PRO Summer Drifting At Its Best!

It’s been a crazy-busy summer season for drifting across the world and also super fun to see the names of drivers we’ve all come to cherish next to some others we haven’t seen in awhile. Not to mention, a nice group of up-and-comers we’re seeing on tracks and podiums all over the world.

As usual, Rounds 4 and 5 of Formula DRIFT’s 2024 season mark the circuit's turn back to the west coast, and they always scream by in a plume. However, it wasn’t too fast for each of these events to make their mark in the FD history books. If you missed all or part of these two incredible FD rounds at New Jersey’s Englishtown Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis, be sure to look up the recordings on the Formula DRIFT YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, take a stroll through a few fun highlights below in our third Wall Taps recap of the 2024 Formula DRIFT season.

HIGHEST FIVE

In case you haven’t been locked into ‘all-things FD’, both the New Jersey and St. Louis stops also feature PROSPEC season events (Rounds 2 and 3, respectively). These events are always fun to take in, because they represent the drivers and teams striving for, and fighting hard to reach, FD’s biggest league. Not to mention, the chance to make history, just like driver Amanda Sorensen (@amanda.sorensen12) did in New Jersey.

Sorensen was the first female driver to step up the FD podium after earning second place in Englishtown.

Connor O’Sullivan (@connor_osully) also knocked it out of the park, with back-to-back first-place wins at both events, and Tommy Lemaire (@tommy.lemaire) scored two more podiums, with double third-place wins. Austin Matta (@dontmatta710) claimed second place in St. Louis, after an unresolvable engine issue forced him to bow out of his final battle with O’Sullivan.

Overall, O’Sullivan stands in first position with 242 points and Lemaire is only two points behind. Matta, Buchanan (@cbuchanan272), and Chen (@nathanial.chen) all sit 74 points below first, guaranteeing the upcoming PROSPEC final round in Grantsville, Utah (August 29-30) is sure to be another amazing final event to remember.

FD’s New Jersey and St. Louis events are both traditionally ‘double headers’, so fans not only get the pleasure of watching the PROSPEC drivers duke it out on the track, but they’re also treated to Rounds 4 and 5 in the PRO league. Hats off to James Deane (@jamesdeane130), who claimed victory at both PRO rounds, followed by Odi Bakchis (@odidrift) and Adam LZ (@adam_lz) taking second and third in Round 4. Minowa (@hiroya.minowa) and Aasbo (@fredricaasbo) did the same in Round 5.

We’re not sure, but we think the count of one-more-time battles at these events combined might be another one to put in the record books. Even if it isn’t, it was pretty cool to witness all the thrilling runs at these two stops!

Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Tim Jarvis

And, while we’re on the subject of James Deane - one of only three professional FD drivers to ever achieve three season titles - it’s safe to say this guy is on fire (well, not literally, although he pretty much started the season that way!)

Deane has podiumed in all 13 events that he’s competed in worldwide in under a year (yep - he just earned #13 in Latvia!) Five of these podiums were earned in FD (all five rounds, including three first-place wins!) He’s also currently 118 points ahead in the FD standings, and heads the pack in the Drift Masters European Circuit (DMEC) as well.

Not to mention, the RTR sensation is on a path to possibly make another history-making moment for both he and Formula DRIFT. If he’s able to keep up this winning streak, he could become the first driver to ever hold four FD titles! It all remains to be seen, and as we all know, anything can happen in drifting - but we’re not gonna lie - it’s just really fun to think about!

Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Brightman

But, before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk (again!) about the 14-year-old Rookie driver that is taking FD by storm - or at least by smoke - this season. Not only is Hiroya Minowa the youngest driver currently competing in FD North America, but this kid literally stole the show in St. Louis, battling Deane to the bitter end. He ultimately lost the final battle, but he won the respect of every drifting enthusiast across the globe by stepping onto the podium as the youngest driver to ever place in FD’s 21-year history! Could he be named Rookie-of-the-Year? It’s too early to tell, and he’s not the only formidable contender, so it’s safe to say the excitement for the next three stops is going to be palpable for all.

This is especially true for Rookie all-star Conor Shanahan (@conorshanahan79), who just claimed another DMEC victory in Latvia, and also earned first place at FD’s Orlando stop; a big feat for a first-timer in the league!

It’s also clear Shanahan doesn’t ever go down without a good fight. He battled Fredric Aasbo in Englishtown - not once - but an amazing three times, before conceding to the three-peat champ. Then, in St. Louis, Shanahan took on another three-time champion (James Deane) in the Great 8, and the two fought multiple rounds (like proper Irishmen do). After two full battles, the judges finally handed Deane the win.

A loss for Shanahan? We don’t think so. Show us another FD Rookie that can hold two master champions against the wall - over and over again - without the benefit of ever competing professionally on these U.S. tracks before. Yep, the heat is going to be on for the next three rounds, and we simply can’t wait to see how Shanahan puts those Irish fighting gloves to work.

