SDC2023 SoCal Point Series Results

August 26, 2023

The SoCal Region for the Super Drift Championship was hosted by Super-G R/C Drift Arena in Baldwin Park California. This season ended up being a 5 part series. 2023 was an exciting season and an exciting year for R/C Drift! With so many new shops and tracks opening up all around the U.S. it’s obvious Drift is catching on! With what is planned for next year, it’s going to go even bigger without a doubt!

This season for SoCal was exciting with some of the heavy hitters making sure SoCal was their designated region since you can only be in the points running in one region. It was great news when we found out Bret Trevino, the owner of Slidelines RC in Las Vegas, and one of his top drivers, Christian Defalco decided to step into the SoCal ring and battle it out with the locals. With our strict judging, you have no choice but to step it up. Everyone is aware of what to expect when you compete here at Super-G.

This season really came down to the wire. The way the point system is structured, it’s very difficult for one person to run away with the series early on. We learned in the past, if this happens, nobody wants to show up if the leader has the series locked early on. This season was proof our system keeps it exciting while still having enough weight on the winning scores.

From the very beginning, Jason Fordyce of Team Super-G was leading in points. Round 1, Jason was TQ (Top Qualifier) and First Place. This gave Jason the lead with 16 points. Round 2 was another TQ and First Place, This put him at 32 Points. Round 3, Jason took Third Place, this was worth 10 points, giving Jason 42 points. That was still enough to hold onto the lead in points.

Round 3 was a great round for Bret Trevino of Slidelines RC / Tech 1 Drift was in a cool Second Place with 20 points, tied for second with Alan Benites of Team Zenshin coming into Round 3. Bret pulled off the win and this pushed him to 35 points. Just 7 points behind Jason. Alfredo Chan III locked down Second Place, and Jason Fordyce took home Third Place.

The Big Shake Up! Round 4 brought with it a lot of surprises. For the season leading up to Round 4, we had become accustomed to watching Vittorio Santiago of Team Acuvance USA having some issues in qualifying, starting at the bottom of the brackets, and working his way into the Top 16 before being eliminated. Round 4, Vittorio was done playing around. He put down some amazing runs landing him in the Top 16. Then he went on to win it! Chris Silva also put on his best performance yet, and took a well deserved Second Place! Bret took home a solid Third Place, earning another 10 points, giving him 45 points! This was enough to push past Jason’s 42 points, and putting Bret clearly in the lead! Alfredo Chan III of Team RAZR / Tech 1 Drift was in Third Place with 40 points, and Vittorio was just 1 point behind Alfredo!

Coming into Round 5, the Points Leader - Bret with 45 points, Second Place - Jason with 42 points, and Third Place - Alfredo with 40 points. Jason was eliminated early on and ended the season with a very respectable 50 points. Alfredo took TQ AND First Place, netting him 16 points and a total of 56 points. Bret took Second Place netting him 12 points and a total of 57 points, AND the Title of SDC2023 SoCal Drift King!

Congratulations to Bret, The SoCal Drift King all the way from Las Vegas! Alfredo Second Place, and Jason Third Place.

Bret Trevino, the winner of the SoCal Point Series and the title of SoCal Drift King.
I want to say a few words about Bret at this time. I know the season is not over yet, as we are coming into the Super Drift Championship 2023 USA Finals, but I feel everyone can learn something from Bret’s season thus far. Of the 72 competitors registered for the SoCal Region, Bret is the ONLY competitor who has consistently asked me for clarification on various rules and how things are GOING to be judged. What he does NOT do is wait until he loses, then angrily come at me and demand to know why the call didn’t go the way he thinks it should have gone. He has asked me what is allowed and what is not, and what exactly do the judges want to see. Instead of imposing how HE thinks things should be judged on the entire series, Bret takes the time to ask what he should be doing. What are the rules and how are they applied. This has put Bret in a very strong position since he has taken the time to learn the rules and how they will affect the outcome of his runs and battles. This in my opinion makes Bret a true competitor and I am sure has contributed to him taking the title of SoCal Drift King. Respect.

I want to give a very special thank you to the Judges of this season.
First, Manny Campalans and Colin Chambers. These two have not been actively driving this season with life happening for them, but they have unselfishly sacrificed their time to come out and give SoCal what I truly believe to be the best and most fair judging around. Also Shaine Collins, his dedication and insight into improving the SDC series has proven to be invaluable. I need someone in the trenches to keep our perspective all up in the mix. We are fortunate to have someone who values performing their best in a comp setting over the win itself. I can say without a shadow of a doubt, all the judges here are all about making the correct calls based on the rules, regardless of who it is. We discuss all the time how the worst possible outcome of any call would be to make the wrong call and rob someone of their rightfully earned win. Even that aside, all the calls are on YouTube for the world to see.
For those who have never judged an event before, let me tell you, it is stressful and exhausting. These guys deserve a serious round of thanks from anyone competing. Most take what the judges do until they experience it for themselves, then they end up with a true appreciation for what they actually do.
Shaine, Manny, and Colin, Thank you for all you do!

SoCal has shown great growth in knowledge and skill. I am proud of everyone who stepped into the Arena to throw down. It’s not an easy thing to. I know our setting can be intimidating at times, but you have all grown because of it!

SEE YOU ALL AT THE SDC2023 USA FINALS IN OCTOBER!
LET'S DO THIS!!!

Here are the Final Standings for the SoCal Region: