Formula Drift Asia Round 4 – Okayama, Japan livestream times are 8:30AM – 3:30PM Japan standard time. Friday December 12 6:30PM EST / 3:30PM PST. Visit www.formulad.com/live and the official hashtags for the weekend are #formulad #formuladrift #FDJAPAN
For Immediate Release
November 4, 2014
Formula DRIFT Announces 2015 World Championship Details;
$300,000 Prize Purse Up for Grabs
Long Beach, Calif. – November 4, 2014 – Formula DRIFT has announced the 2015 World Championship schedule. Ten rounds of competition will consist of seven US Pro Championship rounds and three International rounds of competition beginning in March. In addition, drivers will now be competing for a total prize purse of up to $300,000 that will include the championship earnings, per round earnings, and new $100,000 Triple Crown bonus.
Entering its twelfth year of competition, Formula DRIFT will be the first professional drifting series to hold a true world championship. The world championship will consist of seven Pro Championship rounds in the United States and three international rounds of competition. Japan, Canada, and China will host the international events. All ten competition round points earned will go towards the inaugural World Championship.
“After 11 seasons of Formula DRIFT, we are excited to launch the World Championship,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “There is a ton of anticipation to take on this new challenge and raise the global standard for drifting by continuing to grow the Series domestically and internationally. We are here for the long run and thus laying this foundation for the future growth of drifting.”
All current Formula DRIFT Pro licenses holders are eligible to compete and aggregate points toward the World Championship. However, to be eligible to aggregate points toward the overall World Championship, drivers must attend at least one non-domestic US round. Additionally, each individual event round winner plus the top eight drivers in the series following the conclusion of the event in Montreal, Canada will qualify for a vehicle transportation and subsidy to the final round of the overall World Championship in China, where the World Champion will be crowned.
The Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue with seven rounds of competition with a champion to be crowned at the Irwindale event in October. The Pro 2 Series will also continue in 2015 within four of the seven US rounds of competition with events in Orlando, FL, Seattle, WA, Fort Worth, TX, and Irwindale, CA. Each of the ten rounds of the World Championship will be live streamed globally.
Drivers will now compete for a prize purse of up to $300,000 that includes championship, per round, and the new triple crown bonus. The triple crown bonus of $100,000 will be awarded to the driver that can win at three select rounds of competition within the World Championship. These rounds of competition will be announced soon. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift and Twitter @FormulaDrift.
2015 Formula DRIFT World Championship Schedule
April 10-11, 2015 Streets of Long Beach, USA World / Pro
April 17-19, 2015 Streets of Long Beach, USA Invitational Event
May 8-9, 2015 Road Atlanta, USA World / Pro
June 5-6, 2015 Orlando Speedworld, USA World / Pro / Pro2
June 26-27, 2015 Wall Stadium, USA World / Pro
July 11-12, 2015 Fuji Speedway, JAPAN World
July 24-25, 2015 Evergreen Speedway, USA World / Pro / Pro2
August 21-22, 2015 Texas Motor Speedway, USA World / Pro / Pro2
September 6-7, 2015 Autodrome St. Eustache, CANADA World
October 9-10, 2015 Irwindale Speedway, USA World / Pro / Pro2
November, 2015 CHINA World
*schedule subject to change
ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT
Entering its twelfth season, 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 each driver’s driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for professional drifters to compete nationwide for the coveted Formula DRIFT Championship crown. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the world-wide leader for the Sport. For a competition schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.
Formula DRIFT Asia Championship, Round 3, Sydney Motorsports Park Results;
Australian Levi Clarke Takes Competition Victory in an all Australian Finals
Long Beach, Calif. – October 22, 2014 – Formula DRIFT Asia Championship returned to Australia by making a stop at Sydney Motorsports Park for the first time as part of the World Time Attack Challenge weekend. Australian Levi Clarke in the Exedy Drift Team Nissan Silvia S15 takes the win.
The HiTec Oil Formula DRIFT Australia presented by Achilles Tire was the third stop in the seven year old Formula DRIFT Asia Championship. The Series returns to Australia by bringing the sport to a new venue, Sydney Motorsports Park, as part of the World Time Attack Challenge weekend. The South Circuit section that was used provided an unique and challenging, almost hill climb like, all uphill drift course. This 3-day event was an international spectacle with drivers from all over the world.
The Semi-Finals / Top 4 paired up Norwegian Aasbo against Australian Levi Clarke and New Zealander Whiter against Australian Nic Coulson. Aasbo had to forfeit to Clarke after one run due to mechanical issues and Coulson topped Whiter setting up an all Australian final. In the Finals, neither driver let up and drove aggressively but cleanly. At the end, top Australian drifter Levi Clarke stood on top of the podium to be the first Australian win to any Formula DRIFT competition.
