EVENT DETAILS

Date: Saturday, May 11, 2024

Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA

Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 2: Type S Road To The Championship presented by AutoZone

RESULTS FROM FD PRO COMPETITION

1.  Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra

2.  Simen Olsen (Norway) – Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9

3.  James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD

NOTES

• Sunny weather greeted the teams for the Top 32 competition heats before the event finished in darkness on a cooling track
• Three-time (2015, 2021, 2022) Formula DRIFT Champion Aasbo claimed his first victory since the 2022 Irwindale Final Round where he also secured the Championship. He was also victorious in Atlanta the same year
• Aasbo beat fellow Norwegian Olsen in a thrilling Final that went to One More Time after the judges were unable to separate the two drivers' first runs. Unfortunately, Olsen experienced an electrical problem before the restart, which returned during the third run, causing him to lose power and retire
• With Deane in third and Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) in fourth, Road Atlanta witnessed European domination in the top spots. In fact, The FD ATL result was almost a copy of Round 1, which saw Deane, Olsen and Bakchis claim the top three places, with Aasbo in fifth
• Deane has retained the Championship lead by a scant two points from Olsen, while Aasbo catapulted into third ahead of Bakchis
• It was a night of debeaded tires, frequently caused by Road Atlanta's sawtooth kerbing. There were also a number of mechanical failures, but none as spectacular as Bakchis, whose Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 caught fire on the second run, shortly after a loud 'pop' echoed around the track. Bakchis avoided a collision before escaping from the car, which was extinguished quickly
• Some big names were knocked out of the Top 32 heats, including double FD PRO Champion Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA), who was eliminated by RTR teammate Deane. We also lost YouTube star Adam LZ in a controversial battle with Matt Field (USA). Kyle Mohan (USA) retired after hitting a concrete barrier hard enough to reposition it. Other eliminations included Ryan Tuerck (USA), double PROSPEC champ Dmitriy Brutskiy, and 14 year-old Hiroya Minowa (Japan)
• Although he exited early, Minowa was the top Rookie, placing 18th overall in the Enjuku Racing / Cusco / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota GT86
• Formula DRIFT PRO Round 3 will take place at Orlando Speed World on May 31- June 1. Fans can enjoy the action in person or via the series livestream at youtube.com/Formuladrift

ROUND 2 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Fredric Aasbo	100
2	Simen Olsen	84
3	James Deane	70
4	Aurimas Bakchis	70
5	Rome Charpentier	56
6	Matt Field	56
7	Forrest Wang	56
8	Dan Burkett	56
9	Ken Gushi	42
10	Chris Forsberg	42
11	Kazuya Taguchi	42
12	Branden Sorensen	42
13	Dylan Hughes	42
14	Jhonnattan Castro	42
15	Alec Robbins	42
16	Jeff Jones	42

2024 FD PRO TOP 16 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	James DEANE	170
2	Simen OLSEN	168
3	Fredric AASBO	156
4	Aurimas BAKCHIS	140
5	Rome CHARPENTIER	112
6	Ken GUSHI	112
7	Matt FIELD	98
8	Forrest WANG	84
9	Dan BURKETT	84
10	Chris FORSBERG	84
11	Kazuya TAGUCHI	84
12	Branden SORENSEN	84
13	Nick NOBACK	84
14	Hiroya MINOWA	84
15	Dylan HUGHES	70
16	Jhonnattan CASTRO	70

FORMULA DRIFT ATLANTA RECAP

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

Photo credit: Formula DRIFT
posted on conceptcarz.com

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