Photography by Larry Chen
Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Evergreen Speedway for the Round 6: Autozone Throwdown.
Points leader James Deane once again finishes on top of the podium to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings.
Round 6: Autozone Throwdown was a highly competitive event that sets up a two-way battle for the championship between Deane and former Formula DRIFT champion, Fredric Aasbo with only two events remaining in the season. The capacity crowd was kept entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the weekend.
“Year in and year out the fans in the Pacific Northwest have proven to be some of the most diehard drifting fans out there,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “This event truly showcased what drifting is all about with the drivers putting on one amazing show for the fans.
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 Dai Yoshihara in the Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ. It was a hard fought battle, but Deane was able to take advantage of an error by Yoshihara to move into the Finals.
On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM faced Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX. Aasbo edged out his opponent to face the current points leader in a battle that could effect the rest of the season. Both drivers put it all on the line with the first battle too close to call forcing the judges to call a One More Time. The final battle was also very close, but after deliberation Deane was able to earn the victory to increase his points lead on Aasbo with only two events remaining.
“This was the toughest event so far this year for me,” said James Deane, winner of Round 6: Throwdown. “This track was really challenging, but somehow the stars aligned and we managed to qualify first and go against my teammate Piotr Wiecek, Dai Yoshihara, and finally Fredric Aasbo, who is really fast and doesn’t make mistakes and really is like a robot. I just had to give it every everything I got and it worked out, but I was dancing with the devil.”
The action continues to Round 7: Showdown at Texas Motor Speedway on September 8-9. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat - formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.
Round 6: Throwdown Results
1. Deane, James: Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 Winner
2. Aasbo, Fredric: Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM 2nd Place
3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi”: Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX 3rd Place
4. Yoshihara, Dai: Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ 4th Place
5. Wiecek, Piotr: Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 5th Place
6. Denofa, Chelsea: BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 6th Place
7. Coffman, Matt: Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240 7th Place
8. Pawlak, Justin: Roush Performance Ford Mustang 8th Place
9. Tuerck, Ryan: Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86 9th Place
10. Essa, Michael: Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46 10th Place
11. Bluss, Kristaps: HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 11th Place
12. Gittin, Vaughn: Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR 12th Place
13. Heilbrunn, Alex: Monster BMW E46 13th Place
14. Burkett, Dan: RAD Industries / Nexen Tire Toyota Supra 14th Place
15. Moore, Cameron: Nameless Performance / BN Sports / Nexen Tire GT86 15th Place
16. Castro, Jhonnattan: Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86 16th Place
2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 6 Events
1. Deane, James: Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 475.00 Points
2. Aasbo, Fredric: Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM 418.00 Points
3. Bluss, Kristaps: HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 329.00 Points
2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 6 Events
1. Toyota: 718.00 Points
2. Ford: 530.00 Points
3. BMW: 295.00 Points
4. Dodge: 257.00 Points
5. Nissan: 192.00 Points
6. Infiniti: 138.00 Points
2017 Tire Championship Standings After 6 Events
1. Falken: 889.00 Points
2. Nexen: 773.00 Points
3. Achilles: 735.00 Points
4. Nitto: 562.00 Points
5. Hankook: 526.00 Points
ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT
In its thirteenth season, 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 each driver's driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for professional drifters to compete nationwide for the coveted Formula DRIFT Championship crown. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the world-wide leader for the Sport. Formula DRIFT is featured on CBS Sports in the US and distributed globally by IMG Media, reaching over 400M households. Formula DRIFT has the most viewed live stream in the world, catering to over 1.5M fans annually. For a competition schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.
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