Formula Drift 2008 Long Beach

LONG BEACH, CA -- Formula Drift celebrated its fifth anniversary by kicking off the 2008 Season on Saturday, April 12th, with Round 1 - Streets of Long Beach. The sunny summerlike hot weather in Long Beach perfectly matched the heat from the Long Beach Grand Prix track, as Tanner Foust, 2007 Formula Drift Champ, headlined a field of top drifters including Vaughn Gittin Jr., Daijiro Yoshihara, Samuel Hubinette, Robbie Nishida, and Chris Forsberg.

Qualifying took place during the morning/early afternoon session with the top 32 drivers each making a pair of solo runs on the track. The top 16 drivers then went head-to-head in the later afternoon session. Chris Forsberg emerged victorious after a classic battle with Samuel Hubinette that had to go an extra round to determine the winner. They were joined on the victory podium by Tanner Foust who finished third. Rounding out the final four was Kyle Mohan. Hubinette had eliminated Foust in the semi-finals, while Forsberg defeated Mohan in the other semi-final round. Unfortunately for Mohan, his car developed transmission problems while battling Forsberg. With no third gear available, he then lost to Foust in the 3rd place Concession Round.

The event also featured a vendor village and car show for those in attendance. The Formula Drift Schedule for 2008 includes future stops in Georgia, New Jersey, Las Vegas, Washington, and Sonoma CA, before the season finale at Irwindale Speedway.