Formula DRIFT veteran Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis continued to impress hundreds of thousands of fans and fellow competitors at the Formula DRIFT season finale at Irwindale Speedway on October 13-14. With multiple podiums, Bakchis entered the final round of the 2023 FD season, positioned fifth overall in the championship. During the event, he worked his Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 up the steeply banked track and into second place both at the event and in the overall championship standings in front of a sold-out crowd.
While Bakchis’ driving earned the respect of the judges and put him on the podium, his car build also earned the respect of the fans, who voted Bakchis’ Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 as the 2023 “Fan Favorite Car.”
As runner-up in the entire Formula DRIFT PRO championship, Bakchis placed an exclamation point over an impressive showing all season by the entire Feal Suspension Race Team. Bakchis himself is the owner and operator of the Feal Suspension Race Team, which took on two new drivers this season.
Hailing from Norway, Simen Olsen joined Bakchis in the PRO championship, driving the Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9. Olsen finished the season fourth overall, having earned three podium finishes throughout the season and the title of “Most Improved Driver” following his 2022 performance.
Bakchis also brought on Ben Hobson to drive the Pedal Commander / Feal Suspension Nissan S14 in the PROSPEC championship. Hobson won two of the four rounds, qualified first in three rounds, and earned the title of 2023 PROSPEC Champion with the biggest points lead in the championship’s history.
Overall, the team brought home six PRO podium finishes, including one event win by Bakchis in St Louis, as well as three PROSPEC podiums, including two wins. The team finished second and fourth overall in the Formula DRIFT PRO standings and took first in the PROSPEC championship. The Feal Suspension Race Team is the only team with all team members finishing in the Top 5 for the 2023 season.
Previously, Bakchis had finished third overall in the Formula DRIFT championship in 2017, 2019 and 2021, so his second-place finish was a personal best as he concluded his 13th season of Formula DRIFT competition.
With ten event wins under his belt and more than 20 career podium finishes, Bakchis continues to be a championship contender in a sport that continues pushing the boundaries of precision driving and vehicle engineering. Bakchis’ Feal Suspension Race Team is proving they are one to be watched in future Formula DRIFT seasons.
