Formula Drift 2013 Round 1: Long Beach

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First Place Battle

These guys have faced each other many times in the past, but most of the time it was as Falken Tire teammates. For the first time since Daijiro joined Falken in 2009, he and Vaughn were on different tires. This would be the first Final Battle JR has entered without Falken Tires. Vaughn has been on Falkens since he started 10 years ago. Now, he's on Nitto Tires and in their first event with him as their driver, he would guarantee them a podium spot.

However, it must have been in the stars. It was an ending that was predicted by the start of the 2013 season and qualifying. Daijiro Yoshihara was able to put a gap on Vaughn when he led and gain proximity when he followed. There was no debate among the judges in this battle.

No One More Times, not even a review of the footage. It was clear, Daijiro Yoshihara had just won Round 1 of the Formula Drift Pro Championship at Long Beach.

It wasn't a bad end to such a cloudy day, if Dai's face is any indication.

Round 1: Streets of Long Beach Results 1. Daijiro Yoshihara – America’s Tire / Falken Tire Nissan 240SX 2. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. – Vaughn Monster Energy / Nitto Ford Mustang 3. Chris Forsberg – NOS Energy Drink / Hankook Nissan 370Z 4. Chelsea Denofa – BC Racing/Nitto Tire BMW E46 3-Series

Formula DRIFT Championship Presented by GoPro 2013 Top 5 Standings After Round One
1. Daijiro Yoshihara – 112 Points
2. Vaughn Gittin, Jr. – 92 Points
3. Chris Forsberg – 79 Points
4. Chelsea DeNofa – 75 Points
5. Darren McNamara – 64 Points