EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, July 19, 2024
Location: World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL
Event: Formula DRIFT Link ECU PROSPEC Championship Round 3

RESULTS FROM FD PROSPEC ROUND 3

1. Connor O’Sullivan (USA) – O’Sully Racing / RTS E46 BMW
2. Austin Matta (USA) – Austin Matta Motorsports Nissan S14
3. Tommy Lemaire (Canada) – XPN Carbon-Kevlar Nissan S14.9

 

NOTES

• The Top 32 competition heats began in warm 80˚ weather, with the Top 16 starting after dark and continuing through the night until a winner was crowned
• The track at World Wide Technology Raceway had been changed, adding additional barriers to protect the infield
• All FD PROSPEC teams run GT Radial spec tires and Link ECU engine management
• O’Sullivan claimed his second ever Formula DRIFT victory, repeating his performance at Round 2. The win moved him to the top of the Link ECU PROSPEC Championship table with a narrow two-point lead over Lemaire who placed third on the night
• Everything will be on the line at the Final Round in Utah and we’re expecting a tight battle at the top. And with 100 points awarded for a win, technically six drivers still have a chance at the title. However, O’Sullivan and Lemaire have a healthy points advantage over the rest of the field and will be favorites going into Round 4
• Matta’s second place reflects a return to form, repeating his last podium visit in 2021 where he finished second in New Jersey, finishing the season in fifth
• Matta requested a five-minute Competition Time Out moments before the Final because he was experiencing engine problems. Unable to rectify an O2 sensor issue in the time available, Matta retired after the first run to save his engine. The result bumped him from ninth to third overall
• Fourth place was claimed by Justin Chesnutt (USA) driving the After Hours Autosports E82 BMW. The result represented his first time beyond the Top 32 competition heats and his best result to date. The 2023 Rookie finished his first year in 37th and was languishing in 30th prior to tonight. The result moved him to eighth overall
• Nate Chen (USA) occupied third in PROSPEC prior to the St Louis round. However, he was was knocked out of the Top 16 by Rudy Hansen (USA) but remains in contention in equal-third place

4. Another Top 16 casualty was Amanda Sorensen (USA) driving the US Air Force / Sorensen Motorsports BMW. She was eliminated by Margaritis Katsanidis (Greece) and was unable to repeat the first ever podium visit by a female driver in FD history after she claimed second in Round 2. She remains seventh overall but outside Championship contention

• Leading Rookie was Nik Jimenez (USA) driving the Jimenez Racing Nissan Z. He placed 14th on the night and moved from 18th to 16th overall, replacing Luis Lanz (Venezuela) as the top Rookie driver in the 2024 PROSPEC Championship
• The Final Round of the Formula DRIFT Link ECU PROSPEC Championship will take place at Utah Motorsports Campus in Grantsville, UT on August 29-31. Round 7 of the PRO Championship also takes place that weekend. Fans can enjoy the action in person or via the series livestream at youtube.com/Formuladrift

ROUND 3 FD PROSPEC TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Connor O´Sullivan	100
2	Austin Matta	84
3	Tommy Lemaire	70
4	Justin Chesnutt	70
5	Cody Buchanan	56
6	Margaritis Katsanidis	56
7	Rudy Hansen	56
8	Trevor Root	56
9	Amanda Sorensen	42
10	Nate Chen	42
11	Shawn Illingworth	42
12	Cory Talaska	42
13	Jayden Martorana	42
14	Nik Jimenez	42
15	Geoff Donati	42
16	Cole Richards	42

 

FD PROSPEC TOP 16 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Connor O´Sullivan	242
2	Tommy Lemaire	240
3	Austin Matta	168
4	Cody Buchanan	168
5	Nate Chen	168
6	Joshua Love	154
7	Amanda Sorensen	140
8	Justin Chesnutt	126
9	Jayden Martorana	126
10	Cole Richards	126
11	Kelsey Rowlings	126
12	Alex Jagger	126
13	Rudy Hansen	112
14	Shawn Illingworth	112
15	Cory Talaska	112
16	Nik Jimenez	112