Tag: James Deane

In The Moment: Throwdown For The Title Article by Speedhunters

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A championship isn’t won in the final rounds, but it most certainly can be lost.

We’ve just wrapped Thursday practice at the sixth round of the 2017 Formula Drift championship at Evergreen Speedway, north of Seattle. Going into this event, the title race is still technically wide open, but I think that in reality, there are three main contenders.

2017 FD06 - Thursday Practice Gallery by Paddy McGrath-6

 

At the top of the standings, in his first full Formula Drift season, is James Deane. With two wins so far in 2017, Deane has been top of the points standings since round three at Atlanta. It’s more than he ever could have dreamed of, considering that this year was intended as a recce year for the Worthouse Drift Team.

2017 FD06 - Thursday Practice Gallery by Paddy McGrath-14

 

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Formula DRIFT Round 6: Throwdown Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 6: Throwdown Results;

James Deane Continues His Winning Ways

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FD-RD6-Final-600

Long Beach, Calif. – August 5, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Evergreen Speedway for the Round 6: Autozone Throwdown. Points leader James Deane once again finishes on top of the podium to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings.

Round 6: Autozone Throwdown was a highly competitive event that sets up a two-way battle for the championship between Deane and former Formula DRIFT champion, Fredric Aasbo with only two events remaining in the season. The capacity crowd was kept entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the weekend.

“Year in and year out the fans in the Pacific Northwest have proven to be some of the most diehard drifting fans out there,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “This event truly showcased what drifting is all about with the drivers putting on one amazing show for the fans.

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 Dai Yoshihara in the Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ. It was a hard fought battle, but Deane was able to take advantage of an error by Yoshihara to move into the Finals. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM faced Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX. Aasbo edged out his opponent to face the current points leader in a battle that could effect the rest of the season. Both drivers put it all on the line with the first battle too close to call forcing the judges to call a One More Time. The final battle was also very close, but after deliberation Deane was able to earn the victory to increase his points lead on Aasbo with only two events remaining.

“This was the toughest event so far this year for me,” said James Deane, winner of Round 6: Throwdown. “This track was really challenging, but somehow the stars aligned and we managed to qualify first and go against my teammate Piotr Wiecek, Dai Yoshihara, and finally Fredric Aasbo, who is really fast and doesn’t make mistakes and really is like a robot. I just had to give it every everything I got and it worked out, but I was dancing with the devil.”

The action continues to Round 7: Showdown at Texas Motor Speedway on September 8-9. 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 6: Throwdown Results

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

Winner

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

2nd Place

3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”

Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX

3rd Place

4. Yoshihara, Dai

Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ

4th Place

5. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

5th Place

6. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

6th Place

7. Coffman, Matt

Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240

7th Place

8. Pawlak, Justin

Roush Performance Ford Mustang

8th Place

9. Tuerck, Ryan

Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86

9th Place

10. Essa, Michael

Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46

10th Place

11. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

11th Place

12. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

12th Place

13. Heilbrunn, Alex

Monster BMW E46

13th Place

14. Burkett, Dan

RAD Industries / Nexen Tire Toyota Supra

14th Place

15. Moore, Cameron

Nameless Performance / BN Sports / Nexen Tire GT86

15th Place

16. Castro, Jhonnattan

Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 6 Events

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

475.00 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

418.00 Points

3. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

329.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 6 Events

1. Toyota

718.00 Points

2. Ford

530.00 Points

3. BMW

295.00 Points

4. Dodge

257.00 Points

5. Nissan

192.00 Points

6. Infiniti

138.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 6 Events

1. Falken

889.00 Points

2. Nexen

773.00 Points

3. Achilles

735.00 Points

4. Nitto

562.00 Points

5. Hankook

526.00 Points

Deane x Więcek: How To Lose Properly By Speedhunters

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2017-FD05-Formula-Drift-Montreal-Worthouse-Speedhunters-by-Paddy-McGrath-30-1200x800

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that we’re already beyond the halfway point of the 2017 Formula Drift season.

It only feels like a few weeks ago that James Deane and Piotr Więcek informed me of their intention to contest a whole FD season for the first time. It was actually September of last year, and the months since have been an absolute whirlwind. From the highest of highs, to some pretty significant lows, it has been a rollercoaster so far.

