After a very competitive Formula Drift season that saw Team Falken and its five factory team drivers consistently compete for the championship title amid challenging weather conditions, different tracks and configurations and strong and aggressive rivals, Judgment Day at “the House of Drift,” Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, CA, was no different.
Once again, the legendary venue, known as the “birthplace” of drifting here in the U.S. played a critical role in determining who would take the Formula Drift Championship and where a Team Falken member would finish.
As it turned out, it was Tyler McQuarrie and his V8-powered Nissan 350Z who took third place in the 2009 Formula Drift Championship, with an incredible 2nd place Toyota Speedway win. Vaughn Gittin, Jr., took fifth with his 2010 Mustang, while Darren McNamara finished in seventh, in the Championship. Chris Forsberg took the title for 2009, followed by Ryan Tuerck in second. Of the 48 drivers who competed in this year’s Formula D championship, Team Falken had seven drivers in the top 25, including factory entrant Dai Yoshihara in 11th, Falken privateers Ross Petty and Taka Aono in 13th and 14th, respectively, and final Team Falken member Calvin Wan in 23rd. Wan tried valiantly all season to move forward, but was plagued with a number of mechanical issues.
