HERE WE GO! Formula Drift has returned to Florida to kick off the Pro2 season. We join friend of the team Faruk Kugay in his fight for his Pro license. We followed him last year in Golden Gate Drift Pro-Am to a hard-fought second place place finish. Needless to say, Pro 2 will be a harder series to compete.
The Limitless Motorsports built S14 keeps its winning formula with only minor changes to improve reliability and traction.
Faruk Kugay partnered with fellow GGD competitor Donovan Brockway for transport for the 2015 Pro 2 season. The Red Baron Racing E30 is absolutely stunning. The widebody E30 is powered by a supercharged BMW engine. However, oil issues stopped Brockway from competing this event. We hope him and his team better luck next round.
The Pro 2 list saw a few Pro drivers enter such as fellow GGD licensed Jeff Wolfson in his 2JZ-powered Scion FR-S. The new Wisefab suspension is bringing a lot of high-angle excitement to his driving style.
The hot and cloudy skies quickly turned dark as the Pro 2 drivers began qualifying. Rain clouds began to roll in as the drivers fought for a spot in the Top 16.
Kugay qualified in 9th and Wolfson qualified a stunning 3rd. As Top 16 began, the rain and wind became relentless. Pitted against Brandon Wicknick, the battle wasn't going to be easy.
The transition into the infield was extremely greasy and it unsettled the car. Kugay pitched as much Wisefab angle as he could, but it couldn't help the wet conditions.
Wolfson put in a spectacular battle with Ryan Litteral to advance into the Top 8. Jeff Wolfson unfortunately lost to Andrew Gray and his Toyota Chaser after an intense battle with changing conditions.
Alex Heilbrunn with the win and Andrew Grey in second. Jeff Jones took home third by qualifying higher than Dave Briggs.
The new Orlando Speedworld Raceway took a few cars as drivers were learning a new track to the FD calendar.
The infield also had unlevel pavement that resulted in some great jumps and three wheel action.
Pro competition also suffered from changing weather conditions in Top 16 battles.
Nothing like a fire to shake up competition.
Ryan Tuerck went to take the win after Forsberg was unable to compete in the finals. His team was not able to repair the car after pulling the in-car fire extinguisher. Ken Gushi took home third, bettering Matt Field in qualifying.
More photos here. Thank you to Formula Drift and Ford Performance for the wonderful Media Center. We will be back for Round 4 in Monroe, Washington.
/// Coverage by Mike Tseng