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Ford Mustang RTR Driver Chelsea Denofa Finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta
Ford Mustang RTR Driver Chelsea Denofa Finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta
26 May 2017
Ford Mustang RTR driver Chelsea Denofa finishes Top 16 at Formula Drift Atlanta
Chelsea Denofa, driver of the K&N/BC Racing Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR finished the Formula Drift Atlanta event in the Top 16, winning his first tandem elimination battle before losing in a “one more time” battle with Formula Drift veteran Ryan Tuerck in the top 16. The finish marks the first Top 16 appearance of the season for Denofa as he continues to get used to the power and grip levels of the Ford Mustang, and the team feels optimistic that results will continue to improve through the weekend.
Denofa joined the Ford Mustang RTR team in the off-season, and the increased amount of grip and horsepower have required Denofa to learn the new setup over the past few events. On Friday, Denofa qualified 7th on the grid with a score of 88 points, just 6 positions behind his K&N/Mustang RTR teammate Gittin Jr. who sat on the pole position. Denofa and the team were excited and confident entering the tandem eliminations. In his first battle, Denofa faced local rookie Taylor Hull in the Top 32 round and would earn the win with two consistent runs and a lead run that left Hull many car lengths behind in proximity. Hull would have mechanical issues on his second run and would be unable to finish his lead run, but Denofa had a clear advantage even before the mechanical DNF for Hull.
As Denofa heard his name being announced in front of the packed crowd at Road Atlanta, he mentally began planning ahead for his Top 16 battle with Formula Drift journeyman Ryan Tuerck. Although the two have never done battle previously in Formula Drift competition, both drivers were pumped to compete against each other as they both are perceived to be championship contenders. The battle between the two was fierce, with nearly identical runs in the lead and chase position. Denofa’s aggressive chase run was enough to earn the vote from one of the three Formula Drift judges, but the other two judges voted for the drivers to battle in a “one more time” sudden death round.
K&N-sponsored Chelsea Denofa drifting in front of a packed house at Road Atlanta
The second pair of battles was just as tough, with both drivers laying down a pair of nearly identical runs which thrilled the crowd. While one judge decided that the battle was worthy of yet another “one more time” round, the other two judges sided with Tuerck. Denofa accepted the defeat with grace, knowing that the finish was his best of the season, and is already looking ahead to the next round of competition.
“I feel like I’m finally one with the car,” said Denofa after the event. “I’m stoked, I had the best run I’ve had all year with this car, it feels like an extension of me.” Denofa continued. Denofa and Gittin Jr. swung by the Roush Yates Engine factory earlier in the week, who’s the engine provider for both cars, providing some demos and ride-alongs for employees of the company. Both drivers will be running demonstrations at the Street Driven Tour event at Virginia International Raceway this weekend as well before heading to Wall, New Jersey for Round 4 of the Formula Drift championship on June 2nd and 3rd.
