Event Reports
Formula Drift Round 7
October 16-17, 2009
Irwindale, CA
Report by John Chennavasin
The 2009 Formula Drift season concluded with a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
Chris Forsberg entered the 2009 Formula Drift season finale with a sizable lead in the standings. He clinched the series championship by finishing in the top 16 and became the first driver with a drifting-only racing career to win a Formula Drift championship title.
Forsberg won two of the three Tires.com Triple Crown races, giving him both the Formula Drift and Tires.com Triple Crown championships.
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Ryan Tuerck out-drifted Tyler McQuarrie in the finals, giving him second place in the championship standings. Two-time champion Tanner Foust edged rookie privateer Matt Powers for third place.
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James Deane may have started a new trend last year at the Red Bull Drifting World Championship by cutting a hole in the hood of his car for a K&N cone filter. The Drift Emporium drivers took this to the next level and cut a giant hole in the hood for a supercharger on the Infiniti G35.
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Several drivers also chose not to use large wings at Irwindale. Robbie Nishida's Nissan 350Z and Samuel Hubinette's Dodge Viper had wings for the practice and qualifying runs, but the wings were removed for the tandem runs.
The livery on Samuel Hubinette's Dodge Viper was a tribute to the late Shaun Carlson. In a nice touch, the roof and scoop followed Shaun Carlson's mohawk.
Standings
| Rank | Driver | Team | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Forsberg | NOS Energy Drink/Maxxis Tire | Nissan 350Z | 527 |
| 2 | Ryan Tuerck | Gardella Racing/Mobil 1 | Pontiac Solstice GXP | 521 |
| 3 | Tyler McQuarrie | Falken | Nissan 350Z | 485 |
| 4 | Samuel Hubinette | Nuformz Racing | Dodge Viper SRT10 | 462.25 |
| 5 | Vaughn Gittin, Jr. | Falken Tire/Ford Racing | Ford Mustang GT | 451.50 |
| 6 | Tanner Foust | Rockstar/Scion Racing | Scion tC | 447.50 |
| 7 | Darren McNamara | Falken/Sears Auto Center | Saturn Sky | 426.50 |
| 8 | Robbie Nishida | Hankook Tires/Dynamic Autosports | Nissan 350Z | 425.25 |
| 9 | Justin Pawlak | Bergenholtz Racing/Nitto | Mazda RX-8 | 416 |
| 10 | Ken Gushi | RS*R Scion Racing | Scion tC | 388.50 |
Tires.com Triple Crown Bonus Point Standings
| Rank | Driver | Team | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Forsberg | NOS Energy Drink/Maxxis Tire | Nissan 350Z | 262 |
| 2 | Ryan Tuerck | Gardella Racing/Mobil 1 | Pontiac Solstice GXP | 256 |
| 3 | Tyler McQuarrie | Falken | Nissan 350Z | 233 |