Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results;
Chelsea Denofa Takes His First Ever Formula DRIFT Victory

FD-RD1-Podium-600w

Long Beach, Calif. – April 10, 2016 – Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue returned to Long Beach for the kickoff event of the 2016 Pro Championship season. Chelsea Denofa in the BC Racing / GT Radial BMW earned his first ever Formula DRIFT victory to start the season at the top of the standings.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach kicked off the new season in dramatic fashion. The volume of rain, the variable surface conditions of the street course, which made for treacherous conditions in general during Friday’s practice, created a rain delay, which ultimately resulted in the Series making the decision to draw on a provision of the Sporting Regulations that allows the Series to forgo Qualifying in the face of inclement weather. Drivers were placed into the Top 32 bracket based on their 2015 ranking. The weather held up for the main competition and the drivers were able to give the fans a great showing to start the season.

“The weather definitely added a challenging element to this event, but the action was as intense as ever to kickoff the season,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “Despite the rain, the fans came out to show their support. This season is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting and for the local fans we will keep things going with the Super Drift competition next weekend under the lights during the Long Beach Grand Prix.”

Returning champion and winner of Round 1 in 2015, Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC battled through some car issues to meet Odi Bakchis in the Ark Performance / Feal Suspension / Falken Tire Hyundai Genesis in the semi-finals. Aasbo edged out Bakchis to enter the Finals. The 2015 runner-up Ken Gushi in the GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR Toyota 86 faced off against Chelsea Denofa in an exciting battle. Denofa beat out Gushi to face the champion in the Finals, which gave Gushi the third place event finish. With momentum on his side, Denofa out matched Aasbo to take his first ever Formula DRIFT victory. This also marks the first victory for tire supplier GT Radial.

“I’d like to thank everyone that I work with including GT Radial, BC Racing, Turbo by Garrett, and everyone that helped with the car,” said Chelsea Denofa, winner of Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. “We have been working on this for so long and so hard and through mechanical failures to finally be able to work together and push through to get on the top.”

The 2016 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue to Round 2: Road to the Championship on May 6-7 at Road Atlanta. 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.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results

1. Denofa, Chelsea BC Racing / GT Radial BMW Winner
2. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen SR by Toyota tC 2nd Place
3. Gushi, Ken GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota 86 3rd Place
4. Bakchis, Aurimas Feal Suspension / ARK Performance / Falken Tire Hyundai Genesis 4th Place
5. Tuerck, Ryan Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Tire SR by Toyota FR-S 5th Place
6. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire Nissan S15 6th Place
7. Field, Matt Falken Tire / Driftcave Motorsports Nissan S14 7th Place
8. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 8th Place
9. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 9th Place
10. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper 10th Place
11. McQuarrie, Tyler Mobil 1 Chevrolet Camaro 11th Place
12. Whiddett, Mike Red Bull / Nitto Tire Mazda MX-5 12th Place
13. Ng, Charles Sogun Motorsports / Achilles Tire Infiniti G37 13th Place
14. Essa, Michael Loudmouth Exhaust / Achilles BMW M3 14th Place
15. Bluss, Kristaps HGK / Motul / Achilles Tire BMW E46 15th Place
16. Jones, Jeff DOC Racing Nissan S14 16th Place

2016 Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 1 Event

1. Denofa, Chelsea BC Racing / GT Radial BMW 100.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC 80.00 Points
3. Gushi, Ken GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota 86 64.00 Points

2016 Formula DRIFT World Championship Standings Top 3

1. Denofa, Chelsea BC Racing / GT Radial BMW 100.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC 80.00 Points
3. Gushi, Ken GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota 86 64.00 Points

2016 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 1 Event

1. SR by Toyota 144.00 Points
2. BMW 132.00 Points
3. Ford 64.00 Points
4. Nissan 48.00 Points
5. Mazda 48.00 Points
6. Infiniti 48.00 Points
7. Chevy 32.00 Points
8. Dodge 32.00 Points

2016 Tire Championship Standings After 1 Event

1. Nexen 144.00 Points
2. GT Radial 116.00 Points
3. Falken 112.00 Points
4. Hankook 96.00 Points
5. Nitto 80.00 Points
7. Achilles 64.00 Points

Formula DRIFT 2016 Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Tickets On-Sale

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Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Tickets On-Sale;
The 2016 World Championship Season Begins on April 10-11, 2016

Long Beach, Calif. – December 22, 2015 – Formula DRIFT will begin the 2016 World Championship season beginning with Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11. Tickets are now on-sale and can be purchased online via the Formula DRIFT website, www.formuladrift.com.

