Formula DRIFT Round 7: Showdown Results;Matt Field Earns His First Career Victory |
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Long Beach, Calif. – September 10, 2016 – Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue returned to Texas for Round 7: Autozone Showdown presented by Black Magic. Matt Field in the Falken Tire / Driftcave Motorsports Nissan 240 takes his first ever victory. Texas Motor Speedway played host for the action packed event. With only one event until the final event of the season the drivers put it all on the line in their chase for the championship. Heading into the event only 15 points separated the Top 3 drivers. “The competition tonight showcased the diversity and talent of the driver pool,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “We had a mix of past champions and young guns drive their hearts out at a very high level on a challenging and competitive course.” The event was highly competitive with many battles often too close to call for the judges leading to several “one more time” calls. In the Great 8, returning champion Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC, who entered the event second in points by only five points faced the 2-time champion and point leader, Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z. This battle was significant for the championship chase. An over correction by Aasbo opened the door for Forsberg to enter the semi-finals. Forsberg met the young gun, Alec Hohnadell in the Enjuku / Get Nuts Lab / Nexen Tire Nissan 240, in the semi-finals. Hohnadell had car issues throughout the competition, which got the best of him helping to advance Forsberg into the Finals. Matt Field faced Kristaps Bluss in the HGK / Mast / Motul / Achilles BMW M3. A major mistake by Bluss on his chase run took him off course to give Field the win. Forsberg and Field met in the Finals. Forsberg drove aggressive, but that lead to him running into Field and that ultimately gave Field his first Formula DRIFT victory. This marks Forsberg’s sixth consecutive podium and he now leads the chase for the championship by 36 points with one event remaining. “I knew we could do it, it took a little while, but we are there,” said Matt Field, winner of Round 7: Showdown. “We did it. We got the “W.” Thank you to everybody.” The 2016 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue to Round 8: O’Reilly Auto Parts Title Fight sponsored by Gumout on October 7-8, 2016 at Irwindale Speedway. For more information visit,www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaD, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.
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Tag: Nexen
Formula DRIFT Round 6: Throwdown Results
Formula DRIFT Round 6: Throwdown Results;
Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis Takes the Victory to Shake Up the Standings
Long Beach, Calif. – August 6, 2016 – Formula DRIFT presented by BlackVue returned to Monroe, Washington for the sixth round of competition. Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in the Ark Performance / Feal Suspension / Falken Tire Hyundai Genesis is Victorious.
Evergreen Speedway hosted Round 6: Throwdown in the Pacific Northwest. The action packed event showcased some of the closest battles to date. The competition was fierce as many of the high ranked drivers were taken out early in the competition opening the door for the other drivers to move up in the standings. With two events remaining in the 2016 Pro Championship season less than 55 points separate the top four drivers.
“It was awesome to treat the capacity crowd to an amazing weekend of competition, during one of the busiest event weekends in the region.” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT.
The highly competitive event saw a shake up in the Pro Championship standings with Vaughn Gittin, who qualified first and was on top of the standings heading into Round 6, lose in the Top 16, which opened the door for the other drivers as Gittin moves down to third place overall by only 15 points. 2-time champion, Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z faced Matt Coffman in the Coffman Racing Nissan 240 in the semi-finals. Forsberg edged out the young driver to advance to the Finals. Ken Gushi in the GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota 86 met Bakchis in the semi-finals. Bakchis outdrove his opponent to move to the Finals. Errors on Forsberg’s run helped give Bakchis his first victory of the season. Forsberg’s second place finish moves him into the lead by 5 points over Fredric Aasbo.
“I’m really happy with the win. It’s been a lot of work on our part and with our sponsors Ark Performance, Feal Suspension, and Falken Tire,” said Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis, winner of Round 6: Throwdown. “I really want to keep this momentum going into the next round and am excited for the rest of the season.”
The 2016 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship will continue to Round 7: Showdown on September 9-10, 2016 at Texas Motor Speedway. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaD, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.
