Ryan Tuerck wins in Seattle: Toyota and Nitto lead Auto and Tire championships
SEATTLE, Washington (August 12, 2024) – Papadakis Racing Toyota driver Ryan Tuerck scored his first victory of 2024 in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla. A new setup on the vehicle gave him all the power he needed to take victory on the sweeping bank of the Evergreen Speedway track, which favors high horsepower and boost.
The Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla now runs the same inline-six cylinder engine as the MKV Toyota GR Supra and Tuerck and the team have been working hard to build confidence in the new package this year.
“I couldn’t be happier: the boys gave me a car to drive this weekend!” said Tuerck. “We showed up this weekend, threw our whole playbook away, and basically started from scratch. It was a a dogfight all the way through it but I knew from the jump we were going to be a contender.”
After defeating Daniel Stuke in the Round of 32, Tuerck earned a decisive win over Matt Field in the Top 16. In the Great 8, he ran two one-more-time battles to take down Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis and then surged ahead of Jeff Jones off the line in the Final 4 to earn his spot in the last battle of the night. In front of a raucous Pacific Northwest Crowd, he ran a victory lap to the top step of the podium after his rival suffered a mechanical failure. The result vaults Tuerck to 8th in the championship points.
“The larger size and higher speeds of Seattle call for a different tuning and setup strategy,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “We upped the power and boost, and also gave the car a larger hit of nitrous. But it’s a balance and the secret to going rounds is reliability: that’s what the team delivered.”
Meanwhile, after battling past Kyle Mohan in the Top 32, Aasbo’s day ended with a split-decision defeat by Trent Beecham in the Top 16. He scored 10th place points, landing even in the event with championship leader James Deane, who also found himself sidelined in the Top 16. He is now fourth in the points and remains in the hunt for the championship title.
The results in Seattle gave Toyota an extended lead in the Auto Cup standings, while Nitto leads GT Radial in the Tire Cup.
Next, the team heads to Utah August 29-31 for Round 7, Elevated, at Utah Motorsports Campus. The new for 2024 championship format means both Tuerck and Aasbo bypass qualifying for the event and will line up for first round competition on Saturday, August 31. Tickets are on sale now, and the event will be livestreamed free of charge on the Formula Drift YouTube channel.
The Papadakis Racing team began drifting in 2004 and is the most winning team in Formula Drift history, earning the 2022, 2021 and 2015 titles with driver Aasbo, as well as back-to-back championships with driver Tanner Foust in 2007 and 2008. Tuerck joined the Papadakis Racing team in 2020 and has shown strong results in the Toyota GR Corolla, bringing home the third-place championship trophy in 2022 and 2020. Partner Toyota has won the manufacturer’s cup eight times since 2014.
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control. In the Formula Drift series, drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, the sport has rapidly grown to one of the most popular youth-oriented motorsports in the world. Here in the United States, Formula Drift officially launched in 2004 and its national schedule of eight events routinely host capacity crowds, while live-streamed multi-platform broadcasts attract millions of online viewers.