Watch Nitto’s sponsored teams drift in downtown Long Beach at the 2010 Formula Drift season opener. See Joon Maeng of Bergenholtz Racing and his Mazda RX-8; Michael Essa and his brand-new BMW 350R; grassroots racer, Matt Powers, and his Nissan S14, and Alex Pfeiffer of Tanaka Racing and his C5 Corvette. All four teams tear it up with Nitto’s max-performance tire, the NT05.
Formula DRIFT 2010 Round 2: Road to the Championship Results
Daijiro Yoshihara Takes the Victory and the Lead in the Tires.com Triple Crown
Long Beach, Calif. – May 8, 2010 – Formula DRIFT returned to the site of the inaugural event at Road Atlanta for Round 2: Road to the Championship. Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 takes the victory and the lead in the first event of the Tires.com Triple Crown.
For the seventh straight season, Formula DRIFT brought drifting back to Road Atlanta and provided exciting action for all the die-hard drift fans in the South. The thousands of fans that came to watch the event were treated to great weather as temperatures dropped dramatically for the main event day. The competition was as exciting as ever with the drivers pushing the limits of their vehicles through one of the best courses for drifting.
“It all started over seven years ago here at Road Atlanta,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Each year the drivers and teams have stepped it up and the level of competition is as tight as it has ever been. This is a great sign of the constant evolution of this still emerging sport.”
Round 2: Road to the Championship showcased intense tandem action that kept fans in their seats throughout the day and into the evening for the final battle. The consolation round for third place was between champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Nissan 350Z and Michael Essa in the Nitto Tires / GSR Autosport BMW 350R. Essa made it the furthest in his career after failing to make the Top 32 during Round 1. Forsberg showcased why he is the current champion and why he won the the event at Road Atlanta last season by beating out Essa for third place. Daijiro Yoshihara earned the victory with solid driving throughout the weekend and made his way to the Tires.com Triple Crown leaderboard. The final battle was between Yoshihara and winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach, Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy / Falken Tires Ford Mustang with Yoshihara edging his way past his Falken Tires teammate. Gittin found the podium for the second consecutive event and retains the lead in the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship points standings.
“I am so excited to be back in the game,” said Daijiro Yoshihara, winner of Round 2: Road to the Championship. “I haven’t been on the podium for two years and I proved to myself that I can compete once again in Formula DRIFT. Formula DRIFT is the most competitive series in the world and it feels great to be on top. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my sponsors at Discount Tire, Falken Tire, KW Suspension, Sparco, and the crew at SPD Metal Works.”
The action continues on June 4-5, 2010 for Round 3: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway in New Jersey. Tickets are available on-line. For more information and details visit the Formula DRIFT website at: www.formuladrift.com
Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2010 Point Standings
1. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 199 Points
2. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 162 Points
3. Millen, Rhys RMR / Red Bull Hyundai Genesis Coupe 158 Points
4. Foust, Tanner Rockstar Energy Scion TC 148 Points
5. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / CFR Nissan 350Z 137 Points
6. Tuerck, Ryan Mobil 1 / Maxxis Tire / Gardella Racing Pontiac Solstice 136 Points
7. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Saturn Sky 123 Points
8. Hubinette, Samuel SHR-Dodge / BF Goodrich Dodge Challenger 120 Points
9. Mordaunt, Patrick Brian Crower / PM Racing Nissan 350Z 117 Points
10. Grunewald, Conrad Hankook Tire / GM Performance Chevrolet Camaro 93.50 Points
11. Gushi, Ken Scion Racing / RS*R Scion TC 86.50 Points
12. Miki, Ryuji APEXi / Hankook Tire Mazda RX-7 81 Points
13. Pawlak, Justin Ford Racing / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 80.50 Points
14. Maeng, Joon Full Tilt Poker / Mazda / Nitto Mazda RX-8 80.25 Points
15. Petty, Ross Falken Tire / Garage Boso Nissan S15 79 Points
16. Verdier, Stephan Royal Purple / Crawford Performance / Cooper Subaru STI 78.75 Points
16. Wang, Forest BF Goodrich / Drift Emporium Infiniti G35 78.75 Points
Round 2: Road to the Championship Event Results
1. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 1st Place
2. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 2nd Place
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z 3rd Place
Tires.com Triple Crown – Event 1 of 3
1. Yoshihara, Daijiro Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 106 Points
2. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Falken Tire Ford Mustang 91 Points
3. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink Nissan 350Z 81 Points
Round 2: Road to the Championship Great 8 Round by Round Blog
Gushi vs Forsberg – Forsberg leads and Gushi chases. Good run by both to start the Great 8. Gushi leads and Forsberg chases tight to the TC. The collide in the horseshoe. Forsberg gets the win.
