I remember the joy of being an official member of the media at international drift events year after year. During the off-season, pro drifters would upgrade or even change their cars, and some liked to keep things a surprise for the start of the season. So everyone was excited to see the new roster of drivers and cars for Round 1 of Formula Drift in Long Beach, an event that is ongoing this weekend.
If you couldn't make it over to see the event for yourself, you'll be pleased to know that you can rewatch the live stream broadcast at any time. This way, you can both see and hear the cars in action, all while looking up your favorite driver. Chris Forsberg is now running the new Nissan Z platform, which is currently powered by a GT-R VR38 engine. Ryan Tuerck showed up in his brand new, 1,000-hp Toyota GR Corolla. I know some people were hoping he would be using the Judd-powered Supra for drifting, but that car was built with a different goal in mind.
We've known for a while now that Adam LZ was going to take Vaughn Gittin JR's seat in the RTR Motorsports Mustang, and he sure wasn't planning to disappoint anyone with this move. But everyone's attention was captivated by newcomer Darren Kelly, who was a 3 times D1NZ champion in 2015, 2019, and 2021. Sure, Federico Sceriffo's new livery on his drift-spec Ferrari was spectacular by itself, but did anyone expect to see an Aston Martin drift car lining up at the start line this weekend? The last time we've seen such a machine, we were talking to Team Lunatics driver Sultan Al Qassimi.
Darren Kelly's Aston Martin is packing an 850 horsepower twin-supercharged V12 engine, weighing in at 3,000 lbs (1,360 kg)! All in all, 34 drivers fought for a spot in the Top 32 brackets. Federico Sceriffo and Kazuya Taguchi both encountered technical problems, which meant they were out of the race. Each driver was judged in terms of line, angle, and style, and you'll quickly get the hang of the qualifying format after you see a few runs. Ryan Tuerck was the top qualifier, with a total of 93 points. Chelsea Denofa came in 2nd, with Matt Field in 3rd.
Photo: Formula Drift
The main event is on in a few hours today, so be sure to follow the live stream if you can't make it over in person. Until then, we have an overview of the Top 32 battles, and we can already predict some exciting tandems coming up next. By the looks of it, Ryan Tuerck might be going up against Ken Gushi in the Top 16, while Chris Forsberg is probably going to drive against Michael Essa if they can win their first runs against Yves Meyer and Taylor Hull. One thing's for sure, it's going to be rather strange not having Vaughn Gittin JR on the grid after so many years.
Long Beach marks the start of the 2022 Formula Drift Season, and fans across the nation and the globe will get to witness 7 more races until the end of the year. In May, the circus is headed to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to Orlando, Florida. In June, the Gauntlet is up next in Englishtown, New Jersey. After 3 stops in Missouri, Washington, and Utah, the 2022 season will come to an end in Irwindale, California, on October the 14th and 15th.
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S. Full profile
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