With all the crazy running around with Formula Drift and hitting Vegas ProAm every round, we were excited and felt a little refreshment when we kept it at home this past weekend with our home series, Top Drift at Willow Springs Raceway. Top Drift Round 2 on Horsethief Mile is likely the favorite round for regulars to drive, due to the track choice being extremely popular because of its fun and technical nature. It is however, not a beginner friendly track, so we knew drivers would have to drive hard and smart to advance into a winning position at this round.
As always, Top Drift and other ProAm events keep it fun and everybody is there to have fun between short periods of being serious. Drifting is the best driving sport for people who don’t take life too serious and know how to have a great time.
Round 2 did not seem to have as large of an attendance as Round 1, but it was completely sold out to drivers. Top Drift has been successfully filling spots to the max. Some drivers want a shot at professional drifting, but many are just there for a good time.
Speaking of having a good time, Taka Aono was all smiles at Round 2.
Before qualifying, drivers had some good practice and shake down runs up on the hill. Everybody looked strong, so we were excited to see what kind of runs drivers would lay down, and the points the judges would award.
Qualifying (position, driver, score)
1. Mike Bolanos – 266
2. Spike Chen – 253
3. Adas Baksys – 248
4. Donovan Brockway – 247
5. Matt Madrigali – 243
6. Rob Webber – 241
7. Adam Levi – 240
8. Dan Burkett – 239.5
9. Austin Sager – 239
10. Jesse Vargas – 237
11. Blake Olsen – 234
12. Zach MacGillivray – 229
13. Joe Tardiff – 227
14. Aj Rubio – 226
15. Randy Ramos – 224.5
16. Trent Beechum – 224
17. Shaun Doom – 223
18. Jason Kim – 222
19. Darin Burgess – 219
20. Tyler Page-Howell – 218
21. Pablo Cabrera – 217
22. Daniel Covarrubias – 215
23. Alex Heilbrunn – 214
24. Christopher Jones – 213
25. Cody Sarem – 202
26. Daniel Kuo – 201
27. Mitchell Tan – 195
28. Adam Knapik – 194
29. Russel Baldwin – 192
30. Matt Dale – 191
31. George Marstanovic – 184
32. Vladimir Coronado – 180
33. Mikey Mancuso – 0
34. Charlie Matthis – 0
35. Adolfo Ramirez – 0
36. Masashi Motonaga – 0
37. Brad Hornecker – 0 (no photo)
38. Andrew Gates – 0
39. Denise Llamas – 0
40. Angel Chavez – 0
41. Taku Yamamoto – 0
42. Brian Page-Howell – 0
43. Abe Cruz – 0 (no photo)
44. Calvin Cheung – 0
45. Joey Dawson – 0
46. Domenic Rotondo -0
Top Drift has some of the best judges with a thorough understanding of everything having to do with drifting. Taka Aono, Justin Pawlak, and Hiro Sumida have years of experience in drifting, and put all their knowledge into making the most fair judgement calls possible.
The 2014 Top Drift Round 2 Top 16. From left, Mike Bolanos, Randy Ramos, Aj Rubio, Adas Baksys, Adam Levi, Austin Sager, Jesse Vargas, Joe Tardiff, Blake Olsen, Spike Chen, Dan Burkett, Rob Webber, Zach MacGillivray, Matt Madrigali, Donovan Brockway, and Trent Beechum.
TOP 16
Mike Bolanos vs Trent Beechum – Mike Bolanos
Dan Burkett vs Austin Sager – Dan Burkett
Donovan Brockway vs Joe Tardiff – Donovan Brockway
Matt Madrigali vs Zach MacGillivray – Matt Madrigali
Spike Chen vs Randy Ramos – Spike Chen
Jesse Vargas vs Adam Levi – Jesse Vargas
Adas Baksys vs Aj Rubio – Adas Baksys
Rob Webber – Blake Olsen – Rob Webber
Great 8
Dan Burkett vs Mike Bolanos – Dan Burkett
Donovan Brockway vs Matt Madrigali – Donovan Brockway
Spike Chen vs Jesse Vargas – Spike Chen
Adas Baksys vs Rob Webber – Adas Baksys
Final 4
Donovan Brockway vs Dan Burkett – Donovan Brockway
Spike Chen vs Adas Baksys – Spike Chen
Battle for 3rd
Dan Burkett vs Adas Baksys – Dan Burkett
Battle for 1st
Spike Chen vs Donovan Brockway – Spike Chen
The 2014 Top Drift Round 2 podium.
1st – Spike Chen
2nd – Donovan Brockway
3rd – Dan Burkett
With that, Top Drift Round 2 is in the history books. With 2 rounds remaining, Spike Chen continues to dominate the Top Drift series, but also very close to taking lead in Vegas ProAm at 10 points below leader Brandon Patterson. Vegas ProAm is only a few days away. Will Spike sweep both series?
Thanks for checking out our coverage of the 2014 Top Drift Round 2. Browse our gallery and enjoy some photos.
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