Formula D: Road to the Championship

From the start of the season, Formula D is filled with heart-pumping action and many, MANY broken parts. I, Jack Stiglitz, had the pleasure of attending Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA this year. Many of you are very familiar with Formula Drift, thanks to live streaming and constant updates. You can get every bit of info concerning the race from the comfort of your own home, break room at work, etc. I, like you, have been an armchair tourist many times. So when the opportunity came along to actually attend in Atlanta, I jumped at it.

You immediately go in expecting a different experience. Like listening to your favorite album vs hearing it live, it’s just better in person. You, sitting at home with a few brews and a few friends watching the race is fun, yes. But being track-side with those same friends is priceless.

I arrived early, well before the race started. There was still a time attack event going on. This gave me more than enough time to scout potential shooting locations and learn the track layout – where I was allowed to go and where I wasn’t. I also learned that Road Atlanta is one of the most exhausting tracks to walk on the face of the earth, and the hills and the heat don’t help.

The unfortunate part is if you want ALL the cool free stuff, if you wanna meet the drivers and see their cars up close (and for me… attend the mandatory media meeting), you have to organize an expedition to hike the hills of this track in order to be where you need be when you need to be there.

If you’re like me, you’ve spent your entire life playing racing games, driving on the tracks in some virtual sense, but never able to step foot on one in real life. To me, it was surreal. I was standing on what felt like hallowed ground and I was excited beyond words. But I couldn’t linger too long, I had places to be…

As it neared the meeting time, my itinerary informed me that the drivers meeting was 30 minutes before mine. Surely they wouldn’t mind if I went to the tent and waited nearby. Maybe I could use this opportunity to see my favorite drivers up close. As I arrived, there were already three photographers editing photos from yesterday’s practice, checking Facebook and texting their editors. I felt pretty official. I was behind the scenes – somewhere other fans weren’t allowed. That must have been what it felt like to be a cool kid!

I contained my grinning to prevent getting any weird stares. As I set my camera and bag down, the drivers started arriving.

The guys you recognize from videos, highlight reels and live-streamed Formula D events were all piling into a tent RIGHT next door!

After the meeting, I trekked up that damn hill back towards the horseshoe. Formula D was about to start. In the time it took me to walk half way down the hill, receive my vest, shoot some candid driver shots, listen to the media meeting and walk back up the hill, the stands had filled up. It was crowded! I’m not usually a crowd person, but being there, surrounded by thousands of people who share the same love as you, is pretty amazing. You feed off of that atmosphere and it adds to the experience – something you don’t really get at home.

I made it to my first location just in time. Practice was starting and I used that opportunity to get my camera settings right. Nothing had prepared me for that Atlanta sun. I actually think it’s brighter there than anywhere else in the United States.

I also wasn’t prepared for seeing the action up close. Having a huge crowd of fans on both sides of the track, reacting to every close call, every hit – and being able to feel those cheers, is quite amazing. One thing that’s certain at a Formula D event: you can definitely expect some carnage.

Bumpers, corner lights, tires and oil pans were all claimed by the cruel mistress that is the horseshoe. Track attendants run on the black top and clear it off as fast as they can, because the show must go on. The blood lust in the fans was rising; they wanted carnage.

Just look at them.

 

After practice is about an hour break. I took a good portion of the hour to contemplate returning down the hill. I weighed pros and cons – and every con was the walk back up itself. I decided to go and immediately regretted my decision halfway down. I got lost in a sea of fellow attendees, but it was worth it. Everyone was getting a chance to see the cars and drivers up close. This, too, was part of the overall experience. The good folks at Formula D know how to put on a great event. Pleasing the fans is always a good thing. They’re the lifeblood and in many ways, are just as essential as the sponsors and drivers.

As I waded through the massive sea of fans, saying hi to friends and snapping quick pics of the cars being worked on, I knew it was time to go back when I heard the sound of the first car being started up.

I made it back just in time to see the remaining drivers cruise in and line up on the track for their introductions. It was cool seeing all the cars side by side, knowing that in a few minutes they were about to hurl into each other at 100+ mph.

As each driver was introduced, you could honestly tell who the fan favorites were. Vaughn Gittin Jr.’s intro was met with an awesome reaction. Despite the long day and despite being there since 8:00 a.m., they were still in high spirits.

After everyone was introduced, they made their way to the grid – but not before putting on one last show. This was it; it was time to go all-out. I can’t even imagine what was going through the drivers’ heads. The atmosphere was tense. You felt it. You absorbed it.

From the start, the drivers gave all of their heart and skill. This was some of the best drifting I’ve seen – their best performances of the 2016 season so far. This was going to be interesting, as the top three leaders from the Long Beach event were already knocked out. It was anyone’s game.

