Highlights from PBIR, including the controversial battle with Daigo Saito and Justin Pawlak and a look at the inside of Chris Forsberg’s 2012 vehicle
Tag Archives: justin pawlak
Palm Beach Formula Drift Recap – By: Ford Racing (Video)
Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway
June 2, 2012
Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway;
Pawlak Remains in the Pro Championship Points Lead
Long Beach, Calif. – June 2, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to Round 3: Invasion at Palm Beach International Raceway for the second consecutive year. Rookie Daigo Saito in the Achilles Tire / Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 takes the victory and closes in on the points leader Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang.
Round 3: Invasion saw an increase in attendance in the second year of competition at Palm Beach International Raceway. The Driftstream saw over 200,000 viewers in a 24 hour period.
“We’re happy to be able to run the original track configuration due to the improvements by Palm Beach International Raceway which made for an improved event for the fans,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “Additional grandstands were brought in to accommodate for the increase in fan attendance. The dedication and investment by the venue shows their support for our Series and look forward to returning next season.”
Team Falken Achieves Second Three-Peat in a Row at Formula Drift Atlanta.
ATLANTA, GA – Team Falken continued its dominating stance in both the 2012 Formula Drift Championship and at the series event at Road Atlanta, where Justin Pawlak, winner of the first event of the year at last month’s Long Beach street course, took the victory over Fredric Aasbo. It was Falken’s third consecutive Formula D win at the Atlanta track.
Driving the 2013 Falken Tire Ford Mustang, Pawlak has now notched the first two wins and leads the Formula D championship rankings by commanding margin. The number of entrants competing in the popular drift series has grown significantly with 48 drivers fighting for a chance to compete in the top 32 tandem round. Falken teammate Vaughn Gittin, Jr., qualified second; Pawlak eighth; while the remaining Falken team members sat in 9th (Daijiro Yoshihara); 21st (Falken privateer Walker Wilkerson); and 31st (Darren McNamara, who debuted his new Falken Tire 350Z).

Justin Pawlak Takes the Victory at Round 2.
Long Beach, Calif. – May 12, 2012 – Formula DRIFT returned to Road Atlanta for Round 2: Road to the Championship. Justin Pawlak takes the victory in the Falken Tire Mustang increasing his point lead in the Pro Championship Points Standings.
Round 2: Road to the Championship brought the Formula DRIFT Pro Championship back to the Series birthplace nine years ago. Fans came in droves seeing an increase in attendance at Road Atlanta. This marks another consecutive season of growth.
“It’s very satisfying that Road Atlanta and Formula DRIFT have formed a partnership nine years ago to help grow drifting in this region,” said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. “We look forward to our ten year anniversary at this venue next season.”