Super Drift Championship Regional Finals SoCal

by admin on Sep 13, 2022 Categories: EVENTS

9/10/22

What a weekend and a great way to close out the SoCal Regionals! The SDC2022 SoCal Regional Finals took place this past weekend here at Super-G R/C Drift Arena. With a new layout and everyone’s skills at their finest, it was sure to be something to witness.

R/C Drift in SoCal had boiled down to the Regional Finals, with everyone’s skills improving with every round, it was no surprise to see the level or driving present.

With all the best drivers from SoCal coming out, it was an honor to have Club Pogi attending from Arizona to give the SoCal guys a taste of what’s to come in October. They definitely threw down some serious battles, and are going to be a force to be reckoned with. In addition, the majority of Tech 1 Drift have been staking points in the NorCal Region, but came out to Super-G to bang doors with the SoCal Fam and shake things up a bit. It’s always a party when Tech 1 Drift is in the house!

The Judges
This round was overseen by Shaine Collins, Colin Chambers, and Jaycen Wong. The job they take on is a pretty high stress position, but they handled it with ease. A huge thank you to the judges for making this all possible!

**37 Competitors came out to test their skills**

The Track
In preparation for The Finals on October 7, 8, and 9th, we pulled out the famous Train Yard Bridge to make more space for drivers. With this came a new layout, and a new style we haven’t seen so far this year. What most are not aware of, is the fact when I do new layouts for comps, I will make subtle changes to the lines to remove any advantage Super-G locals have. Muscle memory is huge during a stressful comp setting, so I make changes to ensure that isn’t an unfair advantage. This round was no exception, and it had proven to claim a few victims. With a slight modification to the curve of the sweeper, we witnessed quite a few drivers going off muscle memory rather than what the new comp layout is. Hint: Drive the comp layout. Even if it looks the same, everyone is coming in fresh.

**Presenting Mr. TQ - Alfredo Chan III (Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR) Took home TQ 3 of the 4 SoCal Rounds!**

Qualifying
The qualifying runs were amazingly good. Everyone seemed to have a good grasp on what the judges wanted to see. With the 4 zones relying on speed, timing, and commitment, it was good to see everyone attacking it without hesitation. Some of the favorites coming in to the final round ended up with Double Zeros on their qualifying runs, which just made things more interesting for the battles. Alfredo Chan III (Mr. TQ) of Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR put down some serious runs and grabbed the Hoonigan Top Qualifier Title for the event! Alfredo has landed TQ in 75% of the SoCal Regionals, and has won enough Hoonigan swag to open a small store if he wanted. Ha! Congratulations Alfredo for showing everyone how it’s done!

**Alfredo Chan III (L) vs. Alan Benites (R) - The Final Battle**

Tsuiso
For this round we had 37 competitors. As always, we had the Top 15 seeded in the top 16, with the 16th spot reserved for the winner of the Lower Brackets. The Lower Brackets were filled with some pretty seasoned drivers since a few had double zeroed in the the qualifiers. The battles here were really good. In the end, Albert Martinez had worked his way all the way up to win the Lower Bracket and move into the Top 16! Great job Albert!!!

The Top 16
The Top 16 started out with Albert squaring up against Mr. TQ Alfredo Chan III of Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR. it was a good battle, but Alfredo was victorious and advanced.

**The Best Drivers in SoCal battled it out in the Top 16!**

The battles in the Top 16 were intense to say the least. I feel like I say this every round, but everyone’s skill keeps elevating to the next level. The Top 4 came down to an Arizona battle for 3rd and 4th with Baden Herman and Austin Lewis, both from Club Pogi. Baden was able to pull the win and land himself in a solid 3rd place spot on the podium! Then it down to the battle for 1st and 2nd. Alan Benites of Team Zenshin vs. Alfredo Chan III of Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR. Both of these guys are no stranger to 1st place, and really are some real deal heavy hitters. One thing I really respect about both of these guys is their great attitudes. The only time I see them serious about winning is when they hear, “Watch the lights”. Other than that, they are always laughing and having a great time. Win or lose, both these guys have smiles on their faces.

**First Place - Alan Benites, Second Place - Alfredo Chan III, 3rd Place - Baden Herman**

In the end, Alan was able to pull it off and claim the top spot on the podium! Alfredo locked down a very well deserved 2nd place!

Congratulations to First Place - Alan Benites, Second Place - Alfredo Chan III, and Third Place - Baden Herman!!! Great driving guys!!!

SoCal Region Point Series Final

**The guys behind the scenes - Alan Benites, Jaycen Wong, Daniel Yribe, Steve Fujita, Shaine Collins, Jason Fordyce, Colin Chambers, and Joe Tam**

In addition to Round 4, this was also the final for the SoCal Region. All the competitors from SoCal have been racking points since Round 1. It all came down to the Top 3.

**The SoCal Drift King - Jason Fordyce! He will be representing SoCal in the SDC2022 Finals In October**

The Points Winner and SoCal DK Jason Fordyce - Team Super-G / Futaba USA / Acuvance is the SoCal Region Points Winner!!! Super-G will provide lodging for Jason for The SDC2022 USA Finals in October!

Alan Benites - Team Zenshin takes Second Place in the Point Series!!!

Kris Steele - Team Outbreak Project takes home Third Place!!!