Like many other Pro Am series across the country, Streetwise Drift recently wrapped up their 2014 series during a two day event in late September at Metrolina Expo in Charlotte, NC. A total of three licenses were available for the newly formed Formula Drift Pro 2 Series. About half a dozen drivers were in contention for these licenses coming into this event.
Top 16 Qualifiers
1. Tommy Van Cleef
2. Zoltan Hadju
3. Fello Ambivero
4. Kelsey Rowlings
5. Taylor Hull
6. Joey Whitaker
7. Cody Doyle
8. Alex Youe
9. Eric Loomis
10. Sean Morgan
11. Austin Wolff
12. Dylan Crumley
13. Brett Collins
14. Jonathan Nerren
15. Emmett Ashe
16. Hooman Rahimi
Round 4 Podium
Taking home the victory in this round was Jonathan Neeran. Jonathan was close to earning his license last year and had high hopes for 2014. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side. An early season crash and some mechanical issues kept him struggling to score points all season, and it looked like this event would be no exception. During practice, his car had some issues which wouldn’t be repaired in time for qualifying. Instead of giving up on what has been a not so great season, he asked Kaylan Ryon to borrow her car, and went on to win the event. Proving that can he win even in someone else’s car is a testament to his driving skills, as more often than not a backup/borrowed car usually ends up producing not so desired results. He’s definitely someone to keep any eye on in 2015.
Tommy Van Cleef earned second, followed by Taylor Hull in third place. More on them below..
Formula Drift Pro 2 Licenses / Season Champions
First Place / Season Champion: Tommy Van Cleef
Tommy had a good points lead going into this event and mathematically won the series championship with a first place qualifying score and an advancement during the Top 16 competition. Tommy was very close to earning his license in 2013, finishing just one spot outside the cutoff. He went into this season more determined than ever, and proved consistency is the key to winning championships in drifting. Tommy and his mechanic Jeremy Norris kept the MKIII Supra on track for every event, and while they never won any single event, they always finished high enough to keep putting points on the board. That consistency paid off, and Tommy ended up winning the championship by an impressive 75 points.
Second Place: Alex Youe
Alex finished his 2013 season 8th in points. After the first two events of the season, it looked like Alex would finish near the middle of the pack once again, but a 1st place finish at round 3, and a top 8 finish during the final round earned him over 180 points, putting him firmly into second place.
Third Place: Taylor Hull
I’ll be honest here… before 2014 I barely knew who Taylor Hull was (No offense Taylor). In 2013, he scored 12 points in this series good enough for a 24th place finish. His 2014 season was a whole new story. Coming into this round, Taylor was in a group of 4 drivers who had a chance of earning the third and final Pro 2 license. Taylor would be the only one of these four drivers who advanced past the Top 8, which earned him the third and final spot.