“We look forward to the start of the the 2016 season and the addition of the Canadian round of competition to the Pro Championship will add an extra dynamic to further grow the sport internationally,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The season kickoff in Long Beach is always exciting and sets the tone for the rest of the year.”

The World Championship will consist of a total of nine rounds of competition including eight Pro Championship rounds in the United States and Canada and two additional rounds of competition in Japan. Round 1: Streets of Long Beach marks the beginning of the season with Fredric Aasbo returning to defend his championship.

Reserved seat tickets are available online for purchase with the option to select from any of the available grandstands. VIP experiences are also available for purchase including reserved seating in Grandstand 18, a track walk during opening ceremonies and more.

Tickets are now available for Round 1: Streets of Long Beach on April 10-11, including reserved seating, 2-day ticket packages, and VIP tickets and can be purchased through www.formuladrift.com, Ticketmaster outlets, and the Long Beach Convention Center box office. Ticket prices start at $40 for grandstand seating with all seats reserved for Saturday’s competition day.

Ticketmaster Ticket Links:

2-Day Ticket (Friday and Saturday)
Saturday Only Ticket

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 Announces 2016 Global Schedule

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Formula DRIFT Announces 2016 Global Schedule

 

Long Beach, Calif. – November 4, 2015 – Formula DRIFT has announced the 2016 schedule of events. The schedule includes World Championship, Pro Championship, and PRO 2 events. In addition, both Formula DRIFT Japan and the inaugural Formula DRIFT Canada will have their own respective four event schedules.

Entering the thirteenth year of competition, Formula DRIFT will expand the Pro Championship to eight rounds of competition by including the Montreal round. This is the first event outside of the United States to be included in the Pro Championship in the history of the Series. The World Championship will consist of eight Pro Championship rounds and two Japan rounds of competition. The PRO 2 Series will consist of four rounds of competition with a new stand-alone PRO 2 and Pro Am event announced on September 30October 1 in Phoenix, Arizona.

“With the continued success of our international presence, we look forward to growing the Sport domestically and internationally this upcoming season,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “In 2015, Formula DRIFT continued to be the global leader in millennial motorsports with 29 competitions held under the Formula DRIFT brand that resulted in 3 billion media impressions.”

In 2016, the Pro Series will continue to be broadcasted on CBS Sports and distributed globally by IMG Media with a reach of 360 million homes. Formula DRIFT Japan will be broadcasted on JSports. Each of the Series will be live streamed globally and was viewed by over 2 million people internationally in 2015.

For more information on Formula DRIFT Canada and Formula DRIFT Japan please visit: www.formuladriftcanada.com andwww.formulad.jp.

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.

2016 Formula DRIFT Schedule
April 8-9 World Championship + Pro Championship Long Beach, CA
April 15-16 Invitational Long Beach, CA
May 6-7 World Championship + Pro Championship + PRO 2 Atlanta, GA
May / June World Championship + Japan Championship Ebisu, Japan
June 3-4 World Championship + Pro Championship + PRO 2 Orlando, FL
June 17-18 World Championship + Pro Championship Wall, NJ
July 15-16 World Championship + Pro Championship Montreal, Canada
August 5-6 World Championship + Pro Championship Monroe, WA
September 9-10 World Championship + Pro Championship + PRO 2 Fort Worth, TX
September World Championship + Japan Championship Okayama, Japan
September 30 – October 1 PRO 2 + Pro Am Phoenix, AZ
October 7-8 World Championship + Pro Championship Irwindale, CA