Formula DRIFT Utah Qualifying Results

The Formula DRIFT Utah round is underway. Both the PRO and PROSPEC classes will compete this weekend at Utah Motorsports Campus. Qualifying sessions are complete and here are the details.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023
Location: Utah Motorsports Campus, Grantsville, UT
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 7: Type S Elevated presented by AutoZone, and Link ECU PROSPEC Championship Round 4

Results From FD PRO Qualifying

1.   James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2.   Simen Olsen (Norway) – Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9
3.   Chelsea DeNofa (USA) – Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD

This years Utah course saw some changes compared to last year’s setup. The most notable change is the removal of the inside Clip in turn 1 and replacing it with a longer Outside Zone in turn 2. The change allows for better flow through out the course. PRO championship lead took early advantage but was had to settle for P3 in qualifying. Fortunately this is still a very good position to be in with the championship lead at stake. James Deane stole the show for the PRO class running a best 91.6 score. Three time champion Deane is still looking for his first win of the season after some feel was robbed in Seattle.

33 drivers qualified for the Top 32 competition places. This meant if everyone had a clean run one driver would be eliminated. Unfortunately, Ola Jaeger (Norway) had the lowest score after KQF and accepted an early exit from the competition.

Results From FD PROSPEC Qualifying

1.   Rudy Hansen (USA) – Track Tires / Mast Motor / J&A Racing Oil Nissan 240SX S13
2.   Geoff Donati (USA) – Freedom Builders / Tuner Tools-powered E46 BMW
3.   Joshua Love (USA) ­– Josh Loves Drifting / After Hours Autosports E46 BMW

Hansen secured the top spot with a score of 85.6. The run wasn’t the best but in class many drivers struggled to maintain car angle and struggled in the transition periods of their runs. PROSPEC Championship leader Hobson had his worst qualifying session of the year. He finished ninth overall with a 76.3 point run. He has a comfortable 65 point cushion to second place but can’t sustain an early exit here and the next round because his championship lead will dwindle. 37 drivers battled for the 32 PROSPEC competition places. The bottom 13 qualifiers had to run a second time under knockout qualifying rules. The eliminated drivers included Zandara Kennedy (Canada), Chris Leonard (USA), Alex Lichliter (USA), Erick Medici (Brazil) and Connor O’Sullivan (USA).

Full PRO Formula DRIFT Utah Qualifying Bracket

Full PROSPEC Formula DRIFT Utah Qualifying Bracket

Round 6 of the Formula DRIFT Pro Class took place at Evergreen Speedway in Washington State this weekend. Chelsea Denofa won the competition in front of a sold out crowd. The event was filled with controversy as multiple drivers challenged judge rulings on the outcome of their run scores. This led to multiple “One more Times” over the course of the 30 driver bracket. the final 16 were decided at the half day’s mark. Although the last spot in the top 16 didn’t come without controversy. Branden Sorensen and Nick Noback went back and forth over and over again until a clear winner was decided. Both drivers had incomplete on previous runs. The race steward found that in the final run there were grounds for a redo. Thus they were able to preform additional runs to decide an outright winner. You can watch the events as they unfolded here:

Formula DRIFT Seattle Round 6: Throwdown

The top three finishers in Seattle were:

1.   Chelsea DeNofa (USA) – Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2.   Dylan Hughes (USA) – Whip Racing / Royal Purple BMW
3.   James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD

The judges issued eight requests for One More Time (requiring the drivers to repeat their two runs). Six of these fell to Hughes and DeNofa, who received three each throughout the day, putting the drivers, cars and teams under even more pressure. The was a bit of controversy regarding James Deane’s denial into the final. Many fans and drivers felt he won the semi final match up despite being declared the loser by the judges. Deane is currently the only RTR driver who has not won in 2023. RTR drivers have won 4 races this year in a dominant showing for 2023. After Denofa’s victory here is the points breakdown for the weekend and championship.

