Formula DRIFT Seattle took place last weekend on Aug. 9-10 and it brought even more controversial calls and kept viewers on the edge of their seats the whole event.
Unlike the most recent event in St. Louis, there weren’t any big track changes, but that doesn’t mean the track didn’t come into play.
Outside zone 1 is a massive zone along the bank of Evergreen Speedway, similar to Orlando, but the end of the zone requires a lot of angle to get the car set up for the next outside zone. And this area brought 2 very memorable moments. Including James Deane hitting the wall too hard, sending him 4 tires off track and Chris Forsberg slightly tapping Jhonnattan Castro which brought much controversy.
Before Formula DRIFT Seattle, James Deane was on a 13-podium streak. Meaning the past 13 events including Formula DRIFT and Drift Masters, he got at least third place. He is undoubtedly the greatest drifter of all time and he is most definitely showing it this year. However, this streak came to an end when he was battling Jeff Jones in the Top 16. James Deane was leading and Jeff Jones was close behind him, but as Deane was about to exit outside zone 1, he hit the wall too hard, causing the car to go way off the track, giving the win to Jones.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Formula DRIFT event without a controversial call by the judges. Chris Forsberg battled Jhonnattan Castro in the Top 32 and when Chris Forsberg was chasing at the end of outside zone 2, he slightly tapped Castro, causing him to go off track. And this is where the controversy starts. If you want to view this incident, skip to 7:46 in the Formula DRIFT Top 32 livestream. It’s undeniable that there was a tap, but some people said that that slight tap wasn’t enough to cause such an issue in Castro’s car. The judges ended up deciding that the tap was in fact enough to cause Castro’s car to go off track. This choice by the judges enraged Forsberg, and he reportedly went to the judges directly and demanded an explanation behind their decision. Click the link above and make a decision for yourself. Do you think the tap was enough to cause Castro to go off track? Or did the tap have nothing to do with it and he was going off track anyway?
For those who remember, during the last event in Formula DRIFT St. Louis, Adam LZ had a massive crash on the wall of outside zone 1, resulting in his car being totaled, and he even admitted that he would be absent for the rest of the season because of the wreck. If you want to view this crash, skip to 2:25:16 in the Formula DRIFT Top 16 livestream. Although, when LZ got home from the event. His friend offered him another e36 chassis for very cheap, in hopes of keeping LZ in the Formula DRIFT season. After LZ was presented with this offer, he accepted the deal and challenge they were about to face and the amount of work ahead of them, like, a lot of work. His team had 4 weeks to completely rebuild his drift car and get to Seattle, Washington. It was not an easy task but they pulled it off. Adam LZ showed up to Formula DRIFT Seattle and ended up placing third in the event. Talk about a comeback!
Lastly, this event came to a disappointing end as the finals came down to Hiroya Minowa and Ryan Tuerck. As Ryan Tuerck went to the starting line, Minowa called for a timeout as he noticed electrical issues with his car. His team were only given 5 minutes to fix the issue, and they were unsuccessful. Minowa’s team fought hard and did everything they could, but in the end, the victory was given to Ryan Tuerck by default which was his first win in 2 years. With 14 -year-old Hiroya Minowa playing second, it moves him up to third place in the championship points. He is definitely a contender for the first place championship title and this is his first year being in Formula DRIFT! Unbelievable.
The next Formula DRIFT event will take place in Grantsville, Utah on September 19-21 and will be the 7th event of the PRO season and the 4th and final event of the PROSPEC season. Tune in and watch on Formula DRIFT’s YouTube page or on Motorsports.TV.
