Rough Start for Yoshihara at 2021 Formula DRIFT Season Opener

Fresh from the livery reveal of his 2021 Subaru BRZ pro competition drift car, ENEOS ambassador Dai Yoshihara launched straight into the season opener of Formula DRIFT, held at one of the series’ most popular venues: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. A long time favorite for drivers and fans alike, returning to this venue for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began is a highlight in itself, everyone eager for a bit of normalcy that happens to include lots of tire-shredding action.

With a change to scheduling this year (back to a more “normal” setup with a couple new cities and revisions to timeline), Long Beach was pushed towards the latter end of the season, meaning Atlanta would now be the first round beginning a month later than it usually would. This only gave Dai more time to have the BRZ’s setup dialed in properly for competition, and held up quite nicely at the pre-season Formula DRIFT Skills Battle warm-up.

TOP 32

Qualifying ninth for the Top 32, Dai lined up against Kazuya Taguchi, leading first. Upon exiting the momentum zone, he dropped a tire, allowing Kazuya to gain proximity. Dai quickly recovered, completing his run without any additional errors.

On Dai’s follow run, he kept on Kazuya’s side from initiation through the keyhole. Kazuya ran wide at Inner Clip 2, forcing Dai to let off on speed, resulting in loss of proximity. Ultimately, Dai’s tire drop was enough to knock him out of competition for the day, causing him to finish 20th in Round One.

NEXT RACE

Dai Yoshihara is ready to get back into action this weekend, May 21-22, 2021, for Formula DRIFT Round 2: SCORCHED, held at Orlando Speed World in Orlando, Florida. You can catch all the action from the FD Livestream, airing on the ENEOS Facebook page.

WATCH

Get caught up with pre-season content on Dai Yoshihara’s YouTube channel: