Formula DRIFT Updates 2020 Schedule
With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to be felt around the country and the globe, Formula DRIFT announced a further revision to its 2020 Championship schedule. The latest schedule has tried to take into consideration the on-going delays and numerous issues related to the national COVID-19 recovery.
Throughout the entire process, Formula DRIFT has done its utmost to provide fans and teams with an eight-round championship, as it originally promised at the end of 2019. While the initial schedule was decimated by the coronavirus, the revised schedule also proved impossible to fulfil as it became apparent that each states was opening up at its own speed, determined largely by the impact of the virus in each region.
“The process of COVID-19 recovery in each event region has taken longer and is far more complicated than we, or most of our venue partners, had anticipated. The variations around the country, and sometimes a lack of clarity from local and state government officials, has made it practically impossible to guarantee Formula DRIFT will be able to provide the type of 2020 Championship schedule we had previously wanted to deliver to the fans, teams, drivers, sponsors, and media,” said Jim Liaw, President of Formula DRIFT. “It is clear that the country is headed in the right direction with phased re-opening but with every region operating at a different pace, it has made our task extremely challenging.
“Because of these circumstances, we have transitioned into version two of our series planning, which is intended to allow us to deliver eight rounds of PRO competition and four rounds of PRO2 competition at four venues. These will also be available as eight and four free-to-air livestream broadcasts for the two categories. We will hold double-header events at Worldwide Technology Raceway, Evergreen Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Irwindale Speedway. This will include both the PRO and PRO2 Championships and will extend our events from Friday through Sunday,” he continued.
FORMULA DRIFT 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
| ROUND / VENUE | DATE |
| World Wide Technology Raceway – PRO round 1 & 2, PRO2 round 1 | September 4-6 |
| Evergreen Speedway – PRO round 3 & 4, PRO2 round 2 |
September 25-27 |
| Texas Motor Speedway – PRO round 5 & 6, PRO2 round 3 |
October 16-18 |
| Irwindale Speedway – PRO round 7 & 8, PRO2 round 4 |
November 20-22 |
“We are extremely disappointed to lose New Jersey, Atlanta and Sonoma from the schedule, but never in our wildest imagination did we foresee these conditions when we started the 2020 season, or anticipate it would continue this long. Their absence is a great loss to everybody concerned but our new schedule gives us the most realistic opportunity to complete the season. We have worked diligently with all four venues to guarantee we can run this schedule.” Jim explained. “It is our intention to provide the best possible experience for everybody in attendance – fans and teams alike. We will be following all guidelines to help ensure the safety of everybody involved, including the public, our staff, the teams, all support staff and more.”
Currently, Formula DRIFT is expecting to run its promised eight rounds at four different venues, creating extended events that will each see two rounds of the PRO Championship take place on Saturday and Sunday, with the PRO2 Championship running on Friday. All events will be available for free on the Formula DRIFT livestream, which can be viewed via the FD website, YouTube channel or FaceBook page.
Currently, the series is unsure whether teams based overseas will be able to participate. These include teams from Europe, Asia and Canada, who may face ongoing travel restrictions for team members.
If anybody had purchased tickets from Formula DRIFT for rounds that have subsequently been canceled, the series is currently delivering full refunds.
As shown on the table above, the 2020 Formula DRIFT PRO and PRO2 Championships kick off on September 4-6 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St Louis. Please visit formulad.com for 2020 event details, ticket purchases, driver profiles, new content and livestream information.
ENEOS-sponsored driver and 2011 FD Champion, Dai Yoshihara is excited to be competing in the 2020 Championship. The Japanese driver will again be at the wheel of the Turn 14 Distribution / Falken Tire / ENEOS Oil Subaru BRZ. Follow ENEOS social media channels for FD news and an event recaps on the website blog pages at eneos.us/blog
You can also follow the ENEOS social media channels and blog pages to follow the progress of Faruk Kugay from Team Faruk. He is joining the ENEOS Motorsports family and will also compete in the 2020 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship driving the SGK Performance / Nuke / Nexen Tire Nissan S14.
