Category: Press Releases

Formula DRIFT Raises Over $20,000 for Natural Disaster Relief

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Raises Over $20,000 for Natural Disaster Relief

ebay-charity-logo

Long Beach, Calif. – October 23, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras has raised over $20,000 to aid the natural disaster relief efforts.

A group of volunteers comprised of Formula DRIFT staff members, sponsors, and teams / drivers came together to organize and create a campaign via eBay Charity to raise money and awareness for three charity organizations: Americares, All Hands Volunteers, and Direct Relief. Casidi Tanaka-Fixmer of Formula DRIFT, Jessica Luo of STR Racing, and Michelle Forsberg, wife of 3-time champion, Chris Forsberg lead the planning and execution to help make this a success. Through the course of 7 days, special memorabilia and other items including an all-expense paid trip the Formula DRIFT season kick-off in Long Beach in April, were donated for the special auction that ended last weekend during the Formula DRIFT Finals.

“In light of the various natural disasters that have taken place, every little bit helps, and we are grateful for all of the fans, teams, and sponsors that have come together to help raise this donation,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “Our hearts go out to the many families, friends, and fans that have been affected by these circumstances.”

Formula DRIFT Round 8: O’Reilly Auto Parts “Title Fight” Results

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Round 8: O’Reilly Auto Parts “Title Fight” Results;

Piotr Wiecek Takes the Event Victory and James Deane is Crowned Champion

FD-RD8-Podium

FD-Champ

Long Beach, Calif. – October 14, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Irwindale Speedway for Round 8: O’Reilly Auto Parts “Title Fight”. Piotr Wiecek in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan 240 takes home his first Formula DRIFT victory and clinches Rookie of the Year honors, while his teammate James Deane in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan 240 clinches his first Formula DRIFT Championship.

Deane completed an impressive season with four event victories and a third place finish at tonight’s finale to secure the championship. His sponsor Falken Tire swept the podium and won the Tire Manufacturer championship for their second consecutive time. Toyota wins their fourth consecutive Manufacturer championship.

“It’s been such an intense weekend at the biggest event I’ve ever competed in with the championship on the line at one of the craziest tracks I’ve ever driven,” said James Deane, 2017 Formula DRIFT champion. “It is also my birthday today so there was just so many emotions and with so many fans coming in from Ireland and Poland, I just wanted to put on a good show. It’s just been a dream season.”

The sold out crowd came for one last Formula DRIFT finale at Irwindale Speedway, which is often referred as the birthplace of US drifting. The Livestream drew over 1 millionviews over the course of the event.

“This was an incredible season that saw the rise of two exceptional international drivers. It’s a testament of the talent in the Series having the best drifters in the world choosing Formula DRIFT to compete,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “We look forward to our 15th season and have some exciting things planned for next year.”

In the Top 4, Vaughn Gittin in the Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR faced off against Daijiro Yoshihara in the Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ. In his chase run, Gittin made contact with the wall giving the win to Yoshihara to move him into the Finals. While in the Great 8, Deane and Aurimas Bakchis, made contact, which Bakchis was deemed at fault. Deane failed to get his car fixed in the allotted time giving his Worthouse teammate the win to put him into the Finals. In the Finals, Yoshihara and Wiecek had a very close battle, but the speed and proximity of Wiecek was too much to overcome. Wiecek takes his first Formula DRIFT victory and secured his Rookie of the Year honors

“I feel amazing,” said Piotr Wiecek, winner of Round 8: Title Fight. “It’s such a great atmosphere and such a great sport. I’d like to thank my whole crew and teammate James. What an unbelievable season.”

