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James Deane Claims Victory In Round 2 Of The 2025 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship At Atlanta
In a thrilling turn of events, four-time champion James Deane triumphed over three-time champion Fredric Aasbo in a dramatic One More Time (OMT) final at the Formula DRIFT event in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Cory Talaska secured his first PROSPEC victory, marking a significant milestone in his drifting career.
The Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is renowned for its unique features, including a natural amphitheatre and high-speed approach. This venue hosted the inaugural Formula DRIFT x Gridlife joint event, adding excitement to the weekend. Despite the challenging weather conditions, with rain replacing sunny skies on Saturday, the drivers showcased their skills on the wet track.
The 2025 season introduced competitive tandem qualification via a Seeding Bracket for the Link ECU PROSPEC class. Drivers had to navigate a Top 16 battle on Thursday to qualify for Friday's competition. Among the rookies were Collete Davis and Chellee Hansen from the USA, along with 13-year-old Camren Sorensen.
Camren Sorensen emerged victorious in the Seeding Bracket, becoming the youngest driver to compete in Formula DRIFT. Driving a Sorensen Motorsports / Spyder E46 BMW, he claimed position 25 in Friday's PROSPEC heats. Collete Davis overcame technical issues to finish second, while Chellee Hansen secured third place.
In PROSPEC competition, rookie Collin Zielinski advanced to the Top 8 heats but was defeated by Cory Talaska. Zielinski finished as the highest-placed rookie in eighth and led the Rookie of the Year title chase by one point from Sorensen. Talaska's journey to victory included defeating Adam Heishman and Cody Buchanan.
Cory Talaska's win marked his first career victory since joining PROSPEC in 2021. He overcame Dmitriy Brutskiy in a tight final battle. "We came into the event dialed after a lot of testing," Talaska said, holding his carbon fibre winner’s trophy. "We spent time getting the car hooked up and found pace."
PRO Seeding Bracket Qualification
The Formula DRIFT PRO Championship locks in 20 competition places based on previous round standings. The remaining 12 spots are filled through competitive Seeding Bracket Qualification. Austin Matta won this bracket at Road Atlanta after a tough battle with Connor O’Sullivan.
Derek Madison claimed third place, while Daigo Saito defeated Vaughn Gittin Jr in an anticipated qualifying heat. Both drivers pushed each other to their limits during this intense showdown.
PRO Competition Overview
The FD PRO Competition faced unpredictable weather conditions that added complexity to the heats. Rain during practice left a wet track, but sighting laps were deemed unnecessary due to prior experience. The track dried quickly before rain returned for later heats.
James Deane's familiarity with wet conditions helped him secure victory against Vaughn Gittin Jr and others on his path to the podium. His RTR Mustang performed exceptionally well despite challenging conditions throughout various stages of competition.
Final Showdown: Deane vs Aasbo
The final showdown between James Deane and Fredric Aasbo was highly anticipated due to their previous encounters at Round 1 where Aasbo had emerged victorious over Deane previously at Round 1 creating an air of unfinished business between them both competitors displayed remarkable skill throughout multiple runs forcing judges into requesting OMT twice before finally separating them awarding Deane victory elevating him equal first alongside Aasbo within championship standings "This was my first win year I’m absolutely delighted," said stepping podium "The Ford Mustang RTR killing it all weekend we had no issues despite crazy One More Time battles Castro two Fredric Final honestly didn’t know which way decision going go gave best super-happy heading Orlando Round 3."
Championship Standings
{TABLE_1}Tire Cup Standings
{TABLE_3}Auto Cup Standings
{TABLE_4}Aurimas Bakchis secured third place thanks exemplary car control Feal Suspension GT Radial Nissan S14 placing level championship points Branden Sorensen who finished fifth night Connor O'Sullivan top Rookie Atlanta finishing twenty-second night sitting twenty-first overall nine points leads Rookie Year title race into Round ahead Jack Shanahan Toyota continued hold first place Auto Cup Kenda remained lead Tire Cup Ryan Sage President Formula DRIFT commented "We had wet wild event Road Atlanta met new faces PROSPEC creating one best fields seen great competition throughout weekend weather always factor here undoubtedly influence PRO competition again saw James Deane Fredric Aasbo battle Final time James got win after two One More Times makes Championship interesting leading protagonists equal points also saw some Seeding Qualifiers make higher Championship positions further contributed great vibe always enjoy Atlanta."
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