Christopher Forsberg (born April 6, 1982), is an American Formula D driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan Z (Z34) for NOS Energy Drink, and is the owner, driver and shop manager of Forsberg Racing.
Forsberg has competed in every round of Formula Drift since 2004, and is a three-time Formula Drift champion. During this time he has amassed the all-time head-to-head battle wins and most podium finishes in Formula Drift history.[1]
Forsberg Racing (with Bryan Heitkotter as their driver) will compete in the 2021 Gridlife Touring Cup wheel-to-wheel racing championship. Their entry is a Nissan 370z.
Closing out the 2020 Formula Drift season, Forsberg won the award for Best Drifting Style and Forsberg Racing's James Caldwell won Crew Chief of the Year at the Virtual Awards Banquet as voted on by Formula Drift teams.[2]
Forsberg Racing also has two entries in the eSports World Championships. This esports racing series mimics the FIA GT World Challenge and uses the Assetto Corsa Competizione software platform. The team consists of Bryan Heitkotter driving a Nissan GT-R GT3 Nismo and Chris Forsberg himself. Forsberg will complete his second eSports racing season in the Forsberg Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.[3][4]
Early life
As a teenager, Forsberg learned how to work on cars with his black 1988 Mazda RX-7 FC.
By March 2003 Mike Napp, then president of the facility,[6] gave the Forsberg permission to organize motorsport events.
Professional Drifting Career
2020
Forsberg lands on the podium at Round 5 and backs it up with a 1st Place finish in Round 6. Engine failure during rounds 7 and 8 took them out of the championship contention. Forsberg finished 5th overall.
2019
After two years of struggling with the VQ platform, the team committed to the Nissan VR38DETT engine. The team finished sixth overall and were able to prove the VR engine’s reliability.
2018
Forsberg takes control of the race team yet again and rebuilds the car with his team in southern California. This was a year of growth for the pit crew at Forsberg Racing and a lot of work was put into making the car more competitive. Even with multiple engine failures, the team managed several podiums as well as a win in Round 3. The team finished fourth overall.
2017
Chris moved back to California from Maryland. Nameless Performance took over the race team management and vehicle prep. The team decided to develop a twin-turbo VQ35HR engine package versus the V8. The season’s 11th overall finish was due to multiple engine issues and having to use the backup car several times
2016
Despite not winning an event, Forsberg was crowned Formula Drift champion once again piloting his V8-powered Nissan 370Z. His consistency (two third-place finishes and four second-place finishes, all consecutively) allowed him to take the championship lead after round six in Seattle, which he continued to defend until the final round in Irwindale. He also won the Formula Drift World Championship after participating in a Formula Drift World Championship round in Okayama, Japan, which made him eligible to score World Championship points.
2015
Third overall. Ran the first half of the season without major financial support. Third year in a row of top-three championship finishes.
2014
This season Chris and the team held points position from the first round to the last round (*never lost points position*) and would clinch his second Formula Drift title. Lost NOS Energy Drink as a primary sponsor due to the company's corporate restructuring resulting in fewer funds and a raw carbon fiber matte black livery. This season the car was upgraded by 150hp which included nitrous. The Forsberg Racing team also expanded to include two cars for 2014, with Jhonnattan Castro taking the second seat in an updated version of Forsberg's 2012 370Z chassis. Forsberg also presented the idea of the "Start Line Chicane" to Formula Drift which has now been implemented in nearly every drifting series in the world.
2013
This season proved to be a contentious one. Chris would get second overall, but not without rumors, wild accusations, and conspiracy theories.[7]
2012
The team parted ways with their crew chief and Chris moved to Maryland, where MA Motorsports would prepare and build his race cars. Focus was on vehicle weight reduction and engine reliability. The team would finish 11th overall.
2011
This was Chris's first full season in a 370Z and a Nissan Motorsports engine. This car had factory angle, factory brakes, and a factory gas tank. Nissan supplied the chassis and motor. The car was mildly built with a focus on good reliability. The team finished 3rd overall.
