1,111-HP RTR Mustang Reigned Supreme at Formula Drift in NJ, LZ Was on Top of the Game

New Jersey has been on the Formula Drift calendar for more than a decade now, and plenty of the drivers on the grid have had their fair share of seat time here. Still, there is always a chance a newcomer can disrupt the scene and rise to the occasion. Our previous story estimated that Aasbo, Field, Deane, and Denofa would make it to the Top 4 battles. And we were partially right about that.

Top 32

It all started with a damp track and Aasbo losing against Ken Gushi in the first battle of the Top32. We honestly can't remember the last time the Norwegian Hammer exited the scene so early in the game. But consulting the archives, it looks like it last happened back in 2020. Backchis won against Higa, and Taguchi also got the same result against Dean Kearney. Field, Castro, and Forsberg won their battles, too, while Ukrainian driver Alex Golovnya lost against Rome Charpentier.

On the other side of the bracket, Tuerck and Sorensen were both successful in their tandem runs, while James Deane also managed to move past his opponent in the Top32. Travis Reeder won last year's race in New Jersey, so we didn't expect anything but a victory from him in his first battle of the day. And as many people predicted, both Denofa and LZ were about to move on to the next phase of the race.

Top 16

Now, both Gushi and Backchis have been in the game for years. And for the most part, you'd think of it as a Toyota versus Nissan battle. Odi's car should be good for about 1,000 horsepower, but Gushi's GR86 is just a little behind. Judges called for a One More Time (OMT) as the first two runs were insufficient for a winner to be decided upon.

But in the end, Nissan fans got their way, and Odi was on to the Top8. Another Europe vs. Japan battle was up next and had a similar outcome, with Simen Olsen winning against Kazuya Taguchi. Matt Field won against Jhonnattan Castro, no surprise there. But former FD champion Chris Forsberg couldn't just waltz by Rome Charpentier.

Forsberg had experienced some technical issues going into this battle, but ultimately, he made some mistakes on the track that led to Charpentier's victory. One of the judges had asked for an OMT, but the other two favored the BMW driver instead of the Nissan one. On the right side of the bracket, Tuerck and Deane were fulfilling our predictions, Barion won against Hughes, and the unexpected was about to happen between Adam LZ and Chelsea Denofa.

Team RTR has signed up for the 2023 FD season with four drivers; two have already won a race this year. LZ has the skills to succeed against Denofa, but Chelsea has several more years of experience. Seeing the two RTR Mustangs head to head was extraordinary, with plenty of door-to-door action throughout the runs. Both drivers made some mistakes, but ultimately two judges voted for Adam LZ, while the third asked for an OMT. Most fans asked for the latter, but you should look at it too before thinking that Chelsea was somehow robbed.

Top 8

By this point, 24 drivers were no longer part of the race for the top spot on the podium in New Jersey. Backchis was about to race Olsen in an all-European driver battle, and this was anyone's guess. Both drivers are part of the same team and use similar vehicle setups, but Olsen wouldn't hold back against his boss.

After two intense runs, they had to go at it again, but in the end, the Norwegian driver emerged triumphantly. Matt Field won against Rome Charpentier, and Adam LZ pushed through to the Top 4 after taking on Joao Barion. But the other exciting battle of the Top 8 was between Ryan Tuerck and James Deane.

In this Toyota vs. Ford line-up, there was over 2,000 horsepower sitting at the start line, just waiting to be unleashed. Tuerck dropped a tire on the first run, and the Mustang looked menacing, chasing the small GR Corolla down. The two even traded paint on the second run, which was intense. Tuerck put up a strong fight, but Deane, "The Machine," was moving on to the next stage of the race.

Top 4

At this point, most people would have bet serious money that the final race would go down between James Deane and Matt Field. But they would have been wrong. It was already dark outside, and it was so cool to see FD cars using underglow like in the good old days. Matt Field led on the first run and initiated at over 60 mph, with Olsen all over him.

Field was just as good on his chase run, and the drivers called in for an OMT. In the end, Corvette fans were sad to see their favorite being knocked out of the competition, while people watching from Norway were probably ecstatic about the whole thing.

The second run in the LZ vs. Deane battle was strange, as the Irish legend overshot his entry. Both drivers wrecked their back bumpers on this one, as Adam had almost gone in backward into turn one. But Deane's mistake would end his weekend, as all three judges voted for Adam LZ. That's one thing we didn't think we'd see too soon.

Final Battle

So that leaves us with the final battle between Norway and the USA, Simen Olsen versus Adam LZ. They're both relatively young drivers with similar seat time in FD. But you can't deny that the RTR Mustang is a lot more impressive when compared to the old Nissan. The tension was high, and you could tell by the two restarts required before things could move on.

Once things got rolling, we couldn't help but feel impressed at how good LZ has become at flicking the big Mustang around. Both drivers were consistent throughout the first two runs, so an OMT was in order. The judges also had a tough job analyzing the subsequent two runs but eventually reached a decision. Adam LZ has won his first-ever Formula Drift event! And Olsen will be chasing that same spot over the next few rounds.

It has been a spectacular season for RTR Vehicles, as three of their four drivers have each won a race. Strangely enough, the only one without a win is James Deane, whom everyone expected to be the show's star. But there is still time for him to return to the game. Still, the real winner in New Jersey was Matt Field.

He is now leading the championship with a total of 256 points. Denofa and Aasbo are 41 points behind, tied for P2. James Deane is in P4; four more issues down the road. All of the Top 10 drivers in the series are less than 100 points behind the leader. So there's plenty of time for the rankings to change before the season ends.

Everyone expected Deane to score another title when it started, but remember Aasbo here. Some have high hopes for Chelsea Denofa or Matt Field, but after what we've seen this weekend, we wouldn't be surprised if Simen Olsen scores a second title for Norway in 2023. There are still four more rounds to go, and the next one is set for Saint Louis, Missouri, on July 15. After that, drivers will go to Washington in August, Utah in September, and California in October. We'll report back with more information soon.