October 19, 2022

Meet and Greet (Taco Meat and Greet)

Although Thursday was not an official part of the Super Drift Championship 2022 USA Finals, it was the kick-off for for many. Super-G hosted a Meet and Greet Session, complete with dinner for everyone who pre-registered. It was a very casual session with many people from out of town showing up and getting their cars tuned for our surface and layout. It was clear from the type of driving almost immediately, the USA Finals was going to be amazing! Joe was on the grill and cooked up about 20 lbs of carne asada and about 20 lbs of chicken, plus some hot dogs and quesadillas.

The Track
Super-G R/C Drift Arena

The Judges

The hardest and most grueling task of the Super Drift Championship USA Finals in undoubtably being a judge for the event. The majority of people who have judged any drift competition can attest to the fact it’s not easy, and in fact exhausting. Applying the SDC judging standards becomes an even more difficult and stressful task, as you are forced to do math calculations very quickly, while keeping everything straight in your mind. After a few hours of this, your brain is mush.

The judges for this years Finals, Shaine Collins, Collin Chambers, Jaycen Wong, and Manny Campalans. While Jaycen was judging for the Qualifying Rounds, Manny came on Sunday to judge the Tandem Battles. We all owe them a huge thank you for making this happen. It’s not easy, and the pressure is immense. If you think driving at this level is pressure, try judging it. No comparison.

The Cars:

Day One – Qualifying Round 1

LIVE STREAM:

Friday was opening day and Round 1 of qualifying. Doors opened at Noon and everyone was ready to get started. Competitors checked in and received their swag bags, tires, and name badges. The was also the first time anyone was able to see what the qualifying line would be for the competition. It seemed many were relived the long straight to hairpin was not included in the judged course. For the last 2 hours leading up to qualifying, practice run groups of 20 were given. This seemed to allow everyone time to stand where they were the most comfortable and get entire laps of uninterrupted practice in. The feedback was very positive on this.

A New Style of Drivers Meeting 
We have been planning to do this for years now, but this year we finally decided to see how it would work. After we laid out the line, we went through each point we would normally cover in the drivers meeting, but this time we made a video of it. We felt this would be more effective since it would allow everyone to see what we were talking about up close, rather than from 40 feet away. This would also allow the option of replaying sections where the competitors wanted to review what was expected. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Now that we know this will work, we have already started brainstorming on ways to improve.

Qualifying Round 1
The format for qualifying was each competitor would get 2 runs. For the Finals, it was decided to give 1 run at a time. This meant everyone would come in fresh for each qualifying run.

Everyone did really well and it was good to see the skill level was really high. Alan Benites of Team Zenshin threw down a blistering run of 82, leaving him in the TQ (Top Qaulifier) Position at the end of Qualifying Round 1.

Day Two – Qualifying Round 2

Live Stream:

Saturday was Round 2 of qualifying. Doors opened at Noon and this time everyone was ready to practice the qualifying line. Everyone seemed to really have figured out what they needed to do, and they were all aware today was the day to put down their best runs.

The qualifying runs for Round 2 seemed to heat up, with many competitors raising their qualifying scores from Round 1. By the end of Round 2, it was clear everyone had figured out the line and the battles were going to be intense!

Chrisitan (C-Note) Defalco (Tech 1 Drift / Slidelines RC) from Las Vegas threw down an amazing qualifying run scoring an 87 and landing him in the Hoonigan Top Qualifier position! Congratulations Christian Defalco!

Qualifying Scores – Top 31

Qualifying Scores – Lower 39

We wrapped up DAY 2 with the first raffle, the grand prize being the PANDORA S14 (Painted by Factory MUI)

Day Three – Tsuiso (Tandem Battles)

Live Stream:

This is the day the entire Super Drift Championship 2022 Season had been all about! The best drifters from all over the U.S. had made the journey to Los Angeles, California to find out who the best of the best really is. Arizona, Washington, Hawaii, Florida, Nevada, Idaho, Northern California, and Southern California, all had representation.

The qualifying from Round 1 and Round 2 was sorted and each competitor’s best score was recorded and determined where they were placed in the brackets. The Top 31 Qualifiers were seeded in the Top 32, with the 32nd spot being reserved for the winner of the lower brackets.