Formula DRIFT Seattle Round 6 Points

Formula Driver Pro Class Drivers Championship Standings

The PNW is calling all Drift fans as the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship lands at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. Fans flocked in from all over the region filling the stands by mid day ahead of qualifying. Formula DRIFT will only feature the PRO class this round. Qualifying has concluded this evening and here are the results:

Date: Friday, August 11, 2023
Location: Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, WA
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 6: Throw Down

Results From FD PRO Qualifying

1.   Matt Field (USA) – Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette
2.   Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15
3.   Simen Olsen (Norway) – Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9

Due to the fact that there were not more than 32 entries for the contest driver just needed to score a clean run in qualifying to make the show for the competition tomorrow. 30 drivers entered the competition and 30 made the cut. The final grid is as follows.

Matt Field and Aurimas Bakchis will received first round byes due to the bracket not being filled with driver entries. Action from the day can be streamed here:

The Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 5: Crossroads, and Link ECU PROSPEC Championship Round 3 festivities have ended. A number of improvements were added to World Wide Technology Raceway near St Louis this year. To help the drivers achieve fluid runs through the course, track officials had significantly widened the paved surface in Outside Zone 3 (OZ3) and repositioned OZ4. They also added raised curbs in OZ4 to help the drivers find the edge of the course and avoid putting their rear tires in the dirt. The results from the event were as follows.

Results from FD PRO Round 5

1.   Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15
2.   Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
3.   Simen Olsen (Norway) – Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9

Results from FD PROSPEC Round 3

1.   Ben Hobson (USA) – Ben Hobson (USA) – Pedal Commander / Feal Suspension / Koruworks / Motegi Racing Nissan S14
2.   Andy Hateley (USA) – Hateley Motorsports Habanero E46 BMW
3.   Geoff Donati (USA) – Freedom Builders / Tuner Tools-powered E46 BMW

The PRO competition was littered with a number of on track collisions, driver protests, and a change in the championship leader. Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis won the round. It was his first win since 2021. Bakchis moved up in the standings to third place.

Odi Bakchis stated the following after securing the win this weekend, “What a crazy event! Winning was no easy feat but it feels very special because it represents the tenth win in my Formula DRIFT PRO career. Simen and I put my team through a lot today but we both got on the podium. And to do that against a field of crazy drivers means you have to beat on the cars super-hard, and we did that.”

Bakchis continued

“We laid it all on the line and the cars got beaten up. They constantly needed attention from the crew but they kept them together for us and we kept on going. We definitely owe it to them and I’m thrilled with Feal Race Team – we took first place in PROSPEC as well as first and third in PRO, so we’re carrying a lot of momentum going into the PRO Round in Seattle. Simen and I have to keep charging hard but the cars and team are working well, so we’re confident for the next Round.”

Final points standings are available below.

Round 5 FD PRO TOP 16 Driver Points

2023 FD PRO TOP 16 Driver Championship Standings

PROSPEC Results

In PROSPEC Ben Hobson claimed the win and the championship lead from Rudy Hansen. Hansen was eliminated early in the knockout stage. Hobson beat second place championship point sitter Andy Hateley in the final. He now has a commanding lead of 65 points over second place sitter Andy Hateley. Hobson stated after the race, “It’s been a long time coming but we finally achieved a perfect event and I’m super-stoked about it. My team and family are going crazy and I want to thank my sponsors as well. We’re going gung-ho into the next round where we have a chance of taking the Championship. And I’m not lifting, so we’re running into Round 4 at full tilt like we have all season!”

Full event results and standings for the PROSPEC class are available below.

Round 3 FD PROSPEC TOP 16 Driver Points

FD PROSPEC TOP 16 Championship Standings

Next Formula DRIFT Round

Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA  will host the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 6 on August 11-12. Please visit formulad.com for the competition schedule, ticket information, driver profiles, special content, and the event livestream

Qualifying for both the PRO and PROSPEC classes concluded yesterday for the Formula DRIFT St. Louis tour stop. Event results are below.

