ROUND ONE // FORMULA D ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH

ColdTrackDays photographer, Jesse Lee, spent last weekend in a cloud of tire smoke, as the Formula DRIFT Professional Championship held its season opener on the streets of Long Beach. Now in its fifth year, Formula D has evolved greatly from its origins on the back roads of rural Japan, to become the premiere professional drifting competition in the United States. Offering both well funded, factory backed professionals and grassroots, built in their garage amateurs, the chance to compete in a series of events across the states, Formula D has paved the way for a number of up and coming drift organizations around the globe.

Follow the link for a look at just a few of the photos Jesse took over the weekend, as well as complete results from the Formula DRIFT season opener... [read more]




Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2009 Point Standings
1. Tuerck, Ryan - Gardella Racing / Mobil 1 [102 Points]
2. Hubinete, Samuel - NuFormz Racing / Mopar Dodge Viper [90 Points]
3. Foust, Tanner - Rockstar / Scion Racing tC [84 Points]
4. Nishida, Robbie - Hankook Tires / Dynamic Autosports Nissan 350Z [72 Points]
5. Aono, Taka - Technosquare Toyota AE86 Corolla [65 Points]
6. Brakohiapa, Tony - Cooper Tire Ford Mustang [62 Points]
6. Forsberg, Chris - NOS Energy Drink / Maxxis Tire Nissan 350Z [62 Points]
6. Gittin, Vaughn - Falken Tire Ford Racing Mustang GT [62 Points]
6. Verdier, Stephan - Cooper Tire / Crawford Performance Subaru STI [62 Points]
10. McNamara, Darren - Falken Tire / Sears Saturn Sky [61 Points]
11. Pawlak, Justin - Mazda USA / Cooper [58 Points]
12. Grunewald, Conrad - Tanaka Racing Chevy Corvette [57 Points]
13. Ly, Quoc - Driftspeed Nissan S14 [56 Points]
14. Ueo, Katsuhiro - Driftspeed Nissan S15 [55 Points]
15. Jeff Jones - CompTurbo / K&N Filters Nissan S13 [54.50 Points]
16. Kondo, Yasu - KAAZ USA Toyota AE86 Corolla [54.25 Points]

Formula DRIFT Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Event Results
1. Tuerck, Ryan - Gardella Racing / Mobil 1
2. Hubinete, Samuel - NuFormz Racing / Mopar Dodge Viper
3. Foust, Tanner - Rockstar / Scion Racing tC

For a look at Jesse's entire photo gallery from Formula D, click here