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| This was just the First Battle! |
Next would be a battle for not just the Final Four, but also to determine which two Drift Alliance drivers would end up there. Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Mustang would be looking to get past Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink 370Z. If JTP couldn’t get past, it would mean a huge dent in his points lead. Both drivers put everything out there, just because they both were in the Drift Alliance, they didn’t pull punches. This resulted in a One More Time Battle.
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| They had to go twice! I'm starting to think GoPros add downforce! |
It was here that Pawlak would falter as coming off the bank for his lead run, he slammed his Falken Mustang into the guard rail and spun out! This huge disadvantage meant that all Chris had to do was have a good lead run. Mr. Consistency did just that and was able to pull off a great run despite how close JTP got. JTP is knocked out and Forsberg moves on! The only thing Justin could hope for was that Yoshihara could knock out Daigo Saito in the Final Four.
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| Ok, maybe not. With this spin, Chris Forsberg would go on to the Final Four. |
Speaking of which, the very first battle would happen to be just that. It was the battle of the Japanese drivers, Daijiro Yoshihara and Daigo Saito. While Daigo had the horsepower advantage, Daijiro had the experience of Wall Speedway and that came in handy! Because the course has only changed once in the time that Formula Drift has gone to this location Daijiro knew the layout better. This advantage showed in the One More Time as Daigo hit clipping point cones and really struggled with the course. That gave the advantage to Daijiro and he was able to move on to see who would get the top step on the podium! JTP’s lead, while shrunk, would not be as bad as it could have been, though Daigo could still get third place.
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| Experience pays off as Daijiro Yoshihara moves on to the Finals! |
Now, it was the final Drift Alliance battle and the one to see who would meet Daijiro Yoshihara in the Final Round. Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink 370Z would look to try and use his consistency against Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy/Falken Tire Ford Mustang. Energy Drink versus Energy Drink, Tire versus Tire, Ford versus Nissan; there were many ways the fans could pull for. While Chris was able to pull off a similar run as he did against JTP, it was the door-to-door action that Vaughn was able to pull off and what gave the Monster Energy/Falken Tire Mustang the win.
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| Don't Call It A Come Back, AGAIN! Vaughn Gittin, Jr faces Daijiro Yoshihara in the Finals! |
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| The calm before the storm that will be the finals! |