Results From FD PRO Qualifying

1.   Kazuya Taguchi (Japan) – Upgarage / ISR Performance / GT Radial / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota 86
2.   Nick Noback (USA) – Noback Racing Co E46 BMW by Jerry Yang Racing
3.   Dean Kearney (Ireland) – HyperNFT Dodge Viper

Results From FD PROSPEC Qualifying

1.   Ben Hobson (USA) – Pedal Commander / Feal Suspension / Koruworks / Motegi Racing Nissan S14
2.   Amanda Sorensen (USA) – United States Air Force / Sorensen Motorsports BMW M4
3.   Derek Madison (USA) ­– Fuelab Fuel Systems / IG Motorsports Nissan S14

PRO

The competition this weekend in St. Louis is taking place at World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, IL. There have been a number of course changes comparing the course to last year’s arrangement. The biggest change is the widening of turn 3 which provides better entry and exit angle possibilities for the cars.

In the PRO class last years winner took the top spot in qualifying. Due to the fact that 32 drivers did not make the qualifying cut. Kazuya Taguchi will inherit a first round bye in the knockout stages. Similarly because only 30 drivers qualified Nick Noback will also receive a first round bye. Only 31 drivers attempted to qualify this round all but Diego Higa (Brazil) were able to qualify. Silva suffer a mechanical failure and was not able to compete.

PROSPEC

Ben Hobson secured yet another top position in qualifying. Despite not being able to capitalize on his qualifying starts all season the consistency is there. Hobson will look to translate this qualifying into a win for the first of the season. Amanda Sorenson qualified in second; her best qualifying ever in Formula DRIFT. Derek Madison missed qualifying position 2 by 0.3 points in third place. 39 drivers attempted to qualify for the competition. 32 drivers made the cut.

Full PRO Bracket

Full PROSPEC Bracket

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Formula DRIFT weekend for Round 4 of the Series has come to an end. With the PROSPEC class getting things wrapped up earlier in the weekend the PRO class topped things off on Saturday. All 32 spots were filled during knockout qualifying. All drivers had a point scoring run to make the cut. The most compelling outcome is RTR Vehicles Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD driver Adam LZ securing his first ever Formula DRIFT podium and win. LZ is sharing the car with teammate Vaughn Gittin who won at Drift Atlanta earlier this season. The win marks the third from the RTR Motorsports team this year.

Adam LZ Spoke to the Media

LZ had the following words for the Formula DRIFT media, “The more I drive, the better I feel! We seemed to get better with every battle to where I wanted to go One More Time because I was enjoying it so much. It feels fantastic to get my first win at the best place on earth here at Englishtown Raceway. And I can’t thank my team enough for grinding to get us the best car we could possibly have.”

“I took out my teammates, which was something I didn’t want to do. But I told myself that if I did that I needed to take it to the top. I did, and I must thank everybody who supported and believed in me. It feels really special to take home the win and show what I’m capable of.” LZ scored 100 points which saw him rise from 31st in the championship to 13th.”

Formula DRIFT President, Ryan Sage stated after the even, “What a crazy way to mark the midway point of the season. Nobody expected Adam LZ and Simen Olsen to be in the Final but their determination allowed them to battle through some incredible competitors, including their own, more experienced teammates. And with Aasbo going out in the Top 32 we’ve seen the PRO Championship shaken up as Matt Field regained his position at the top of the table. It’s been an enthralling end to an exciting weekend and a great way to set the stage for the second half of the season and the run to the Final Round in Irwindale.”

What’s impressive is the wave of young talent that has recently been taking the fight to the field veterans.

Formula Drift PRO New Jersey Podium

1.   Adam LZ (USA) – RTR Vehicles Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2.   Simen Olsen (Norway) – Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9
3.   Matt Field (USA) ­– Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette

Round 4 FD PRO Top 16 Driver Points

2023 FD PRO Top 16 Driver Championship Standings

About Formula DRIFT

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

The Formula Drift PROSPEC Results from New Jersey are posted. 19 year old rookie driver Cole Richards won the class after qualifying 13th. Ironically Richards was not able to celebrate with champagne as he is below the drinking age in New Jersey. The win moves Richards to third in the 2023 PROSPEC standings and the leading Rookie. Second place went to Brutskiy to kickstart his 2023 Championship bid. He arrived in Englishtown in 21st position and leaves in 5th place. After finishing third overall in the 2022 PROSPEC Championship, Hateley started the competition in 17th following the opening round, but his third place New Jersey result has catapulted him to ninth overall int he standings. Full details from the PROSPEC round are below.

