Taka Aono Vs. Tanner Foust
Tanner leads, and Taka giving chase goes right into the tire wall. Tanner runs out the course. Taka calls 5 minutes.
Taka leads and pulls out from in front of Tanner. Tanner runs out course with Taka just driving through. Tanner moves on
Ryan tuerck Vs. Tony Brakahopia
Ryan leads, Tony spins on entry.
Tony leads and comes out hot, good solid run but not enough to recover from the spin. Ryan moves on.
2nd Update: This has been cancelled and will not be a rerun, Casper wasn’t able to run and was allowed the bypass via not running to save time. Justin will move on to Top 16
Update: Casper Canul and Justin Pawlak will run a 2nd run. Apparently both broke from the tap and JTP was supposed to do a bye run. That didn’t happen, so they will both get to go at it for their 2nd run. This will happen at the begining of the Top 16 to determine a winner.
Daijiro Yoshihara Vs. Jeff Jones
Dai leads, and comes out with Jeff giving chase and mirroring his entry. Dai able to pull away a bit and maintain a gap through the sweeper. Good run from both
Jeff leads, and comes in with a sick entry on the wall past the tire wall. Entry into the tranisiton is again close and Dai spins! Jeff Jones moves on! A privateer from the grassroots scene.
Taka Aono Vs. Pat Mordaunt
Taka leads, and come out sideways. Pat is close behind and both stay in drift through the course. Slight correction at end by Taka.
Pat leads, and comes out with a very nice angle. Taka is close and mirrors Pat with a slightly shalower angle. Pat spins and comes to a halt at the end. Taka moves on
Tommy Suell is first out, they just got the car running in time for qualifying but crabks out a solid run!! 85.42 average, that will probably be good enough for tomorrow!
Brian Peters and Seigo Yamamoto had “average” runs, nothing spectacular, but with the short roster, that may be all they need to get in.
Gary Lang and Steph Papadakis passed on taking their first qualifying runs, we’ll see what happens for Round 2
Chris Kregorian, and Henry Schelley have decent runs.
Joon Maeng has a run in the mid 80’s, Taka Aono getting high scores, Blake Fuller hit 70 mph exiting the bank for a score in the mid 80’s.
Calvin Wan lost drift on the 2nd half of the course and will have to wait for his 2nd run to try and qualify.
Ross Petty looks to have his car dialed in, very smooth run in the mid 80’s.
More to come!!
We made it back to the Pacific Northwest for Round 5! Seattle has always been an exciting track, it’s a favorite amongst the drivers. This track is basically a bigger version of Irwindale, with entry speeds above 90mph before going sideways.
There was an open practice session yesterday, and several drivers had engine problems. Chris Forsberg blew the motor at Portland Team Drift, that motor had been in the car since it was built 2 years ago. Fortunately, they had a backup which was ready for this event, but unfortunately, that motor blew last night. The NOS Energy / Maxxis team has sourced a new motor, and is picking it up now. They also bought an AccuSump setup, and will be installing it tonight. Tommy Suell also blew the SR20 in his corolla, his crew has stayed up all night replacing the motor and just got it finished as practice was ending. Tyler McQuarrie’s Porsche popped the motor, and unfortunately, Porsche motors aren’t exactly plentiful in the NW, and it’s doubtful his Hankook Porsche will be able to make it. Kyle Mohhan also had a breif encounter with the wall, but damage was mostly cosmetic.
Unseeded practice just ended, with the only major casualty being Steph Papadakis hitting the wall at the top of the bank, snapping some suspension arms, but he may be able to make repairs before qualifying. Taka Aono was towed off the course for mechanical issues, but should be back for qualifying. Pat Mordaunt missed practice while the Braille Auto team replaced the steering rack on his 350Z roadster, but he will be back for qualifying and feels comfortable enough with the car from practice yesterday to make an impact.
Unseeded qualifying is just begining, we’ll give you an update after qualifying.