Formula DRIFT Round 6: Showdown Results;
Rookie Masashi Yokoi is Victorious

Long Beach, Calif. – August 23, 2015 – Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro returned to Texas Motor Speedway for Round 6: Showdown. Japanese rookie Masashi Yokoi in the D-MAX Nissan S15 earns his first Formula DRIFT victory. The championship will be determined at the Series finale on October 10.

Round 6: Showdown was an action packed event weekend. The new course configuration at Texas Motor Speedway proved to be challenging and highly competitive for the drivers. With only one event remaining in the 2015 season a champion will be crowned at the season finale at Irwindale Speedway. Over 400,000 fans tuned in live throughout the event weekend on the Driftstream.

“Texas has some of the most diehard fans as they braved the heat to see the action through the weekend and were rewarded with intense drifting action,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “With only one event remaining, the season will come to climatic conclusion to end a remarkable year.”

Points leader and number one qualifier, Fredric Aasbo lost in the Great 8 opening the chase for the championship up to the rest of the field. Aasbo will head into the championship with a considerable lead of 80 points. The semi-finals had Daigo Saito in the Achilles Radial Nissan GT-R face against his close friend Ken Gushi in the GReddy Performance / Hankook Tire Scion FR-S. Gushi was able to outdrive his opponent on his way to his third podium of the season. Yokoi battled Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z. Yokoi beat the former champion to head into the Finals. The Finals were close with the rookie Yokoi being awarded the win by the judges for his first podium and victory in Formula DRIFT. Gushi’s second place finish moves him into second place overall.

“I wanted to come out and show the Japanese style of driving and really worked hard in the tandem battles,” said Masashi Yokoi, winner of Round 6: Showdown. “In the end I wasn’t able to show everything that I wanted, but I’m really happy to get the victory.”

The 2015 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship season will conclude at Round 7: Final Fight at Irwindale Speedway on October 9-10. 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 6: Showdown Event Results
1. Yokoi, Masashi	D-Max Nissan S15 Silvia	Winner
2. Gushi, Ken	GReddy Racing / Hankook Tire Scion Racing FR-S	2nd Place
3. Forsberg, Chris	NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z	3rd Place
4. Saito, Daigo	Achilles Radial Nissan GT-R	4th Place
5. Aasbo, Fredric	Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Scion tC	5th Place
6. Moen, Kenny	Bridges Racing / Achilles / Gatebil Nissan S14	6th Place
7. Hohnadell, Alec	11 Racing Nissan S14	7th Place
8. Yoshihara, Dai	Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ	8th Place
9. Whiddett, Mike	RedBull / Mobil 1 Mazda “Radbul”	9th Place
10. Tuerck, Ryan	Ryan Tuerck Racing / Retaks / Maxxis Scion FR-S	10th Place
11. Wang, Forrest	Get Nuts Lab Nissan S15	11th Place
12. Kearney, Dean	Oracle Lighting / Achilles Motorsports Dodge Viper	12th Place
13. Bluss, Kristaps	HGK Motorsport BMW 3 Series	13th Place
14. Evans, James	SIKKY Racing Nissan 350Z	14th Place
15. Ng, Charles	Maxxis / Sparkplugs.com / Speedhunters Infiniti G37	15th Place
16. Castro, Jhonnattan	E3 / Hankook / Progresso Nissan 350Z	16th Place
2015 Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by GoPro Top 3 Standings After Six Rounds
1. Aasbo, Fredric	Rockstar Energy Drink / Hankook Scion tC	428.00 Points
2. Gushi, Ken	GReddy Racing / Hankook Tire Scion Racing FR-S	348.00 Points
3. Tuerck, Ryan	Ryan Tuerck Racing / Retaks / Maxxis Scion FR-S	332.00 Points
Manufacturers Championship Standings After Six Rounds
1. Scion	924.00 Points
2. Nissan	555.00 Points
3. Ford	447.00 Points
4. Chevrolet	337.00 Points
5. Mazda	248.00 Points
6. Infiniti	211.00 Points
7. Dodge	204.00 Points
8. BMW	157.00 Points
9. Toyota	123.00 Points
Tire Championship Standings After Six Rounds
1. Hankook	905.00 Points
2. Achilles	643.00 Points
3. Nitto	570.00 Points
4. Yokohama	569.00 Points
5. Falken	557.00 Points
6. Maxxis	470.00 Points
7. GT Radial	302.00 Points

Mechanical meltdowns, carnage, and a track surface that switched from grippy to grip-less in the blink of an eye – the fifth round of the 2015 Formula Drift Pro championship held in Seattle, Washington, had it all.

But at the end of five tough rounds of battle competition, it was our very own Fredric Aasbø who stood atop the podium at Evergreen Speedway. The win, following on from a third place qualifying performance from ‘The Norwegian Hammer’, catapults Aasbø to the top of the points with just two rounds in the Stateside Pro series left to play out.

Friday’s qualifying session saw Norway’s Kenny Moen take control with an 89 scorecard, followed by Ryan Tuerck in second and Aasbø in third – both scoring 87. It was a promising start for Tuerck who came into the round leading the championship, but it just as quickly turned sour when the Retaks Scion FR-S driver blew a diff in his Airforce Top 32 battle against Geoff Stoneback.

Continue reading Aasbø Wins The Battle In Seattle words The Speedhunters images Larry Chen

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Tag: Ken Gushi