Bakchis and Aasbo Clinch P2 and P3 in 2024 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship

At long last we come to the nail biting conclusion of the 2024 Formula DRIFT PRO season, where Team ENEOS had a slim possibility of winning the Championship. The only big thing standing in the way of Odi Bakchis from potentially taking his first Championship title was James Deane, a three-time FD PRO Champion who had a commanding lead over Bakchis with 74 points — all Deane had to do to secure his fourth title was pull up to the line at the Top 32 in order to secure the necessary points to keep it mathematically out of Bakchis’ reach. But with mechanical issues during Friday practice, Deane’s title was his to lose if he couldn’t make it to the start, and as we all know, strange things can (and do) happen at the House of Drift.

However, the RTR team ensured Deane’s AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD was in fighting form for his Top 32 start, and by pulling up to the starting line, Deane received the necessary points to secure his fourth, record-breaking FD Championship title. But this would not stop Bakchis from throwing down at the finale.

Thanks to his win in Utah, Bakchis earned a bye run for the Top 32, where he advanced past Jhonattan Castro in the Top 16, to then go heads up against Ryan Tuerck in the Great 8. However, this is where disaster struck for the Feal Race Team captain who had his Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 dialed in to go the distance.

Their first run was conducted at a frantic pace: Bakchis hugged the walls while Tuerck maneuvered to gain proximity. As they approached Outer Zone 3, Tuerck’s front tire made contact with Odi’s front tire, which pushed him repeatedly against the wall, resulting in destruction.

With only 15min for Bakchis and 5min to Tuerck to make repairs, the damage was too severe for Feal and Papadakis Racing to complete on time, forcing both drivers to retire. It was an emotionally fierce ending to Bakchis’ season, who finished fourth for the Irwindale round and second place overall with 492 total points.

“Thank you so much, ENEOS, because we went overboard with our engine program and figured we’d go hard for the Irwindale finals,” Bakchis explained while holding his second place trophy. “ENEOS lubricants kept the engine together the harder we pushed!”

With Bakchis shut down before he could line up against Deane in the Final 4, Deane was propelled into the Final against three-time FD PRO Champion Aasbo, pilot of the Rockstar Energy / Toyota Racing GR Supra. Aasbo had previously come close to claiming a fourth title but an inconsistent 2024 season provided Deane the advantage.

Aasbo and Deane have had a history of epic battles, and this would be another to add to the books. Aasbo set a fast pace but his consistent lines allowed the Irishman to tap the Supra’s door. With the positions reversed, a mechanical issue forced the Norwegian Hammer to shut down, making Deane’s season finale even sweeter. Aasbo’s second place finish in Irwindale and third place overall (436 total points) is most certainly cause to celebrate, as he remains the most successful driver in FD history.

“Following hand surgery during the offseason, the team and I did a deep dive into figuring out how we could hit the reset button and go into Long Beach feeling reenergized,” Aasbo explained. “We came into Round 1 feeling our best and rediscovered what it meant to have fun, even though competition pushed us to our absolute limits. Getting back on the podium and doing well in the Championship standings isn’t just the result of the work we put into it as a team here in the States for FD but includes everything else I do around the world, which involves ENEOS products. So, thank you to Team ENEOS for helping to make this all possible!”

Bakchis’ Feal teammate Simen Olsen, faced off against Kazuya Taguhi in the Top 32 with his Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9, but was eliminated there. Olsen finished his season in P8 overall with 336 points. He also announced his departure from Feal at Irwindale and has plans to campaign his own team in 2025.

“The knowledge I’ve acquired these two seasons with Feal has helped me tremendously: five podiums, which isn’t easy to do,’ said Olsen. “I’ll be going back to running my own team and am excited for what the future holds. Thank you to ENEOS for your support!”

ENEOS extends its congratulations to Odi Bakchis, Fredric Aasbo and Simen Olsen for their tremendous efforts in the 2024 Formula DRIFT season!