004 and is part of the 20th Anniversary celebrations
- Vaughn Gittin Jr and Chris Forsberg competed in the Final of the very first Formula DRIFT PRO event, which took place at Road Atlanta. Forsberg won
- In 2023, fate reunited both drivers in the Final and Gittin Jr won, crowning a perfect weekend after qualifying in first place
- Gittin Jr is only competing in four rounds this season, so can’t mount a title challenge but could certainly disrupt the front runners
- As one of three three-time Formula DRIFT PRO Champions in the series, Forsberg remains one of the most successful drivers in the sport and sits third in the Championship table after Round 2
- Third place Bakchis qualified third, rounding out a solid weekend
- Kristaps Bluss (Latvia) finished fourth in the HGK E92 BMW Eurofighter. Returning to the series, he last competed in 2018 and won his first PRO event at Road Atlanta the same year
- Three-time Champion Fredric Aasbo (Norway) was knocked out of the Top 16 by three-time Champion James Deane (Ireland), who himself was eliminated from the Great 8 by Forsberg.
- Championship leader Matt Field (USA) was eliminated from the Great 8 by Gittin Jr but once the smoke had dispersed, Field continued to lead the 2023 FD PRO Championship by a healthy 40-point margin
- Top Rookie was again Diego Higa (Brazil) who placed 17th in his Toyota GT86, placing him 24th in the Championship
- After the second round, Ford now leads the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Auto Cup and GT Radial heads the Tire Cup
ROUND 2 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Vaughn Gittin Jr | 103 |
| 2 | Chris Forsberg | 88 |
| 3 | Aurimas Bakchis | 77 |
| 4 | Kristaps Bluss | 64 |
| 5 | Dylan Hughes | 48 |
| 6 | Matt Field | 48 |
| 7 | James Deane | 48 |
| 8 | Darren Kelly | 48 |
| 9 | Forrest Wang | 34 |
| 10 | Fredric Aasbo | 32 |
| 11 | Jeff Jones | 32 |
| 12 | Chelsea DeNofa | 32 |
| 13 | Alec Robbins | 32 |
| 14 | Dan Stuke | 32 |
| 15 | Jonathan Hurst | 32 |
| 16 | Taylor Hull | 32 |
2023 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Matt Field | 148 |
| 2 | Fredric Aasbo | 108 |
| 3 | Chris Forsberg | 104 |
| 4 | Rome Charpentier | 104 |
| 5 | Vaughn Gittin Jr | 103 |
| 6 | James Deane | 98 |
| 7 | Jonathan Hurst | 96 |
| 8 | Aurimas Bakchis | 93 |
| 9 | Forrest Wang | 82 |
| 10 | Chelsea DeNofa | 81 |
| 11 | Ryan Tuerck | 67 |
| 12 | Dylan Hughes | 64 |
| 13 | Alec Robbins | 64 |
| 14 | Daniel Stuke | 64 |
| 15 | Kristaps Bluss | 64 |
| 16 | Taylor Hull | 64 |
2023 AUTO CUP TOP FIVE STANDINGS
| Ford | 250 |
| Chevrolet | 212 |
| Toyota | 175 |
| Nissan | 104 |
| BMW | 64 |
| Aston Martin | 48 |
2023 TIRE CUP STANDINGS
| GT Radial | 297 |
| Nitto Tire | 278 |
| Vitour Tire | 216 |
| Kenda Tire | 146 |
| Nexen Tire | 96 |
| Federal Tire | 16 |
