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Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale, Monday, July 27th

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Formula DRIFT Round 7: Title Fight Tickets On-Sale, Monday, July 27th;
2015 Season Finale to be Held at Irwindale Speedway on October 9-10

Long Beach, Calif. – July 23, 2015 – Tickets for the final event of the 2015 Formula DRIFT Championship season go on sale, Monday, July 27. Round 7: Title Fight on October 9-10, 2015 will be held at Irwindale Speedway. VIP Experience ticket options are available.

The 2015 Formula DRIFT season will come to a close on October 9-10, 2015 at Irwindale Speedway, which may be the last event for the series at the “House of Drift,” as the venue may undergo demolition. For the past five seasons the event has sold out and early purchase is highly recommended. Tickets will go on sale Monday and will be available on www.formuladrift.com.

Reserved tickets are available in the main grandstand and trackside grandstand for Friday, Saturday, and Two-Day. New for this season is the option to purchase a Friday only ticket, which will accommodate more fans over the two days of action. VIP Experience tickets are also available and include a reserved seat ticket in either the main grandstand or trackside grandstand, VIP track walk during Saturday’sopening ceremonies, priority line for the driver autograph session held on Friday, express entrance and a collector’s edition credential. Additionally, the main grandstand sky box VIP suite is available to a limited 24 people that will include a seat in the sky box, food and drinks for both Friday and Saturday and the benefits of the VIP Experience.

“Irwindale Speedway has been the season finale since season one and has always been the biggest and most exciting competition all year” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “To ensure that fans do not miss out on the action and reserve the seat they want, we suggest fans to purchase their tickets early as it has been a sold-out event. The last event of the season has always been a remarkable experience with the chase for the championship coming to an end and a champion being crowned.”

Ticketing options include the following:

Main Grandstand Reserved Seating
– Friday Only Ticket
– Saturday Only Ticket
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located in the main grandstand

VIP Experience Main Grandstand Reserved Seating
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located in the main grandstand, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

Trackside Reserved Grandstand
– Saturday Only Ticket
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located on in-field of track, private bathrooms and concessions

VIP Experience Trackside Reserved Grandstand
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes assigned / reserved seat located on in-field of track, private bathrooms and concessions, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

2-Day Skybox VIP Suite (limited to 24)
– Two-Day Ticket
– Includes sky box seat in air-conditioned sky box above main grandstand, private bathroom, buffet dinner and drinks (Friday andSaturday), Driftstream live feed inside sky box, VIP track walk during opening ceremonies, priority line for autograph signing (Friday), express entrance and collector’s edition credential.

The championship chase continues into Round 5: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway this weekend, July 24–25, 2015. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. For more information about the Irwindale Event Center visit: www.irwindaleeventcenter.com.

Formula DRIFT World Championship: Japan Round Results

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Formula DRIFT World Championship: Japan Round Results;
Masato Kawabata Wins at Fuji International Speedway

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Long Beach, Calif. – July 13, 2015 – Formula DRIFT Japan presented by G-Shock entered Fuji International Speedway for the 5th Round of the inaugural Formula DRIFT World Championship. Masato Kawabata in the Team Toyo Tires Drift/Trust Racing Nissan 35RX GTR takes the event victory and Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis leads the Formula Drift World Championship with a second place finish.

Formula DRIFT Japan at Fuji Speedway was the first world championship round outside of the U.S. The break in the rainy weather treated fans to a great display of international drifting competition as 63 drivers from 8 nations battled to be at the top of the podium. Almost 300,000 Livestream viewers joined the action and tuned in from around the world.

“Last November we took a bold step to launch the Formula DRIFT World Championship and this round officially kicks off which drivers will be eligible,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “Japan is the birthplace of drifting and it’s fitting to start the first international round where it all started.”

The event was challenging as many drivers who have never competed against each other matched up for the first time on this seemingly simple but very technical course. The semi-finals pitted Tadahiro Fukada in his RC-ART Dreamteam with Falken Toyota Mark II against Aurimas Bakchis in his ARK Performance / Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Hyundai Genesis Coupe with Bakchis edging out Fukada to head into the finals. Number 1 qualifier Masato Kawabata in his Team Toyo Tire Drift / Trust Racing Nissan 35RX GTR defeated Masao Suenaga in his RE Amemiya Mazda RX-7 to face Bakchis in the finals. The final head-to-head battle between Bakchis and Kawabata came to an early end as Bakchis’s motor gave on the second run and was not able to maintain drift. This gave Kawabata his perfect weekend by qualifying 1st and winning the competition.

“It felt really good to compete and be successful against foreign drivers that I have never driven against before,” stated Masato Kawabata, winner for Formula DRIFT Japan. “I was provided with a great car that did not have any troubles all weekend and drove comfortably. I would love to compete more internationally. The world be ready, I am coming.”

The 2015 Formula DRIFT season will continue to Round 5: Throwdown on July 24-25, 2015 at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

 

Formula DRIFT Japan: Fuji International Speedway Event Results
1. Kawabata, Masato Team Toyo Tires Drift / Trust Racing Nissan 35RX GTR Winner
2. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” ARK Performance / Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2nd Place
3. Fukada, Tadahiro RC-ART Dreamteam with Falken Toyota Mark II 3rd Place
 

2015 Formula DRIFT World Championship Standings After One Round
1. Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis ARK Performance / Feal Suspension / Nitto Tire Hyundai Genesis Coup 358.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric RS-R Japan / Toyota GT86 NZ6 320.00 Points
3. Field, Matt Drift Cave Motorsports / Toyota Chaser JZX100 210.00 Points
4. Yokoi, Masashi D-MAX Racing with Yokohama / Nissan Silvia S15 187.00 Points
5. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting / Achilles Motorsports / Nissan 180SX S13 153.00 Points
6. Saito, Daigo Fat Five Racing / Lexus SC430 139.00 Points
7. Nishida, Robbie Team FNATZ x LB Works with ATR Radial / Nissan Skyline GTR 125.00 Points
8. Ng, Charles SoGun Motorsports / Mitsubishi Evo 122.00 Points
9. Whiddett, Mike Team Magic / Mazda RX7 FD3S 72.00 Points