Formula Drift 2014 kicked off at Long Beach, California

4-5 апреля в американском Лонг-Бич, штат Калифорния, стартовал одиннадцатый сезон Формулы Дрифт. Победителем первого раунда стал Крис Фосберг, серебряный призер ФД-2013 г. Кеннет Моэн - второй. Чемпион прошлого года Майкл Эсса - на третьем месте.

On April 4-5 weekend the eleventh season of Formula DRIFT kicked off with the sell-out event, Long Beach. This city streets event is one of the jewel events on the Formula DRIFT circuit.

The 2014 Formula Drift series saw Chris Forsberg, who you'll recall went mad and drifted around a warehouse in an Infiniti M, take the title behind the wheel of his Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z beating out second-place finisher Kenneth Moen. In third place was 2013 championship winner Michael Essa and his Yokohama BMW M3, who beat out Justin Pawlak for the final podium spot thanks to his top scoring qualifying run. After 1 round Chris Forsberg leads the 2014 season with 104.50 points. Among FD participants also are Vaughn Gittin Jr. and the other superstars of FD.

Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by GoPro 2014 Standings After One Round

1.Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 104.50 Points

2. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 84.50 Points

3. Essa, Michael Essa Autosport / Yokohama BMW M3 74.00 Points

4. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 68.50 Points

5. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 52.50 Points

Manufacturers Championship Standings After One Round

1. Nissan 122.00 Points 2. Ford 108.00 Points 3. BMW 94.50 Points 4. Scion 87.50 Points     5. Chevrolet 73.00 Points 6. Lexus 35.00 Points 6. Mazda 35.00 Points 8. Toyota 33.50 Points  9. Hyundai 19.00 Points  10. Dodge 17.50 Points

2014 FD season calendar

Formula DRIFT Round 2 - Road Atlanta | May 9-10, 2014

Formula DRIFT Returns to Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta opened in 1970 and was home of the inaugural Formula DRIFT event back in 2004. The 2.54-mile, 12-turn track is owned by Panoz Motor Sports Group and hosts many events throughout the year including Formula DRIFT.

Utilizing Turns 10A, and 10B of the road course, cars slide sideways through the turns and then hit the loop before the bridge and back towards Turns 10B, 10A, and then ends dramatically by drifting uphill on an incline.

Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta will be one of the most anticipated events of the season. The event will be spread between 2 days of drifting action. Drivers are tested on the fast entry and tight turns of the road course and will have to prove that they have what it takes to reach the podium.

Schedule of Road Atlanta Events

Friday, May 9, 2014 – Practice / Qualifying 8:00am – Venue Open 8:00am – 6:00pm – WILL CALL HOURS 10:00am – 10:30pm – GATES OPEN TO PUBLIC 2:00pm – 2:30pm – FD: Mandatory Drivers Meeting 2:30pm – 3:00pm – FD: Mandatory Safety Meeting 3:00pm – 3:30pm – MEDIA: Mandatory Meeting 3:00pm – 4:00pm – FD: Autograph Signing 4:30pm – 5:25pm – FD: Open Practice – Group 1 5:35pm – 6:30pm – FD: Open Practice – Group 2 6:45pm – 9:00pm – FD: Qualifying – Track 9:15pm – 9:30pm – FD: Mandatory – All Drivers Meeting 10:00pm – 11:00pm – FD: Open Practice – Top 32 12:00am – 8:00am – Clear Grid

Saturday, May 10, 2014 – Main Event 8:00am – Venue Open 8:00am – 7:00pm – WILL CALL Hours 10:00am – 10:30pm – GATES OPEN TO PUBLIC 1:00pm – 1:30pm – FD: Mandatory Drivers Meeting 1:30pm – 2:00pm – MEDIA: Mandatory Meeting 2:30pm – 4:00pm – FD: Open Practice – Top 32 4:00pm – 6:00pm – MAIN COMPETITION: Round of 32 6:00pm – 7:30pm – “Halftime Break” 7:30pm – 8:00pm – National Anthem / Opening Ceremonies 8:00pm – 10:00pm – MAIN COMPETITION: Round of 16 to Finals 10:00pm – 10:30pm – Trophy Ceremony & Closing

**All schedules are subject to change without notice. Any questions on possible changes can be address with any FD representative on-site.

By @irinamow; Sources: formulad.com; iamformulad.com; autoblog.com.