“It’s good to be on top at Formula DRIFT,” said Levi Clarke, winner of Formula DRIFT Asia Championship, Round 3. “We had some great battles with Fredric Aasbo and the rest of the drivers.”
Formula DRIFT Round 4 | Sydney Motorsports Park | Competition Results:
1. Clarke, Levi (AUS) Exedy Drift Team / Nissan S15 Winner
2. Coulson, Nic (AUS) Team Xforce Performance Exhaust / Holden Commodore Ute 2nd Place
3. Aasbo, Fredric (NOR) RS-R / Toyota FT-86 3rd Place
– 2nd Place: Geoff Stoneback
– 3rd Place: Jeremy Lowe
– PRO2 Comeback of the Year (how you qualifying to how you finish; biggest jump): Jeremy Lowe – 14th to finish 4th at Round 1: Miami Heat
– PRO2 Top Qualifier of the Year (highest qualifying percentage): Dan Savage – Average qualification of 3rd
– PRO2 Ace of the Year (most head to head wins): TIED Geoff Stoneback & Dan Savage – 8 wins in 11 matches
– PRO2 Top Gun Driver of the Year (highest head to head win percentage): Brandon Wicknick – 85.71%, 6 wins in 7 matches
2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Voted on by peers)
– Best Drifting Style: Forrest Wang
– Best Personal Style: Ryan Tuerck
– Crew Member of the Year: Brian Wilkerson
– Team Manager of the Year: Stephen Papadakis
– Spirit of Drifting: Forrest Wang
– Hardest Charging Driver of the Year: Chelsea DeNofa
2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Voted on by almost 10,000 fans)
– Fan Favorite Driver of the Year: Fredric Aasbo
– Fan Favorite Car of the Year: Forrest Wang
2014 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP (Points/Stats based):
– Comeback of the Year (qualifying rank to finishing position; biggest jump): Daigo Saito – Qualified 29th to 1st Place Win at Round 7: Final Fight
– Most Improved Driver of the Year (2013 ranking to 2014 ranking): Dean Kearney – 29th in 2013 to 8th in 2014
– Top Qualifier of the Year (highest qualifying percentage): Chris Forsberg – 3.7 average
– Ace of the Year (most head to head wins): Fredric Aasbo – 25 wins of 30 matches
– Top Gun Driver of the Year (highest head to head win percentage): Fredric Aasbo – 83%
– Rookie of the Year: Geoff Stoneback
TIRE MANUFACTURER CHAMPION: Hankook – 2nd year
AUTO MANUFACTURER CHAMPION: Scion
TURBO BY GARRETT TURBOLIFE CUP: Forrest Wang – $3,000
EXEDY CLUTCH CONTINGENCY: $10,780 Vaughn Gittin Jr. / $4,620 Kyle Mohan
Newly Licensed via PRO2 Series
1. Dan Savage (286.5 points)
2. Geoff Stoneback (281 points)
3. Jeremy Lowe (259 points)
4. Jeff Jones (246 points)
5. James Evans (226 points)
6. Nate Hamilton (220 points)
7. Matt Coffman (182 points)
8. Brandon Wicknick (173 points)
PRO Drivers who retained PRO License
1. Chris Forsberg (561.5 points)
2. Fredric Aasbo (550 points)
3. Vaughn Gittin Jr. (393 points)
4. Aurimas ‘Odi’ Bakchis (364.5 points)
5. Forrest Wang (331.5 points)
6. Kenneth Moen (310.5 points)
7. Darren McNamara (298 points)
8. Dean Kearney (287 points)
9. Justin Pawlak (277 points)
10. Conrad Grunewald (262.5 points)
11. Robbie Nishida (261 points)
12. Ryan Tuerck (235 points)
13. Ken Gushi (227.5 points)
14. Daigo Saito (224 points)
15. Matt Field (221.5 points)
16. Michael Essa (218.5 points)
17. Tyler McQuarrie (209 points)
18. Daijiro Yoshihara (197 points)
19. Kyle Mohan (176.5 points)
20. Patrick Goodin (176.5 points)
21. Chelsea DeNofa (172.5 points)
22. Charles Ng (154.5 points)
23. Jhonnattan Castro (143 points)
24. Geoff Stoneback (137 points)
25. Joon Maeng (134 points)
26. Marc Landreville (103.5 points)
27. Mats Baribeau (102 points)
28. Ryan Kado (87.5 points)
29. Dave Briggs (86 points)
30. Patrick Mordaunt (86 points)
31. Alec Hohnadell (71.5 points)
32. Jeff Jones (70 points)
