With just one month left in the 2016 Formula Drift season, Hankook Tire driver Chris Forsberg is in position to win his third Formula Drift championship.
Forsberg’s success at Texas Motor Speedway over the weekend marks his sixth consecutive podium finish, including four straight second place finishes. His consistent performance has propelled him to a 36-point lead in the Formula Drift championship standings.
Racing in his signature Hankook Tire/Nissan 370Z, Forsberg battled his way to the finals against a competitive field, which included a hard fought quarterfinal win against former champion Fredric Aasbo. After a run that was deemed too close to call by the judging panel, the two former champions engaged in a rematch where Forsberg edged out Aasbo, expanding his first place lead in the overall standings.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the performance of our team tonight. We knew it was going to be a hard fought battle in order to achieve our sixth straight podium finish,” said Forsberg. “I need thank Hankook and our Ventus R-S3 tires for emitting incredible amounts of smoke which provided us an advantage over our competitors by throwing them off line and causing them to make errors. I’m looking forward to Irwindale because it’s a track that has been good to us in the past, and I know we have a car that can win at that event.”
With just one more event to go for the year, Forsberg looks to continue his historic run through his consistent driving to secure another title, while helping Hankook Tire compete for the Tire Manufacturer championship.
“This was a pinnacle podium for Hankook as this second place finish helped extend our points lead in the championship battle and puts us in a very good place going into Round 8,” said Donato Bonacquisto, Hankook Tire Motorsports and Events Manager. “The Hankook Ventus R-S3’s were consistent all weekend long, and the amount of tire smoke they generated was definitely a factor as our drivers used this to throw chasing drivers off line. Chris once again showed his amazing drifting performance, and we look forward to Round 8 in Irwindale.”
Formula Drift heads to Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, Calif. on October 7, for the final round of the Formula Drift championship.
