Competition results from Formula Drift Pro Championship at Irwindale Speedway 16.10.2022: ROUND 8 OF 2022 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022 Location: Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, CA Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 8: Title Fight RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 8

ROUND 8 OF 2022 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Location: Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, CA
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 8: Title Fight
 


RESULTS FROM FD PRO ROUND 8




1.    Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
2.    Ryan Tuerck (USA) – Rain-X / Nitto Tire Toyota GR Corolla
3.    Jeff Jones (USA) – Evol Auto Works / PRISMA Labs Nissan 370Z
 



RESULTS FROM 2022 FD PRO CHAMPIONSHIP


1.    Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
2.    Matt Field (USA) – Drift Cave / Falken Tire C6 Corvette
3.    Ryan Tuerck (USA) – Rain-X / Nitto Tire Toyota GR Corolla
 
 



NOTES



•    The weather was a huge factor in deciding the 2022 FD PRO Championship and the outcome of the Final Round.
With a heavy downpour at the end of the Top 32 and again at the end of the Top 8 heats, the inconsistent conditions ambushed a number of drivers. Several cars were damaged beyond repair during the sighting laps as the drivers attempted to assess the conditions, while others would either be damaged or spin out of contention during competition


•    After seven different winners at the first seven rounds of the season, Aasbo was the first driver to climb to the top step of the podium twice this year, winning both at Irwindale and previously at Round 2 in Atlanta


•    In addition to winning Round 8, Aasbo was crowned the 2022 FD PRO Champion, successfully defending his 2021 title. He joins Chris Forsberg (USA) and James Deane (Ireland) as the only three-time Formula DRIFT Champions


•    Aasbo had the perfect weekend; qualifying first, finishing first and winning the Championship





•    Series leader Matt Field was eliminated from the Top 16 after he was unable to repair damage to his front suspension following a spin in the first turn on the unpredictable surface. He finished ninth on the night but amassed sufficient points throughout the season, despite never winning a round, to secure second in the 2022 FD PRO Championship, and renewed his determination to take the crown next year


•    Chelsea DeNofa (USA) was knocked out in Top 16 by Travis Reeder (USA), allowing Ryan Tuerck to jump up to third in the Championship standings. DeNofa finished the season in fourth


•    Tuerck cemented his position by placing second at Irwindale, giving the Papadakis Racing / Toyota team a one-two finish


•    Jones finished third in Round 8, achieving his best result in FD PRO and going home with his first carbon fiber trophy


•    Adam LZ (USA) finished fourth, also achieving his best result in FD PRO driving the AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD


•    With all the series Rookies knocked out of the Top 32 heats, the leading driver at Round 8 was Nick Noback (USA) who placed 21st


•    Mike Power retained his grip on the 2022 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year title, finishing 22nd on the night and 17th in the final Championship standings


•    After eight rounds, Toyota is the runaway 2022 Formula DRIFT PRO Auto Cup winner


•    Nitto won the 2022 FD Tire Cup, with GT Radial leapfrogging Falken into second
 





ROUND 8 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS

POSITION    DRIVER    POINTS

1    Fredric Aasbo    103
2    Ryan Tuerck    91
3    Jeff Jones    80
4    Adam LZ    80
5    Branden Sorensen    68
6    Travis Reeder    67
7    Aurimas Bakchis    67
8    Michael Essa    67
9    Matt Field    52
10    Alec Robbins    52
11    Rome Charpentier    52
12    Dylan Hughes    52
13    Chelsea DeNofa    52
14    Kyle Mohan    52
15    Ken Gushi    52
16    Simen Olsen    52
 



2022 FD PRO TOP 16 CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL STANDINGS

POSITION    DRIVER    POINTS

1    Fredric Aasbo    647
2    Matt Field    610
3    Ryan Tuerck    573
4    Chelsea DeNofa    544
5    Chris Forsberg    519
6    Dylan Hughes    511
7    Travis Reeder    461
8    Ken Gushi    456
9    Aurimas Bakchis    453
10    Rome Charpentier    402
11    Wataru Masuyama    397
12    Branden Sorensen    379
13    Jeff Jones    373
14    Michael Essa    363
15    Justin Pawlak    348
16    Kazuya Taguchi    349
 


2022 AUTO CUP TOP FIVE FINAL STANDINGS

Toyota    1326
Chevrolet    973
Ford    937
Nissan    781
BMW    363

 
2022 TIRE CUP FINAL STANDINGS

Nitto Tire    1333
GT Radial    1213
Falken Tire    1208
Nexen Tire    887
Federal Tire    831
 

 



NEXT ROUND

The 2023 Formula DRIFT PRO and PROSPEC Championship schedules will be released next month.




Greg Emmerson- photos FormulAD