Community - Team Falken Takes First Place With Odi Bakchis At Long Beach In Round 7 Of Formula Drift Championship | Falken Tires

Team Falken Takes First Place With Odi Bakchis At Long Beach In Round 7 Of Formula Drift Championship

LONG BEACH, CA – With the return of the Long Beach Grand Prix and Formula Drift to the celebrated Southern California street course, it quickly became Team Falken’s track as veteran Falken driver Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis took first place, moving into fourth in the championship – just 56 points out of the lead – with one round left.

Southern Californians have been waiting nearly 900 days to see Formula D action on the Streets of Long Beach and the packed grandstands were treated to a spectacular evening. Team Falken’s Justin Pawlak qualified first, followed by Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara in 5th, Matt Field in 6th and Bakchis in 12th.

 All four Falken drivers advanced to the Top 16, but it was all Bakchis after that. He continued to push forward to the Final to take the win, recording his eighth career victory.

The victory keeps Bakchis a contender for the championship. “Competing here at Long Beach is that much sweeter being on the podium,” said Bakchis. “I’ve learned to appreciate these moments so much more, especially when you and your team work so hard and come close, but just don’t get there. Thank you to my team and to Falken Tires for putting everything together tonight. I’m very excited.”

“It was a great event for Team Falken,” added Steve Wong, Falken’s Supervisor, Passenger Car Motorsports and Events. “Seeing Odi up there in first place again validates how Falken's products, like the Azenis RT615K+, are capable of handling all kinds of track surfaces and come up a winner. These tires perform in every capacity – just like our drivers!”

The dramatic street circuit was exactly what Formula Drift and the fans wanted as the series prepares for its Title Fight at Irwindale Speedway, the “House of Drift,” on October 22-23. Falken’s Matt Field sits in third place in the Championship standings, just 20 points out of first, while Bakchis is right behind him in fourth. “It’s been a great season,” added Wong, “and we’ll be right there to the finish, hopefully with a Team Falken driver at the top.”