Chris Forsberg
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (May 2018) |
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| Born: | April 6, 1982 (age 36) | |
| Hometown: |  Doylestown, PA
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| Awards: | 2005 Formula D Best Comeback | |
| 2006 Formula D Best Looking Car | ||
| Meguiars Cleanest Drift
(Formula D Round 5, 2006) | ||
| Meguiars Cleanest Drift
(Formula D Round 2, 2007) | ||
| 2007 Biggest Rivalry
(against Tanner Foust) | ||
| 2007 Hardest Charger | ||
| 2007 Driver of the Year | ||
| 2007 Triple Crown Champion | ||
| 2009 Driver of the Year | ||
| 2009 Triple Crown Champion | ||
| 2009 Formula Drift Champion | ||
| 2011 Team Manager of the Year | ||
| 2013 Ace of the Year | ||
| 2014 Formula Drift Champion | ||
| 2016 Ace of the Year | ||
| 2016 Formula Drift Champion | ||
| 2016 Formula Drift World Champion | ||
| Formula D Statistics | ||
| 2018 Position: | 3rd | |
| Best Position: | 3rd | |
| First Event: | 2004 Round 1 (Atlanta, GA) | |
| First Win: | 2005 Round 6 (Irwindale, CA) | |
| Last Win: | 2018 Round 2 (Orlando, FL) | |
| Overall Statistics | ||
| Wins | Podiums | Top Tens |
| 17 | 57 | 92 |
| All stats current as of May 3, 2018. | ||
Christopher Forsberg (born April 6, 1982), is an American self-taught drifting driver from Doylestown, Pennsylvania who currently competes in the Formula Drift series in his Nissan 370Z for NOS Energy Drink. He is the most successful driver in the sport’s history, having won 3 championships and 57 podium finishes.
History
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Chris noticed his love for speed and competition at the age of six, racing bicycles with his brother. He first got into cars at the age of 10 attending drag racing events with his uncles at Maple Grove Raceway Park in Pennsylvania. He was then introduced to flat track motorcycle racing watching his cousin slide around the track. This is what planted the seed for sliding things around.
At 14 he used to take out the family tractor and get it into third and slam on the brakes which made it slide around the yard. When he became old enough to drive he borrowed a friend's MKIII Supra and drift it around a cone course he set up in a parking lot. This passion lead him to watching Initial D and Option Videos, which influenced him to sell his truck and purchase his first car, a 1988 Mazda RX-7.
After buying the RX-7 Chris became heavily involved in the east coast drifting scene. By the age of 20 he helped run the first regularly schedule East Coast Drift events. He was 21 when D1 announced they were coming to America for a drivers search so he packed up his RX-7 on a flatbed rental truck and drove 3,000 miles to California. Chris later became the American Driver for Signal Auto. In 2003, Chris moved to California to further pursue a career in drifting, it was that year Formula Drift debuted their national drift series. Chris has competed in every event since that inaugural season. In 2007, Chris, with the help of his Crew Chief, Kevin Wells, started his own team, Chris Forsberg Racing. His greatest achievement came in 2009 when he earned the title of 2009 Formula Drift Champion as well as Triple Crown Champion. Forsberg was not only the first driver to win both titles in the same year but is the first driver to win a Championship whose career originated in grassroots drifting. In 2014 his consistency reigned supreme again as he was crowned the 2014 Formula Drift Champion with a record breaking 5 podium streak and never finishing outside of the top 4, placing him with the most podium finishes in Formula Drift history. He was also awarded as the Top Qualifier with multiple 1st Place spots. His raw talent and consistent driving style have made him one of the most winningest drivers in Formula Drift History.
After nearly 15 years of competition, he built a reputation for his high speed precision driving skills, and became a major supporter of the drift community worldwide.
In 2016, despite not winning an event, Forsberg was crowned Formula Drift champion once again piloting his V8-powered Nissan 370Z. His consistency (two third-place finishes and four second-place finishes, all consecutively) allowed him to take the championship lead after round 6 in Seattle, which he continued to defend until the final round in Irwindale. That made him the most successful driver in the history of the sport. He also won the Formula Drift World Championship after participating in a Formula Drift World Championship round in Okayama, Japan, which made him eligible to score World Championship points.
