2022 Formula Drift Champion Is Crowned in California, It Feels Like a Deja Vu

Fredric Aasbo went off to a great start as he claimed pole position by the end of the qualifying session on Friday. Wataru Masuyama was right behind him in second place, while the young Branden Sorensen came in third.

At this point, there was even more pressure on Matt Field's shoulders, as he knew he could lose the fight for the championship if he made any mistakes. For day two of the competition, fans and spectators alike would be treated to a total of 29 battles.

For each battle, there are at least two runs. Each driver gets to lead and then chase his opponent before the judges issue a verdict. The lead driver's job is to follow the same rules he would in qualifying.

Meanwhile, the chaser has to get as close as possible to his opponent without sacrificing angle. Mimicking the lead car's line and transitions while maintaining proximity is the key to success. It was an all-Toyota battle for the first match-up of the weekend, with Fredric Aasbo taking on Dan Burkett.

With both drivers running over 1,000 hp under the hood of their cars, this was bound to be an exciting challenge. Driving the Supra MK IV, Dan Burkett went in a bit too deep while giving chase and made contact with his opponent. The damage he sustained could not be repaired in time for a rerun, and so Aasbo was moving on to the Top16.

Kyle Mohan went up against Jhonnatan Castro in the next battle of the day, as rotary fans from around the world were hoping to see him win against the Dominican Republic driver. Kyle hasn't had much luck this year, as he's never made it past the Top 16 going into the last round.

But the RX-8 seemed to be on top of the game, and two out of three judges gave Mohan the thumbs up while the third one voted for a One More Time. In an all-Nissan battle between Aurimas Backchis and Ryan Litteral, the Lithuanian driver emerged victoriously with a unanimous decision by the judges.

As Joao Barion from Brazil could not bring his Corvette to the start line, Matt Field was going to get a bye run just like Aasbo did. And that further prolonged the suspense for the time being.

Adam LZ and Chelsea Denofa both made it past their Top 32 opponents, but everyone was rather shocked to see Chris Forsberg suffering an engine failure before his battle against Travis Reeder.

Meanwhile, on the right side of the bracket, Michael Essa and Ken Gushi won against two difficult opponents: Wataru Masuyama and Justin Pawlak. As expected, both Sorensen and Tuerck would also advance to the Top 16. But the heavy rain wasn't going to make things easier for anyone. If anything, it was all about to become quite a bit hectic for the last part of the day.

Looking at the Top 16 runs, drivers had to be extra careful with the wet patches on the track. Mohan hit the wall hard and subsequently lost the fight against Fredric Aasbo. Dylan Hughes suffered a similar fate, and so Aurimas Backchis would get an easy ticket to the Top 8.

But the next battle left everyone speechless, as Matt Field lost control of his Corvette while leading against Adam LZ. Although there was no collision between the two, the Drift Cave 'Vette hit the wall hard, and the chase for the championship was sadly over for him.

Most spectators would agree that the battle between Chelsea Denofa and Travis Reeder was the most controversial one of the weekend. A lot of people were unhappy with the fact that Reeder was given the win, but then again, the judges explained the call via the live stream to clarify the situation.

On the right side of the bracket, Essa, Sorensen, and Tuerck continued to put on a good performance as they were all moving on to the Top 8. Jeff Jones would also move forward, for the second time this season that he's achieving this kind of result.

You can always count on the fact that a battle between Aasbo and Backchis is going to be epic. And these two drivers did not disappoint. After just two runs, the results were in, and this all-European match-up would see the Norwegian pro advancing to the next leg of the race. Watching Adam LZ going up against Travis Reeder felt a bit strange, especially on the first run.

After team RTR protested against the decision of the judges to award Reeder the win, the whole thing was reexamined. Finally, Adam LZ would be the one to move on to the Top 4.

Michael Essa made a critical mistake in his battle with Jeff Jones, and so the former FD Champion saw himself out of the race. Branden Sorensen is shaping up to be one of the next big FD stars at the rate he's driving these days, and Ryan Tuerck needed four runs to defeat his young competitor from Las Vegas.

Both Adam LZ and Jeff Jones had a hard time dealing with the wet track in Irwindale, and they both succumbed to their own mistakes. That meant the final battle of the day would be fought between Ryan Tuerck and Fredric Aasbo.

And the Norwegian Hammer made sure he would end the season with a perfect result, winning the championship and the race at the same time. That leaves Matt Field in P2 overall, Ryan Tuerck in third, and Chelsea Denofa in fourth after eight races across the United States.