Formula Drift 2009 – Round 4 – Las Vegas
Photography by Duane Uyeda
Formula DRIFT returned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Round 4: All In. Champion Tanner Foust takes the victory in his Rockstar / Hankook Scion Racing tC, while Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Nissan 350Z moves to the top position overall in the chase for the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship.
For the 2nd consecutive year, Formula DRIFT returned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2-day weekend event was filled with non-stop Formula DRIFT and Pro Am action. Fans were also treated to the Jtuned Auto Gallery car show, Wicked H.P. drag competition, and Bikini Jam.
“Las Vegas continues to be one of the top destinations for the circuit despite the triple digit weather,” said Ryan Sage, vice president of marketing and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “The fans continue to come out in droves and we had another sold out event. The drivers continue to step up their level of drifting and we’re seeing a real chase for the Championship.”
Chris Forsberg took over the point lead after a close battle with Ryan Tuerck, who was ranked #2 going into the event, in the Great 8 round. Forsberg then went on to defeat Tyler McQuarrie, in the Falken Tire Nissan 350Z, in the consolation round for 3rd place. The final battle was between Hankook Tire teammates Tanner Foust and Ryuji Miki, piloting the APEXi / Hankook Mazda RX-7.
Foust proved why he is the returning champion and blinded Miki in the first run with a cloud of thick smoke that caused Miki to lose his drift, while giving chase in their first tandem run giving Foust the advantage. With a solid 2nd run, Foust was able to sit on top of the podium once again.
“The Rockstar team and I went from zero to hero after failing to qualify for the main competition last event,” said Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust, winner of Round 4: All In. “I am so proud of my team and they worked hard to fix the issues of the Rockstar Scion tC and I now feel comfortable and feel that this car has more potential than the Nissan 350Z ever had.”
| Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2009 Point Standings | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Nissan 350Z | 307 Points |
| 2. Tuerck, Ryan | Gardella Racing / Mobil 1Pontiac Solstice | 294 Points |
| 3. Hubinette, Samuel | NuFormz Dodge Viper | 271 Points |
| 4. Gittin, Vaughn | Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang GT | 265.50 Points |
| 5. McQuarrie, Tyler | Falken Nissan 350Z | 265 Points |
| 6. McNamara, Darren | Falken / Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky | 260 Points |
| 7. Nishida, Robbie | Hankook Tires / Dynamic Autosports Nissan 350Z | 259 Points |
| 8. Foust, Tanner | Rockstar / Hankook Scion Racing tC | 246.50 Points |
| 9. Pawlak, Justin | Bergenholtz Racing / Nitto Mazda RX-8 | 245 Points |
| 10. Maeng, Joon | Maxxis / LS Auto Nissan S13.5 | 227.25 Points |
| 11. Aono, Taka | Technosquare Toyota AE86 Corolla | 223 Points |
| 12. Mordaunt, Patrick | PM Racing Nissan S13 | 220 Points |
| 13. Brakohiapa, Tony | Cooper Tire Ford Mustang | 219 Points |
| 14. Verdier, Stephan | Cooper Tire / Crawford Performance Subaru STI | 214 Points |
| 15. Petty, Ross | Garage Boso / Falken Nissan S15 | 212.75 Points |
| 16. Yoshihara, Daijiro | Falken Tire / Discount Tire Lexus IS350 | 208 Points |
| Round 4: All In Event Results | ||
| 1. Foust, Tanner | Rockstar / Hankook Scion Racing tC | |
| 2. Miki, Ryuji | APEXi / Hankook Mazda RX-7 | |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Nissan 350Z | |
| Tires.com Triple Crown Point Standings after 1 of 3 events | ||
| 1. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Nissan 350Z | 102 Points |
| 2. McNamara, Darren | Falken / Sears Auto Center Saturn Sky | 94 Points |
| 3. Tuerck, Ryan | Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 Pontiac Solstice | 80 Points |
Source
Formula Drift
www.formuladrift.com
