{"id":3235,"date":"2013-05-13T11:19:52","date_gmt":"2013-05-13T15:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?p=3235"},"modified":"2013-05-13T11:32:10","modified_gmt":"2013-05-13T15:32:10","slug":"new-round-2-road-to-the-championship-results-daigo-saito-takes-the-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?p=3235","title":{"rendered":"[NEWS] Round 2: Road to the Championship Results; Daigo Saito Takes the Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elusivemedia.com%2Fv3%2F%3Fp%3D3235&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><strong>Round 2: Road to the Championship Results; Daigo Saito Takes the Victory<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/?attachment_id=3232\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-3232\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/road-atlanta_600x400.jpg\" alt=\"road-atlanta_600x400\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/road-atlanta_600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/road-atlanta_600x400-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For Immediate Release<\/p>\n<p>May 11, 2013<\/p>\n<p>Round 2: Road to the Championship Results;<br \/>\nDaigo Saito Takes the Victory<\/p>\n<p>Long Beach, Calif. \u2013 May 11, 2013 \u2013 Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro continued to Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta. Defending 2012 champion, Daigo Saito in the Achilles \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 takes the victory.<\/p>\n<p>Round 2: Road to the Championship returned for the tenth consecutive season to the home of the inaugural Formula DRIFT competition at Road Atlanta. This is the only course on the circuit that has paved a custom section of the track specifically for drifting. Despite the intermittent rain, the fans in Atlanta came out in force and stayed through to the end of the event. Road Atlanta has the largest attendance for the Series outside of California.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrifting is chaotic and unpredictable,\u201d stated Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. \u201cToday showed the ability of the Formula DRIFT drivers to adapt to the changing conditions while still performing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rain slicked track proved to be a challenge as the event entered into the Top 16 portion of the competition. Heading into the competition, Daijiro Yoshihara in the Discount Tire \/ Falken Tire Nissan 240SX held the points lead, but surprisingly failed to make it into the Top 16, opening the opportunity for other drivers in the point standings. Michael Essa in the GSR Autosport \/ Yokohama Tire BMW M3 faced Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in the Monster Energy \/ Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR in the consolation round. Gittin won third place and takes the lead in the 2013 Pro Championship point standings. The final round pitted Darren McNamara in the Falken Tire Nissan 240SX against returning champion Daigo Saito. McNamara on the first run misjudged the speed of Saito and ran into his car causing damage and giving up the advantage, which his team was not able to overcome. Saito earned his first victory of the season and moves into second place overall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis almost feels like revenge from Long Beach since I was only able to make it into the Top 16 at Round 1,\u201d said Daigo Saito, winner of Round 2: Road to the Championship. \u201cThe track conditions were horrible and it could have been anyone that won, but I am happy that I was able to pull off the victory. Thanks to the team and Achilles for helping make this all possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information visit: www.formuladrift.com<\/p>\n<p>Formula DRIFT Professional Championship Presented by GoPro 2013 Standings After Two Rounds<br \/>\n1. Gittin Jr., Vaughn \tMonster Energy \/ Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR \t172 Points<br \/>\n2. Saito, Daigo \tAchilles Tire \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 \t161 Points<br \/>\n3. McNamara, Darren \tFalken Tire Nissan S14 \t156 Points<br \/>\n4. Essa, Michael \tGSR Autosport \/ Yokohama BMW M3 \t141 Points<br \/>\n5. Yoshihara, Daijiro \tDiscount Tire \/ Falken Tire Nissan S13 \t137 Points<br \/>\n6. Aasbo, Fredric \tHankook Tire Scion Racing tC \t136 Points<br \/>\n7. Forsberg, Chris \tNOS Energy Drink \/ Hankook Nissan 370Z \t135 Points<br \/>\n8. Tuerck, Ryan \tTeam Retaks \/ Maxxis Scion Racing FR-S \t125.50 Points<br \/>\n9. Moen, Kenneth \tLutz Performance \/ Nexen Tire Nissan 240SX \t120 Points<br \/>\n10. Powers, Matt \tNitto Tire \/ Fatlace Nissan S14 \t119 Points<br \/>\n11. Pawlak, Justin \tFalken Tire Ford Mustang \t116.50 Points<br \/>\n12. Bakchis, Aurimas \tNexen Tire Nissan S14 \t112 Points<br \/>\n13. DeNofa, Chelsea \tBC Racing BMW 3 Series \t105 Points<br \/>\n14. Mohan, Kyle \tNexen Tire \/ Mazdatrix RX-8 \t86 Points<br \/>\n15. Wang, Forrest \tGet Nuts Labs Nissan 240SX \t82 Points<br \/>\n16. Field, Matt \tCX Racing \/ Blacktrax Nissan 240SX \t81.50 Points<br \/>\nRound 2: Road to the Championship Event Results<br \/>\n1. Saito, Daigo \tAchilles Tire \/ Bridges Racing Lexus SC430 \tWinner<br \/>\n2. McNamara, Darren \tFalken Tire Nissan S14 \tSecond Place<br \/>\n3. Gittin Jr., Vaughn \tMonster Energy \/ Nitto Ford Mustang RTR \tThird Place<br \/>\nManufacturers Championship Standings After Two Rounds<br \/>\n1. Ford \t288.50 Points<br \/>\n2. Scion \t261.50 Points<br \/>\n3. Nissan \t248 Points<br \/>\n4. BMW \t246 Points<br \/>\n5. Lexus \t239.75 Points<br \/>\nTire Championship Standings After Two Rounds<br \/>\n1. Falken \t330 Points<br \/>\n2. Nitto \t311 Points<br \/>\n3. Hankook \t270 Points<br \/>\n4. Achilles \t243 Points<br \/>\n5. Nexen \t228.50 Points \t<\/p>\n<p>    For more information contact:<br \/>\n    John Pangilinan<br \/>\n    The ID Agency<br \/>\n    213.802.0863<br \/>\n    john@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: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.formuladrift.com\">www.formuladrift.com<\/a>.<\/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%3D3235&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>Round 2: Road to the Championship Results; Daigo Saito Takes the Victory For Immediate Release May 11, 2013 Round 2: Road to the Championship Results; Daigo Saito Takes the Victory Long Beach, Calif. \u2013 May 11, 2013 \u2013 Formula DRIFT presented by GoPro continued to Round 2: Road to the Championship at Road Atlanta. Defending [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[544,3,474,27,458],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235"}],"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=3235"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3238,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3235\/revisions\/3238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elusivemedia.com\/v3\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}