Formula D made it triumphant return to the world famous ‘House of Drift’ Irwindale Speedway to cap of it’s 2018 Season. Defending champion and current points leader James Dean entered round 8 with a slight lead over Fredric Aasbo. Dean was looking to be the second driver to win back to back championships since Tanner Foust back in 2008
As Formula DRIFT returned to Los Angeles for the season finale, drivers, teams, fans and the series organizers were delighted to be back at Irwindale Speedway – the House of Drift. With only the Auto Cup decided at the previous round when Toyota amassed enough points to claim the title, there’s was everything to play. By Saturday evening we would all know the names of the 2018 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Champion as well as the 2018 Formula DRIFT Link ECU Pro 2 Champion, Rookie of the Year and the Tire Cup winner.
In what has been one of the closest season’s in Formula DRIFT history, it was as if Hollywood had scripted the most exciting event possible for the fans. There was drama in qualifying, unexpected lightning storms and title chasers watching from the sidelines as the action unfolded. This was, without doubt, the most exciting Formula DRIFT weekend ever witnessed in the series’ 15-year history.
2018 has been another great year of Formula D action and excitement. Now the series heads to the House of Drift Irwindale Speedway yet again to cap out the year and crown a series champion. Will we see James Dean win back to back championships or will Fredric Aasbo play spoiler and take the championship for himself.
With only two rounds remaining in the 2018 Formula DRIFT season there are nine drivers in the Pro category and the entire Pro 2 grid with a mathematical chance to win their respective championships. This meant nobody could afford to relax as the Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship and Link ECU Pro 2 Championship arrived in Fort Worth, TX for Round Seven: Autozone Showdown presented by Rain X.
Bringing world-class drifting to the Mid-West, the 2018 Formula DRIFT Black Magic Pro Championship and Link Pro 2 Championship headed to St Louis, MO for Round Six: Advance Auto Parts Crossroads presented by Rain-X. This would be the first time in its 15-year history the series had visited Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL and packed grandstands greeted the competitors.
“We’re delighted to bring Formula DRIFT Pro and Pro 2 Championships to St Louis,” beamed a delighted Jim Liaw, FD president. “We’ve been looking for a suitable venue to bring the series back to the Mid-West and Chris Blair proved to be the catalyst. He was formerly the VP of Racing Operations at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and knows what we need. So when he became EVP and GM at Gateway Motorsports Park it was the break we’d been waiting for. The track is adjacent to St Louis and accessible to most of the major cities in the Mid-West so its location is perfect. It also provides the facilities FD needs and we’re in discussions to expand certain areas for next year since we’re already looking at a capacity crowd and need the opportunity to grow. We think this will become one of the most popular events across the country once it’s fully established.”