Faruk Kugay’s Course Is Clear as He Prepares for Formula Drift Round 3
September 7, 2020
St. Louis, MO
Rounds 1 and 2 of Pro Formula Drift wrapped up this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, MO. Competitors lined up hours before each on-track session as they were champing at the bit to get out after a pandemic-delayed season of nearly five months. After chasing a variety of issues throughout testing, Team Faruk put technical demons to rest before the weekend commenced to give Faruk his strongest machine yet, known as Razetil.
Having taken off the 2019 season to focus on rebuilding the team, doing drifting demonstrations, and competing on Hyperdrive on Netflix, Faruk’s learning curve was steep as he reentered the top level of competition this weekend. After Saturday’s sessions he decided to focus on having a more aggressive drag race to first initiation for Round 2 on Sunday.
His battle pitted him against Matt Field, who was more en pointe and eventually took home fourth place. Faruk did achieve his goal of improving upon his drag racing and was able to put pressure on Field. He says, “Razetil is simply the most responsive and aggressive car I’ve ever driven. It’s an amazing feeling to have built a car as fast as one of the top teams in Formula Drift. All cards on the table, I’ve never driven a car this fast. There is a learning curve that I am humbled by with this car, and I look forward to learning from it very quickly.”
With greater resolve than ever, Faruk is prepared to face fierce competition in Monroe, WA the weekend of September 25 - 27, 2020. His dedication to grassroots efforts remains strong, and he hopes to inspire others on their road to the top level of drifting competition.
Faruk Kugay (silver car) battles Matt Field (teal car).
To view more photos of Team Faruk from this weekend, please visit:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QoETenZkVgV38xw-d_99mAQvjDxjD162?usp=sharing
About Team Faruk:
Team Faruk operates out of SGK Performance at Sonoma Raceway. In 2019 Faruk Kugay was featured in multiple episodes of Hyperdrive on Netflix. Faruk also manages Sonoma Drift, which brings together a local community of racing enthusiasts most weeks during the year, along with hosting the wildly popular Winter Jam. Formula Drift is streamed worldwide and will next be headed to Monroe, WA September 25 - 27, 2020 for Rounds 3 and 4.
Heather Taylor
Manager, Team Faruk
Photos by Larry Chen