Who’s That Knocking At My Door?

The DRIFTEM crew followed Formula DRIFT across the lower 48 during May in pursuit of capturing fun times and good memories at the Road Atlanta (Road to the Championship) and Orlando Speed World (Scorched) stops along the U.S. PRO drifting circuit.

We’re not gonna lie! These events sneak up on everyone like a knock on the door in a great tandem battle. If May also flew by fast for you, and you didn’t catch either of these nail-biting events, you’ll want to catch up on all the door knocking on FD’s livestream. In the meantime, here’s our recap of some of the highlights from both events:

HIGHEST FIVE

PRO European Domination

So far this season, FD’s podium has been weighted with Europeans. In fact, the final races in Atlanta and Orlando both ended up involving drivers from the same European regions. We had the ‘Norwegian Finals’ in Atlanta, with Fredric Aasbo (@fredredaasbo) and Simen Olsen (@simenolsendrifting) battling for first, followed by the ‘Irish Finals’, with FD Rookie Conor Shanahan (@conorshanahan79) and three-time champ James Deane (@jamesdeane130), duking it out for top honors in Orlando. Aasbo and Shanahan won their respective races, and the win also crowned Shanahan with a perfect event score after also landing in first place during the seeding bracket round. 

Drift Family Nuptials

A couple of FD favorite peeps are on their way to the altar! Massive congrats to Lauren Petrucelli (@laurenpetru) and Gregg Bucell (@gregg.bucell) from KoruWorks on their recent engagement! Also, in case you missed Jacob ‘Hectic’ Gettins’ (@jako_13) big news, now might be a good time to tune into his most recent YouTube broadcast. What a beast!

IN AND OUTS

Goon Monsoon

As if the whacky weather in Long Beach wasn’t enough of a seasonal shocker, anyone that showed up before the PROSPEC events in Atlanta now knows what a southern monsoon feels like. Fortunately, it didn’t cause too much track havoc, and it was out as fast as it was in. Just in time to see all the PROSPEC seeding-bracket drivers wrangle each other on semi-dry pavement.

License To Shred 

The PROSPEC circuit welcomed ten newly licensed rookies from around the world at Round 1 this season. Props to inbound U.S. drivers Adam Heishman (@wall_hugs), Allen Boss (@allenboss480), Brian Wills (@nh_fab), Coty Demster (@cotydemster), Jayce Habich (@ls13coupe), Josh Stuart (@stuartfamdrifting), and Nik Jimenez (@nikxjimenez), along with Irish driver Clarke Hatton (@clarkehatton_477), Lee Yearwood (@leebird_rb) from Trinidad & Tobago, and Luis Lanz (@luislanz8) from Venezuela.

Power Returns To The Alley

Extended damage from an unfortunate wall encounter Mike Power (@mikepowerdrift) had in Long Beach prevented him from competing in Atlanta, but he returned to the paddock in Florida flashing his shades, big smile, and a ‘ready-to-win’ spirit (read more on Power in his recent Skid Pod episode).

Skidding Back In

After vehicle-related issues forced Matt Field (@mattfield777) and Ryan Litteral (@ryanlitteral) to sit Long Beach out, both drivers were happy to be back at the Atlanta start line. Field’s luck held on a little longer than Litteral’s, but his final win in Atlanta also led to an appeal by Adam LZ (@adam_lz). To learn how it all went down, tune into a recent YouTube broadcast from FD president and co-founder Ryan Sage (@ryanjsage), where he gives the lowdown on the latest appeals, and several FD rule changes.

No Flops 

Despite some fun banter by the announcers in Atlanta, giving fans speculation on whether Vaughn Gittin Jr. (@vaughngittinjr) might deliberately flop during his ‘Dueling RTR’ battle with teammate James Deane (@jamesdeane130), the former FD champ did not disappoint and provided fans a few more signature ‘Funhaver’ runs to remember.

No Swaps

Sooo, Adam LZ (@adam_lz) didn’t go to the Driftmasters Grand Prix (DMEC) event, and instead, competed in FD Atlanta this year. Conor Shanahan (@conorshanahan79) missed FD Atlanta to compete across the pond in DMEC. Considering Conor didn’t qualify and LZ was less than satisfied with his Top 32 battle in Atlanta, we can’t help but wonder if things might have gone down differently had the two changed places.

Just Kidding

Unfortunately, it seemed like swaps were all Odi Bakchis’ (@odidrift) team did during the month of May. They had to replace his engine the first time following his Atlanta fire run. Then, that engine failed, and was swapped again just before Orlando. Yikes! We’re hoping this one keeps on ticking and doesn’t explode, Odi.

WHOAS AND WOES

“Fire, Fire … and… Fire!” 

Yep, we’re now three-for-three this season, with Deane’s crazy media-day blaze in Long Beach, Odi’s unsettling inferno in Atlanta, and several back-to-back flamethrowers in Orlando. According to one correspondent, media people were constantly yelling, “Fire, Fire,” at the Florida event, as rigs from three different drivers all caught fire (some of them more than once!) We’d love to see a few warm glows during the rest of the season, and we surely want all the drivers to ignite; just not their cars.

Not One, But Two 300 Pound Gorillas

What’s the solution to making your badass Nissan drift machine glide with perfect grace? According to PROSPEC driver and Mspek Performance team crew chief Kasey Kohl (@mspekperformance), it’s removing excess weight. That’s exactly what he did on his S14.5 PROSPEC competition car and also PRO teammate Daniel Stuke’s (@stuke.racing) S15 before the team headed off to Road Atlanta… and, we’re not talking ‘chimp’ change. Each car lost a whopping 300 pounds a piece, making them ‘darty’ (said announcer Gettins). Guess we’ll see if whacking those gorillas will get them a couple of bullseyes!

Rome’s Bashful Weekend

If you know Rome Charpentier (@romecp), you know he’s a lot of things, but bashful isn’t one of them. As one of the most active and outgoing FD drivers out there, he shows up at just about every event he can get to between PRO rounds, and even took on the spotting role for three different PROSPEC drivers in Atlanta! That famous Charpentier charisma wasn’t strong enough to sidestep what proved to be one of the most bashful FD weekends ever for the driver. And, we aren’t talking about the shy kind. Much to everyone’s dismay, Charpentier somehow ended up making contact with every single opponent he battled in Atlanta.

Wait! Who’s On Fire?

It’s true. Odi did literally find himself on fire in Atlanta, but Brandon Sorensen (@brandon_sorensen) paid homage to the veteran in their Top 16 battle at Road Atlanta, giving him a super spicy set of runs. Then, Sorenson stepped up again in Orlando with a wild, multi-door-knocking run against Bakchis in the Great 8. Ultimately, Sorenson’s fire burned bright enough in Florida to finally beat Bakchis to the podium, earning him his first top-three win.

STYLIN’ AND SMILIN’