Qualifying Seeding Bracket Results from Atlanta

Qualifying Seeding Bracket Results from Atlanta Rounds of 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO & PROSPEC Championships.

RESULTS FROM FD PRO SEEDING BRACKET

1.   Austin Matta (USA) – Austin Matta Motorsports Nissan S14

2.   Connor O’Sullivan (USA) – OSully Racing / US Army BMW

3.   Derek Madison (USA) – Coilover Depot / Silver’s North America Nissan S14

RESULTS FROM FD PROSPEC SEEDING BRACKET

1.   Camren Sorensen (USA) – Sorensen Motorsports / Spyder E46 BMW

2.   Collete Davis (USA) – Collete Racing E46 BMW

3.   Chellee Hansen (USA) – Team Hansen Supercharged Nissan S13

PRO NOTES

• Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta remains the only track on the Formula DRIFT schedule since the series began in 2004.
• Minor changes were made to the course for the 2025 season, with outside zones and inside clips adjusted primarily to keep drivers off the grass and gravel.
• For the first time, spectators can see both the Formula DRIFT and Gridlife competitions at Road Atlanta on Friday and Saturday. Fans can enjoy the FD PRO and PROSPEC Championship Rounds, while Gridlife will hold a number of Championship rounds on the full Road Atlanta circuit.
• Formula DRIFT uses a competitive Seeding Bracket format for driver qualification into the competition heats. The first 20 PRO Championship competition places were locked in by the ranking achieved at Round 1. The remaining drivers must qualify for one of 12 competition places via the Seeding Bracket.
• The Seeding Bracket format has been reconfigured to ensure all Top 32 competition heats drivers face a driver rather than a bye run. So, of the 14 drivers seeking qualification in the Seeding Bracket, the top 8 finishers go through, with the following four places decided by driver ranking.
• Drivers receive three Championship points for every Seeding Bracket heat they win. The winning driver, for example, gains 12 points.
• Fourteen drivers competed in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket at Road Atlanta. With 12 places available, only Dan Burkett (USA) and Dmitriy Brutskiy failed to qualify.
• Matta won the Type S PRO Seeding Bracket after a tough battle with O’Sullivan. Both drivers called a Competition Time Out after a collision on the first run. The judges then awarded the win to Matta on a split decision after their second run.
• One of the most anticipated heats was between former FD PRO Champions Daigo Saito (Japan) and Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA). With drivers pushing each other to the limit, Saito was awarded the win but would lose to Rudy Hansen (USA) in the next heat. Gittin Jr still qualified for Saturday’s Top 32 thanks to his ranking.

PROSPEC NOTES

All Link ECU PROSPEC Championship teams must use Link engine management and GT Radial tires.

The Link ECU PROSPEC Seeding Bracket Qualification is locked in the first 24 places based on the Final Standings from 2024. As a result, the majority of drivers in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket were Championship Rookies

Among the new arrivals were two female drivers and a 13-year-old – all would podium in the Seeding Bracket.

The winning driver was the third Sorensen sibling in the Formula DRIFT series, joining sister Amanda in PROSPEC, while brother Branden continues in PRO. And as the youngest driver to ever compete in the series, Camren Sorensen performed flawlessly to claim position 25 in the PROSPEC competition heats on Friday.

Davis had to overcome some technical issues during qualification, with a handbrake problem causing difficulty during her Top 8 battle against Jerry Johnson (USA). However, both Johnson and Adam Heishman (USA) in the Final 4 also suffered mechanical problems, allowing Davis to continue. She lost in the Final to Sorensen by a narrow margin.

In third place, Hansen, wife of FD PRO driver Rudy Hansen (USA), scored a dominant win in the first heat, driving her Nissan S13 for the first time in competition. However, Sorensen knocked her out of the Final 4.

As with the PRO Championship, PROSPEC drivers receive three points per heat win, with Sorensen scoring 12 points thanks to his four wins.

Unfortunately, Brian Hoplamazian (USA) and Carsen Ruger (USA) failed to win their heat and were eliminated with the lowest rankings