Yoshihara vs McNamara – Yoshihara leads and McNamara chases tightly. McNamara now leads and Yoshihara gives chase. Good battle between the 2 drivers. Judges can’t decide so we go to a One More Time.
OMT Run 1 – Dai leads and McNamara chases tightly into the first clipping point. Both cars collide in the horseshoe. The rear bumper of Dai is destroyed. McNamara leads and Yoshihara sticks tight. Great run. Yoshihara gets the win.
Tuerck vs Gittin – Tuerk leads and Gittin follows closely. Good run. Gittin leads and Tuerk chases but a gap is created after the horseshoe. Gittin gets the win.
Essa vs Grunewald -Essa takes the win.
Top 4
Forsberg vs Yoshihara – Yoshihara takes the win.
Gittin vs Essa – They have a OMT battle. Gittin takes the win.
Consolation for 3rd place – Forsberg vs. Essa – Forsberg takes the win after Essa spins.
Yoshihara vs Gittin – Good battle. Congrats to Dai Yoshihara!
Round 2: Road to the Championship Top 16 Round by Round Blog
Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta is about to begin. Opening ceremonies just got underway.
Top 16 Coverage
Foust vs Gushi. The battle of the Scions. Foust pulls away leading Gushi, but Gushi catches up in the horseshoe as Foust leaves a thick cloud of smoke. Gushi leads the 2nd run, Foust pulls door to door with Gushi and towards the last clipping point Foust gets aggressive and pulls close to Gushi…they hit. Gushi spins. Judges deliberate and watch the instant replay. Ken Gushi gets the win.
Forsberg vs Hubinette – Forsberg leads and Hubinette chases really tight and stays close through the first run. Hubinette leads and now Forsberg shadows…Hubinette pulls away after the horseshoe. Too close to call. One More Time.
OMT – Run 1 – Forsberg leads and Hubinette shadows and keeps tight. Hubinette spins in the horseshoe. Hubinette leads and Forsberg chases tight through the entire run. Forsberg moves on to the Great 8.
Yoshihara vs Mordaunt – Dai leads and Mordaunt goes hot into the dirt on the first sweeper. Dai has the advantage going into the 2nd run. Mordaunt leads and Dai follows. Clean run. Dai advances.
Millen vs McNamara – Millen leads and McNamara sticks to Millen, but a little shallower line. Good run by both drivers. DMac leads and Millen chases…first turn collision. Judges watch the instant replay to see what happened. Did Millen go in to hot? Or did DMac slow down dramatically? McNamara gets the win.
Tuerck vs Petty – Tuerck leads and Petty chases. Both with good angle and good line sticking close to one another. Great run. Petty leads and Tuerck sticks close. Another good run by both. This will be a close call. Tuerck moves on.
Gittin vs Maeng – Gittin leads and Maeng chases and sticks close through the horseshoe. Great run. Maeng leads and corrects on the first clipping point, Gittin close. Gittin moves on.
Grunewald vs Pawlak – Grunewald leads and Pawlak follows. Both with mistakes. Pawlak mistake on entry and Grunewald goes wide in the horseshoe. Pawlak leads and creates a gap that Grunewald can’t catch up to on Run 2. Pawlak’s mistake on the first run could not be made up. Grunewald wins.
Essa vs Nishida – Essa leads and has a great run until the end. Nishida with a solid run. Nishida leads and loses grip and straightens up on first turn. Essa moves on.