Results From FD PROSPEC Round 2

1.   Cole Richards (USA) – Richards Racing / Koruworks Scion FRS
2.   Dmitriy Brutskiy ­– DriftHQ E46 BMW
3.   Andy Hateley (USA) – Hateley Motorsports Habanero E46 BMW

Rounds 2 FD PROSPEC Top 16 Driver Points

FD PROSPEC Top 16 Championship Standings

About Formula DRIFT

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

As the drivers arrived to the circuit many were relieved to find dry conditions after the competition in 2022 was plagued with tropical storm rains. 32 drivers qualified for the main competition. Formula DRIFT made some minor revisions the layout of the figure-8 course for this year. The Outside of Zone 1 was lengthened and the Outside of Zone 2 shortened slightly to improve the flow of the course. The top qualifier Ryan Tuerck (USA) drove his Rain-X / Nitto Tire / Rockstar Energy GR Corolla into the top spot with a 94.6-point first run. One point separated the top 3 drivers making the round really anyone’s competition to take. The competition was fierce with multiple drivers pushing past the limit.

Second place qualifier and event winning Chelsea Denofa stated, “It was a gnarly event and the team worked extremely hard all weekend. We worked through a number of gremlins in practice and the car was there when I needed it. Everything went well, and after our One More Time in the Top 32 we won all the battles with the chase run and clean leads. It worked out really well because we have a great car for this track – it’s only one turn, so it can’t be that hard!” He continued, “We need to fix the car before New Jersey because it’s so battered. The crew will get it back together and we’ve got a good set up for Englishtown, so we’ll try to get on the podium again.” The win brought Denofa from 10th in the championship to 2nd 13 points behind championship leader Fredric Aasbo.

Round 3 FD PRO Top 16 Drivers Championship Points –Round 3

2023 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

About Formula Drift

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

Formula Drift Round 3 qualifying results have been posted. The week the Formula Drift drivers tacklethe figure 8 at Orlando Speed World. The track has been revised slightly for 2023, with Outside Zone 1 lengthened and Outside Zone 2 shortened slightly to improve the flow of the course. Top qualifier Tuerck scored 94.6 points thanks in part to a high X factor. Currently sitting 11th in the 2023 FD PRO Championship, despite also qualifying first at the opening Long Beach round, FD Orlando could initiate the launch of the GR Corolla driver’s title chase.

You can view the Friday Recap here:

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, May 26, 2023
Location: Orlando Speed World, Orlando, FL
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 3: TYPE S Scorched presented by AutoZone

RESULTS FROM FD PRO QUALIFYING

1. Ryan Tuerck (USA) – Rain-X / Nitto Tire / Rockstar Energy GR Corolla
2. Chelsea DeNofa (USA) – Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
3. Kazuya Taguchi (Japan) – Upgarage / ISR Performance / GT Radial / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota 86

ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT season has concluded. Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta hosted the event this weekend and Saturday the PRO class took the stage after the PROSPEC concluded on Friday. You can read about the PROSPEC results here: PROSPEC Results.

The PRO class featured 32 drivers. Championship leader Matt Field (USA) was eliminated from the round 8 by Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD drive Vaughn Gittin Jr. Field continued to lead the 2023 FD PRO Championship by a healthy 40-point margin. Gittin Jr is only competing in four rounds this season, so he won’t mount a title offensive but could certainly shake up the standings.

Results from FD PRO Round 2 Drift Atlanta

1.   Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) – Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
2.   Chris Forsberg (USA) – NOS Energy Drink / GT Radial Nissan Z
3.   Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15

Next Round

Orlando Speed World will host the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 3: TYPE S Scorched presented by AutoZone on May 26-27. Please visit formulad.com for the competition schedule, ticket information, driver profiles, special content, and the event livestream

About Formula Drift

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

Follow Formula Drift Online

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You can find the full results below.

Round 2 FD PRO Top 16 Driver Points Drift Atlanta

2023 FD PRO Top 16 Driver Championship Standings