As the 2024 Formula DRIFT season winds down, the battle for the PRO Championship title entered its most exciting stage at Utah Motorsports Campus. Team ENEOS prevented James Deane from making history by clinching a record-breaking fourth title, who had the opportunity to achieve this incredible feat before the final round at Irwindale.
Odi Bakchis was the only driver who could stop Deane as he sat second in overall points going into Round 7, and he fought with pure determination to win at Utah, ensuring the Championship battle will now go down at Irwindale. Fredric Aasbo returned to his podium-winning ways, focusing on remastering key driving techniques that caused him to leave the competition early in the previous Seattle round.
Utah was also the final round of the PROSPEC Championship, where Faruk Kugay would push to finish his season strong in his DEVSPEED / ENEOS Motor Oil Nissan S14.
PROSPEC
With a bye-run from the Seeding Bracket, Kugay had a solid start to the final PROSPEC round, where he faced Geoff Donati in the Top 32 heats. However, he would struggle against eventual third-place finisher of the round (and third-place finisher in the overall standings) Austin Matta. Kugay finished 23rd overall in the 2024 PROSPEC Championship with 126 total points.
PRO
Teams faced a revised track layout and high temperatures, which brought plenty of drama along for the ride throughout the weekend.
Simen Olsen, who initially started the season strong, has had a challenging second half of the season, and Utah’s result added further frustration. He lined up against Matt Field in the Top 32, but was unable to advance with the Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9. Olsen drops further to eighth place in the overall standings with 336 points.
No pressure, but Bakchis had to hold it together until the very end in order to prevent Deane from claiming the title, however, the Feal Race Team captain had zero intention of allowing that to happen.
Difficult competition
From the Top 32 to the Final against Aasbo, Bakchis demonstrated the strength of his drifting skills behind the wheel of the Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15, which only improved as the competition became more difficult. He defeated a string of tough challengers, including Diego Higa, Conor Shanahan, and Chris Forsberg before lining up against Deane in the most anticipated battle of the weekend, one that could decide the 2024 FD PRO Championship.
With two drivers on their A-game behind two of the series’ most powerful vehicles, Deane dropped a tire into the dirt and bumped Bakchis while recovering. Both drivers repeated the mistake on the second run but Odi had fewer errors and took the win, pushing the title race to Irwindale.
Chase run
In the Final, Bakchis met three-time FD PRO Champion (and Team ENEOS teammate) Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy Toyota Racing GR Supra. It was another sensational throwdown, with Bakchis winning due to better proximity on his chase run. While Aasbo has been a Championship contender all season, his 130-point deficit prevents him from claiming a fourth title, however, he climbed back to third in the overall standings with 436 points. Bakchis remains second in the PRO standings with 492 points.
“Wow, first place in Utah!” exclaimed Bakchis after claiming his carbon trophy. “Competing at higher elevations, engine temps are through the roof, including oil temp. But ENEOS kept the engine functioning the entire time, allowing us to keep pushing even when the power’s down. We are stoked for Irwindale!”
The conclusion to the 2024 FD PRO Championship goes down at Irwindale Event Center, the House of Drift, from October 18-19.