USDrift Round 3 x Street Life Tour Ohio Results; Troy Manners takes 2nd Event Victory of the Season!
Text by Brian Eggert. Photos by Flim Flam Media
USDrift revisited the state of Ohio for the first time since 2006 and partnered up with the Mid-West's biggest automotive lifestyle event, the Street Life Tour, for Round 3 of the 2014 USDrift PRO/AM Series September 19-20, 2014. Pennsylvania native, Troy Manners, in his 1JZ powered Nissan 240SX would reach the top spot on the podium for the second time this season.
Kil-Kare Speedway located in Xenia, OH just outside of Dayton, has served as the home of Street Life Tour for the past 7 years and the event continues to grow each year. This event marked the first time the USDrift PRO/AM Series has held a round of their competition series at the venue.
Competitors came from 11 different states to battle out for the $5000 purse and a chance to be among the list of exclusive winners for this event. A few mechanical failures in Friday's practice caused some competitors to retire early from the event, however a solid field of 16 drivers were able to make the cut for the under the lights night event.
The Top 16 round was action-packed and featured a couple "One More Time" matches. The most notable being between Salvatore DiPompo, who was leading the series in points going into this round and Mike Feiock and his Mazda RX-8 from Indiana. The result of the "One More Time" would send DiPompo out of the competition early and allow Feiock to move on, as well as give the other competitors a chance to gain valuable points on DiPompo's lead in the season standings.
Next in the Super 8 round, another big battle resulting in a "One More Time" would take place between Manners and Brian Peter, from Wisconsin, in his popular Mazda RX-7, with Manners moving on to the Final 4. Another big match would [again] showcase Feiock against Andrew Lewis from Missouri. In the end, Feiock sealed his own fate by being overly aggressive with Lewis throwing down consistent solid runs.
For the Consolation Round, Bissey was still unable to replace the axle (broken in the Final 4) in resonable time and had to forfeit again giving Nerren third place and his first podium finish.
After a "One More Time" in the Final Round, Manners, who won Round 1 at Summit Point Raceway, was able to edge past Lewis and take the victory. Manners, stocked on his win at Kil-Kare Speedway claimed, "Undefeated in the 2014 season, I just won Street Life Tour 2014!" after the event. The win at Round 3 puts Manners in third place; just 16 points away from first despite failing to compete in Round 2.
"Street Life Tour and Kil-Kare Speedway provided a perfect fit for the USDrift PRO/AM Series, the fans and the atmosphere were great and we couldn't have asked for a better partnership," said Brian Eggert, Event Director of USDrift. "We're already looking forward to next season and hope we can continue this collaboration for many years to come."
The 2014 USDrift PRO/AM Series continues with Rounds 4 and 5 taking place at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, VA on October 4-5, 2014. With the double header weekend set just 2 short weeks away, the battle for the championship will no doubt be decided at the last round and make for an exciting end to the season.
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USDrift Round 3 Results:
1. Troy Manners [Punxsutawney, PA]
2. Andrew Lewis [Bloomsdale, MO]
3. Jonathan Nerren [Concord, NC]
USDrift 2014 Standings After Three Rounds:
1. Jim Bissey [PA] - 247 pts
2. Salvatore DiPompo [NJ] - 237 pts
3. Troy Manners [PA] - 231 pts
4. Steve Angerman [NJ] - 183 pts
5. Chris Allen [NJ] - 128 pts
6. Reese Marin [PA] - 114 pts
7. Geoff Stoneback [PA] - 106 pts
8. Andrew Lewis [MO] - 105 pts
9. James Evans [MD] - 103 pts
10. David Bellomo [VA] - 95 pts
