Super Drift Championship 2023 Round 3 - SoCal

6/24/23

And we are back! After a little over 2 months, and a skipped SDC2023 round, Super-G is finally back to the normal grind with a all new look. We were really excited to see how the new surface would work out for the competitions, and I have to say we were very pleased with the results. As has been the theme this season, the skill level has been quickly elevating with everyone pushing everyone’s limits even further.

With a new surface comes a new spec tire. The spec tire for Super-G at the moment is DS Racing Comp III LF-3. This tire paired with our surface has us right back at our previous speed with a slight increase in side traction when off throttle. We are always grateful for DS Racing providing so many compounds to accommodate so many different surfaces. Not sure how we would do it without them.

The judges for SDC2023 Round 3 were the usual suspects, Shaine Collins, Manny Campalans, and Colin Chambers. I would like to extend a huge thank you to these guys. It’s a thankless task that is not easy at all. We appreciate your dedication and commitment to making this all possible.

This round we had 43 drivers! Even starting promptly at 6pm, we didn’t finish til almost midnight. Everything ran smoothly and efficiently, so it’s looking like that’s just how long it takes. We are considering starting earlier so we can finish at a decent hour.

Qualifying
This time around, the qualifying rounds were interesting from our standpoint. For some reason most were very conservative on their qualifying runs and the scores reflected this. It could possibly be due to the new surface, but we are used to seeing the competitors get on track and send it. TQ of the event was none other than Mr. TQ himself from the 2022 series, Alfredo Chan III of Team RAZR / Tech 1 Drift! He went all in and it paid off! Great job Alfredo!

Tsuiso
As always, the Top 15 qualifying drivers were seeded in the Top 16 bracket. The 16th spot is reserved for the winner of the Lower Bracket. Making the Top 16 here in SoCal is an accomplishment in itself. With the level of driving, you can be assured you need to earn it. This seems like a common story here, but Vittorio Santiago of Tech 1 Drift had some issues during qualifying, but I’m starting to think he plans it this way. Vittorio started out at the bottom of the Lower Bracket and fought his way all the way through the Bottom Bracket, going 5 battles undefeated! Vittorio was the winner of the Lower Bracket, and this landed him in the 16th spot in the Top 16. Congratulations Vittorio.

Top 16
Then it was time for the main event, Top 16! The bracket was full of the top drivers of the SoCal Region. Vittorio claimed his spot at the 16th driver, and was immediately paired up with his Tech 1 Drift teammate, Alfredo Chan III who was TQ (Top Qualifier) for the event! It was a good battle, but Alfredo came out victorious and ended Vittorio’s winning streak of the day.

It all came down to the Top 4. Shaine Collins vs. Jason Fordyce of Team Super-G for 3rd and 4th spots, and Bret Trevino Tech 1 Drift / Slidelines RC vs. Alfredo Chan III of Team RAZR / Tech 1 Drift. First up was Shaine vs. Jason, Shaine was on the lead first and he put down a near perfect run! Jason answered back with an extremely tight chase. This was some of the best driving we had seen all day, and it was obvious why these guys were in the Top 4! Then it was Jason’s turn to take the lead, Shaine chasing. Jason put down another one of his awesome leads, Shaine was on his door the entire time! However, on the first transition, Shaine was a little too aggressive and inhibited Jason’s initiation into the sweeper. It was enough to sway the call in Jason’s favor, and securing the 3rd Place Podium spot. Shaine took a very respectable 4th place. Congratulations Jason!

Next up was the Finals, Bret Trevino of Tech 1 Drift / Slidelines RC, vs. Alfredo Chan III of Team RAZR / Tech 1 Drift. The first run Alfredo was leading, Bret chasing. Alfredo put down a near perfect lead, while Bret was right on his door the entire time. On Bret’s lead, he put down a great run, with Alfredo having a bit of a problem keeping up. However, on Alfredo’s lead run, there was contact going into Zone 2. After reviewing the replay over and over, the judges could not determine fault due to unnatural movements by the Lead Car just prior and during the contact. So it was a OMT (One More Time). This time, Alfredo put down an incredible lead run! Anyone would be hard pressed to run a lead this good! Bret on the chase left no room for debate. His proximity, line, and angle were all exceptional! Talk about an incredible start to this OMT Battle! Next was Bret’s lead with Alfredo chasing. Out of the gate Bret was on it. He was driving like he wanted it, bad! Through the first zone, he grabbed a lot of speed and angle. Alfredo was a bit behind at this point but did what he needed to catch up. At this point the judges paid careful attention to the angle of the Lead, as it is stated in the SDC2023 Rules, if the Lead gaps the Chase, they must not be sacrificing angle for speed. If they do so, it will be counted against the Lead. Bret’s angle was spot on! Bret did the same for the remainder of the zones! Alfredo was able to close the gap after Zone 2, but was unable to match the Lead’s angle. Although Alfredo had an amazing lead, it wasn’t enough to overcome the chase. This gave Bret the win, and the Top Spot on the podium! Alfredo took home a well deserved 2nd place! With Jason claiming 3rd!

Congratulations to the winners! First Place - Bret Trevino, Second Place - Alfredo Chan III, and Third Place - Jason Fordyce!