Bakchis Fights To Keep FD Title Hopes Alive In Utah

Is the 2024 Formula DRIFT championship already in Deane’s grasp, or can Odi deliver a dramatic twist at the ‘House of Drift’ finale?

The Formula DRIFT PRO Championship’s penultimate round in Utah once again delivered plenty of unexpected outcomes.

Three-time FD champion James Deane entered the event with a comfortable points lead, needing only to match Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis’ performance to secure the 2024 title. However, the desert had other plans, as Bakchis defeated Deane in the Top 4 before going all the way to claim the victory and give a glimmer of hope to his title dreams.

Here’s what went down in the final battle as Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis went head-to-head with Fredric Aasbo.

Odi’s lead run:

Aasbo’s lead run:

Despite losing to Bakchis in the Final, Fredric Aasbo managed to reclaim third place overall. Unfortunately for the Norwegian driver, his hopes for a fourth PRO title were dashed with a 130-point deficit heading into the final round, but he can still cause an upset for Bakchis by taking second.

The event also saw Trenton Beechum, the 2019 PROSPEC Champion, score his first-ever FD PRO podium since joining the Championship in 2021, piloting his BMW E46 to a third-place finish.

Rookie sensation Hiroya “Hiro” Minowa’s streak of two consecutive second-place finishes ended with a 10th-place finish. Despite the setback, Minowa maintains his fourth-place position in the overall standings, sitting 96 points ahead of fellow Rookie Conor Shanahan.

Can Odi Bakchis Still Win The 2024 FD Title?

As the dust settles in Utah (and there was no shortage of it!), the PRO title fight now narrows to a two-driver contest between Bakchis and Deane, with the championship being decided at the Final Round at Irwindale Speedway on October 18-19.

Known as “The House of Drift,” Irwindale Speedway continues as the iconic venue for Formula DRIFT’s season finale since the series’ inception.

James Deane, piloting his AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD, holds a significant advantage, making it extremely unlikely that Odi will be able to steal the crown in the final round.

While FD keeps the suspense going, mathematically, James Deane only needs to appear in the Top 32 to clinch the title, even if Bakchis wins the event.

Based on the FD scoring system, if Deane finishes in the Top 32, he’ll add 28 points to his current 566, totaling 594. Even if Bakchis (on 492 points) secures a round win and the maximum 100 points, his total would reach 592, leaving him two points shy of Deane’s tally.

Current Top 10 Formula DRIFT PRO rankings going into the grand finale at Irwindale:

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	James Deane	566
2	Aurimas Bakchis	492
3	Fredric Aasbo	436
4	Hiroya Minowa	406
5	Adam LZ	350
6	Matt Field	350
7	Ryan Tuerck	338
8	Simen Olsen	336
9	Dylan Hughes	322
10	Branden Sorensen	322

Minowa Lands Rookie-Of-The-Year

Minowa enters the final round with 406 points, while his closest competitor, Conor Shanahan, trails with 310 points. Even in a worst-case scenario where Minowa exits in the Top 32, and Shanahan wins the round, Minowa would still maintain a 24-point lead (434 vs 410).

Minowa could also potentially pass Aasbo in the overall rankings if he performs exceptionally well in the final and Aasbo has a poor showing. For example, Minowa could move into third place if he finishes in the Top 4 (gaining 70 points or more) and Aasbo finishes in the Top 16 or lower (gaining 42 points or fewer).

In the worst-case scenario, Minowa has already locked in at least fourth place, along with the Rookie of the Year title, which goes to the highest-ranking first-year driver in the series, with Shanahan undoubtedly the favorite at the start of the year.

Tommy Lemaire Secures The 2024 PROSPEC Title

The 2024 PROSPEC Championship concluded with a dramatic twist, where Canadian driver Tommy Lemaire clinched the title in dramatic fashion.

After Championship points leader Connor O’Sullivan was unexpectedly eliminated in the Top 32 by Dmitriy Brutskiy, this the door for Lemaire’s to steal the championship at the final hurdle.

However, as Lemaire headed to the start line, he immediately realized he had an engine issue, which forced him back to the pits. Much to the relief of Lemaire and his team, all that was required was replacing a damaged plug wire, allowing him to return and secure the Championship.

Lemaire’s fifth-place finish in the final round was enough to secure the championship by a 26-point margin over O’Sullivan. Austin Matta rounded out the top three, earning Lemaire, O’Sullivan, and Matta Formula DRIFT PRO licenses for 2025.

Two-time PROSPEC Champion Dmitriy Brutskiy won the event outright after knocking out the Championship leader, catapulting him from 23rd to sixth in the overall 2024 standings. Brutskiy is also competing in the PRO Championship for the first time this year, which has been his primary focus for the season.

Final 2024 Formula DRIFT PROSPEC rankings:

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Tommy Lemaire	296
2	Connor O’Sullivan	270
3	Austin Matta	238
4	Cody Buchanan	238
5	Joshua Love	210
6	Dmitriy Brutskiy	198
7	Nate Chen	196
8	Margaritis Katsanidis	182
9	Jayden Martorana	182
10	Rudy Hansen	168

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Photography credits

We thank the following entities for the use of their photography in this article:

Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT

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