Tag: James Deane

Deane x Więcek: Down, But Not Out At FDNJ By Speed Hunters

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It wasn’t the weekend that the team wanted, but it was the weekend that the team got.

Heading into the fourth round of the 2017 Formula Drift championship, James Deane held a commanding lead in the championship race, with fellow Irishman Dean Kearney in second place. James’ teammate, Piotr Więcek, was the highest ranked rookie in the series. It was a great start to the season.

Wall Stadium Speedway has somewhat of a cult following in Formula Drift circles. It’s a little bit rough around the edges but the compact nature of the venue was welcome after the vastness of Road Atlanta. It’s an intimate venue, but one that needs to be taken seriously.

2017 FD04 New Jersey Worthouse Speedhunters Thursday by Paddy McGrath-7

 

For a change, I beat the Worthouse x Bridges Racing team to the venue but when I arrived on Thursday morning, everything was ready to rock. I never tire of seeing the twin S15s sat beside each other in the pit.

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Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 4: The Gauntlet Results;
Aurimas Bakchis Fights His Way to Victory

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FD-RD4-Podium-600

Long Beach, Calif. – June 3, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Wall Speedway in New Jersey for the fourth event of the season. Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in the Falken Tire / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240 battled his way to victory.

“As we hit the half way point of the season, there’s still plenty of action left,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “These are the best drifters from around the world and the championship is still up for grabs.”

The Advance Auto Parts Round 4: The Gauntlet showcased tough competition throughout the event weekend. Over 1 million viewers tuned into the Livestream to watch the exciting action.

The Final 4 pitted Michael Essa in the Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW M3 against Kristaps Bluss in the HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 on one side of the bracket. The battle of the BMWs went to the 2013 champion, Essa as he took advantage of a mistake by his opponent. Bakchis was set to face off against Matt Coffman in the Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240, but after failing to repair his vehicle within the allotted 5 minutes, Coffman had to bow out giving Bakchis the win. In the final battle, Essa faced off against Bakchis, with the first run being a very competitive outing. The second battle ended in dramatic fashion as Essa’s tire debeaded coming off the bank and Bakchis’ motor gave out just as he crossed the finish line. Bluss rounded out the podium in third place for the second consecutive event.

“I feel amazing. It was a very hard battle for us the whole weekend,” said Aurimas “Odi” Bakchi, winner of the Advance Auto Parts Round 4: The Gauntlet. “We had lots of challenges, but my crew pulled it together and allowed me to drive like an animal and kept my car somewhat together just enough as it literally blew up right at the finish line. The timing couldn’t have been better and I couldn’t be happier.”

The action continues to Round 5: True North at Autodrome St-Eustache in Montreal, Canada on July 15-16. 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.

Advance Auto Parts Round 4: The Gauntlet Event Results

1. Bakchis, Aurimas Falken Tire / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240 Winner
2. Essa, Michael Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW M3 2nd Place
3. Bluss, Kristaps
HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 3rd Place
4. Coffman, Matt Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240 4th Place
5. Deane, James Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan Silvia 5th Place
6. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM 6th Place
7. Yoshihara, Dai Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ 7th Place
8. Jones, Jeff DOC Racing Nissan 240 8th Place
9. Denofa, Chelsea BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 9th Place
10. Tuerck, Ryan Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86Falken 10th Place
11. Pawlak, Justin Roush Performance Ford Mustang 11th Place
12. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR
12th Place
13. Rintanen, Juha STR Racing Wheels / Nexen Tire Nissan Silvia 13th Place
14. Heilbrunn, Alex IMR / Nitto Tire BMW M3
14th Place
15. Hamilton, Nate Team Enjuku / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240 15th Place
16. Nishida, Robbie Jerry Yang Racing Nissan GT-R 16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 4 Events

1. Deane, James Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 297.00 Points
2. Essa, Michael Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW M3 241.00 Points
3. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM 230.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 4 Events

1. Toyota 441.00 Points
2. Ford 326.00 Points
3. BMW 241.00 Points
4. Dodge 204.00 Points
5. Nissan 155.00 Points
6. Mazda 86.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 3 Events

1. Falken 590.00 Points
2. Achilles 526.00 Points
3. Nexen 483.00 Points
4. Hankook 398.00 Points
5. Nitto 373.00 Points

Formula DRIFT Atlanta 2017 By Super Street Magazine

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In the aftermath of James Deane’s improbable victory at Round 1 of the 2017 Formula DRIFT Championship in Long Beach, Calif., this past April, a lot of drifting fan boiz got all excited because it looked like new blood in a JDM rocket was coming to America to shake things up (a la Daigo Saito in 2012). We got the impression e-thugging contrarians were dancing in the streets over the season opening shocker. But then Round 2 in the oval at Orlando Speed World happened in early May and, on the surface anyway, Deane looked fallible, even human, as the podium was nothing but past FD champions. Fast forward another couple weeks, though, to Round 3 at Road Atlanta and the Irish wheelman changes the story again.

