St. Louis, MO
The Formula Drift series delivered screeching thrills for a sizable crowd at Worldwide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri. It was hot and humid, but the on-track action for Round 5 of the Pro Championship was flat-out cool! STEEL-IT backed drift drivers of the Feal Suspension race team laid it down thick with Aurimas Bakchis "Odi" scoring his first win since 2021.
Odi is a likable figurehead in the Formula Drift circuit, having 19 podium finishes, but the win is what he is always chasing. This latest victory for Bakchis places him 3rd overall in the 2023 championship standings. It also makes him the 3rd winningest driver in Formula Drift history. He shares the ranking with former champion and STEEL-IT teammate Chris Forsberg.
Odi commented, "I want to thank STEEL-IT for keeping all of my cars looking clean and easy to repair. Throughout crazy weekends like this, we are always pressed for time and under the gun. Sometimes we have to weld up these vehicles because of the heavy abuse we throw at them. With STEEL-IT polyurethane coating we can weld through the coating which really helps speed up trackside repairs."
With Odi stealing the show in his Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15, another STEEL-IT driver and Feal Suspension teammate, Simon Olsen, found his way onto the podium in 3rd place. Forsberg had a worthy showing and placed 4th. This was Olsen's second FD PRO podium and he was able to sustain 5th place overall in the championship.
In the Formula Drift PROSPEC Championships, STEEL-IT drivers Ben Hobson, also teamed up under the Odi umbrella, nailed down his first PROSPEC win since joining the Championship in 2021. Hobson appears to be a player in the division having qualifying first at every round so far during the 2023 series. He now leads the title race with a commanding 65-point lead.
The "Drift Wizard" and STEEL-IT drifter, Andy Hateley went 2nd in the PROSPEC division for the weekend.
Formula Drift Round 6, The Throwdown, is scheduled for August 11th and 12th in Seattle, Washington. The PROSPEC Championship will return on the round after September 14th and 16th in Grantsville, Utah, for the 4th and final round.
Action Photos By - Bink Designs / Podium Photos By - Larry Chen Photo
