Tuerck Triumphs In Seattle Stunner – Formula DRIFT Rd. 6

Tuerck claims his first FD win since 2022 to deliver Minowa heartbreak. Adam LZ stuns by landing a podium spot in his rapidly rebuilt E36.

featuredimage formula drift round 6 seattle 2024

As the 2024 Formula Drift season approached Round 6 at Evergreen Speedway, anticipation was building. The challenging circuit with walls surrounding the outside of the track makes Evergreen an FD favorite, known for delivering plenty of dramatic moments and upsets.

Coming into the event, James Deane was left shaken by a defeat from Conor Shanahan at the European Drift Masters event in Riga, Latvia, between their FD rounds.

Meanwhile, fans were still buzzing about 14-year-old Hiroya Minowa’s historic podium finish in St. Louis. Adding to the anticipation, Adam LZ made a surprising return after his team pulled off a remarkable feat, rebuilding his totaled BMW E36 with a new chassis in just one week following the previous round.

With plenty of anticipation and uncertainty on the cards, Round 6 certainly lived up to the hype! Here are our key moments from the weekend’s action.

Seattle’s Podium Shocker

Seattle delivered plenty of unexpected results, the biggest of which was Ryan Tuerck’s victory in his Toyota GR Corolla despite ranking outside of the Top 10 going into the event. Once again, Hiroya Minowa secured the runner-up spot, a remarkable achievement for the 14-year-old rookie.

Arguably the most impressive story of the weekend was Adam LZ’s comeback. After a severe crash against Minowa in St. Louis totaled his BMW E36, LZ’s season appeared to be over. However, his team at LZMFG managed a mind-blowing effort, rebuilding the car with an all-new chassis in just one week to prepare for Seattle.

Originally declaring his season over after the crash, LZ not only made it to the starting line but also claimed an excellent third-place finish – his second of the season.

He faced a particularly close and intense battle with Minowa in the Final 4, which required a “One More Time” (OMT) call from the judges. Ultimately, LZ’s perseverance paid off, and his third-place finish propelled him from 7th to 5th in the overall championship standings.

More Heartbreak For Minowa In The Final

After securing an incredible second-place finish after losing to series leader James Deane in the previous round, Hiroya Minowa displayed another insane performance in Seattle by defeating Adam LZ to advance to the final.

With Ryan Tuerck as his opponent for the final battle, who hadn’t claimed a victory since the opening round of the 2022 season, the 14-year-old prodigy had a golden opportunity to secure his first-ever Formula Drift win.

However, an electrical issue with Minowa’s Toyota GT86 prevented him from starting the final, robbing the Seattle crowd of what would’ve undoubtedly been a nail-biting battle and denying the young sensation a chance to stand atop the podium. Due to Minowa’s inability to compete, Ryan Tuerck claimed the top spot on the podium by default.

Despite the disappointment, Minowa’s consistency on these new and challenging circuits is proving nothing short of mind-blowing. His rapid rise through the ranks has been aided by his intense sim racing practice, where he can replicate each of these circuits, which continues to pay mind-blowing dividends in his real-world performances. It also helps to have two legendary drifters (Shinji and Masayo) as parents!

Minowa will undoubtedly continue to be one to watch for the remainder of the season, especially as he looks to be on course for the 2024 Rookie of the Year title following another disappointing weekend for Conor Shanahan, who was unable to advance beyond the Top 16.

Championship Standings Get A Reshuffle

With Tuerck’s victory, Minowa’s consistent performance, and LZ’s remarkable comeback, Seattle delivered a series of surprising results that have reshaped the championship picture as we head into the final events of the year.

With Ryan Tuerck’s victory, Hiroya Minowa’s return to the second spot, and Adam LZ’s remarkable comeback, we bet nobody would’ve predicted this podium outcome going into the event.

Many of the usual frontrunners were notably absent from the Great 8, including points leader James Deane, three-time champion Fredric Aasbo, consistent challenger Simen Olsen, and plenty of other well-known contenders such as Matt Field, Ken Gushi, and Chris Forsberg.

Despite leading the championship, Deane was knocked out by Jeff Jones in the Top 16 after his wheel-hopping RTR Mustang seemingly lost control during initiation. This performance earned Deane just 24 points. However, even with this setback, he maintained a commanding lead with a 104-point advantage over second-placed Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis.

Bakchis, who entered the event second in the series rankings, battled Ryan Tuerck in the Great 8. The two drivers required two “One More Time” (OMT) calls, resulting in six runs against each other. Despite losing this grueling battle and finishing 5th, Bakchis managed to slightly reduce his points deficit to Deane in the championship standings.

Tuerck’s hard-earned triumph over Bakchis in the Great 8 seemed to provide the spark he needed to power through the remainder of the competition. This momentum carried him to the top of the podium, securing his first win since the season opener in 2022.

Third-placed Fredric Aasbo’s championship hopes took a hit when he fell victim to Trenton Beechum in the Top 16, further shaking up the points standings and dropping him to 4th in the overall standings.

Ranking Shake-Up

Here are the current PRO rankings after Seattle. We’ve also included the standings before Round 6 to see how the shake-up has changed the overall standings:

Position	After Round 6	Before Round 6
1	James Deane (496 points)	James Deane (454 points)
2	Aurimas (Odi) Bakchis (392 points)	Aurimas (Odi) Bakchis (336 points)
3	Hiroya Minowa (364 points)	Fredric Aasbo (310 points)
4	Fredric Aasbo (352 points)	Hiroya Minowa (280 points)
5	Adam LZ (308 points)	Simen Olsen (280 points)
6	Matt Field (308 points)	Matt Field (266 points)
7	Simen Olsen (308 points)	Adam LZ (238 points)
8	Ryan Tuerck (296 points)	Dylan Hughes (238 points)
9	Branden Sorensen (280 points)	Ken Gushi (238 points)
10	Conor Shanahan (268 points)	Branden Sorensen (238 points)

Toyota Tightens Grip on Auto Cup Lead

Toyota’s impressive showing at Evergreen Speedway further asserted its supremacy in the 2024 Formula Drift season. Two of the Japanese manufacturer’s vehicles claimed the top spots on the podium, with Ryan Tuerck’s Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla securing the victory and Hiroya Minowa’s Enjuku Racing/Cusco/Yellowspeed Racing Toyota GT86 finishing a close second.

This further solidified Toyota’s lead in the 2024 Auto Cup standings, and they now sit comfortably at the top with 740 points, while second-placed Ford trails with 594 points.

Current Auto Cup Rankings

After Round 6, here are the manufacturer standings:

Position	Manufacturer	Points
1	Toyota	746
2	Ford	594
3	GM	532
4	Nissan	406
5	BMW	392
6	Cadillac	224
7	Mazda	126
8	Ferrari	126
9	Dodge	28

Round 6 Recap

In case you missed it, here’s all the action from the Top 16 and Top 32 battles from Evergreen Speedway.

Photography credits

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

Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT

Written by Joe Terrell

Joe is an avid writer and car enthusiast. When he's not cruising the streets alongside his friends in his Nissan Silvia S15, he's drifting on his VR racing simulator.

Joe's passion for cars is always on display. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the automotive industry, he hopes his writing conveys his excitement and knowledge of cars and games.

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