In Long Beach, Deane had to take out a couple of past champions and a couple of could-be champions in his first Formula D action in seven years. In Braselton, Ga., he had to contend again with thrice series champ Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink 370Z — the second time in three events — while also dispatching heavyweights Ken Gushi in the Greddy Performance 86, Matt Field in the Falken Tire S14, Alec Hohnadell in the Urban Air Initiative S14, and finally fellow Irishman and pal Dean Kearney in the Oracle Lighting Viper. Trust us when we say this has been no cakewalk for the Worthouse pilot.

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Formula Drift Road Atlanta – 2017 By What Monsters Do

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When it comes to tracks on the Formula Drift schedule, there are none better than Road Atlanta. Automotive action happens the entire time youÆre there from nearly sun up to sun down, and well into the night. ItÆs why fans always look forward to it and it makes for an amazing, party-like atmosphere. It also helps that, despite not being an oval track, fans can see nearly everything thanks to the bowl structure of the turn 10/keyhole complex. This is Road Atlanta and here is what you missed by not being there.

Drifting is a sport of the senses û the sight of cars getting sideways, the smell of burnt rubber, the sound of cars pushing maximum horsepower, and sometimes even the taste of spent race gas. ItÆs quick, itÆs dirty, and it just pulls you in even if you try to resist. ItÆs why it works so well in a confined environment like most of the oval tracks Formula Drift visits. ItÆs the same reasons people love monster trucks and thatÆs not a knock on the series. The fans are there for the entertainment of automotive action.

 

Formula DRIFT Round 3: Road to the Championship Results

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Formula DRIFT Round 3: Road to the Championship Results;

James Deane Takes Back the Lead with the Event Victory

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Long Beach, Calif. – May 14, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Road Atlanta, home of the inaugural Formula DRIFT event 14 years ago. James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 takes the victory to regain the lead in the chase for the championship.

“This event showcased the global talent within the Series,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Each round has been highly competitive and with only three events remaining it will be exciting to see how it unfolds.”

The Advance Auto Parts Round 3: Road to the Championship was a hard charging event and treated fans to exciting competition. An estimated 1 million viewers tuned into the Livestream through the event weekend.

It was an all European podium with Latvian driver, Kristaps Bluss in the HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 taking 3rd place after failing to repair his vehicle for a One More Time battle against Irishman, Dean Kearney in the Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper in the semi-finals. The Finals was a battle of the Irish with Kearney and Deane fighting for the win. The drivers put on a show for the fans with an incredibly tight battle, but Deane was able to inch past his opponent to take the win. With three events completed, James Deane has now taken two event wins to move back into the top of the standings.

“We got to have an all-Irish final and that was just mind-blowing,” said James Deane, winner of the Advance Auto Parts Round 3: Road to the Championship. “The two of us just gave it 110%, no messing around, and that’s how to have a battle. I’m super happy and thanks to everyone who made this possible.”

The action continues to Round 4: The Gauntlet at Wall Speedway on June 2-3. 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.

Advance Auto Parts Round 3: Road to the Championship Event Results

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

Winner

2. Kearney, Dean

Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper

2nd Place

3. Bluss, Kristaps

HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46

3rd Place

4. Hohnadell, Alec

Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240

4th Place

5. Gittin, Vaughn

Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

5th Place

6. Tuerck, Ryan

Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86

6th Place

7. Wiecek, Piotr

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

7th Place

8. Forsberg, Chris

NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z

8th Place

9. Essa, Michael

Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW M3

9th Place

10. Field, Matt

Falken Tire / Vapetasia / ARK Performance Nissan 240

10th Place

11. Heilbrunn, Alex

IMR / Nitto Tire BMW M3

11th Place

12. Denofa, Chelsea

BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR

12th Place

13. Coffman, Matt

Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240

13th Place

14. Hamilton, Nate

Team Enjuku / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240

14th Place

15. Jones, Jeff

DOC Racing Nissan 240

15th Place

16. Mohan, Kyle

Built 2 Apex / Mazdatrix / KMR 2016 MX-5

16th Place

2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 3 Events

1. Deane, James

Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240

245.00 Points

2. Kearney, Dean

Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper

186.00 Points

3. Aasbo, Fredric

Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM

178.00 Points

2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 3 Events

1. Toyota

351.00 Points

2. Ford

250.00 Points

3. Dodge

186.00 Points

4. BMW

157.00 Points

5. Nissan

137.00 Points

6. Mazda

68.00 Points

2017 Tire Championship Standings After 3 Events

1. Falken

435.00 Points

2. Achilles

374.00 Points

3. Nexen

363.00 Points

4. Hankook

310.00 Points

5. Nitto

299.00 Points