Story and Photography by Merrick Harding (@merrick_media)
Formula DRIFT PRO Round 2 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta delivered high drama, as James Deane edged past Fredric Aasbo in a Final that needed six runs to decide a winner.
Heavy rain soaked the 2.54-mile course, pushing drivers to the limit. Deane, in the AutoZone Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD, used his wet-weather experience to lay down sharp, aggressive runs. Aasbo, driving the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra, matched the pace and forced two One More Time calls before judges awarded Deane the win.
鈥淭his was one of the toughest battles of my career,鈥� Deane said. He and Aasbo are now tied atop the standings.
Aurimas 鈥淥di鈥� Bakchis (Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S14.9) claimed third, while Jhonnattan Castro took a career-best fourth and jumped to fifth overall. Connor O鈥橲ullivan led rookies in 22nd, topping the 2025 ROTY race.
In PROSPEC Round 1, Cory Talaska scored his first career win over two-time champ Dmitriy Brutskiy. Talaska now leads PROSPEC, while 13-year-old Camren Sorensen impressed by winning the Seeding Bracket.
With the leaderboard tied and rivalries heating up, Road Atlanta once again proved it鈥檚 one of drifting鈥檚 most exciting stages.
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