Formula Drift PRO 2 Class Explained

• July 22, 2015
• Story By
  Jacob Leveton

At the 2013 SEMA Show, Formula Drift announced the introduction of a PRO 2 class beginning with the 2014 season. This class would be something of a stepping stone for drivers who have earned their license via a sanctioned regional ProAm series to be able to compete against similarly-skilled drivers under a similar format to the PRO class. The goal was to allow drivers to be able to compete at four of the same Formula Drift tracks and be judged by the same Formula Drift judges, but at a more affordable cost and a more equal driver skill level to learn the ropes of the series without the full investment that the 7-round PRO class requires. Overall, many found the 2014 Formula Drift PRO 2 class to be a major success, and the class has continued for 2015. The Formula Drift PRO 2 roster is set in two ways: via promotion from ProAm, and also via relegation from the PRO class. Only the top 32 drivers from the PRO class will be allowed to retain their license, while any other drivers falling to 33^rd or below in the final season standings will only be permitted to compete in the PRO 2 class in the following season. On the ProAm side, typically four drivers from each sanctioned ProAm series will be promoted and given a PRO 2 license for the following season. Any driver who finished the season in the top 16 of the PRO class will be ineligible to compete in PRO 2 for the following season, while drivers who finish between 17th and 32nd will be allowed to compete in both classes. The PRO 2 class competes in a top 16 tandem ladder on Friday evening as the headline event on the Friday schedule, while qualifying takes place on Thursday afternoon on the selected weekends where both classes compete. PRO qualifying occurs on Friday afternoon shortly before the PRO 2 class hits the track, with the PRO tandem bracket being set at 32 drivers and occurring on Saturday. Each year, the top 8 drivers from the PRO 2 class will earn their PRO class license. In 2014, Dan Savage won the PRO 2 class, and was joined by Matt Coffman, James Evans, Nate Hamilton, Jeff Jones, Jeremy Lowe, Geoff Stoneback and Brandon Wicknick in earning their PRO licenses. Both Jones and Stoneback also finished in the top 32 of the PRO class standings, meaning they earned their PRO license via both possible methods. This season, several international drivers and former Formula Drift drivers returned to the series including Juha Rintanen, Hiro Sumida and Kenji Yamanaka. Due to the PRO 2 rules, they are required to re-earn their PRO license through the PRO 2 class, which has brought an interesting level of competition to the class. The four stops on the 2015 PRO 2 series are Orlando Speedworld in Florida, Evergreen Speedway in Washington state, Texas Motor Speedway just outside Dallas and Irwindale Speedway in Southern California. At the Orlando Speedworld stop, Peruvian driver Alex Heilbrunn defeated Andy Gray, who heils from Scotland but currently lives in Japan during the finals. Jeff Jones earned the final podium position by virtue of his qualifying score, with Dave Briggs rounding out the top 4. Several drivers who were expected to be competitive, including Yamanaka, Andy Hately, Chris Jeanneret and Pat Cyr narrowly missed the cutoff or had mechanical issues, and will be looking to break the top 16 at Evergreen Speedway this weekend. After the first round of the 2015 PRO 2 class, here’s a look at the standings:

  Here’s a look at the drivers list for the second stop on the PRO 2 class schedule, happening this weekend at Evergreen Speedway, in alphabetical order:

Be sure to tune in to the Formula Drift livestream on Friday to watch these drivers battle for the right to earn a Formula Drift PRO license!