In the wake of Formula Drift: Invasion @ Palm Beach the dust is still settling on my hard drive as I work through editing those pics. “Excited” simply doesn’t describe the feeling. Every round the competition becomes more intense and controversial. I was a little late posting Road Atlanta photos, but hopefully this holds over until our feature is up on http://southrnfresh.com
We’ll start with Justin Pawlak who brought some of the most consistent runs from practice until the finish line. Winning against Fredric Aasbo gives JTP a strong lead early in the series.
Road Atlanta has been considered the “most fun” arena for Formula Drift and this year was not without it’s controversy. One of the most was during his top 16 battle with Ryan Tuerck.
Toshiki Yoshioka came out in a really nice S15. One of many car changes this year. I did not enjoy watching him get knocked out so early.
Truth be told… Nobody is having as much fun on the track as Joon Maeng is in that RX-8.
Conrad Grunewald delivers nonstop backward entries and it’s awesome to see it coming from a car of such size that people would think it’s mad. Nice to know what comes from talent and a well planned build.
Oh yeah.. AND it can lift off..
I hoped to catch a pic of a non-GoPro camera attached to Tyler McQuarrie’s camaro but maybe that’s not allowed lol.
Matt Field’s car was much easier to shoot this time around =)
We all cheered on Chris Ward, one of our hometown heroes. As it turns out, Chris had trouble getting comfortable in the car due to constant suspension issues. We’re looking forward to seeing his return to Palm Beach
Tony Angelo has come down from the judging tower to get back in the driver seat and getting back into the groove.
During the top 16 battle with Walker Wilkerson, Angelo got a little too close and bumped Wilkerson ending his night.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. was also pretty consistent throughout the event. It was a pleasure seeing him bring his A game. No Formula Drift event seems right without the big energy that he brings.
The Top 16 was like a moment from Street Fighter when “A New Challenger Approaches…”,
While Daigo Saito is no stranger to drifting or Vaughn Gittin Jr., the only thing “new” about this challenger is his entrance to the Formula Drift arena. We have officially dubbed this vehicle the Smoke Train. (and rightfully so!)
Their battle was nothing short of Epic. Also considered one of the most controversial of the evening due to a little trading paint.
The two drivers respect each other and understand as competitors that while they are both great drivers, someone had to win and someone had to lose. I’m sure this will not be the last time these two will tangle.
Saito went on to finish 3rd after losing to Aasbo and fighting off Walker Wilkerson.
Aasbo had a pretty solid day and finished 2nd to JTP. Another driver that is fun to watch when he gets in the zone.
When I talked to Ken Gushi, I asked him how he was liking his new car. For some this is the first time seeing the Scion FR-S and Ken tells me that he loves everything about it, handles better, looks better, and makes more power.
It was equally a pleasure to capture pictures of this car in action.
Matt Powers is one of my favorite drivers and as a fellow zenki S14 owner, also one of my favorite cars.
Get the shot Bro!!
FC Fans?!
Kenneth Moen’s 350Z is looking pretty mean as well.
Corey Hosford’s 350Z is sportin’ a beautiful paint job.
We call this the Euro Smoke Train lol – Chelsea DeNofa
Thanks for hanging and make sure to be checking out http://southrnfresh.com for our coverage of Formula Drift: Palm Beach within the next few days!!
pminnow 
