10.11
This past Saturday I headed out to the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale for the final event of the Formula DRIFT season. The event was completely sold out and not only set attendance records for Irwindale Speedway, but for being the largest Formula DRIFT event in history as well!
Daijiro Yoshihara was a favorite to take the championship, but the 5 point leaders were close enough to make the event extremely exciting up until the final round. Perhaps the most surprising moment of the night was when Dai was knocked out of the Top 16, leaving the championship up for grabs. In the end, Dai narrowly maintained his points lead, and went on to claim his first championship ever as well as the Tires.com Triple Crown!
Congratulations to Dai for his championship win, to Justin Pawlak for 2nd, and to Chris Forsberg for taking 3rd! It was another great series, and an awesome final round!
Round 7: Title Fight Event Results
| Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2011 Final Point Standings | ||
| 1. Yoshihara, Daijiro | America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | 528 Points |
| 2. Pawlak, Justin | Falken Tire Ford Mustang | 522.25 Points |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | 508 Points |
| 4. McNamara, Darren | Falken Tire Saturn Sky | 504.75 Points |
| 5. McQuarrie, Tyler | Falken Tire Nissan 350Z | 449.50 Points |
| 6. Powers, Matt | Need for Speed / Nitto Nissan S14 | 444.50 Points |
| 7. Tuerck, Ryan | Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 Chevrolet Camaro | 437 Points |
| 8. Grunewald, Conrad | Hankook Tire Chevy Camaro | 413 Points |
| 9. Millen, Rhys | Red Bull / Hankook Hyundai Genesis Coupe | 409 Points |
| 10. Mohan, Kyle | Nexen Tire / Mazdatrix Mazda RX-8 | 377.50 Points |
| 11. Gittin, Vaughn | Monster Energy / Falken Ford Mustang | 375 Points |
| 12. Aasbo, Fredric | Need for Speed / Hankook Scion TC | 329.50 Points |
| 13. Yoshioka, Toshiki | Retaks Nissan S13 | 324.25 Points |
| 14. Gushi, Ken | RS*R / Hankook / Scion Racing TC | 314.75 Points |
| 15. Petty, Ross | Garage Boso / Falken Nissan S15 | 263 Points |
| 16. Bakchis, Aurimas | Bakchis Racing / Forged Racing Nissan 240SX | 255 Points |
| 1. McQuarrie, Tyler | Falken Tire Nissan 350Z | Winner |
| 2. Millen, Rhys | Red Bull / Hankook Hyundai Genesis Coupe | 2nd Place |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | 3rd Place |
| Tires.com Triple Crown Final Standings | ||
| 1. Yoshihara, Daijiro | Discount Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | 270 Points |
| 2. McQuarrie, Tyler | Falken Tire Nissan 350Z | 239 Points |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | 232 Points |
Story & Photos: Zack Tscharanyan
Results: Formula DRIFT
