Exciting. Unpredictable. Unprecedented. These are just a few of the descriptors that portray round seven of the 2011 Formula Drift Championship, held at the "House of Drift", Irwindale Speedway. A sold-out crowd of over 15,000 frothing fans packed the stadium with energy and enthusiasm, as Formula D pro drivers filled this asphalt battle ground with burnt rubber and tire smoke. This event was the largest Formula D event ever recorded. With five drivers within reach of the crown, there was no telling who would stand atop the podium holding the 2011 Formula Drift Championship Cup.

A Year of Changes

The 2011 season started with a number of changes that could have made this points race possible. Formula Drift's president and co-founder, Jim Liaw, commented, "Every season we address the rulebook. The tire width-to-vehicle ratio rules seemed to have made a noticeable impact. This was designed as a cost containment issue as well as a field-leveling technique. The results seem pretty good as this was the closest finals in our history." He continued, "The massive influx of V8 engines might also have had an influence, which had purists up in arms. We ecnourage a variety of engine combinations, 4-and-6 cylinder engines, turbocharged, supercharged, naturally aspirated. Part of the drifting culture is creativity, especially for the fabricators and the team mechanics. We wanted to leave the creativity of the car builder alone." Another change for 2011 was the revised track layout at Irwindale Speedway. "The 2011 season finale got a new track layout. This course was designed to lengthen the track, adding to the excitement of the finale. We wanted to be progressive and we believed that this change would be a welcomed one," said Liaw.

Five Within Fifty

At the end of a hard fought season, a fifty point span between competitors amounts to nothing. Going into Irwindale, Dai Yoshihara led the way with 470 points, while Justin Pawlak followed close behind with 451.25 points. Darren McNamara, Chris Forsberg and Matt Powers were no more than 50 points from Yoshihara, making this the closest and most exciting finale in Formula D history. Everything was on the line, and the battle was on for every possible point. Justin Pawlak qualified second, closing the points gap at the end of the qualifying round and gaining six points on Yoshihara. After qualifying, all five were still in the running for the crown.

The Close Get Closer

The Top 32 eliminations were a rollercoaster of events that left drivers and fans unable to predict who would be champion until the Final 4 were pared down. Every driver pushed himself to the edge, with an unusual number of crashes knocking drivers out of the points chase throughout the eliminations. Powers, who suffered two crashes in two days, was a little off of his game in the first round. He faced a disappointing early elimination against Ross Petty, putting him out of the running for the championship. A surprising upset came just at the end of the Top 16 round. Yoshihara held nothing back in his battle against Ken Gushi. Gushi had driven well in the eliminations and looked good in the first pass chasing Yoshihara. When it was time for Yoshihara to chase, he stayed on Gushi’s bumper all the way around the track. Less than 100 feet from the finish, Yoshihara nudged Gushi into a spin at the last turn, knocking himself out of the event.

Championship Up For Grabs

With Yoshihara’s final points count fixed at 528 and Powers at 444.5, the remaining contenders were presented with a unique opportunity to usurp the lead from Yoshihara and claim the Championship. Pawlak, who closed the gap by six points, was still very much in the game. An event victory could also lift Forsberg or McNamara to the top of the championship podium.

PLUS: Interviews with the Top 5 Formula D 2011 finishers. Get the inside scoop on what's happening with the season's best drifters, in their words. A DSPORT Exclusive!