The Maxxis Tires Drift Team ran by Chris Forsberg Racing had another stellar performance landing him at the top of the podium this last weekend in Sonoma, CA.
The 5th round of the Formula Drift Pro Championship at the world famous Infineon Raceway was a picture perfect event for the team. They had worked hard in the weeks leading up to the event to prepare the car for the infamous high speed entry that defines the track. “We were really excited for this event as the high speed long entry really suits my driving style.� said Team principal and driver Chris Forsberg. “The 350Z was set up perfectly and ran great all weekend. With minimal adjustments made during practice, the car was dialed perfect for competition.� On Chris’ first qualifying pass he scored a 96 out of 100 putting him in the top spot.
For tandem battle, the Maxxis MA-Z1 Drift Tire was burning up the track giving the grip Chris needed to perform. Due to the great durability of Maxxis’ drift specific compound, Chris ran on the same set of tires all the way through the finals; something no other tire was able to do. The team moved on to defeat Stephan Verdier in his new Subaru STI, the factory Pontiac and Red Bull effort of Rhys Millen and the factory Ford effort of Ken Gushi. That landed him in the final round, pitted against Falken’s top driver Vaughn Gittin JR. They had a great first run and Chris scored a near perfect 9 point run against the powerful Mustang of Gittin. Then as they were preparing to line up again, Vaughn suffered engine malfunctions. Facing a 4 point deficit to Chris, and with a severely damaged engine, Vaughn’s team decided it would be nearly impossible to recover from to Chris’ sizeable lead which required him to concede the round, leaving Chris Forsberg as the winner of Formula Drift Round 5.
Chris Forsberg Racing moved back into 2nd place in the championship and moved team sponsor NOS Energy Drink into the lead over Red Bull, Rockstar, Monster and Go Fast in the unofficial ‘Battle of the Energy Drinks’
Chris Forsberg Racing is also now well in the lead of the www.tires.com Triple Crown points race, with only the final round of Irwindale remaining. This separate points race rewards the highest ranked driver from the Atlanta, Infineon, and Irwindale races with a large cash prize, and further bragging rights. Having won both the Atlanta and the Infineon events outright, Forsberg is far ahead of the pack, and a solid finish at Irwindale Speedway will lock up the Triple Crown.
“Overall it was an exciting weekend; all the pieces fell right into place. We are happy to be back in 2nd place, only 3 points behind 1st place and are looking forward to the steep banks of Wall Speedway.�
The next Formula Drift event will be held on September 7th – 8th at Wall TWP Speedway in Wall, NJ. For more info on Formula Drift or for ticket info visit www.formuladrift.com
For More information:
www.ChrisForsberg.com
www.Maxxis.com
www.DrinkNOS.com
www.DriftAlliance.com
www.FormulaDrift.com
www.tires.com