Turn Up the Heat: The Drift League Round 3

Carlos Cano Estrella was hoping to bring out his MKIV Supra for another proper break-in, but was unable to get the car situated enough for competition in time. Rest assured, Cano Estrella is an expert at piloting the little Corolla that could, which earned him the 6th qualifying place with a 69.

Jon Shaffer and his LS-powered s14 that he has nicknamed Tiffany were looking solid in practice. On his first qualifying run, Shaffer initiated high on the bank and as he was approaching the end of the infamous big bank his power steering pump failed and the exact wrong moment, putting the car into the wall at dangerous speeds. Shaffer was thankfully able to walk away from the accident injury-free (which is a big statement for TDL’s tech and safety standards), but Tiffany had seen better days. The wreck unfortunately ended Shaffer’s weekend much earlier than he had planned for.

Series leader, Tony Cisneros continues the momentum from practice and puts down a 79 on his first run and a 76 on his second run, further demonstrating his consistency throughout the event. The 79-point run earned him the 3rd qualifying position.

After a dramatic and hard-fought qualifying session, the bracket was a preview of what was yet to unfold in Top 16:

After the opening ceremonies, competitors lined up for the first round of battles for Top 16. On the left side of the bracket, there were three bye runs, advancing Katsanidis, Cabrera, and Velazquez into the Great 8.
The first battle in the main competition was between Villamor and Boline. Villamor had the advantage on his lead run after Boline spun chasing him. However, Villamor then took his turn at spinning out while chasing Boline, resulting in a One More Time (OMT). After their second battle, Boline was able to nail down the win, leading him into the Great 8 for the first time ever.
The right side of the bracket had two bye runs, giving Rodrigues & Cisneros a place in the Great 8. The next tandem battle was between Contreras and Balcerzak. Contreras had a strong advantage on his lead run after Balcerzak got a zero on his chase after straightening. However, Contreras ended up spinning out on his chase run, resulting in a OMT. After calling a Competition Timeout, Balcerzak ended up spinning out on his chase run on the OMT, giving Contreras the win.
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