PREVIEW: Formula DRIFT round 2
The 2017 Formula DRIFT season heads to Orlando Speedworld in Florida for round two this weekend – here's what you need to know…
After an exciting season opener on the Streets Of Long Beach at the start of April, the Formula DRIFT championship has landed in Orlando, Florida ahead of this weekend's all-important second round.
While the first round of the season is always a hard one to call – due to new drivers, new builds, teething problems and the effects of the long off-season – the second round is where the points leaderboard really starts to take shape for the year.
Matt Coffman came out swinging at round one, finishing in 6th place. Photo: Larry Chen / formulad.com
Add into the mix the fact that rounds one was dominated by somewhat unexpected (or underestimated) talent and you have all the ingredients to make Orlando a great battle between the rookies and the Formula DRIFT stalwarts. The likes of Chris Forsberg, Fredric Aasbø, Ryan Tuerck and Vaughan Gittin Jr. will be looking to make up ground on drivers like James Deane, Alex Heilbrunn and Matt Coffman.
Can James Deane put on a repeat performance? Photo: Larry Chen / formulad.com
The talk of the paddock, of course, is whether Deane's flawless victory in California can be repeated. The most common argument against a Deane lockout in 2017? Formula DRIFT's banked tracks. Orlando is the first of several banked tracks that Deane will have to compete at this season, and it's a unique feature of U.S. raceways that is rarely seen in Europe, where Deane cut his teeth. If Deane can master the art of drifting inches from the wall on a steeply-banked oval, and puts in a repeat performance of round one, then the rest of the field have a lot to be worried about.
Aasbø and Orlando go hand-in-hand, but only if he can tame his new Corolla iM. Photo: Larry Chen / formulad.com
Then there's Fredric Aasbø to consider – the Norwegian Hammer was unstoppable in Florida last season, but with an all-new car for 2017 can he adjust to the changes enough to put up a solid fight?
Formula DRIFT Orlando will be livestreamed throughout the race weekend at www.formulad.com/live, with the stream kicking off for Pro qualifying at 11:30am EDT (16:30 GMT) on Friday 28th April, and then the Pro Top 32 starting at 13:00 EDT (18:00 GMT) on Saturday 29th April.
Tags: #drift #drifting #FormulaDRIFT
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