The Formula Drift 2013 season has officially begun, kicking off Round 1, Streets of Long Beach this past weekend in Downtown Long Beach, California. After a long weekend of carnage, and intense and interesting battles, Dai Yoshihara was able to dominate, earning first place podium, with Vaughn Gitten Jr. and Chris Forsberg coming in 2nd and 3rd.
One of our favorite rookies of 2012, Chelsea Denofa, outperformed many long time pro drivers, earning himself a 4th place finish and starting the season out very strong with 75 points. Watch Chelsea Denofa at Road Atlanta, which seems like a very strong track for him. The points are close and if he podiums in Atlanta, he may very well lead in points going into Round 3 in New Jersey.
The beginning of the 2013 season also brought disappointment to many rookies, as many were plagued with mechanical issues which would keep many from qualifying, even after laying down very strong practice runs earlier on Friday.
| Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2013 Standings After One Event | ||
| 1. Yoshihara, Daijiro | America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | 112 Points |
| 2. Gittin Jr., Vaughn | Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang | 92 Points |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | 79 Points |
| 4. DeNofa, Chelsea | BC Racing BMW 3 Series | 75 Points |
| 5. McNamara, Darren | Falken Tire Nissan S14 | 64 Points |
| 6. Tuerck, Ryan | Team Retaks Scion FR-S | 64 Points |
| 7. Gushi, Ken | Greddy / Hankook Scion FR-S | 62 Points |
| 8. Essa, Michael | GSR Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 | 62 Points |
| 9. Moen, Kenneth | Nexen Tire Nissan 240SX | 58 Points |
| 10. Saito, Daigo | Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 | 57 Points |
| 11. Aasbo, Fredric | Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC | 56 Points |
| 12. Bakchis, Aurimas | Nexen Tire Nissan S14 | 56 Points |
| 13. Kado, Ryan | DNA Motoring / Nexen Tire Nissan 350Z | 55 Points |
| 14. Powers, Matt | Nitto Tire / Fatlace Nissan S14 | 55 Points |
| 15. Mordaunt, Patrick | Apexi / PM Racing / Diamon Lexus SX430 | 54.50 Points |
| 16. Pawlak, Justin | Falken Tire Ford Mustang | 54.50 Points |
Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results |
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| 1. Yoshihara, Daijiro | America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan S13 | Winner |
| 2. Gittin Jr., Vaughn | Monster Energy / Nitto Ford Mustang | Second Place |
| 3. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | Third Place |
Manufacturers Championship Standings After One Event |
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| 1. Ford | 146.5 Points | |
| 2. Nissan | 137 Points | |
| 2. BMW | 137 Points | |
| 4. Scion | 126 Points | |
| 5. Lexus | 111 Points | |
Tire Championship Standings After One Event |
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| 1. Falken | 176 Points | |
| 2. Nitto | 167 Points | |
| 3. Hankook | 141 Points | |
| 4. Yokohama | 116.5 Points | |
| 5. Nexen | 111 Points | |
We are busy speaking with all the rookies that made it to Long Beach, and we are preparing a detailed rookie article in typical AmDrift.com fashion. Keep an eye out for it and enjoy our gallery while we get things together.
