Long Beach, Calif. – September 9, 2017 – Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship presented by BlackVue Dash Cameras returned to Texas Motor Speedway for Round 7: AutoZone Showdown. James Deane in the Worthhouse / Falken Tire Nissan S15 had a perfect weekend as the number one qualifier and with his second consecutive event victory.
Irish driver James Deane has tied a Formula DRIFT record with his fourth event victory in a single season to increase his lead in the Pro Championship standings with only one event remaining. The capacity crowd was entertained throughout the event weekend, while the Livestream drew over 1 million views over the course of the event.
“This was quite the weekend here in Texas,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “With so much on the line, it made for an intense competition that I hope the fans enjoyed.”
In the Top 4, number one qualifier and current points leader, James Deane in the Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 faced off against former champion and second in points, Fredric Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM. Deane was able to edge past his opponent to move into the Finals. On the other side of the Top 4 bracket, former champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy / Hankook Nissan 370Z faced Aurimas Bakchis in the Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels Nissan 240. A mistake by Bakchis on his chase run gave Forsberg the win. In the Finals, Deane’s consistent driving proved to be too much as Forsberg fell back and took a shallow line on his chase run, which ultimately lead to his win and a considerable lead heading into the Finals.
“I’ve drifted plenty of tracks in my time, but I’ve never drifted coming out of the first corner with a straight so long where you’re sitting behind the lead car just filled with smoke,” said James Deane, winner of Round 7: Showdown. “It worked out for me this time. I’m just super happy for everyone that supports me and everyone back home.”
The action continues to Round 8: Title Fight on October 13-14 at Irwindale Speedway. For more information visit, www.formulad.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, Twitter @FormulaDrift, and Snapchat – formula_drift. Tune into Formula DRIFT on CBS Sports and check your local listings for airtimes.
| Round 7: Showdown Results | ||
| 1. Deane, James | Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15 | Winner |
| 2. Forsberg, Chris | NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z | 2nd Place |
| 3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” | Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX | 3rd Place |
| 4. Aasbo, Fredric | Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM | 4th Place |
| 5. Denofa, Chelsea | BC Racing / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR | 5th Place |
| 6. Yoshihara, Dai | Falken Tire / Turn 14 Distribution Subaru BRZ | 6th Place |
| 7. Gushi, Ken | GReddy Racing / Nexen Tire Toyota 86 | 7th Place |
| 8. Gittin, Vaughn | Monster Energy / Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR | 8th Place |
| 9. Coffman, Matt | Nexen Tire / Coffman Racing Nissan 240 | 9th Place |
| 10. Tuerck, Ryan | Gumout / Nameless Performance / Hankook Toyota 86 | 10th Place |
| 11. Wiecek, Piotr | Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan S15 | 11th Place |
| 12. Essa, Michael | Achilles Tire / Essa Autosport BMW E46 | 12th Place |
| 13. Bluss, Kristaps | HGK / Mast / Motul / Wisefab BMW E46 | 13th Place |
| 14. Pawlak, Justin | Roush Performance Ford Mustang | 14th Place |
| 15. Hohnadell, Alec | Urban Air / Hoonigan / Nexen Tire Nissan 240 | 15th Place |
| 16. Castro, Jhonnattan | Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Toyota GT86 | 16th Place |
| 2017 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Championship Presented by BlackVue Standings After 7 Events | ||
| 1. Deane, James | Worthouse Drift Team / Falken Tire Nissan 240 | 582.00 Points |
| 2. Aasbo, Fredric | Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla iM | 486.00 Points |
| 3. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” | Falken Tires / Drifz Wheels / ARK Performance Nissan 240SX | 367.00 Points |
| 2017 Manufacturer Championship Standings After 7 Events | ||
| 1. Toyota | 837.00 Points | |
| 2. Ford | 632.00 Points | |
| 3. BMW | 331.00 Points | |
| 4. Dodge | 275.00 Points | |
| 4. Nissan | 275.00 Points | |
| 6. Infiniti | 156.00 Points | |
| 2017 Tire Championship Standings After 7 Events | ||
| 1. Falken | 1065.00 Points | |
| 2. Nexen | 892.00 Points | |
| 3. Achilles | 807.00 Points | |
| 4. Nitto | 664.00 Points | |
| 5. Hankook | 645.00 Points | |