Formula Drift Finals

by Michael Satterfield

Formula DRIFT returned to Irwindale Speedway for the 2014 Pro Championship season finale. Daigo Saito in the Achilles Radial Lexus SC430 takes the event victory. Chris Forsberg in the Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z wins his second career championship.

Chris Forsberg, 2014 Pro Champion

Round 7: Final Fight held at Irwindale Speedway did not disappoint the sold-out crowd with an action-packed weekend that featured the Pro Championship, PRO 2 Championship, Offset Kings car show and more. The Driftstream had over 200,000 unique viewers to the live stream for the event weekend.

“What a way to end the 2014 Pro Championship season,” says Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “We could not have asked for a more climactic ending with the championship determined at the very last battle of the season. The competitive rivalry that Aasbo and Forsberg had all season could not have been any more exciting.”

Entering the event, Forsberg leads the Pro Championship chase by a mere 26 points. As the competition progressed through the night both Aasbo and Forsberg would meet in the Top 4 to control their championship destiny. Aasbo in one of the tightest battles of the evening got the better of Forsberg for the fourth time this season in head to head battles, yet he needed to win the entire event to win the championship.

“A wild season for us. We wanted the championship so bad after last year,” said Chris Forsberg, 2014 Formula DRIFT champion. “Taking the win in Long Beach and holding the lead throughout the season to the Finals only to basically lose to Aasbo every time we went up against him. He was our kryptonite all season long. We were able to hold him off just enough to take the championship home and we are super pumped and very proud of our team for giving us the best car we ever had.”

The number one qualifier, Forrest Wang in the Get Nuts Lab / Hankook / STR Racing Nissan S14 went against Daigo Saito in the Top 4. In a close battle, Saito edged out Wang to make it into the Finals against Aasbo. In another closely fought battle, Saito beat out Aasbo, to win his third consecutive victory at Irwindale Speedway, having won the event in 2012 and 2013, and helping to award Forsberg with his second Pro Championship. Forsberg is only the third driver in Formula DRIFT history to hold two championships with his 2009 championship and now the 2014 championship.

“This year we have had a very hard time with our results and ranking,” said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 7: Final Fight. “We are excited to earn a win to end the season here at Irwindale Speedway. This is also the third win for us in a row here and I am very happy.” Daigo knows the world over for his JZX-100 performed brilliantly in his Lexus SC430. Read more about Saito's JZX-100 over on Drifted.com.

In addition to the 2014 Championship, both the Tire and Manufacturer Championships were determined at Round 7: Final Fight. Hankook Tire won the Tire Manufacturer Championship, while Scion won the Manufacturer Championship.

For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com and find Formula DRIFT on Instagram @formulad, Facebook www.facebook.com/formuladrift, and Twitter @FormulaDrift.

Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2014 Final Standings

1. Forsberg, Chris Hankook Tire Nissan 370Z 561.50 Points

2. Aasbo, Fredric Hankook Tire Scion Racing tC 550.00 Points

3. Gittin Jr., Vaughn Monster Energy Ford Mustang RTR 393.00 Points

4. Bakchis, Aurimas “Odi” Feal Suspension Nissan 240SX 364.50 Points

5. Wang, Forrest Get Nuts Lab / Hankook Tire / STR Racing Nissan S14 331.50 Points

6. Moen, Kenneth Bridges Racing Nissan 240SX 310.50 Points

7. McNamara, Darren Falken Tire Nissan S14 298.00 Points

8. Kearney, Dean Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper SRT 287.00 Points

9. Pawlak, Justin Falken Tire Ford Mustang 277.00 Points

10. Grunewald, Conrad Megan Racing / Top 1 Oil / BRE Chevrolet Camaro 262.50 Points

11. Nishida, Robbie Achilles Radial / Bridges Racing Lexus SC300 261.00 Points