For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Round 8: O’Reilly Auto Parts “Title Fight”

1. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

Winner

2. Yoshihara, Dai

Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ

2nd Place

3. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

3rd Place

4. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

4th Place

5. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

5th Place

6. Pawlak, Justin

Roush Performance Ford Mustang

6th Place

7. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

7th Place

8. Heilbrunn, Alec

Monster BMW E46

8th Place

9. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

9th Place

10. Forsberg, Chris

NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z

10th Place

11. Essa, Michael

Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46

11th Place

12. Field, Matt

Falken Tire / Vapetasia / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

12th Place

13. Hohnadell, Alec

Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240

13th Place

14. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E92

14th Place

15. Gushi, Ken

GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire Toyota 86

15th Place

16. Castro, Jhonnattan

Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Final Standings

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

651.00 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

538.00 Points

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

418.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Final Standings

1. Toyota

923.00 Points

2. Ford

751.00 Points

3. BMW

367.00 Points

4. Dodge

311.00 Points

4. Nissan

294.00 Points

6. Infiniti

174.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Final Standings

1. Falken

1255.00 Points

2. Nexen

979.00 Points

3. Achilles

877.00 Points

4. Nitto

781.00 Points

5. Hankook

705.00 Points

Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results;

James Deane Increases His Chances for a Championship with the Win

FD-RD7-Final-600

FD-RD7-Podium-600

Long Beach, Calif. – September 9, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Texas Motor Speedway for Round 7: AutoZone Showdown. James Deane in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan S15 had a perfect weekend as the number one qualifier and with his second consecutive event victory.

Irish driver James Deane has tied a Formula DRIFT record with his fourth event victory in a single season to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings with only one event remaining. The capacity crowd was entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the event.

“This was quite the weekend here in Texas,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “With so much on the line, it made for an intense competition that I hope the fans enjoyed.”

In the Top 4, number one qualifier and current points leader, James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 faced off against former champion and second in points, Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM. Deane was able to edge past his opponent to move into the Finals. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Nissan 370Z faced Aurimas Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240. A mistake by Bakchis on his chase run gave Forsberg the win. In the Finals, Deane’s consistent driving proved to be too much as Forsberg fell back and took a shallow line on his chase run, which ultimately lead to his win and a considerable lead heading into the Finals.

“I’ve drifted plenty of tracks in my time, but I’ve never drifted coming out of the first corner with a straight so long where you’re sitting behind the lead car just filled with smoke,” said James Deane, winner of Round 7: Showdown. “It worked out for me this time. I’m just super happy for everyone that supports me and everyone back home.”

The action continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14 at Irwindale Speedway. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Round 7: Showdown Results

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

Winner

2. Forsberg, Chris

NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z

2nd Place

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

3rd Place

4. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

4th Place

5. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

5th Place

6. Yoshihara, Dai

Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ

6th Place

7. Gushi, Ken

GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire Toyota 86

7th Place

8. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

8th Place

9. Coffman, Matt

Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240

9th Place

10. Tuerck, Ryan

Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86

10th Place

11. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15

11th Place

12. Essa, Michael

Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46

12th Place

13. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

13th Place

14. Pawlak, Justin

Roush Performance Ford Mustang

14th Place

15. Hohnadell, Alec

Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240

15th Place

16. Castro, Jhonnattan

Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 7 Events

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

582.00 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

486.00 Points

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

367.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 7 Events

1. Toyota

837.00 Points

2. Ford

632.00 Points

3. BMW

331.00 Points

4. Dodge

275.00 Points

4. Nissan

275.00 Points

6. Infiniti

156.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 7 Events

1. Falken

1065.00 Points

2. Nexen

892.00 Points

3. Achilles

807.00 Points

4. Nitto

664.00 Points

5. Hankook

645.00 Points

Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results;

Kevin Lawrence Does the Impossible to Win the Event and the Championship

FD-PRO2-Champion-600w

FD-PRO2-Lawrence-600w

FD-PRO2-Texas-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – September 8, 2017 – The Formula DRIFT PRO 2 season came to a dramatic conclusion at Texas Motor Speedway. Florida native Kevin Lawrence in the Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240 defies the odds and wins the event and the PRO 2 Championship.

PRO 2 returned to Texas Motor Speedway for the final event of the season. Fans witnessed the biggest comeback in Formula DRIFT PRO 2 history as Kevin Lawrence entered the event in 5th place overall with an 81 point deficit to win the event and ultimately the championship.

“What a way to end the PRO 2 season,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. ”In what was the largest comeback in PRO 2 history, Kevin Lawrence did the impossible, and ended the season in dramatic and exciting fashion.”