Lower Bracket

Right from the start, the battles were awesome! The lower brackets were as good as any Top 16 in the Regional Competitions, so being able to compete at this level was already an accomplishment in itself. In the lower brackets, Matthew Rojas (Team Zenshin) fought his way all the way up, and took 1st Place in the lower bracket, landing him in the 32nd spot in the Top 32! Great job Matthew Rojas!

Top 32

Finding yourself in the Top 32 in the SDC2022 USA Finals says something about your RC Drift Skills. Every battle in the Top 32 was exciting and something to experience. Every Top 32 battle could have easily been a Top 8 Battle in any Regional.

Right from the start, we knew the battles were going to be intense. Matthew Rojas (Team Zenshin) went up against the TQ of the event, Christian (C-Note) Defalco (Tech 1 Drift /. Slidelines RC). Matthew was warmed up and coming off a 5 round winning streak. This was Christians first battle of the competition, but he did put down the best qualifying run of the event. The lights changed, and Matthew’s car was dead on the line. Christian completed his lead run, while Matthew took a zero on his chase. They reversed positions and Matthew was able to get his car to complete his lead, but with the mechanical failure on his chase, he was eliminated and Christian advanced. Being able to complete your run is all part of competing at this level, and mechanical failure is a factor.

The Final 4 
Going into the Final 4, it was Joe Durkee (Limited Traction – NorCal), Alfredo Chan III (Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR – NorCal), Haoyan Huang (Team Wallride – SoCal), and Justin Wilming (Dori Lounge – South East / Florida). All 4 of these drivers had managed to survive the Top 32 up to this point, undefeated. The skill level of these drivers is nothing short of amazing and a great representation of where R/C Drift is in the United States.

First up was Joe Durkee vs. Alfredo Chan III. The run was very close, and the driving was top notch. Alfredo was going extremely deep in all the zones, with Joe keep tight proximity. Although Alfredo was deeper in the majority of the zones and held more angle, on the exit of zone 2, Alfredo had made contact with the barrier, giving Joseph the win. WAIT A MINUTE!

In the Super Drift Championship rules there is a provision which allows competitors to contest a decision if they feel it was not correct. This gives the calls a double check and allows the judges another opportunity to review a single incident to ensure nothing has been missed, and the correct decision is made. Alfredo opted to contest the point of contact which was the deciding factor in the battle for the Finals.

A CONTROVERSIAL CALL REVERSAL

It’s not often it happens, but when the human element is involved it’s unavoidable. What is important is the correct call is ultimately made. In this case, the provision to contest a call was utilized and justified.

The Original Call – The battle was between Alfredo Chan III (Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR) and Joe Durkee (Limited Traction). On the exit of Zone 2, with Alfredo on the lead, he was on the barrier. Suddenly his car demonstrated a bounce forward which is familiar to all the judges when contact is made with the back of the car and the barrier. Alfredo was awarded a Zero on his lead and led to Joe securing the win.

Before we started the next round, Alfredo approached with a request to contest the call. This provision has been made to ensure the correct call will ultimately be made. The judges reviewed the footage of the incident on the Super-G Replay System from multiple angles and found Alfredo indeed had a clean run with no contact with the barrier. The runs were then reviewed in their entirety, and the correct victor, Alfredo, was found to have had a better run, and thus ruled to be the winner and advanced to the finals.

The Judges view of the replay
This is a zoomed in video from a cel phone on the screen used to watch the replay. Sound was added to aid those who have a hard time spotting what the judges look at. This is typical of what the judges see when contact with a barrier is made with the rear of the car.

Another perspective after review was requested
After the call was contested, standard procedure is to review the single incident which is thought to be the deciding factor. Upon review, it was clear something other than contact with the barrier caused the disruption in the lead car’s line. There is clearly light between the Lead car and the barrier in this incident. This is the very reason the Option to Contest rule is in place. It is a safety net to ensure the correct calls are made.

What went wrong to cause this 
In setting up the layout for the Finals, on this particular zone I wanted to provide the drivers with a little extra runoff area. I normally allow 2-2.5 inches from the inside edge of the tape to the face of the barrier. In this area, I pushed back another 1.5 inches, allowing the drivers to get even deeper before contacting the barrier.

