Fredric Aasbø, måtte ta til takke med bronse i årets Formula Drift i USA, men den tidligere tredobbelte mesteren har allerede siktet innstilt på 2025, og lover han skal kjempe for seier neste år.
Fredric kjørte inn til andreplass i helgens sesongavslutning i Irwindale. Han har dermed vært på pallen i fire av sesongens åtte runder for Rockstar Energy med sin Toyota GR Supra. Aasbø vant i Atlanta, ble nummer to i Utah og helgens Irwindale-runde, og tredjeplass i Seattle. Han sa at han er motivert for å komme tilbake i 2025 for å utfordre om tittelen en gang til.
-Denne sporten blir mer konkurransedyktig for hvert år, og å se hvor mye talent det er på dette feltet nå, med et par fantastiske nykommere, gir laget vårt motivasjon til å presse hardere, ta mer risiko og finne neste nivå, sa Aasbø.
I tillegg til bronse i det som regnes som driftinbgens VM, var Fredric med på å vinne produsent-mesterskapet for Toyota og mesterskapet for dekkleverandør med Nitto Tire.
Simen Olsen endte på en 8.plass i sammendraget.
PRESSEMELDING fra Papadakis Racing
Papadakis Racing celebrates Formula Drift Tire Cup and Manufacturer Cup wins
Driver Fredric Aasbo third in championship, Mario Salguero awarded crew of the year
LOS ANGELES (October 21, 2024) – Papadakis Racing Toyota driver Fredric Aasbo celebrated third in the Formula Drift championship after a podium result at the season-ending Irwindale Speedway round this weekend.
The three-time champion earned four podiums in eight rounds for the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra driver this year. Aasbo took the win in Atlanta, finished second in Utah and at this weekend’s Irwindale round, and third in Seattle. He said he’s motivated to return in 2025 to challenge for the title once more.
“This sport is getting more competitive every year and seeing how much talent is in this field now, with a couple of fantastic up-and-comers, gives our team the motivation to push harder, take more risks, and find our next level,” said Aasbo.
Teammate Ryan Tuerck finished sixth in the points, scoring victory at the Seattle round in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla. Both drivers played a key role in Toyota’s Manufacturer’s Cup victory, securing top points for their partner at every round. Since formally entering the series under the Scion brand in 2014, the carmaker has won the manufacturer’s title nine times. Papadakis Racing has supported all of those wins.
Their strong finishes also helped deliver the Tire Cup win to Nitto Tire once again. In the five seasons since the Papadakis Racing team joined Team Nitto, the tire maker has secured an astonishing 40 consecutive podiums and won the championship four times.
“We’re honored to celebrate success with Toyota and Nitto again this year,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “Our partners are what makes it possible for us to do what we do, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their support.”
The season wrapped up at the Southern California venue known as the “House of Drift” for its historic involvement in the foundation of the sport of drifting in the United States. It is also the home track for the Papadakis Racing team, which prepares its competition vehicles in nearby Carson. There are persistent rumors that the track is slated for redevelopment. Aasbo has secured two wins there, his first in 2015 and again in 2022, on the way to three driver’s titles.
At the season-ending banquet Sunday night, veteran crew member Mario Salguero was honored as the “Crew Member of the Year,” a series accolade that is selected by teams. He has supported Papadakis Racing throughout its long history in Formula Drift.
Although rival James Deane locked up a record-setting fourth title, three-time champion Aasbo remains the most winning driver in the series, with 19 career victories, and Papadakis Racing continues to hold the top spot for teams, having scored five driver’s championships in Formula Drift. Papadakis Racing earned the 2022, 2021 and 2015 championships with driver Fredric Aasbo, as well as back-to-back titles with driver Tanner Foust in 2008 and 2007.
The series offered a sneak preview of the 2025 schedule to close out their livestream broadcast on Saturday night. The official announcement is pending, but the 2025 season looks to feature a return to familiar venues, starting with the traditional Long Beach Grand Prix opener next April 4-5.
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control. In the Formula Drift series, drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, the sport has rapidly grown to one of the most popular youth-oriented motorsports in the world. Here in the United States, Formula Drift officially launched in 2004 and its national schedule of eight events routinely host capacity crowds, while live-streamed multi-platform broadcasts attract millions of online viewers.