2016 Formula Drift Round 1: Streets of Long Beach
Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 5:00PM FD Long Beach Round 1 April 8-9
We kick off the 2016 Formula Drift season at the best street course in America: Turn 9-10 of the Long Beach Gran Prix Course. With the recent California storm systems brewing, the Street Course was hit with intermittent rains.
The rain only came during the competition weekend. It disrupted practice and put qualifying at stake.
The drivers put the qualifying session to a vote. Ultimately deciding to forego qualifying, opting to use the 2015 results to seed qualifying positions. It was a controversial and unpopular decision to the fans. However, with the unpredictable conditions, it was the best choice for the season opener.
As competition day came and the course began to dry, we saw the remaining carnage from the previous day.
The changing conditions of the Long Beach Street Course was a wild card on its own. Most of the drift course is held on a public parking lot, and oil that has collected over the past few months began to wash out of the asphalt. You can see the parking lines on the ground and the greasy wet patches. JTP is working all the car control he has to keep the car behaving.
The event was an eye-opener for fans. We saw veterans struggle with the their thirteenth year at the Street Course. We saw rookies conquer the conditions. And we saw a fan-favorite capitalize on the unpredictable circumstances.
Long Beach has always been an exciting round for Formula Drift. The dynamic street course never fails to impress. Immense, season-ending crashes to Japanese masters dominating the course on his rookie run. This year Formula Drift crowned a potential new champion. Can't wait for Atlanta May 5-6.
Keep watching.
// Words: Alex Hsieh //Photos: Mike Tseng
