- Monday GReddy coverage from Formula Drift #FDATL 2014
Friday's practice and qualifying gave Ken Gushi his first taste of wet conditions in the new, more powerful, 2014 2JZ-powered FR-S. The first qualifying session was was in the rain and Ken put it a solid performance (71pts.-wet.) The second session of qualifying came late in the night on a wet but drying track. Below is Ken's slippery (78pt) run, which landed him into the 7th spot for Saturday's Top32.
Saturday's weather saw less serious storms, but it also made it tricky to prepare for the unpredictable rain. The first battle of the day for Gushi was suppose to be against Kado's V8-350Z. Unfortunately, Kado could not make it to the start, so Ken received a bye run moving him into the main 16 bracket.
After the half time break and opening ceremonies festivities, Ken got a #FDIRW 16-bracket rematch against Kearney's S/C V10-Viper. In a close battle with some contact, Ken's smart driving in changeable conditions got him the Win to move onto the Great8.
Luckly, Ken was able to escape the match with just a few scratches to the car. (see OMGdrift video)
The Great8 tandem battle was a battle of the 2JZ engines. Ken's FR-S verses Robbie Nishida's SC300. Pretty evenly matched and in tricky weather conditions, the two had a close back and forth battle. It might have been one of the most exciting pairs of the night.
In the end, the Great 8 Formula Drift Rd.2 Road Atlanta finish and 7th place qualifying provided good points in the Team's championship challenge.
Next round, #FDFL will be in Homestead, FL on May 30-31st...
Congratulations to FDATL event winners: 1st Vaughn Gitten Jr., 2nd Fredric Aasbo, 3rd Chris Forsberg