The championship was up for grabs when the top 4 drivers failed to move past the Top 16 bracket giving a small mathematical chance to Lawrence. In the semi-finals, Norwegian driver, Ola Jaeger in the Japan Auto Toyota Supra faced Alec Robbins in the KoruWorks Nissan 350Z. In the second run of their battle, Robbins went off line to give the win and his first podium to Jaeger. In the second semi-final battle, Lawrence met Riley Sexsmith piloting a Subaru BRZ. Sexsmith made a major mistake by going off-course on the first run to give Lawrence the advantage and eventual win to move him into the Finals to meet Jaeger. Sexsmith finished the event in third place. In the Finals, both drivers made mistakes in the first battle in which the judges called a “One more time.” In the second run of the battle, Jaeger fell dramatically behind creating a large gap that proved to be his downfall, which gave Lawrence the event victory and the championship by a mere 2 points. The PRO 2 championship finished with Travis Reeder in second place and Matt Vankirk in third place.

“It hasn’t really set in yet and it’s just amazing that I was able to battle to the first position and win the championship by 2 points. I never thought this would happen, ” said Kevin Lawrence, winner of PRO 2: Texas and the 2017 PRO 2 champion. “I want to thank everyone on board from Enjuku Racing, Hankook Tire, BC Racing, Competition Clutch, Vibrant Performance, Konig wheels and everyone that has been part of the team over the years I really couldn’t have done it without any of them.”

Formula DRIFT continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14, 2017. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.

Formula DRIFT PRO 2: Texas Results

1. Lawrence, Kevin

Winner

2. Jaeger, Ola

2nd Place

3. Sexsmith, Riley

3rd Place

4. Robbins, Alec

4th Place

5. Hately, Andy

5th Place

6. Gyorgy, Szilveszter

6th Place

7. Meeks, Austin

7th Place

8. Waters, Randall

8th Place

9. Beechum, Trenton

9th Place

10. Reeder, Travis

10th Place

11. Vankirk, Matt

11th Place

12. Robinson, Josh

12th Place

13. George, Danny

13th Place

14. Schmidt, Brandon

14th Place

15. Kiriakopoulos, George

15th Place

16. Brockway, Donovan

16th Place

Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Championship Final Standings

1. Lawrence, Kevin

Champion

2. Reeder, Travis

2nd Place

3. Vankirk, Matt

3rd Place

Formula DRIFT, Irish Drift Championship, and British Drift Championship Form Strategic Alliance

News

Posted on

Formula DRIFT, Irish Drift Championship, and British Drift Championship Form Strategic Alliance

BlackMagic-Horizontal

Long Beach, Calif. – August 8, 2017 – Formula DRIFT has aligned with the Irish Drift Championship (IDC) and British Drift Championship (BDC) to form a strategic alliance to develop the future rules and regulations for drifting.

“Drifting, by it’s very nature, has always been geographically segregated and this, in my opinion, naturally restricts global progression,” stated David Egan, CEO, Zigen Promotions – Irish & British Drift Championship.  “Those in a position of influence generally work independently, without the additional knowledge gained by fellow organizations. I believe this strategic partnership with Formula Drift opens a positive channel to which we can combine resources and experience, with the betterment of the sport being the prime objective.  I think the correct time has come to work together for what has always been a common goal: making the sport of professional drifting as successful as possible for all involved.”

The two of the most reputable and longest running drifting organizers have come together to forge a closer relationship to work hand in hand in an effort to improve the sport.  As part of the new relationship, IDC and BDC champions will receive Black Magic Formula DRIFT Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras Pro licenses, while the #2 to #8 ranked drivers from IDC and BDC will receive a Formula DRIFT Pro2 Championship license beginning in the 2018.

“We have had long time ties to Europe via various European drivers that have come into the Series,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT.  “There is no better time to deepen these ties to ensure the future of our sport.”

“Professional drifting has witnessed a dramatic increase in global popularity and professionalism within recent years and I feel that much of this success can be credited to the ambitious and methodical approach of the Formula Drift championship,” stated David Egan, CEO, Zigen Promotions – Irish & British Drift Championship.  “While we at the Irish and British Drift Championships have certainly forged our own paths and enjoyed numerous successes, we have looked to Formula Drift (as a world leader) for inspiration from afar.”

For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.