Formula Drift season will kick off next weekend in the streets of Long Beach. This winter, FD qualifications have been removed, making tandem battles more important than ever. To succeed, bring your best performance to each duel.
Let’s head back to 2023 and look at who was most successful in the tandem battles!
#17 Forrest Wang
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 50% | 6 | 6 |
Wang performed well last year, achieving his best result at 8th place. He did well in California Long Beach and Irwindale.
#16 Jonathan Hurst
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 50% | 7 | 7 |
Jonathan’s 2023 season started off well with a fourth-place finish in the opening round, but unfortunately, he could not replicate that success in later races.
#15 Rome Charpentier
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 50% | 8 | 8 |
Like Hurst’s story, the driver had a podium finish in Long Beach but faced elimination in most Top 32 races.
#14 Kazuya Taguchi
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 52.94% | 9 | 8 |
The Japanese driver had a poor start in 2023. He was eliminated in the Top 32 in Long Beach and Atlanta but bounced back in Orlando, claiming the final podium step.
#13 Darren Kelly
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 60% | 3 | 2 |
Darren participated only in two rounds last year and reached the Top 8 in Atlanta.
#12 Kristaps Blušs
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 60% | 6 | 4 |
Due to logistical issues, the Latvian driver missed the opening round of the 2023 season. However, he managed to advance to the Top 4 in Atlanta but couldn’t replicate his success in Orlando, Utah, and Irwindale.
#11 Dylan Hughes
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 61.9% | 13 | 8 |
E46 driver reached the Top 4 twice last year, with the best result in St. Louis – he was second.
#10 Adam LZ
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 62.5% | 5 | 3 |
Adam’s season was a mix of highs and lows. He won an event in New Jersey but was eliminated in the Top 32 in other events.
#9 Chris Forsberg
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 63.64% | 14 | 8 |
The Nissan Z driver had mixed results – finishing second in Atlanta, getting eliminated twice in the Top 8, three times in the Top 16, and once each in the Top 4 and Top 32.
#6-8 Ryan Tuerck
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 65.22% | 15 | 8 |
Last year, Ryan’s goal was to fight for the championship, and he started superbly, winning the qualification in Long Beach with 98.66 points (the best result of the season!).
Sadly for him, Ryan didn’t score a podium last year, and championship hopes there moved to 2024.
#6-8 Fredric Aasbo
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 65.22% | 15 | 8 |
The Novegian driver could defend his title and make it three in a row as James Deane. Despite this, he still managed to earn three podiums last year.
#6-8 James Deane
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 65.22% | 15 | 8 |
James returned to FD after a three-year break. The Irishman started the season with three Top 8 performances in Long Beach, Atlanta, and Orlando. However, he missed a podium to Matt Field in New Jersey due to worse qualification.
The end of the season looked promising. James won the qualification in Utah and claimed the podium in Irwindale.
#5 Vaughn Gittin Jr
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 66.67% | 6 | 3 |
Last year, Vaughn Gittin Jr., the 2020 Formula Drift champion, shared an RTR slot with Adam LZ. He proved that he still has speed by winning qualification and tandem battles in Atlanta.
#4 Simen Olsen
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 66.67% | 16 | 8 |
We could call Simen the most improved driver of the year. In 2022, Olsen was only 24th in the championship; he claimed three podiums last year!
#2-3 Matt Field
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 69.57% | 16 | 7 |
Matt has been a top candidate for winning the title for the past three years. On a high note, he began the year 2023 by securing a victory in Long Beach.
Matt got some chances before the last round in Irwindale, but DeNofa was too far. However, this year, Matt may have a chance to win the title.
#2-3 Aurimas Bakchis
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 69.57% | 16 | 7 |
Last year, Odi secured his tenth win in his Formula Drift career and finished second overall, losing out to Chelsea. This year, with DeNofa out of his way, the Lithuanian driver is expected to be one of the top contenders to win the championship.
#1 Chelsea DeNofa
| Championship | Percentage | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80.77% | 21 | 5 |
What a way to say goodbye (at least for 2024)! Last year, Chelsea advanced three times to the finals, and three times, it took the top podium step!
Would you like to use our tandem table in your championship? Please email us via email (info[@]drift.news) or message us on Facebook or Instagram. We have other products coming soon!
Would you like to support our project? Please email us to learn more about our advertising options, or consider donating through PayPal (PayPal.me/astralas)!