2010
Formula Drift in the new decade brought in more V8s and more power. Midway through 2010 the team installed an upgraded Nissan Motorsports engine adding 200hp, bringing total horsepower up from approximately 380rwhp to 580rwhp. 2010 proved to be another year of growth for the team in which they set themselves up for future competitiveness.
2009
Chris would win his first Formula Drift championship, as well as the Tires.com Triple Crown bonus prize (first driver to win both in the same season). His win marks the first time a Formula Drift champion has come from a purely drifting/enthusiast background whereas previous champions had professional motorsport experience.[8]
2008
NOS Energy Drink commits to a full title sponsorship, building on their previous relationship. The year started off by beating Tanner Foust and Sam Hubbinette at Long Beach, taking first place.
2007
This was the first year Chris was running his own team and acting as team manager. Collaborating with Maxxis tires, and on a shoestring budget, he would campaign for a top three-level team. This was a breakout year for Chris Forsberg Racing fueled by contingency money. Because they kept winning, Maxxis would match Formula Drift’s earned winnings. The team finished a strong second place overall, paving the way for his NOS Energy Drink sponsorship.
2006
Nissan North America took notice of Chris' driving campaign efforts and so they gave him a convertible 350z for the 2006 season. The team swapped the stock VQ35DE engine for the Nissan Titan's VK56DE V8. This was not a competitive car for Chris and he had to use his backup car, the SR20DET 350Z for a few rounds as he sorted out the V8 and its chassis. He had two unfavorable rounds of the seven, though he still qualified.
2005
Chris competed in the Team Falken Password JDM Silvia S15. His last battle of the season was also the season finale and was against Rhys Millen in his GTO. Super Street documented the drama: "The finals between Rhys Millen and Team Falken's Chris Forsberg would be something for the books however. On Forsberg's old 350Z, he had a sticker that said, "too close for missiles, switching to guns!" Well, in the season finale and the final battle, the sticker could have read 'where there's smoke, there's fire!' That's right, in blazing glory and a fiery drift battle, Forsberg's rear bumper lit up as he went completely sideways through the course at speeds only Millen could duplicate. A one more time was in the works which proved too much for Millen's GTO. Suspension problems would ensue on the GTO as Forsberg continued his consistency through the track at blazing speed producing tons of smoke." Chris moved on to win the round and would attain his first Formula Drift win.[9]
2004
In 2004 Chris placed second at his first ever Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta and followed it up with another podium finish at round 2 in Houston, Texas.
Chris would drive the 350Z SR20DET for part of the inaugural season, and for one race had to switch to a borrowed Nissan Silvia S13 because of technical difficulties. The SR20DET Z finished the campaign.
After Irwindale, the team participated in a D1 event in which Chris became the first American driver to beat a Japanese driver, Team Orange’s Kazuhiro Tanaka.
In 2014 Chris purchased a stripped-down RB motor equipped 1975 280Z for $4,000 with no intention of making it a show car, that is until AEM approached him about displaying it in their 2016 SEMA booth.[10][11]
With help from RAD Industries some of the car’s build specs include: CarbonSignal seats, carbon/suede door cards/center console, widebody kit, TechnoToy Tuning suspension, Wilwood brakes, Speedhut meters, hydraulic handbrake, 500hp RB25DET engine and custom SSR MS-1 wheels. “Gold Leader” would win SuperStreet/Meguiar’s Best in Show and the Sony Playstation Best Import award.[12][13]
Nissan Rally 370Z x Broken Motorsports
The Rally Z buildout is an American Rally Association compliant homage to the 1971 East African Safari Rally overall winner Datsun 240Z.[14] The collaboration between Nissan/Nismo and Broken Motorsports was intended for display at SEMA 2020, but because of the global pandemic, it never saw the inside of a convention center.[15]
2011 Toyota Nascar 2JZ-GTE x Good Enough! x Gumout
For his Youtube channel series Good Enough! Chris and the gang purchased an ex-Brandon McReynolds Nascar. Forsberg took it to Irwindale Speedway with Ryan Tuerck. Forsberg did one 1/8th mile pass, with a 0.499 reaction, for a 7.9466 at 94.38mph where they would ultimately blow the engine. The guys swapped in a 2JZ-GTE making 750-800 horsepower; upgrades include Brian Crower rods, JE pistons, and a Garrett GTX4088 turbocharger.
