The unmistakable sound of revving engines and tire squeals that epitomize Formula DRIFT filled the city of Long Beach Saturday.
The stands were packed with drifting fans from around the world as they came to witness some of the most skilled drivers go head-to-head to see who would claim victory of the season opener event. After hours of ringing around the track, Odi Bakchis was crowned the winner.
Drifters hurl their vehicles around a portion of the Long Beach Grand Prix track and attempt to get as close to the walls with as much angle as possible to wow the judges. The battles include two cars that get as close to each other as they can during their run to ensure maximum points. However, it is not always about who can have the most outrageous run.
“I think that the judges are looking more for smoothness this year, that’s traditionally been my style so I am just going to keep doing what I’m doing,” said Chris Forsberg, three time Formula DRIFT championship winner.
The day started off fairly tame compared to previous years with only a few crashes. However, sometimes small crashes can be just as devastating since drivers are only allotted one 5 minute timeout the whole day to fix their car if need be.
The top 32 and 16 brackets provided plenty of entertainment for fans but the real excitement began in what is referred to as the to as the “Great Eight,” where Matt Field spun out in one of his runs against Forsberg which essentially granted Forsberg a free win. Justin Pawlak and Bakchis had to go “one more time” with Bakchis taking the win along with Forrest Wang taking down Piotr Wiecek. Fredric Aasbo, winner of the season opener at the Long Beach Grand Prix last year.
In the final four, Aasbo was up against Wang where after their first run was forced to concede since he could not repair his damaged engine. Next, Bakchis took down Forsberg which meant he was guaranteed third place since Aasbo would not be able to run against him.
The finals consisted of Bakchis versus Wang. In the end, it was Bakchis that was able to claim the win which was his first one since 2017.