Chris Forsberg Puts AEM Powered Nissan 370Z on Formula Drift Podium Again in 2015

Jun 11, 2015

In the Top 32 Chris Forsberg was paired up with friend and fellow Club Loose member Geoff Stoneback with Forsberg and the AEM equipped NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z taking the win

The AEM sponsored reigning Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg, and his team, showed both versatility and strength by quickly adapting to a new track and ever changing surface conditions caused by Florida’s famously inconsistent weather patterns at round three of the Formula Drift Championship Series. Chris Forsberg made a dominating appearance in his AEM equipped NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z and was a favorite to win until an unforeseeable and unfortunate string of events cost Forsberg his chance to run in the final round of competition.

Chris Forseberg advanced to the Top 16 and found himself competing against Tyler McQuarrie just as rain began to fall, but with changes to the AEM equipped 370Z Forsberg advanced

In the Top 32 round Chris Forsberg was paired up with longtime friend and fellow Club Loose member Geoff Stoneback. This battle was seen as a re-match from last month’s Formula Drift event in Atlanta where Forsberg defeated Stoneback in the Top 8. Fans in Orlando were treated to an amazing battle between these two friends but once again, Chris Forsberg and the AEM equipped NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z were able to defeat Geoff Stoneback.

The track’s bank began to dry while the infield remained wet; Gittin appeared to go with a grippier dry track type set-up but was unable to maintain control once he hit the wet surface

As Chris Forseberg advanced to the Top 16 round, he found himself competing against Tyler McQuarrie. As the round of Top 16 began, so did the rainfall. Chris Forsberg’s NOS Energy 370Z team hurried to adjust the car for wet track conditions, finishing just in time for the runs against Tyler McQuarrie. The AEM Intakes sponsored team made changes which paid off. Chris Forsberg was able to maintain close proximity to McQuarrie throughout his chase run and followed it up with a spectacular lead run. Forsberg initiated high on the bank, pulling a gap on McQuarrie as they transitioned through the infield. The judges unanimously decided in favor of Forsberg in his AEM powered NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z.

Heading into the semi-finals Chris Forsberg was matched with Ken Gushi, now 28, Gushi began competing in D1 Grand Prix of Japan and Formula Drift when he was 16 years old

In the next round of the Top 8 Chris Forsberg would do battle against former Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin Jr. Normally, a match-up between Forsberg and Vaughn Gittin would be the highlight of any event. However, as the rain ceased the track’s bank began to dry out while the infield section remained wet. Chris Forsberg’s crew decided to stick with the AEM equipped NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z rain set-up while Gittin appeared to go with a grippier dry track type set-up. Gittin was slightly faster on the bank but he was unable to maintain control once he hit the wet surface causing Gittin to make contact with Forsberg, spinning them both out. Forsberg’s crew had made the right call by sticking with the rain set up and Forsberg was able to maintain drift throughout his chase run while Gittin over-rotated in the same spot. Forsberg earned the win, moving him into the semi-final round.

Ken Gushi carried too much momentum heading for the infield and Gushi made contact with Chris Forsberg causing flames to pour out of the back of his Forsberg’s Nissan 370Z

Heading into the semi-finals Chris Forsberg was matched with Ken Gushi. Gushi, now 28, began competing in D1 Grand Prix of Japan and the Formula Drift Championship when he was 16 years old. Chris Forsberg did a superb job of chasing Gushi in the AEM powered NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z through the course and maintained a close proximity. On Forsberg’s lead run, Gushi carried too much momentum heading for the infield and Gushi made contact with Forsberg, pushing him off course. Chris Forsberg now clearly had the win and as he tried to regain control of his NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z on Hankook Tires in order to finish the run, a backfire occurred causing flames to pour out of the back of his car. Formula Drift track workers threw a red flag and ran towards Forsberg with extinguishers in hand while yelling “fire”. Although the flames had already self-extinguished, Forsberg relied on the reactions of track workers to judge the severity of the situation. In the interest of safety, Chris Forsberg pulled the NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z built-in fire-suppression system.

Chris Forsberg and his crew worked tirelessly to repair the damage caused by Ken Gushi, but could not and were left with no choice but to bow out giving Ryan Tuerck an uncontested win

Chris Forsberg and his crew worked tirelessly to repair the damage caused by the contact with Ken Gushi and to restore the fire-suppression system to working order so that Forsberg could run against Ryan Tuerck in the finals. While the AEM sponsored NOS Energy Drink Nissan 370Z crew was successful in repairing both issues, they were unable to get the car started because too much moisture remained in the electrical system. Unable to pinpoint and dry the problem areas in time, they were left with no choice but to bow out of competition, giving Tuerck an uncontested win.

Chris Forsberg later said, “I had to make a split-second decision and under the circumstances, I still believe it was the right thing to do but in the end, it needlessly cost us our chance to win. I’m so proud of my crew for working so hard to get us back out there, they did everything that could be done - it was simply out of their hands…We are fired up and hungrier than ever, we will now turn all of our focus towards climbing atop the podium at Round 4 in Wall, New Jersey. We got 3rd in 2013, 2nd in 2014, we want 1st in 2015!”

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