2006 Infiniti M56 "La Flama Blanca" (the Party Car)
The M56 is a four-seat demo drift car complete with a 500 hp VK56DE 5.6L V8 engine. Chris built this car in 2010 at his shop in Southern California with the idea of having a four-seat ride along vehicle. The roll cage was custom designed and fabricated by Chris so that all four bucket seats (Recaro SPG driver seat; SPG XL passenger seats) are able to fit safely and securely. Engine mods include Nissan Motorsports individual throttle-bodies, Jim Wolf camshafts, and custom Tri-Y exhaust, which is mounted to a 350Z transmission, an ACT twin disc clutch, and a custom Driveshaft Shop driveshaft and axles.[16]
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Jimmie Johnson x Valvoline
Valvoline reached out to Chris to build a brand new Silverado and then take it out with NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson where Chris orchestrated the entire build. Some features include ICON Vehicle Dynamics suspension and wheels, tubular bumpers, Rigid LED lights, and some engine performance upgrades from K&N and Magnaflow. The truck was later given away in a sweepstakes.
2009 Nissan 370Z Twin Turbo x Drift Garage
Drift Garage, a Youtube series produced by Network A was hosted by Chris Forsberg and Ryan Tuerck. Chris, along with friends Dylan Hughes (fabricator) and Brian Wilkerson from MA Motorsports built a "just for fun" demonstration car with a "might as well…" build philosophy.[17]
The 370Z was gutted and rebuilt completely after the show. Some of its features include: VQ35HR engine, Fast Intentions Stage II turbo kit, SSR SP4s wheels with Hankook RS3 tires, Nismo body kit, Seibon Carbon fiber body panels.[10]
1988 Mazda "Forsberg’s First" RX7
Chris first purchased this car in March 2000 when he was 17 years old with the intention of learning how to drift and would take it to the first Club Loose events at Englishtown Raceway Park. Since then it's had four owners and in 2004, it nearly completed a full season of Formula Drift. In 2009 Chris purchased the car from Lindsay Ross. Slowly working on bringing it back to life over the past 10 years. The goal is a 250hp naturally aspirated, easy to drive weekender package rather than lots of power and speed.[18]
Motor Trend's "Drift This"
Drift This was a 2019 web series produced by Motor Trend featuring Chris Forsberg and Ryan Tuerck. The premise of the show was to take improbable drift car candidates and modify them "using creative engineering, custom fabrication, and pure brute horsepower."[19]
Some of the vehicles featured in Drift This were a 35-foot Escalade limousine, a turbocharged LS UPS truck, a sandrail, a bubble Caprice, a military issue Humvee M998, and bumper cars.[20]
Formula Drift Results, Accolades and Accomplishments
ALL-TIME podium finisher in Formula Drift
Most wins in head-to-head competition in Formula Drift
Most consecutive podiums in Formula Drift (six)
2022
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 2, Atlanta
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, Orlando
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Seattle
2021
Formula Drift Comeback of the Year
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 4, Englishtown
2020
Formula Drift Hardest Charger of the Year
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 5, Dallas
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 6, Dallas
2019
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 2, Orlando
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 7, Texas
2018
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Orlando
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 3, Atlanta
2017
Invited to run at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 6, Dallas
2016
FORMULA DRIFT WORLD CHAMPION
FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
Formula Drift Ace of the Year
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Atlanta
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 3, Miami
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 5, Canada
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 6, Seattle
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 7, Dallas
2015
3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, Orlando
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Texas Motor Speedway
2014
FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
Formula Drift Top Qualifier of the Year
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, Miami
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Texas Motor Speedway
Placed 2nd at Irish Drift Championship Finale, Mondello Park, Ireland
Placed 2nd at Red Bull Drift Shifters, New Zealand
2013
2nd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Formula Drift Ace of the Year
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Dallas
2012
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, West Palm Beach
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
2011
3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Formula Drift Team Manager of the Year
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina
Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 3, West Palm Beach
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 7, Irwindale
Judge of the Xtreme Drift Circuit Championship series
2010
6th OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
Judge of the Xtreme Drift Circuit Championship series
