Link ECU Formula Drift PRO2 Season Finishes on a High
The 2019 Link ECU PRO2 Champion was crowned this past weekend in spectacular fashion at Texas Motor Speedway in ‘The Showdown’.
On a challenging circuit in Dallas, Californian Trenton Beechum used a high-speed onslaught to force his competition into small mistakes and defy them the chance of victory. Taking both the Round Four victory and the Overall Championship win, Beechum and his Ford Mustang finished the 2019 season just the way he started: on the top step of the podium. The Championship Top Three was rounded out with Alec Robbins finishing second and Link ECU Sponsored Garrett Denton in third.
Formula DRIFT president, Jim Liaw was elated with how the Pro 2 season went. “We started the year with the biggest field we’ve ever had, which is a great reflection of how the Category has developed and blossomed. It lived up to what it’s meant to be, which is a showcase for up-and-coming drivers who are here to learn the sport and develop themselves in order to graduate into the PRO Category. We’ve seen great competition all year and Texas Speedway is a wonderful venue for the Final. It brought lots of drama and excitement and well done to Trent Beechum for securing the title.”
After four gruelling rounds featuring over thirty drivers, the PRO2 competition this year has kept spectators entertained and intrigued. Online audiences exceeded one million viewers, while up to 15,000 spectators were present track-side. The class showcases close battles, excellent driver skill and some high extremely horsepower cars, proving itself as the perfect breeding ground for the next generation of Formula Drift superstars.
The Top 8 Driver’s in the Championship are now awarded a well-deserved PRO license to step up to Pro competition next year.
The talent from most PRO2 Drivers is evident. They boast incredible skills in controlling and manoeuvring a car with precision, but in the challenging world of Motorsport, it is important to have a clear career pathway like this to ensure young contenders can make it to the top of the sport. The Formula Drift pathway begins at the amateur level, where new Drift Pilot’s are able to qualify for the PRO2 class via their local Pro-Am series.
Link ECU is very pleased to play a part in this pathway. The sport of Drifting provides a spectacular display of bravery and horsepower on-track, combined with comradery and technical proficiency in the pits. It’s safe, legal and fun. A dream for every young car enthusiast to aspire to.
It’s important to note that the Link ECU PRO2 Championship is not limited to USA, however. Australian Josh Robinson in his LS powered Holden Ute was victorious at Round 2 in Atlanta. Robinson’s vehicle uses a Link G4+ Thunder ECU to take care of his engine limiters, boost control and many other features. With such high horsepower (circa 800 hp), it is important for these cars to have a trustworthy electronic management system to control and log all engine parameters.
Other overseas competitors include Dmitriy Brutskiy (Belarus), Karoline Pilarczyk (Poland) and Riley Sexsmith from across the border in Canada.
