DIAMOND BAR, Calif., October 16, 2018 — Nexen Tire Motorsports, powerhouse global tire manufacturer of Formula DRIFT Pro 1 Series co-sponsored tire N’Fera SUR4G, announces the completion of another highly-successful season in Formula DRIFT competition notching three first-place wins and several podium finishes by its team of premier drivers. Nexen Tire Motorsports entered the season with eight of the sport’s top Formula DRIFT Pro 1 drivers, all showing a consistent level of talent to garner top finishes throughout the entire season of Pro 1 competition. The 2018 Formula DRIFT season wrapped up with round eight “The Title Fight” in Irwindale on October 13 where points-leading Nexen Tire Motorsports team member Fredric Aasbo, driver of the Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla hatchback, finished in second place in the final event as well as taking second place in the overall driver standings.
Not only has Nexen Tire Motorsports had one of its strongest group of drivers in Formula DRIFT competition, it also earned a second-place finish in 2018 Tire Cup Championship. Aasbo entered the final event trailing first place by a significant margin and by the time the weekend was over, he finished just four points behind eventual champion James Deane.
Overall, Nexen Tire Motorsports wrapped up the season with three drivers placing in the top ten of this year’s Formula DRIFT Pro 1 competition.
2018 Nexen Tire Motorsports Pro 1 Driver Standings:
· 2nd Place – Fredric Aasbo (Rockstar Energy / Nexen Tire Toyota Corolla hatchback) – Six podium finishes, (two wins, two second and one third)
· 4th Place – Chris Forsberg (NOS Energy Drink / Nexen Tire Nissan 370Z) – Two podium finishes, (one win and one third place)
· 6th Place – Ryan Tuerck (GUMOUT / Nexen Tire Toyota 86) – One second-place podium finish
· 15th Place – Alec Hohnadell (Rain-X / Nexen Tire Nissan S14) – One top eight finish
· 18th Place – Jhonnattan Castro (Gerdau Metaldom / Nexen Tire Toyota 86)
· 22nd Place – Dan Burkett (RAD Industries / Nexen Tire Toyota Supra)
· 26th Place – Kyle Mohan (Mazdtrix / Nexen Tire Mazda MX-5)
· 27th Place – Kevin Lawrence (Enjuku Racing / Nexen Tire Nissan S14)
The 2018 Formula DRIFT season kicked-off in a battle for supremacy on April 11 with a round-one win at the Streets of Long Beach by multi-championship driver Aasbo. Nexen Tire Motorsports driver Forsberg took the win in round two in Orlando, Fla., and in round three in Atlanta, both Aasbo and Forsberg found the podium with second and third place respectively. Nexen driver Tuerck reached the podium with a second place in Monroe, Wash., and championship-contender Aasbo kept his podium-winning hopes alive with a win in round six in St. Louis, and a solid third place finish in round seven in Dallas.
Paul Jho, motorsports senior manager at Nexen Tire America Inc., saw first-hand the team’s consistency and driver’s will-to-win at every stop on the Formula DRIFT series.
“When you’re working with a group as talented as Nexen Tire Motorsports Formula DRIFT Pro 1 series drivers, you really have to bring your best to the table to match the energy of these incredibly gifted individuals,” said Jho. “I know Nexen Tire Motorsports brings that energy every week and we are very proud of the team’s accomplishments this season. We are already looking forward to the 2019 Formula DRIFT season and believe we will have another great shot at both the driver and tire cup championships.”
“The Nexen Tire N’Fera SUR4G is hands-down the best-possible tire for this competition, and it has given us solid performance the entire season in just about all different racing conditions,” said Aasbo. “The Nexen Tire Motorsports squad gave it their all this year, and it shows. We couldn’t have performed at this level without the help of our sponsors like Nexen Tire, and we are grateful for all of the support they provided to our teams.”
The Nexen Tire Motorsports Team will spend the off-season preparing for the 2019 Formula DRIFT season and they are already being considered as top contenders to battle for the driver- and tire-cup championships. Driver announcements will be made prior to the 2019 season.
For more information, please contact media@nexentireusa.com.
About Nexen Tire:
Inspired by Nexen’s global family of drivers to engineer superior performing tires – from championship-winning Formula DRIFT drivers, rock-climbing off-road enthusiasts to everyday commuters – Nexen Tire utilizes proprietary technology and the highest quality standards in the industry to guarantee world-class products backed by unrivaled customer support for the life of each tire. As a worldwide leader in high-performance, passenger, SUV / light truck and winter offerings, the company is second-to-none in research, development and state-of-the-art manufacturing. And as part of a select group of tire manufacturers worldwide that are specified as standard fitment on original equipment vehicles, Nexen delivers premium products at a sensible price. Find out more about how Nexen has your back at nexentireusa.com – and join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #WeGotYou #NexenTire #NexenRacing
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