Tag: Texas Motor Speedway
Deane x Więcek: All Or Nothing by Speedhunters
If there was one feeling that was prevalent in the Worthouse Drift Team before Texas last weekend, it was exhaustion.
This was the seventh round of the 2017 Formula Drift Pro Championship, and for the seventh time this season, the team congregated from around the world to come and do battle. Lots of air miles have been racked up by the team, and the drivers especially. This would be James Deane’s and Piotr Więcek’s 12th competitive event this year, spanning four countries, two continents, and not including demonstration runs.
At the previous round in Seattle, James had narrowly extended his championship points lead over Fredric Aasbø, whom he defeated in a thrilling final battle which required a One More Time before a winner could be decided. However, with a maximum haul of 107 points at each event and a 57-point lead, James’ advantage could easily be overcome should he suffer a shock defeat or non finish in Texas.
Any dreams of a championship win in his first full Formula Drift season were firmly at the back of his mind.
They say that ‘everything is bigger in Texas’, and they are not wrong. Host to this round of the championship was the 181,000-plus capacity Texas Motor Speedway. I’ve honestly never attended a venue so large in my life before; it took 20 minutes to just drive around the outside before finding the entrance. It’s breathtaking.
Formula DRIFT Texas 2017 by Super Street Magazine
The 2017 Formula DRIFT pro championship is decided. Oh, we know there’s still one round left on the calendar, and Fredric Aasbo – 2015 champ and driver of the Rockstar Energy Corolla iM – is mathematically still breathing, even though at this point he’s a distant 96 points behind leader James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team S15, and not very likely to catch him. It’s that last part we can’t reconcile, and anyone who wants to believe there’s still a chance for Deane to falter and Aasbo to somehow make a miracle happen – well, we hate to break it to you, but there’s no denying fate.
Photo 2/161 | Formula DRIFT Texas 2017 Accel Decel MapIt looked a tad bit more possible going into Round 7 of 8, set on a section of the infield road course at Texas Motor Speedway; then, Deane was only 57 markers out of reach, and with a lucky break (heck, Aasbo even had a chance to eliminate Deane!) this story might be different. But as he has in the last two rounds—Montreal and Seattle—Deane qualified number one, and again looked unbeatable.
Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results
Formula DRIFT Round 7: AutoZone Showdown Results;
James Deane Increases His Chances for a Championship with the Win
Long Beach, Calif. – September 9, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Texas Motor Speedway for Round 7: AutoZone Showdown. James Deane in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan S15 had a perfect weekend as the number one qualifier and with his second consecutive event victory.
Irish driver James Deane has tied a Formula DRIFT record with his fourth event victory in a single season to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings with only one event remaining. The capacity crowd was entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the event.
“This was quite the weekend here in Texas,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “With so much on the line, it made for an intense competition that I hope the fans enjoyed.”
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 and second in points, Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM. Deane was able to edge past his opponent to move into the Finals. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Nissan 370Z faced Aurimas Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240. A mistake by Bakchis on his chase run gave Forsberg the win. In the Finals, Deane’s consistent driving proved to be too much as Forsberg fell back and took a shallow line on his chase run, which ultimately lead to his win and a considerable lead heading into the Finals.
“I’ve drifted plenty of tracks in my time, but I’ve never drifted coming out of the first corner with a straight so long where you’re sitting behind the lead car just filled with smoke,” said James Deane, winner of Round 7: Showdown. “It worked out for me this time. I’m just super happy for everyone that supports me and everyone back home.”
