Top 8
As the sun started to set behind the horizon, the excitement brewing was beyond description since it was now anyone's game. You had the best going toe to toe with the best, nothing less. Dai Yoshihara took an unbelievably wide line going into the horseshoe against Calvin Wan, claiming the advantage and winning after the second run. Hubinette and JR Gittin, who in recent events have been made tandem competitors, were ready to pull off a three-peat performance of the previous D1 escapades. Through near collisions and a minor correction called by the judges against JR, it was obvious both were fighting to get to the next round, but while both were spot-on during the next run, the win went to Sam. Tanner was unstoppable against Casper and Rhys pushed hard in the comfortable GTO, beating Conrad and earning a chance to compete in the Top 4.
Top 4
Kicking off the final four was Dai against Sam-the smooth JDM driver facing an American dominator. As Dai entered the first clipping point, his hood flew up, which would certainly have hurt his chances of advancing but Sam wanted a good, clean run, agreeing to a "do-over." Keeping up with Dai on the do-over gave Sam the advantage and a "one more time." Again, Sam had the advantage even though Dai had no problem keeping tight with his line, but Dai fumbled the second play while moving through the horseshoe and lost. He would have to wait it out to see who he would battle for the Third/Fourth place positions.
The next two would be a tough call, as Tanner lined up against Rhys. But Tanner went in with guns blazing, capturing the advantage and scooping Rhys' chances of going for First or Second as he blew a tire at the exit, causing him to veer off course. After a quick tire change, Rhys was put up against Dai, who has always said his longtime dream was to beat Rhys in competition. Dai finally had his moment in the Rockstar/Pac Rim S13 when the two hit dead even and a "one more time," finally earning a well-deserved win in a close second run against Rhys, who usually places in the Top 3 consistently.
The last pairing would be one of the most exciting and crucial battles of the Road Atlanta stop as Tanner pulled away very quickly from Sam, taking the advantage and proving his skills as a professional driver. He repeated yet another quick and smooth line, which settled the score and cast him as the winner, keeping Sam at Second place. This was Tanner's first win as a Formula D driver in the AEM drift team with Stephan Papadakis.
From a Judge's Perspective
From this event going forth, we'll be giving you the judge's inside scoop as to what they're looking for at each Formula D event, including course descriptions, the proper line and obstacles to overcome. This month Andy Yen clues us in on how to win Road Atlanta: "Entry speed is always important (along with line and angle) and since the track is wide with a lot of turns, we're accounting for each one of those turns during scoring. The outside clipping points count just the same as Long Beach. The toughest thing each driver will have to face is to overcome the downhill at full throttle."