Forsberg and Aasbo finished in second and third place respectively.
The race weekend began with all five Hankook- sponsored drift drivers qualifying in the top 32. It ended with Forsberg, Aasbo and Hankook’s Rhys Millen fighting their way to the front and holding three of the top four positions. Aasbo narrowly beat out Millen for the third place finish.
The finals matched 2009 champion Forsberg in the Hankook Nissan 370Z against Daijiro Yoshihara in his Nissan S13.
After an extremely tight race, Forsberg brought home a second place podium finish. Hankook’s second- and third-place finishes bring its total to three podium positions in the past two events. The company’s Conrad Grunewald won last month at round four in New Jersey.
“The fifth stop at the Formula Drift Championship schedule all came down to which driver and team could put the car in all the right places, run after run,” says Forsberg.
“We managed to do just that and made it all the way to the podium,” he reports. “We could not have been able to pull it off if it wasn’t for the consistency and grip characteristics of the Hankook Ventus R-S3 tire. There is no better tire for drifting.”
Forsberg’s second-place finish puts him in third place overall in the 2011 Formula Drift Pro Champion point standings; there are two more races to go in the season.
“Coming off a victory last month in New Jersey, it is great to see our Hankook teams with two podium finishes in round five,” says motorsports manager Paul Jho. “It’s incredible to see all the teams do well, and especially rewarding to see three Hankook teams in the top four chasing for victory.”
The circuit next travels to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Aug. 26-27 round six.
This season marks the eighth year for the Formula Drift series and Hankook’s sixth year of involvement.
According to Jho, the company garnered enhanced visibility and sales increases in 2010 as a result of its motorsports sponsorships and special racing programs. He says the tire maker has multiplied its involvement for 2011 by becoming an official Formula Drift sponsor. It also supports teams competing in the Redline Time Attack series, Rally Cross and Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
For more information, visit www.hankooktireusa.com.
