As spring was working it’s magic teams were converging on Road Atlanta for round 2 of the Formula Drift Championship. Last year was a wild one with rain showers adding a flair of craziness to the mix. This year the weather held out for practice but showed up to qualifying expecting to break it into the Top 16. Even though the wetness tried it’s best to thwart the competitors everyone went out there and gave it their all.

Many drivers had a difficult time keeping their cars on the track and found themselves waiting to be pulled out of the sand traps. After a tumultuous battle against both the elements and the track, Forrest Wang emerged as the top qualifier.

Matt Field battled car problems at the first round in Long Beach. It seemed that by the time Atlanta rolled around the gremlins were found. His car was pulling some acrobatic three wheel action all day in the practice sessions.

He managed to land himself a 25th qualifying spot where he was matched up against Frederic Aasbo. Sadly though on Matt’s follow run he went in a little too hard hitting Aasbo giving him the win.

Geoff Stoneback is definitely going all in on his rookie year in Formula D. During qualifying he threw down a crazy 360 degree drift into the first corner thanks to some moist track conditions. Geoff ended up qualifying 30th where he took on Vaughn Gittin Jr.

After a fierce battle Gittin emerged as the victor. Even with the loss though it seems as if the Rookie of the Year battle is shaping up to be a tough one.

Chris Forsberg was back in black and ready to dominate Atlanta. For a while there the only thing dry on the track was his carbon fiber. Forsberg managed a 5th qualifying spot and that matched him up against Dan Savage. On Forsberg’s lead run Savage made contact and ended up skidding off track into the safety sand and Forsberg got the win.

The Top 16 saw Forsberg going against Charles Ng. While it was a good close run Forsberg performed better and got the win. The Great 8 began with a battle between Forsberg and Odi Bakchis. Odi had a few bobbles on his lead run and that gave Forsberg the win. This placed him in the Final 4 against Frederic Aasbo. On Forsberg’s lead run he threw it in way too hard and ended up getting passed thus giving Aasbo the win.

Forrest Wang came to win and it was evident. Even with all the weather he still managed to throw down an amazing run landing him the number one qualifying position. This placed him up against Jeff Jones in the first round. Their bout was so amazing that a one more time was in order. After another intense battle it was decided that Wang was victorious.

This matched him up against Daigo Saito in the Top 16. It was a very balanced contest but Saito managed to pull a few car lengths on Wang giving Saito the victory.

Odi Bakchis is busy making a name for himself. He has gone from being an underdog to a formidable foe. Qualifying seeded him in the 13th position. That matched him up against defending champion Michael Essa. After a fierce battle Odi emerged the victor.

He would charge hard into the Top 16 where he was slated to face Pat Mordaunt. The two had an awesome run and Odi ended up getting the win. This put him up against Chris Forsberg in the Great 8. Sadly though a few bobbles on his lead run ended his day giving Forsberg the win.

Fredric Aasbo was definitely a favorite for the weekend in Atlanta. He brought his Scion Tc out to party. He managed to land himself an 8th qualifying position matching him up against Matt Field. On Aasbo’s lead run Field came in a little too hard down the hill and made contact. Aasbo managed to keep his momentum going and went on to get the win. The next round matched him up against Conrad Grunewald. Even though Grunewald had an amazing entry on his lead run it wasn’t enough to defeat the seasoned Aasbo.

This meant Aasbo was gonna face Daigo Saito in the Great 8. Unfortunately Saito had blown his motor so the win was given to Aasbo by default. This placed him against Chris Forsberg in the Final 4. On Forsberg’s lead run he drove it in a little too deep and Aasbo pulled off a legal pass. This gave Aasbo the win sending him to the finals to face Vaughn Gittin Jr. Their first run was too close to call so a one more time was in order. After the one more time it was decided that Gittin was the victor.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. had his Mustang saddled up and ready for action. After qualifying 3rd he was paired up against Geoff Stoneback. It was a closely fought battle with Gittin getting the win. The Top 16 saw Gittin take on Justin Pawlak. This ended up being one of the craziest matchups of the weekend. After getting double 0′s on their first session a one more time was in order. During the one more time JTP spun on his lead run giving Gittin the victory.

The Great 8 saw Gittin take on Kenny Moen. Gittin laid his hammer down and out muscled Moen getting the win. The Final 4 had Gittin taking on Robbie Nishida. Gittin was solid on both his lead and follow runs and earned the victory. This sent him to the Final round to face Frederic Aasbo. As some might remember these two had a crazy run in 2013 at Atlanta and this year was guaranteed to not disappoint. After a close first fight a one more time was in order. Both drivers threw down their gauntlets and fought hard. The battle was fierce but Gittin emerged as the winner of Formula Drift’s round 2 at Road Atlanta.

Photography by : Robert Caen of Caen & Abel
Words by : Nathan Cox of D9

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