EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Location: Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 1: AutoZone Streets of Long Beach presented by TYPE S

RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 1
1.   Matt Field (USA) – Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette
2.   Rome Charpentier (USA) – Garagistic / Vitour Tire BMW E36
3.   Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
 

NOTES

• After qualifying 27th for the the opening round of the 2023 Formula DRIFT Championship, Matt Field had to win the hard way in his Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette
• Field’s first battle was against three-time FD PRO Champion Chris Forsberg (USA), which went to One More Time (OMT), requiring both runs to be repeated befreo Field took the win
• Field then had a minor collision with Dean Kearney (Ireland) in the Top 16, and an epic battle with Chelsea DeNofa (USA) in the Top 8, which saw the RTR Motorsports driver slide into the tire wall
• In the Top 4 heat, Field clouted the wall at Outside Zone 1 (OZ1) while chasing reigning FD PRO Champion Fredric Aasbo (Norway). Aasbo had slowed to regain control after tapping the wall himself, forcing Field to take evasive action
• The Drift Cave team had reinforced the Corvette after a bigger incident with Aasbo last year. As a result, they were able to repair the car, defeat Aasbo, and reach the Final where Field beat Charpentier
• FD Long Beach was Charpentier’s second trip to the FD PRO podium after finishing second in New Jersey in 2022
• To claim his podium, Charpentier beat a returning Forrest Wang (USA) in the Top 8 and an on-form Jonathan Hurst (USA) in the Top 4 to earn his place against Field in the Final
• Charpentier’s result was the first podium at the first FD PRO competition for Vitour Tire, which joined the Championship as an Offical Tire Supplier a few weeks earlier
• After struggling to place his Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra during practice and qualifying, Aasbo found his rhythm and advanced to the Top 4. And while his miscalculation caused Field’s damage, the Norwegian claimed third overall thanks to qualifying higher than Jonathan Hurst (USA) in the Cash Racing BMW E46 who placed fourth
• Hurst reached the Top 4 after beating number one qualifier Ryan Tuerck (USA). The driver of the Rain-X / Nitto Tire / Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Corolla had a small collision with Hurst at Inside Clip 1, putting him out of contention
• Returning three-time FD PRO Champion James Deane (Ireland) reached the Top 8 in his right-hand drive AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD but was eliminated by Aasbo. The Norwegian three-time Champion put the Irish three-time Champion under tremendous pressure, and a wall hit in OZ1 by Deane was enough to tip the judges’ decision in his favor
• Top Rookie was Diego Higa (Brazil) who placed 22nd in his Toyota GT86
• After the first round, Chevrolet leads the 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO Auto Cup and new boys Vitour Tire head the Tire Cup

ROUND 1 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

 
2023 AUTO CUP TOP FIVE STANDINGS

2023 TIRE CUP STANDINGS