2009
FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
TIRES.COM TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION
Formula Drift Driver of the Year
Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Las Vegas
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
2008
5th OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
6th OVERALL in Formula Drift World Finals
Nominated Team Owner of the Year
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach Grand Prix
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
Placed 1st in Formula Drift Team Drift Championship with Drift Alliance
2007
TIRES.COM TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION
2nd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
1st privately owned team to win a Formula Drift Pro Championship event
Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 3, West Virginia
Placed 1st at Ziptied All Star Team Drift, Willow Springs
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, San Jose
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Infineon Raceway
Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 7, Irwindale Speedway
Judge of the 2007 Drift Mania Canadian Championship series
2006
Formula Drift Best Looking Car of the Year
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach
Placed 1st at World Drift Series Team Drift Beijing, China
2005
Formula Drift Best Comeback of the Year
Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 6, Irwindale
1st American to defeat a Japanese D1 driver in tandem competition
Placed 5th in first ever D1 Grand Prix US vs. Japan, Irwindale Speedway
2004
3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
Placed 2nd at inaugural Formula Drift, Road Atlanta
Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Houston
First American built drift car on the cover of a national magazine
Only driver to defeat champion Samuel Hubinette in Formula D 2004 season competition.
2003
Course designer and instructor at first organized East Coast events. (DGTrials 2003)
Aces High member of DGTrials.
Featured in October 2003 Wired magazine article on drifting, alongside Tony Angelo
The Nissan Z-series is a model series of sports cars manufactured by Nissan since 1969.
The Nissan 350Z is a two-door, two-seater sports car that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Corporation from 2002 until 2009 and marks the fifth generation of Nissan's Z-car line. The 350Z entered production in 2002 and was sold and marketed as a 2003 model from August 2002. The first year there was only a coupe, as the roadster did not debut until the following year. Initially, the coupe came in Base, Enthusiast, Performance, Touring and Track versions, while the Roadster was limited to Enthusiast and Touring trim levels. The Track trim came with lightweight wheels and Brembo brakes, but its suspension tuning was the same as all other coupes. The Nissan 350Z was succeeded by the 370Z for the 2009 model year.
Formula DRIFT is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula DRIFT was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that introduced D1 Grand Prix to the United States. The new entity would solely own, operate and launch the first official drifting series in North America. Formula DRIFT is not associated with the FIA series of formula racing championships.
Kenshiro "Ken" Gushi is one of Japan's top competitors in the sport of drifting. Born in Okinawa, Japan but raised in San Gabriel, California, he was taught by his father Tsukasa Gushi at the age of 13 with a Toyota AE86. Ken has become the youngest competitor in both the D1 Grand Prix of Japan and the Formula Drift Championships of the U.S. when he was 16, despite not passing his driving test at the time.
Advanced Engine Research, Ltd. is an auto racing engine manufacturer based in Basildon, Essex, England. Established in 1997, AER has developed winning engines for a number of high-profile international race series in sports car, prototype racing, rallying, touring car, and open wheel racing. They have designed engines derived from road car platforms, but their emphasis is on clean sheet designed engines with a focus on electronics and turbochargers. Their engines have raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), the United SportsCar Championship (TUSC), GP3, British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Nissan/Renault World Series, Grand-Am, Paris Dakar and FIA Sportscar Championship. They have worked with a number of manufacturers including Mazda, Ford, Hyundai, MG/Rover, Nissan, and Toyota. In 2012, AER developed and built Formula One turbo test engines to current rules and in July 2012, AER was chosen as engine partner and supplier to the new GP3 racing series. They currently supply engines for the Indy Lights series.
The Nissan 370Z is a 2-door, 2-seater sports car manufactured by Nissan Motor Company. It was announced on October 29, 2006, and was first shown at an event in Los Angeles ahead of the 2008 Greater LA Auto Show, before being officially unveiled at the show itself. The 370Z is the sixth generation of the Nissan Z-car line, succeeding the 350Z. The 370Z marks the last production car with a naturally aspirated and high-rev V6 coupled to a manual transmission. The 2020 model year was the final model year for the 370Z. The line was continued by the Nissan Z (RZ34) on a modified version of the same platform.