Unfortunately, I overlooked why I had settled on this distance to begin with (6 years ago?). With the added depth, it allowed the drivers to push their cars even deeper, to the point they could get their rear tires on the tape which defines the boundary of the track IF no barrier is present. Alfredo went so deep and close to the barrier, his tires ended up on the tape and immediately shot him forward. This appeared to be caused by contact with the barrier (since under normal circumstances the tape would not be an issue), but the reality was Alfredo was about .25 inch off the barrier, and his rear tires were able to get on the tape and grip up. This shot him forward resulting in the call of contact being made.

As always, there are lessons to be learned and improvements to be made. We don’t claim to be perfect, but we are always striving for perfection. We take every mistake as a step forward, as we learn from it and improve for the future. My apologies to both Alfredo and Joe for the emotional rollercoaster my lapse in judgment created for the both of you. In the end, I am confident both competitors are satisfied with the correct call ultimately being made.

Back To The Battles

Then it was time for the battle for 3rd and 4th position. It was Joe Durkee vs. Haoyan Huang. First was Joe on the lead and Haoyan on the chase. On Joe’s lead, Haoyan had a bit of trouble on Zone 1, while Joe put down an amazing lead. They switched up, and now Haoyan was on the lead and Joe on the chase. In the same area Haoyan had some issues, Joe also had issues, but it resulted in contact. This gave Haoyan Huang (Team Wallride) the victory and secured the 3rd Place spot on the podium!

Finally it was time for what this entire season had boiled down to. The battle for the title of the Super Drift Championship 2022 USA Drift King! The 2 top competitors in the USA, Justin Wilming (Dori Lounge) and Alfredo Chan III (Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR). Both drivers put down some AMAZING runs, both leading and chasing.

This year, Super Drift Championship rules allow “Some” contact, as long as the line, angle, and/or trajectory of the lead car is not affected. In this case, leaving the second box, Justin made slight contact, changing the angle and line of the Lead Car (Alfredo). This was enough to sway the decision, and making ALFREDO CHAN III (Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR) the Super Drift Championship 2022 USA Drift King!!! Justin Wilming taking home a solid, well deserved Second Place!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS:
First Place:
THE SUPER DRIFT CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 USA DRIFT KING
ALFREDO CHAN III
(Tech 1 Drift / Team RAZR)

Second Place – Justin Wilming (Dori Lounge)
Third Place – Haoyan Huang (Team Wallride)

We are looking forward to the upcoming Super Drift Championship 2023 Season. We already have some big plans for areas we need to improve on for next years finals on October 6, 7, and 8th 2023.

We would also like to give a huge thank you to all of our sponsors for the
SDC2022 USA Finals:
ScaleReflex, Futaba, Acuvance, Overdose, DS Racing, RhinoMax, Pandora RC, Vertex RC, Yokomo, Topline, Protek RC, DemiWorks, MST, Fused RC, Power HD, 24k RC Technology, and
HOONIGAN!

To all the hosts for the regionals – You are the ones making the difference in RC Drift in the US! Without your participation, this series would not be possible:
Limited Traction, Slidelines RC, RC Fight Club, Team Saiko, Dori Lounge, and Team BubbleMilk.

And an extra special thanks to our NoCal Super-G Fam, Limited Traction! All the behind the scenes legwork and dedication to the series is unmatched! You guys are the backbone of the series!

Finally, a heart felt thanks to each and every one of you who supported and participated in the Super Drift Championship Series. You are what this is all about. We will continue to do this as long as we can, and look forward to everyone coming together again next year! R/C Drift in the U.S. is strong and growing by the day. Let’s make 2023 even better!!!

Final Results

Lower Bracket

Finally, to wrap it all up, as always, the raffles put over $5,000.00 worth of prizes into the community. Some items are priceless, as they can’t even be purchased anywhere. A huge thanks again to all our sponsors:
ScaleReflex, Futaba, Acuvance, Overdose, DS Racing, RhinoMax, Pandora RC, Vertex RC, Yokomo, Topline, Protek RC, DemiWorks, MST, Fused RC, Power HD, 24k RC Technology, and
HOONIGAN!

RAFFLE NUMBER 2 (We had so many prizes, we had to spread it across 2 days). All tickets rolled over to the second day

David takes home the ultimate grand prize, FUTABA 10PX Radio System!