{"id":2807,"date":"2012-10-14T19:19:29","date_gmt":"2012-10-14T23:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?p=2807"},"modified":"2012-10-14T19:29:32","modified_gmt":"2012-10-14T23:29:32","slug":"news-daigo-saito-is-victorious-at-round-7-title-fight-and-is-crowned-the-2012-formula-drift-champion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?p=2807","title":{"rendered":"[NEWS] Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 7: Title Fight and is Crowned the 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elusivemedia.com%2Fv3%2F%3Fp%3D2807&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=dark\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px;height:60px;margin-top:5px;\"><\/iframe><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?attachment_id=2809\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-2809\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/2012_Irwindale.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"2012_Irwindale\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/2012_Irwindale.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/2012_Irwindale-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 7: Title Fight and is Crowned the 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion<\/p>\n<p>For Immediate Release<\/p>\n<p>October 13, 2012<\/p>\n<p>Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 7: Title Fight and is Crowned the 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion<\/p>\n<p>Long Beach, Calif. \u2013 October 13, 2012 \u2013 Formula DRIFT returned to Irwindale Speedway for the 2012 season finale. Daigo Saito in the Achilles Tire \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 takes the event victory and wins the 2012 Formula DRIFT Championship. <\/p>\n<p>Round 7: Title Fight at Irwindale Speedway showcased drifting in its finest form. For the first time in Formula DRIFT and Irwindale Speedway history the event sold out before the gates opened to the public. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLast year was so amazing we didn\u2019t think we could do it again, not like this\u201c said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. \u201cThis is why we love drifting. We are so energized for season 10 starting April 12-13, 2013.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The competition was intense as the championship was up for grabs. Entering the event, seven drivers had a chance for the title. This soon changed as top drivers in the chase were taken out early including points leader Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy \/ Falken Ford Mustang, defending champion Daijiro Yoshihara, in the America\u2019s Tire \/ Falken Tire Nissan 240 and the 2009 champion, Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy \/ Hankook Nissan 370Z. This opened the door for both Daigo Saito and Rhys Millen in the RMR \/ Hankook Hyundai Genesis Coupe who met in the Final Four. Millen, the number one qualifier took himself out as he went hard into the wall giving the win to Saito. The wall took a number of victims through the competition including Justin Pawlak in the Falken Tire Ford Mustang when he battled Saito in the Finals, giving Saito the event victory. Saito in his rookie year in the Series becomes the first Series rookie to also be crowned Formula DRIFT champion. Saito a seasoned veteran drifter is arguably considered the best drifter in the world winning the Formula DRIFT Asia championship, D1 championship and now Formula DRIFT Pro Championship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLuck was with me tonight. I\u2019m very happy to be able to compete in Formula DRIFT this year. I\u2019ve wanted to compete in the Series for so long,\u201d said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 7: Title Fight and 2012 Formula DRIFT champion. \u201cThank you to Formula DRIFT and Achilles Tires. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do this without the help of everyone that helped me get to this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Formula DRIFT enters its tenth season of competition in 2013. Tickets are on-sale currently and can be purchased through the Formula DRIFT website and Ticketmaster. Round 1: Streets of Long Beach will be held on April 12-13, 2013. <\/p>\n<p>For more information visit:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.formuladrift.com\"> www.formuladrift.com<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Formula DRIFT Professional Championship 2012 Final Point Standings<br \/>\n1. Saito, Daigo\tAchilles Tire \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430\t548.50 Points<br \/>\n2. Gittin Jr., Vaughn\tMonster Energy \/ Falken Ford Mustang\t529 Points<br \/>\n3. Millen, Rhys\tHankook \/ Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe\t509.25 Points<br \/>\n4. Pawlak, Justin\tFalken Tire Ford Mustang\t501 Points<br \/>\n5. Tuerck, Ryan\tTeam Retaks Nissan 240SX\t465.50 Points<br \/>\n6. Aasbo, Fredric\tNeed for Speed \/ Papadakis Racing Scion tC\t457.50 Points<br \/>\n7. Yoshihara, Daijiro\tAmerica&#8217;s Tire \/ Falken Tire Nissan S13\t 426 Points<br \/>\n8. Gushi, Ken\tGreddy \/ Hankook Scion FR-S\t379.50 Points<br \/>\n9. Grunewald, Conrad\tHankook Chevrolet Camaro\t359.75 Points<br \/>\n10. Powers, Matt\tNeed for Speed \/ Nitto Nissan S14\t358.50 Points<br \/>\n11. Forsberg, Chris\tNOS Energy Drink \/ Hankook Nissan 370Z\t347.25 Points<br \/>\n12. Essa, Michael\tGSR Autosport \/ Nitto BMW ZR4\t321.50 Points<br \/>\n13. Nishida, Robbie\tBridges Racing \/ Achilles Tire Lexus SC300\t320.75 Points<br \/>\n14. McQuarrie, Tyler\tMobil 1 Chevrolet Camaro\t321.50 Points<br \/>\n15. Yoshioka, Toshiki\tRS*R Nissan S15\t320.75 Points<br \/>\n16. Bakchis, Aurimas &#8220;Odi&#8221;\tBakchis Motorsports Nissan 240SX S14\t309 Points<br \/>\nRound 7: Title Fight Event Results<br \/>\n1. Saito, Daigo\tAchilles Tire \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430\tWinner<br \/>\n2. Pawlak, Justin\tFalken Tire Ford Mustang\tSecond Place<br \/>\n3. Tuerck, Ryan\tTeam Retaks Nissan 240SX\tThird Place<\/p>\n<p>For more information contact:<br \/>\nJohn Pangilinan<br \/>\nThe ID Agency<br \/>\n213.802.0863<br \/>\njohn@theidagency.com<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT<\/p>\n<p>Entering its tenth season, Formula DRIFT is recognized as the North American professional drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges each driver&#8217;s driving ability and vehicle control. Formula DRIFT provides a forum for professional drifters to compete nationwide for the coveted Formula DRIFT Championship crown. As the first official series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life and establishes itself as the world-wide leader for the Sport. For a competition schedule and ticket information, visit: www.formuladrift.com.<\/p>\n<p>ABOUT IMG SPORTS &#038; ENTERTAINMENT<\/p>\n<p>Operating in 30 countries, IMG Sports &#038; Entertainment\u2019s diverse businesses include: consulting services; event ownership and management; fashion events and models representation; licensing; golf course design; and client representation in golf, tennis, broadcasting, speakers, European football, rugby, cricket, motor sports, coaching, Olympic and action sports. IMG Academies are the world&#8217;s largest, multi-sport training and educational facilities, delivering world-class training experiences to more than 12,000 junior, collegiate, adult, and professional athletes each year. More information is available at: www.imgworld.com.<\/p>\n<p>Formula DRIFT Holdings, LLC | 200 Pine Avenue, Suite 615 | Long Beach, CA 90802<\/p>\n<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elusivemedia.com%2Fv3%2F%3Fp%3D2807&amp;layout=standard&amp;show_faces=true&amp;width=450&amp;action=like&amp;colorscheme=dark\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" style=\"border:none; overflow:hidden; width:450px;height:60px;margin-top:5px;\"><\/iframe>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 7: Title Fight and is Crowned the 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion For Immediate Release October 13, 2012 Daigo Saito is Victorious at Round 7: Title Fight and is Crowned the 2012 Formula DRIFT Champion Long Beach, Calif. \u2013 October 13, 2012 \u2013 Formula DRIFT returned to Irwindale Speedway for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,474,27,458],"tags":[492,38,10,491,469,493,459],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2807"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2813,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2807\/revisions\/2813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}