EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, May 10, 2024

Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA

Event: Formula DRIFT Link ECU PROSPEC Championship Round 1

RESULTS FROM FD PROSPEC COMPETITION

1.  Tommy Lemaire (Canada) – XPN Carbon/Kevlar Nissan S14.9

2.  Alex Jagger (USA) – Forsberg Racing / STEEL-IT Coatings / RaceTreads / Nismo Parts Nissan Z

3.  Josh Love (USA) – Josh Loves Drifting / ASM E46 BMW

NOTES

• The Top 32 competition heats began in warm sunshine, followed by a cooling track as the final heats took place at night
• Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is the oldest track on the FD schedule and the fastest thanks to its downhill approach to the first turn
• All FD PROSPEC teams run on GT Radial spec tires
• Following the introduction of the Seeding Bracket on Thursday (replacing the traditional solo qualifying runs), the leading 16 drivers had only participated in practice sessions prior to the Top 32 competition heats. Whereas positions 27-32 were populated by drivers who went through a 32-car Seeding Bracket to qualify, giving them considerably more track experience
• Among a number of Formula DRIFT competition rule changes, driver's will have more latitude to make a straightening correction without the run automatically being ruled 'incomplete,' allowing the judges to evaluate the severity of mistakes and assess both runs from both competitors
• The One More Time rule has been tightened, with its use reserved for close, exciting battles. And drivers can no long lodge an appeal at the track 
• To interpret the rules, Reese Marin (USA), Brian Eggert (USA) and Robbie Nishida (Japan) formed the judging panel
• Lemaire claimed his first Formula DRIFT win and only his second podium despite taking a hiatus in 2023. His previous best was second place in St Louis during his 2021 rookie year, in which he'd finish third overall
• To take the win, Lemaire beat Geoff Donati (USA), Jayden Martorana (Canada), Nate Chen (USA) and Josh Love (USA) on his way to defeating Jagger in a close Final
• Second place represents Jagger's best result since joining the Link ECU Championship in 2021
• Josh Love trumps both of them by winning his first ever PROSPEC event in 2020 and finishing third in the Championship that year. After moving up to PRO in 2022, he returned to PROSPEC last year and today's podium represents his best result since that decision
• Double PROSPEC Champion (2020 and 2021) Dmitriy Brutskiy is competing in both Formula DRIFT PROSPEC and PRO Championships this year. Finishing ninth overall in his Never Settle BMW, Brutskiy gets to try again tomorrow against the PRO drivers
• Canadian Jayden Martorana celebrated his 16th birthday this weekend by beating Justin Chestnutt (USA) in the Top 32 before party pooper Lemaire ironically knocked him out of the Sweet 16 heats
• Top Rookie was Brian Wills (USA) in 25th by virtue of his starting position drawn at random. He battled through the Seeding Bracket with fellow 2024 Rookies Jayce Habich (USA), Josh Stuart (USA), Lee Yearwood (Trinidad & Tobago), Luis Lanz (Venezuela) and Nik Jimenez (USA). All were eliminated from their Top 32 heats but each received points
• Round 2 of the Formula DRIFT Link ECU PROSPEC Championship takes place at Englishtown Raceway, New Jersey on June 20-22. Fans can enjoy the action in person or via the series livestream at youtube.com/Formuladrift

ROUND 1 FD PROSPEC TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Tommy Lemaire	100
2	Alex Jagger	84
3	Joshua Love	70
4	Cody Buchanan	70
5	Cole Richards	56
6	Nate Chen	56
7	Hooman Rahimi	56
8	Jack Davis	50
9	Dmitriy Brutskiy	42
10	Austin Matta	42
11	Dustin Miles	42
12	Faruk Kugay	42
13	Connor O´Sullivan	42
14	Jayden Martorana	42
15	Kelsey Rowlings	42
16	Matthew Bystrak	42

FORMULA DRIFT ATLANTA RECAP

Competition results from FD PRO Round 2: Type S Road to the Championship presented by AutoZone will be sent tomorrow. A recap of all the action from FD ATL with event images will be available on Monday 

NEXT ROUND

Formula DRIFT PRO Round 3 will take place at Orlando Speed World on May 31- June 1. 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

WATCH FORMULA DRIFT

The series livestream is available at youtube.com/Formuladrift and on MAV TV (please check your local provider)

Photo credit: Formula DRIFT
posted on conceptcarz.com

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