The action continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14 at Irwindale Speedway. 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 7: Showdown Results
1. Deane, James
Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15
Winner
2. Forsberg, Chris
NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z
2nd Place
3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”
Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX
3rd Place
4. Aasbo, Fredric
Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM
4th Place
5. Denofa, Chelsea
BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR
5th Place
6. Yoshihara, Dai
Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ
6th Place
7. Gushi, Ken
GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire Toyota 86
7th Place
8. Gittin, Vaughn
Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR
8th Place
9. Coffman, Matt
Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240
9th Place
10. Tuerck, Ryan
Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86
10th Place
11. Wiecek, Piotr
Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15
11th Place
12. Essa, Michael
Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46
12th Place
13. Bluss, Kristaps
HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46
13th Place
14. Pawlak, Justin
Roush Performance Ford Mustang
14th Place
15. Hohnadell, Alec
Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240
15th Place
16. Castro, Jhonnattan
Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86
16th Place
2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 7 Events
1. Deane, James
Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240
582.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric
Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM
486.00 Points
3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”
Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX
367.00 Points
2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 7 Events
1. Toyota
837.00 Points
2. Ford
632.00 Points
3. BMW
331.00 Points
4. Dodge
275.00 Points
4. Nissan
275.00 Points
6. Infiniti
156.00 Points
2017 Tire Championship Standings After 7 Events
1. Falken
1065.00 Points
2. Nexen
892.00 Points
3. Achilles
807.00 Points
4. Nitto
664.00 Points
5. Hankook
645.00 Points
Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results
Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Round 4 Texas Results;
Kevin Lawrence Does the Impossible to Win the Event and the Championship
Long Beach, Calif. – September 8, 2017 – The Formula DRIFT PRO 2 season came to a dramatic conclusion at Texas Motor Speedway. Florida native Kevin Lawrence in the Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Hankook Tire Nissan 240 defies the odds and wins the event and the PRO 2 Championship.
PRO 2 returned to Texas Motor Speedway for the final event of the season. Fans witnessed the biggest comeback in Formula DRIFT PRO 2 history as Kevin Lawrence entered the event in 5th place overall with an 81 point deficit to win the event and ultimately the championship.
“What a way to end the PRO 2 season,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. ”In what was the largest comeback in PRO 2 history, Kevin Lawrence did the impossible, and ended the season in dramatic and exciting fashion.”
The championship was up for grabs when the top 4 drivers failed to move past the Top 16 bracket giving a small mathematical chance to Lawrence. In the semi-finals, Norwegian driver, Ola Jaeger in the Japan Auto Toyota Supra faced Alec Robbins in the KoruWorks Nissan 350Z. In the second run of their battle, Robbins went off line to give the win and his first podium to Jaeger. In the second semi-final battle, Lawrence met Riley Sexsmith piloting a Subaru BRZ. Sexsmith made a major mistake by going off-course on the first run to give Lawrence the advantage and eventual win to move him into the Finals to meet Jaeger. Sexsmith finished the event in third place. In the Finals, both drivers made mistakes in the first battle in which the judges called a “One more time.” In the second run of the battle, Jaeger fell dramatically behind creating a large gap that proved to be his downfall, which gave Lawrence the event victory and the championship by a mere 2 points. The PRO 2 championship finished with Travis Reeder in second place and Matt Vankirk in third place.
“It hasn’t really set in yet and it’s just amazing that I was able to battle to the first position and win the championship by 2 points. I never thought this would happen, ” said Kevin Lawrence, winner of PRO 2: Texas and the 2017 PRO 2 champion. “I want to thank everyone on board from Enjuku Racing, Hankook Tire, BC Racing, Competition Clutch, Vibrant Performance, Konig wheels and everyone that has been part of the team over the years I really couldn’t have done it without any of them.”
Formula DRIFT continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14, 2017. 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.
Formula DRIFT PRO 2: Texas Results
1. Lawrence, Kevin
Winner
2. Jaeger, Ola
2nd Place
3. Sexsmith, Riley
3rd Place
4. Robbins, Alec
4th Place
5. Hately, Andy
5th Place
6. Gyorgy, Szilveszter
6th Place
7. Meeks, Austin
7th Place
8. Waters, Randall
8th Place
9. Beechum, Trenton
9th Place
10. Reeder, Travis
10th Place
11. Vankirk, Matt
11th Place
12. Robinson, Josh
12th Place
13. George, Danny
13th Place
14. Schmidt, Brandon
14th Place
15. Kiriakopoulos, George
15th Place
16. Brockway, Donovan
16th Place
Formula DRIFT PRO 2 Championship Final Standings
1. Lawrence, Kevin
Champion
2. Reeder, Travis
2nd Place
3. Vankirk, Matt
3rd Place