Ryan Tuerck Triumphs In Round 6 Of Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Seattle 2024

Published: Monday, August 12, 2024, 17:06 [IST]

The Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 6, known as the Type S Throwdown, took place on Saturday, August 10, 2024, at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. The event saw Ryan Tuerck from the USA clinching first place in his Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla.

Hiroya Minowa from Japan secured second place driving the Enjuku Racing / Cusco / Yellowspeed Racing Toyota GT86. Adam LZ from the USA finished third with his LZMFG E36 BMW. The hot and sunny weather during the Top 32 competition gave way to cooler temperatures by the Final.

Several drivers were unexpectedly eliminated early in the competition. Simen Olsen from Norway was knocked out of the Top 32 after an unusual mistake in his Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9 against Jeff Jones from the USA. Olsen dropped to seventh in the Championship standings with a 188-point deficit to James Deane.

James Deane, a three-time FD PRO Champion from Ireland driving the AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD, was eliminated in the Top 16 by Jeff Jones. Despite this, Deane maintained his lead in the standings with a 104-point margin over Aurimas Bakchis from Lithuania.

Conor Shanahan from Ireland faced an unexpected exit after his Top 16 match against Jhonnattan Castro from the Dominican Republic. Shanahan initially had an advantage in his Red Bull / Garagistic E36 BMW but made a critical error at Outside Zone 1, allowing Castro to advance.

Fredric Aasbo from Norway also experienced a surprising defeat in the Top 16 against Trenton Beechum from the USA. Beechum's Nexen Tire / Clonex Racing BMW outperformed Aasbo's Rockstar Energy Toyota Racing GR Supra, dropping Aasbo to fourth in the standings.

Intense Battles

Aurimas Bakchis had a fierce battle with Ryan Tuerck in the Great 8. After being asked to run One More Time (OMT) twice, Bakchis eventually lost to Tuerck’s GR Corolla but held onto second place in the Championship standings.

Tuerck continued his winning streak into the Final against Minowa and claimed his first victory since Round 1 of the 2022 season. This win propelled him from fifteenth to eighth place overall but left him mathematically unable to claim the title due to Deane’s significant lead.

Minowa's Performance

Minowa's impressive performance included an intense OMT contest against Adam LZ in the Final 4. Despite an electrical issue preventing Minowa from starting in the Final against Tuerck, he secured second place on the podium and moved up to third in the standings.

Minowa's back-to-back podium finishes have also put him ahead in the race for Rookie of the Year honours, with only Conor Shanahan posing a realistic challenge.

LZ's Comeback

Adam LZ made a surprise appearance thanks to his team's efforts after destroying his previous car at St Louis. The arrival of a prepped body shell and two weeks of frantic building allowed LZ to claim third place on the podium and climb from seventh to fifth in the title race.