Vaughn Gittin Jr., commonly known as JR, is a self-taught, professional drifter from Maryland who competes in Formula Drift. He drives a Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-D sponsored by Monster Energy, Nitto Tire, and Ford Performance. Gittin won the Formula Drift Championship in 2010 and 2020, and competes alongside teammate Chelsea DeNofa. Gittin also competes in the Ultra4 Racing series in his 4400 Class Ford Bronco and is the creator of RTR Vehicles, which is his vision for the Mustang, F-150, Ranger and other one of a kind Fords.
Katsuhiro Ueo is a Japanese professional drifting driver, whose currently competing in D1 Grand Prix with a Nissan Silvia S15, well known for formerly using the Toyota AE86 in the series. He is also known as, Therefore, it is.
Daigo Saito is a Japanese professional drifting driver, currently competing in the D1 Grand Prix series and Formula Drift Japan. He formerly competed in Formula DRIFT USA and World Championship series for Achilles Radial. He was the first driver to win the two drifting majors, D1GP in 2008 and Formula D in 2012.
The 2009 Formula D season was the sixth season for the Formula D series. The series began April 11 and concluded on October 11. Chris Forsberg took his first series title in a Nissan 350Z; the third season in succession in which a Nissan car had won the championship.
Daijiro Yoshihara, also known as Dai, is a Japanese professional driver with a diverse and impressive career across various motorsport disciplines including drifting, road racing, time attack, hill climb, stunt driving and instructing with multiple championships and records.
Carl Rydquist is a Swedish-American FIA Silver and Trans-Am racing driver and a SAG-AFTRA licensed stunt and precision driver who has won many auto races and racing championships. Rydquist gained notoriety for his speed in 2001 when he beat more than 1100 enthusiasts and professional racedrivers in a gocart challenge created by Eurosport to promote their Super Racing Weekend FIA GT and ETCC sports coverage. The event propelled him to his first GT Endurance ride with Apex Racing's Porsche. Rydquist actively competes in racing and has competed in professional drifting. In Rydquist's auto racing career, he currently has a victory in more than one third of his races and podium finishes in three out of four Touring and GT car endurance and sprint races.
Justin Thomas Pawlak, also known as JTP, is an American professional drifter who currently competes in the Formula D series. He earned his Formula D Professional license in 2006 and later earned his D1 license. In 2010, he was picked up Team Falken Tire and has been with them ever since. For the 2012 FD Season, he drives the 2013 Falken Tire Ford Mustang RTR. Justin continues his support of local, grassroots drifting by judging the Just Drift Top Drift series alongside fellow Formula D drivers Taka Aono and Hiro Sumida.
Ryan Tuerck is an American professional drifter from Derry, New Hampshire who currently competes in the U.S. Formula Drift series.
The 2014 Formula D season, officially titled the Formula Drift Pro Championship, was the eleventh season of the Formula D series. The season began on April 4 at Long Beach and ended on October 11 at Irwindale Speedway.
Tomonobu Fujii is a Japanese racing driver.
Michael Brandon Whiddett also known as "Mad Mike", is a New Zealand drifting racer. He is sponsored by Red Bull. Whiddett has also raced motocross from the age of six and placed second at the New Zealand 1997 Pro junior 85cc Motocross Champs.
The 2018 Formula D season was the fifteenth season of the Formula D series. The season began on April 7 at Long Beach and concluded on October 13 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale after eight events. The series celebrated its 100th championship round at Wall Speedway.
The 2020 Formula D season was the seventeenth season of the Formula D series. The season began on September 5 at World Wide Technology Raceway and concluded on November 22 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale after eight events.
SSR Wheels is a Japanese wheel manufacturer for both motorsport and aftermarket applications, headquartered in Osaka, Japan.
References
↑ SitePoint. "Formula DRIFT". www.formulad.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-18. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
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