Round 2: Road to the Championship Top 32 Round by Round Blog
Foust vs Waldin – Waldin’s blows out his motor on the first run and Foust moves on to the next round.
Ng vs Gushi – Ng on first run takes it into the wall on the first turn and Gushi takes 2 wheels off course on the horseshoe. Gushi makes it to the Top 16.
Forsberg vs Martinez – Forsberg has a good run, while the rookie Martinez struggles to keep up and keep a clean line on the first run. Forsberg chases and Martinez has a better run, but Forsberg is right there with him. Forsberg advances.
S. Hubinette vs. D. VanDenBrink – Sam leads and Doug chases. Sam keeps a solid line and Doug does his best to keep up with the Challenger on the first run. Doug leads and Sam keeps on his door even while Doug corrects on the first sweeper. Sam Hubinette moves on.
Yoshihara vs Whiddett – Yoshihara leads and Whiddett chases and straightens up on the first run on the horseshoe. Whiddett leads and Yoshihara chases through the horseshoe as Whiddett goes off course. Yoshihara maintains his door to door chase even as Whiddett loses his bumper. Yoshihara gets the win.
Mordaunt vs McQuarrie – Mordaunt leads and McQuarrie chases and loses his angle and straightens up in the horseshoe giving the advantage to Mordaunt. Good 2nd run by both drivers. McQuarrie can’t overcome the mistake from the first run and Mordaunt moves on to the Top 16.
Millen vs Parkhouse – Millen leads and Parkhouse chases behind the past champion. Parkhouse has difficulties chasing the Genesis Coupe in the first run. Parkhouse with a good first half of the 2nd run, but then spins in the horseshoe against Millen. Millen gets the win.
McNamara vs Aono – McNamara leads with his V8 powered Saturn Sky while the AE86 Corolla piloted by Aono chases. McNamara creates a large gap between the 2 cars in the first run. Aono leads and spins on the first turn giving the win to McNamara.
Tuerck vs Mertzanis – Tuerck leads and keeps a solid run, while Mertzanis creating a large gap. Tuerck was a little off the first clipping point on that first run. Standard second run from both drivers, but Tuerck pushes through and moves on.
Mohan vs Petty – Mohan leads and Petty chases and stays door to door through the horseshoe. Great first run! Petty leads and Mohan chases. Petty creates a gap between the two cars through the 2nd run. Petty gets the win.
Gittin vs Takatori – Gittin leads and creates a gap through the course against Takatori. Both had a clean run. Takatori leads and Gittin chases closely. Gittin applies pressure and sticks to Takatori’s bumper. Gittin advances.
Maeng vs Kearney – Maeng leads and Kearney chases closely but straightens up on the clipping point on the first run. We are hearing in the judging tower that Kearney has broken an axel. Maeng automatically advances.
Grunewald vs Wang – Grunewald leads and Wang chases. Grunewald lays down a lot of smoke and Wang chases through and has a small correction. Wang leads the second run and Grunewald follows and catches up and shadows the lead car. Grunewald gets the win from the judges.
Miki vs Pawlak – Miki leads and Pawlak chases very close behind. Miki has great angle and Pawlak does a good job sticking close to the RX8. Pawlak leads on the 2nd run and Miki chases. Good run by both drivers. The judges check the replay before making a decision. Pawlak gets the win.
Essa vs Verdier – Essa leads and Verdier chases. Clean run by both. Verdier leads and Essa chases…mistake from Verdier. Essa gets the win in the BMW.
Nishida vs Powers – Nishida leads and Powers chases the GTR. Clean run. Powers leads and creates a little gap. Both transition cleanly through the horseshoe and Powers loses his rear bumper on the last turn. Each judge says something different and it goes to the first One More Time of the evening.
Nishida leads the first OMT run and Powers maintains a close chase. Powers leads and Nishida chases. Both have a clean run and Powers has a shallow line. Nishida moves on to the Top 16.
We will have a short half-time break before opening ceremonies and the Top 16 competition. We come back at 7PM (eastern standard time).
