Travis Reeder Earns Formula D Pro 2 Event Win at Road Atlanta, Now Leads Standings

May 23, 2017

Travis Reeder drifts the keyhole at Road Atlanta en route to his event win at Formula D Round 2

In his rookie season, Travis Reeder now leads the Formula D Pro 2 class by 78 points after two of four events. Reeder moved into the championship lead by winning the Round 2 event at Road Atlanta, defeating fellow Evergreen Drift alumni Matt Vankirk in the final. In addition to the payout from Formula Drift for the event win, Reeder wins $500 as part of the AEM contingency program as the highest ranking driver enrolled in the contingency program.

Reeder qualified 11th during Thursday’s qualifying session, matching him up against fellow AEM driver Andy Hateley in the Top 16 round. Reeder had a pair of consistent runs, while a few small mistakes from Hateley and a general lack of proximity in chase gave Reeder the win into the Top 8. In his battle against Hooman Rahimi in the Great 8, Reeder had consistent steering angle and a very aggressive chase run with good proximity to earn the win and guarantee an appearance in the Final 4 for the second consecutive race. As the sole driver who had earned a Final 4 appearance at both of the first two rounds, Reeder knew he would be leading the championship at the midpoint of the season. Rahimi earned $200 as the third highest ranking AEM driver. Dirk Stratton, who was also eliminated in the Great 8 but qualified higher than Rahimi, earned $300 as part of the AEM contingency program.

Travis Reeder now leads the Formula D Pro 2 championship standings after 2 of 4 events

Reeder faced some adversity in his Final 4 matchup with Randall Waters as he had shallow steering angle exiting the keyhole in his chase run which put him at a disadvantage after the first run. Fortunately for Reeder, Waters misjudged his entry and tapped the rear of Reeder’s car before sliding off course which resulted in an incomplete run for Waters. The victory was a bit anticlimactic for Reeder as Vankirk had a mechanical issue shortly after leaving the line in the final battle, giving Reeder a solo lap for the event win.

The Pro 2 class takes a summer break through June and July while the Pro class travels to Wall, New Jersey and Montreal, Quebec for the next two rounds of competition. The next round of the Pro 2 series will take place at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington, which is the same track Reeder earned his Pro 2 license at via the Evergreen Drift ProAm series. Reeder could potentially lock up the Pro 2 championship ahead of the final round at Texas Motor Speedway pending his results at Evergreen.

Travis Reeder has won the top AEM Contingency prize at each of the first 2 Formula D Pro 2 events

All Pro 2 drivers are eligible for the AEM Contingency program, provided that they fulfill the requirements of the program:

1. Run an AEM Dryflow air filter on their competition vehicle

2. Run an AEM decal on locations laid out in the program

3. Finish in the Top 16 of a PRO 2 Round

The total contingency payout for each round is $1000, with payouts occurring at each round of Formula DRIFT PRO 2 competition. The highest finishing AEM contingency driver in the Top 16 will earn $500, second highest driver will earn $300, and the third highest will earn $200.