Spending the day in the hot sun was exhausting, and if I was tired, I know there were enough people packed in who felt the same way. It was awesome to see how, even after all the time that had passed and the crazy temp changes, that the crowd was still in good spirits and responsive. I was surrounded by people who shared the same passion. It unified us. Whether you were rooting for Gittin Jr., DeNofa or Yoshihara, you shared a love for drifting. We came together to see some of the most skilled drivers on the planet.

We had enough energy left to raise our phones and lighters to cheer on the drivers.

When the sun goes down, things change. The track was lit by the stadium lighting system and it almost became a new stage altogether. As the boys went head to head, they were eliminated one by one. It was clear that experience gave the more seasoned drivers an edge.

With the runs so frequent, the smoke still loomed over the track. That was one advantage to watching at home. While a wall of thick white smoke covered all sides of the track at ground level, a drone gave viewers at home a bird’s eye view of the action.

One of the highlights of the day was the battle between Mad Mike and Daijiro Yoshihara. It was an amazing one. Ultimately Yoshihara advanced, but it was an amazing performance from two of my favorite drivers.

Next up was Gittin Jr. vs McQuarrie. We were nearing the home stretch, so the battles got more fierce. After Gittin Jr. eliminated McQuarrie in an exciting dogfight, it was Yoshihara against Essa in his Loudmouth BMW. The crowd was going crazy; I didn’t know where they were getting their energy from. I was running on E myself.

These were the battles that determined who went to the semifinals. Gittin Jr. knocked out McQuarrie in an epic battle. Forsberg bested Bakchis, Yoshihara beat Essa and Hohnadell beat Foust – which surprised me. The bracket was looking wild. Three of the four drivers dated back to Formula Drift’s inaugural 2004 season at this very track. It’s kinda nuts to look back to when they started and where they are now.

This was the climax of madness for the day. The atmosphere was just intense. The next few runs determined the winner of the evening and changed the overall points standings for the season. Gittin Jr. vs Forsberg, Hohnadell vs Yoshihara; from the start of the competition, the journey was full of excitement. But like all good things, it was coming to an end. Gittin and Forsberg went at it and both gave it 110 per cent. That was another favorite bout of the day – one that would go to Gittin, placing Forsberg in third place.

The next winner would face off against Gittin Jr. in the final round. Hohnadell drove with such amazing spirit. He and Yoshihara put on a great show for everyone watching. You could definitely tell they both were aiming for a shot at Gittin. While chasing Hohnadell, Yoshihara never let the gap between them get too wide. The smoke and angles generated kept everyone on their toes and the edge of their seats. The screaming was just barely louder than the motors themselves. My mouth hung open the whole time. After the final run, when the announcer named Yoshihara the winner, the crowd exploded into cheers. Seriously, where did they store that energy?
I picked out several battles of the day/evening as some of my favorites, but this one was the most amazing. I’m pretty sure the way I felt was because the atmosphere magnifies the feeling, but it wasn’t a boring match at all. Whether Gittin Jr. or Yoshihara was chasing, they stuck to each other like glue. It was beautiful chaos and all-around sensory overload. Keeping up with them on the track proved quite difficult, thanks to fatigue. The lingering smoke and low light/bright light spots wreaked havoc on my camera, but I pushed through. Before we knew it, as quickly as it began, it was over. The announcer called the match. Gittin Jr. went on to win the evening, however I was most proud of Daijiro. This was the first time he had stood on the podium since 2013. That’s a long time. He’s a fantastic driver and an all-around nice guy – definitely one of my all-time favorites. The winners made their way to their respective podiums after having their name and place announced, with Forsberg coming in third, Yoshihara second and Gittin Jr. first.

Gittin Jr. took the time to give a heartfelt winning speech, thanking his wife, family and crew because he wouldn’t be where he was without them.

“To have a perfect event with our brand new Ford Mustang RTR that my team has been working their butts off during the off-season to get ready, I’m just pumped,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr., winner of Round 2: Road to the Championship. “It doesn’t get any better than this. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Sixteen hours on the track went by in the blink of an eye. The entire day was definitely a fun and memorable one. If you’re lucky enough to attend a Formula D, hopefully it would be the same for you as well. The experience of meeting new people, fellow enthusiasts and even one of my favorite photographers will stay with me for quite some time. Budget and time willing, I highly encourage you to make it to a Formula D event at least ONCE in your lifetime. You won’t regret it. If I can offer any advice, set money aside to rent a golf cart, stock up on water and prepare to climb a mountain. See you all in Orlando, hopefully!