Aasbo Secures Fourth Consecutive Podium for Team ENEOS at 2025 Formula DRIFT New Jersey
Chaotic weather and high-adrenaline action came pouring down onto Englishtown Raceway’s purpose-built drift arena during Round 4 of the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship, and Team ENEOS demonstrated exceptional skill to secure second on the box.
A storm ripped through the venue following the conclusion of the PROSPEC qualifying Seeding bracket, its high winds and torrential rain brought down trees and caused havoc throughout the PRO paddock area, which became only the third time in FD history that a decision was made to postpone the event.
Several PRO teams were unable to service their cars in the devastated paddock area — including our own Odi Bakchis, whose pit area took a big hit and had to be cleaned up — along with so many damaged vendor booths to present a potential hazard to spectators, so the PRO Seeding Bracket was rescheduled for the following morning before the PROSPEC Top 32. Following a big clean-up effort, teams and spectators were met with sunny and cool weather for the start of qualifying, and the action carried on until the PRO Championship Final concluded.
Eager to extend the podium streak for ENEOS following a third place finish at the previous Orlando round, Odi was on par to potentially meet Aasbo in the Final, taking down Andy Hateley and former Feal teammate Simen Olsen until facing Connor O’Sullivan in the Great 8. He pushed the Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S14.9 hard on his lead with a textbook pass, yet O’Sullivan hung tight along with Odi. Changing positions, O’Sullivan let it all hang out and Odi drove a tad overaggressively, causing him to sacrifice smoothness while chasing. The judges awarded the win to O’Sullivan, ending Odi’s podium hunt in Jersey.
The Norwegian Hammer would face his own challenging climb to the box, battling the best of the best, including Daigo Saito, Dylan Hughes and Matt Field before lining up against the four-time defending Champion James Deane in the Final 4 matchup. The international superstars would be sent to a One More Time battle, where Aasbo was able to take down Deane before the last battle of the evening with Adam LZ. There, Aasbo made an uncharacteristic mistake in the chase position, hitting the wall in OZ1, which caused him to miss most of OZ2 as he struggled to regain composure. He caught LZ in OZ3 but ran shallow to achieve the proximity and it was game over.
“Second place in Jersey feels special,” Aasbo said after claiming his carbon fiber trophy. “I’ve been struggling trying to figure this track out and it finally clicked. Gave it away a little in the Final with Adam but being on the podium feels like a win for us and ENEOS!”
Following the Englishtown round, Aasbo still remains first in the PRO Championship with 150 points; Odi continues to hold fifth with 100 points
NEXT RACE
Team ENEOS heads to World Wide Technology Raceway in St Louis for Round 5: Crossroads from July 17-29.