Northeast Georgia rumbled with the sound of thousands of horsepower and tire squeal as Formula Drift came to town for Round Two of the 2008 Championship Series. Thousands filled the stands at Road Atlanta in Braselton, anticipating fierce fender-to-fender drift action. This round was also the first of the three Tires.com events for the Triple Crown Championship.

The Usual Suspects

The top unseeded qualifier of the event was the 2005-series-champion Rhys Millen. Now recovered from the back injuries he suffered while performing an exhibition stunt, Millen was hungry for a win. He returned to the track in top form, leading the unseeded qualifiers. The other unseeded drivers that qualified for the top 16 were Hiro Sumida, Stephan Verdier and Robbie Nishida.

The Rookie Climbs The Ranks

The top-16 field was composed of many familiar faces. As the eliminations proceeded, drivers began to battle around turns 9, 10A and 10B. Formula D newcomer Michihiro Takatori in the Super Autobacs Skyline R34 really shook things up when he defeated Long Beach winner Chris Forsberg in the first battle. Takatori continued dominating the track when he sent the "Crazy Swede" Sam Hubinette home for the weekend, earning himself a spot in the semi's against Ryan Tuerck in the Pontiac Solstice. Adding to his victories for the day, Takatori's impressive performance prevailed once more to secure him a spot in the finals.

On the other side of the eliminations ladder, Millen went on to demonstrate that he's still on top of his game. After beating Darren McNamara in the Saturn Sky, Millen defeated Vaughn Gittin Jr. to secure a spot in the semi-final round. In the race for a shot at the finals, Millen faced his teammate Dai Yoshihara. It was Solstice versus GTO in a battle that was too close to call. A sudden-death round was necessary, and although the match was close, Millen advanced to the final round.

A Veteran Leads The Way

Millen and Takatori lined up for the final battle. The drivers each delivered consistent drifts during the tandem battle. Their scores were within a point of each other, warranting a round of sudden death. This would be the fifth "one-more-time" matchup of the day. When Rhys was the lead car, he was able to pull away from Takatori, earning the necessary points to secure his fourth career win in the Formula D series.

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