INS AND OUTS

With rainstorms hammering the first three stops along the circuit this season, at first glance, the New Jersey forecast looked a bit less onerous. At least, until everyone realized they were in for blistering hot temperatures and equally uncomfortable humidity.

*The bad news* - FD staffer Casidi’s birthday cake became a casualty of the heat (we hope it was a great birthday anyway, Casidi!!!)

*The good news* - Mother Nature bestowed her goodness on everyone Saturday, with a glorious 12-minute downpour.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Rakesh Patel.

We started calling this year *‘Twenty-Twenty-FIRE’*, after the Bakchis blaze in Round 3 gave FD a three-for-three season of unwelcome infernos.
This said, we’re actually happy to report the worst scorcher in ETown was the weather (unless you want to count Minowa’s tire fire, which technically made it four-for-four!)

Better yet, Round 5 was not only the season’s geographical turning point, but it proved to be [what we hope is] the turning point for this season’s fiery mishaps.
Fortunately, nothing on the track was hot enough in St. Louis to ignite, and although the weather at this stop often tips over 100 degrees, it was actually quite nice.
If this keeps up, we might just have to think of a new nickname ;)
Photo courtesy of Formula DRIFT.

Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Rakesh Patel

You may recall, our Long Beach Wall Taps recap lauded the Acceler8 new ‘Driven Experience’ program; launched this season in partnership with Formula DRIFT. The program has been running strong ever since, introducing high school students all over the nation to the drifting motorsport at every stop and turn. Not to mention, giving them ‘celebrity’ experiences with drivers, and of course, none other than the iconic voice of Formula DRIFT, Jarod DeAnda (@jaroddeanda).

And, if you missed LZ’s crazy wall ride in St. Louis, you will definitely want to rewind for that one!

Fortunately, LZ walked away intact, but it was rumored he and his beloved Beemer would be out of commission for the rest of the season.
DRIFTEM Correspondent Jarrod Dykstra caught up with LZ’s lead tech and welding fabricator, Johan Munoz, at the recent DMEC event where Munoz confirmed LZ’s blue E36 won’t be coming back to FD this season.
“You could see the transmission tunnel and mount were tweaked, so a lot happened, not only in the front corner, but also in the center of the car and on the back,” Munoz said.
Photo courtesy of Formula DRIFT.

Fortunately, Munoz was able to follow it up with good news about LZ’s replacement vehicle. “We managed to find a completely empty chassis, and Joel Garcia from Drift HQ happened to have another shell he was building with a cage, which cut out at least half of the fabrication work,” he added.

The verdict? LZ’s Formula DRIFT fans will not be disappointed after all. When we asked Munoz if they’ll be ready for the upcoming Seattle round, he just smiled [a little wickedly] and said, “Seattle???” Then, he happily informed us, “The car will be at Seattle! We just got a picture of it on the dyno today. They’ll be testing over the weekend, and it will head out on Tuesday at the latest, because it’s a long 55-hour drive.”

WHOAS AND WOES

If you’ve never actually seen FD’s carbon fiber trophies up-close-and-personal, here’s a birds-eye view of the PROSPEC version.

Driver Ben Hobson (@benhobson213) knows what it feels like to have a few of these babies on the shelf. We asked Hobson what it was like to earn the PROSPEC championship in 2023 and here’s the wisdom he had for us.
“Being able to be named a champion in anything is amazing. It was a goal many, many, many years ago to show what I can do. Last year, we really did that with a machine that worked, so we put it to the full test, and I got to show off my skill set,” Hobson said. “It’s an honor, and it was a lot of hard work that paid off, and a great feeling.”
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Rakesh Patel

Speaking of ‘WHOE’ful wall hits, PROSPEC driver Margaritis Katsanidis (@tgdmargaritis) had a tough one in his Great 8 battle against Austin Matta in St. Louis. Fortunately, the team was able to get the car rebuilt and back on the track for the HotPit Autofest Round 3 event the following weekend.

Katsanidis told us that in addition to repairing his car, he’s also been busy repairing a budget gap after a recent sponsorship setback, but in his ‘always-positive’ way, he added he’s excited to share a little good news. “I’ve been working with a new wheel sponsor to release a custom BMW part into the market soon,” he said.

We say, “Way to keep those wheels spinning, Margaritis!”

Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Andrei Popov

HA! Did we say wheels? Well… if we didn’t, we should have, since it was Matt Field’s (@mattfield777) not-so-favorite word in New Jersey, after one of his wheels suddenly detached from the Corvette during his Top 16 battle with Dylan Hughes (@dylanhughes129).

And, that wasn’t the only incident involving those four things that go round and round. Both the ETown and St. Louis events saw a slew of de-beads, some of which appeared to be attributed to the OZ1 track change in St. Louis, which led to a number of drivers going into the wall and over the rumble strips.