Three-time Formula DRIFT champion Chris Forsberg is on a roll, finishing second at the Orlando, FL, event on May 21, 2022, after reaching the podium with a second-place finish on May 7 in Atlanta.
Forsberg, who won the Formula DRIFT championships in 2009, 2014 and 2016, was still developing his new NOS Energy Drink Nissan Z on GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS tires in Round 1 at Long Beach, but he has obviously now found his groove.
Also finding its groove in Orlando was the GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS competition tire, which performed extraordinarily well in extreme wet conditions. One thing dominated FD PRO Round 3: Type S Scorched presented by AutoZone: the weather!
Rain should be expected in Florida; thunder and lightning isn’t unprecedented; but it was a tornado warning that had everybody on their toes. However, Formula DRIFT is an all-weather sport and the show goes on, albeit with safety delays to clear the metal grandstands and livestream camera towers when the lightning came too close for comfort.
The weather was no match for the Champiro SX2 RS ultra- high-performance tires, which were developed and are being manufactured at the Giti Tire plant in Richburg, SC. These tires are also available for street driving, and for anyone wondering how they perform in the wet, look at the tape!
Forsberg battled and beat Jhonnattan Castro (Dominican Republic) in the Top 32, GT Radial driver Dan Burkett (USA) in the Top 16, Rookie Daniel Stuke (USA) in the Top 8, and slugged it out with last season’s champion Fredric Aasbo in the Top 4.
Despite deteriorating track conditions under driving rain and lightning strikes, Forsberg and Dylan Hughes declined a sighting lap and went for glory in the final round. Both set lead runs that mocked the rain, hitting their marks with dazzling skill.
With the cars pulled up to the podium, the drenched drivers discovered Hughes had been victorious; an announcement that was quickly followed by a tearful downpour from the winner. As only his third podium, this was Hughes’ first FD PRO victory and he was quick to credit Forsberg with his success: “I worked for [Chris Forsberg] for a long time and he taught me pretty much everything I know about drift, so to battle him in the final was sick and I’m super-happy with the result,” Hughes said.
After placing six drivers in the top 12 and four podium finishes in Formula DRIFT last year, GT Radial is off to a great start in 2022! Seven drivers are competing on GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS tires for the eight rounds of the 2022 Formula DRIFT season.
Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport.