Round 6: Throwdown Event Results
1. Bakchis, Aurimas Ark Performance / Feal Suspension / Falken Hyundai Genesis Winner
2. Forsberg, Chris NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 2nd Place
3. Gushi, Ken GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota 86 3rd Place
4. Coffman, Matt Coffman Racing Nissan 240 4th Place
5. McQuarrie, Tyler Mobil 1 Chevy Camaro 5th Place
6. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC 6th Place
7. Foust, Tanner Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire Volkswagen Passat 7th Place
8. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper 8th Place
9. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 9th Place
10. Field, Matt Falken Tire / Driftcave Motorsports Nissan 240 10th Place
11. Yoshihara, Dai Falken Tire / Turn 14 Subaru BRZ 11th Place
12. Moen, Kenny Team Boost Lock BMW M3 12th Place
13. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire Nissan 240 13th Place
14. Nishida, Robbie Achilles Radial Infiniti G37 14th Place
15. Hohnadell, Alec Enjuku / Get Nuts Lab / Nexen Tire Nissan 240 15th Place
16. Castro, Jhonnattan Gerdau Meltadom / Nexen Tire Toyota 86 16th Place
2016 Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 6 Events
1. Forsberg, Chris
NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z
419.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric Rockstar Energy Drink / Nexen Tire SR by Toyota tC 414.00 Points
3. Gittin, Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 404.00 Points
2016 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 6 Events
1. SR by Toyota 737.00 Points
2. Ford 565.00 Points
3. Nissan 558.00 Points
4. BMW 389.00 Points
5. Mazda 245.00 Points
6. Chevrolet 222.00 Points
7. Dodge 203.00 Points
8. Infiniti 190.00 Points
9. Lexus 122.00 Points
2016 Tire Championship Standings After 6 Events
1. Nexen 796.00 Points
2. Falken 750.00 Points
3. Hankook 682.00 Points
4. Nitto 593.00 Points
5. Achilles 521.00 Points
7. GT Radial 320.00 Points
Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results
Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results;
Chelsea Denofa Takes His First Ever Formula DRIFT Victory
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
Nexen Tire Announces Partnerships with Formula Drift and Scion Racing by Toyota
Nexen Tire Announces Partnerships with Formula Drift and Scion Racing by Toyota
Diamond Bar, CA, Mar. 17, 2016 – Nexen Tire America has announced an official two-year partnership with Formula Drift as a Major Sponsor for the 2016 and 2017 race seasons. The sponsorship will include signage on Formula Drift live stream, on track signage, and video commercials both onsite and on CBS Sports coverage.
Nexen Tire has also reached agreement with Scion Racing by Toyota and will be represented by its top two drivers. Driving for Nexen will be 2015 Formula Drift Champion Fredric Aasbo with Rockstar Energy Papadakis Racing and driving the Scion Racing by Toyota tC. Also representing Nexen is 2015 Formula Drift runner-up Ken Gushi with Greddy Performance and driving the Scion Racing by Toyota 86.
Additionally, Nexen has signed two-time Formula Drift Champion Tanner Foust with Rockstar Energy. Foust will be competing in a VW Passat R.
“We are making a long-term investment in motorsports to help increase our brand awareness and image,” said James Kwon, Nexen Tire America CEO. “Formula Drift is a great avenue for us to showcase our Ultra High Performance line of products while creating engagement with our fans and consumers.”
President and Co-Founder of Formula DRIFT Jim Liaw comments on the partnership with Nexen. “We are excited to have Nexen Tire return as a major partner in Formula DRIFT. Nexen has made great advancements globally since the last time they were in the Series and this is reflected by their commitment to the 2016 and 2017 championship season, and with the signing of some of the best Formula DRIFT drivers and teams. We are looking forward to this partnership for the coming years.”
The Formula Drift investment is just a piece of Nexen’s new push into the motorsports arena. The company has launched a new Extreme Ultra High Performance tire which it will use for competition. The N’fera SUR4 is a UTQG 200 tire designed for Formula Drift, SCCA and Time Trials is available immediately in 20 sizes. The SUR4 has optimal grip performance and response with minimal performance drop under extreme conditions.
To manage its latest push into motorsports, Nexen has hired Paul Jho as Senior Motorsports Manager to lead the Formula Drift team and the roll out of the N’fera SUR4 to the market. “We are looking forward to a very competitive season with Frederic Aasbo, Ken Gushi and Tanner Foust as our new ambassadors in Formula Drift,” said Jho. “There is no better way to showcase our cutting-edge technology and performance of the new N’Fera SUR4 tires than to witness our drivers place podium after podium this coming season.”