2017 FD05 Formula Drift Montreal Worthouse Speedhunters by Paddy McGrath-4

For the fifth round, the traveling circus headed north and to the only stop outside of the United States. Autodrome Saint-Eustache probably isn’t the first venue you think of when it comes to drifting, but the Montreal-based circuit is a haven for drifting talent.

2017 FD05 Formula Drift Montreal Worthouse Speedhunters by Paddy McGrath-25

The family run facility might be modest, but it more than makes up for it in character while also supplying a demanding course for the Formula D roster.

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Formula DRIFT Round 5: True North Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 5: True North Results;

Fredric Aasbo Takes the Victory and the Most Wins in the History of the Series

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Long Beach, Calif. – July 15, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Autodrome St-Eustache in Canada. Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM took the victory for his tenth event win – the most in Formula DRIFT history.

In one of the most action packed and chaotic rounds of competition, Round 5: True North brought the top drifting talent in the world into Canada to a capacity crowd. The Livestream drew over 1 millionviews over the course of the weekend.

“What an event! In what I can only describe as a historic and carnage filled, the event showcased true sportsmanship amongst the drivers and crew members often seeing them help each other in the pits,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “Congratulations to Fredric Aasbo for overtaking Samuel Hubinette to become the driver to hold the most event victories in the history of our Series. Today it was also about the crew members, many who are unsung heroes of the sport, as we saw how hard-working and talented these guys are.

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 Fredric Aasbo. In the second battle, Deane had an error on the latter part of the course to give Aasbo the edge and win. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, Kristaps Bluss in the HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 had a bye run to advance into the Finals. His opponent Vaughn Gittin in the Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR had a mechanical failure during his Great 8 bye run forcing him out of the competition. The Finals saw its share of mechanical issues as Bluss while in the lead on the 1st run, straightened out and decreased speed forcing Aasbo to adjust and make slight contact. With the advantage in the second battle, Aasbo in the lead was then forced off the course as Bluss made door-to-door contact, which the judges deemed him at fault, giving Aasbo the event win. This marks Aasbo’s second consecutive win in Canada as he won in 2016, moving him into second place in the standings. Bluss moves up to third place in the standings, while Deane retains his lead with only two events remaining in the season.

“What a crazy weekend! I love this place and the fans here and we had some luck here in the past,” said Fredric Aasbo, winner of Round 5: True North. “My highlight of the day was battling James Deane, who I haven’t battled since 2012. That battle took everything out of me. Now with Kristaps in the Finals he blew his transmission in his lead run. We took the win and now we are the first team to get to 10 wins. This one is for the team, Papadakis Racing for believing in me.”

The action continues to Round 6: Throwdown at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA on August 4-5. 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 5: True North Results

1. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

Winner

2. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

2nd Place

3. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

3rd Place

4. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

4th Place

5. Field, Matt

Falken Tire / Vapetasia / ARK Nissan 240

5th Place

6. Gushi, Ken

GReddy Racing Nexen Tire Toyota Racing 86

6th Place

7. Landreville, Marc

Marc Landreville Racing Nissan 240

7th Place

8. Nishida, Robbie

Jerry Yang Racing Nissan GT-R

8th Place

9. Pawlak, Justin

Roush Performance Ford Mustang

9th Place

10. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

10th Place

11. Tuerck, Ryan

Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86

11th Place

12. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

12th Place

13. Kearney, Dean

Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper

13th Place

14. Hamilton, Nate

Team Enjuku / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240

14th Place

15. Coffman, Matt

Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240

15th Place

16. Yoshihara, Dai

Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 5 Events

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

368.00 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

334.00 Points

3. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

293.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 5 Events

1. Toyota

596.00 Points

2. Ford

429.00 Points

3. BMW

259.00 Points

4. Dodge

239.00 Points

5. Nissan

173.00 Points

6. Infiniti

120.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 5 Events

1. Falken

713.00 Points

2. Achilles

663.00 Points

3. Nexen

638.00 Points

4. Nitto

475.00 Points

5. Hankook

469.00 Points