In late 2016, Forsberg announced that he will use a Nissan VQ V6 engine in his 370Z (the 370Z’s factory engine) for the 2017 Formula Drift season, and in early 2017, he announced that he will team up with fellow driver Ryan Tuerck and Pacific Northwest-based Nameless Performance, who will operate his car for the 2017 season, ending his 5-year relationship with MA Motorsports.
Forsberg was set to debut his twin-turbocharged VQ-powered car at round 1 in Long Beach, California, where the car passed tech inspection, but an engine failure before practice and qualifying made him call a last-minute decision to run his old V8-powered 370Z, which he used for the first 3 rounds of the season, recording two Top-8 finishes and a Top-16 finish. Forsberg then debuted his VQ-powered 370Z at round 4 in New Jersey, but struggled to find grip on his new platform which only allowed him to earn three consecutive Top-32 finishes. Forsberg then ended his bad luck curse with second place at the penultimate round in Texas, and a Top-16 finish at the final round at Irwindale, California. His struggles and inconsistency with the new car only allowed him to finish a frustrating 12th in the final overall standings.
For the 2018 Formula Drift season, Forsberg continued to team up with Ryan Tuerck, but switched to Nexen Tires after Hankook Tire announced their withdrawal from the sport. Forsberg now operates and manages his own team which proved successful after winning Round Two of the 2018 season in Orlando.
Cars driven
- 00-03 Mazda RX7 (FC) with a rotary engine initially, then a Nissan SR20DET motor swap
- 03-04 Nissan 350Z (Z33) with a supercharged VQ engine initially, then a Nissan SR20DET motor swap
- 05 Falken Tire Nissan Silvia (S15)
- 06-10 Nissan 350Z Roadster (Z33) with a 420 HP Nissan Titan 5.6L V8
- 11-16 Nissan 370Z (Z34) with a 1000 HP Nissan Titan 5.6L V8
- 17-18 Nissan 370Z (Z34) with a 1000hp VQ37 Twin Turbo
Achievements
- Most championships of any Formula Drift driver (three, 2009, 2014, 2016)
- ALL TIME podium finisher in Formula Drift
- 2nd most winningest driver in Formula Drift
- Most consecutive podiums in Formula Drift (six)
2018
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Orlando
2017
- Invited to run at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 6, Dallas
2016
- FORMULA DRIFT WORLD CHAMPION
- FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
- Formula Drift Ace of the Year
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Atlanta
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 3, Miami
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 5, Canada
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 6, Seattle
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 7, Dallas
2015
- 3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, Orlando
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Texas Motor Speedway
2014
- FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
- Formula Drift Top Qualifier of the Year
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, Miami
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Texas Motor Speedway
- Placed 2nd at Irish Drift Championship Finale, Mondello Park, Ireland
- Placed 2nd at Red Bull Drift Shifters, New Zealand
2013
- 2nd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Formula Drift Ace of the Year
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 6, Dallas
2012
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 3, West Palm Beach
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Wall
2011
- 3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Formula Drift Team Manager of the Year
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina
- Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 3, West Palm Beach
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 7, Irwindale
- Judge of the Xtreme Drift Circuit Championship series
2010
- 6th OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
- Judge of the Xtreme Drift Circuit Championship series
2009
- FORMULA DRIFT CHAMPION
- TIRES.COM TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION
- Formula Drift Driver of the Year
- Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 4, Las Vegas
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Seattle
2008
- 5th OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- 6th OVERALL in Formula Drift World Finals
- Nominated Team Owner of the Year
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 1, Long Beach Grand Prix
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach Grand Prix
- Placed 1st in Formula Drift Team Drift Championship with Drift Alliance
2007
- TIRES.COM TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION
- 2nd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 2, Road Atlanta
- 1st privately owned team to win a Formula Drift Pro Championship event
- Qualified 1st at Formula Drift Round 3, West Virginia
- Placed 1st at Ziptied All Star Team Drift, Willow Springs
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, San Jose
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 5, Infineon Raceway
- Placed 2nd at Formula Drift Round 7, Irwindale Speedway
- Judge of the 2007 Drift Mania Canadian Championship series
2006
- Formula Drift Best Looking Car of the Year
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Team Drift, Long Beach
- Placed 1st at World Drift Series Team Drift Beijing, China
2005
- Formula Drift Best Comeback of the Year
- Placed 1st at Formula Drift Round 6, Irwindale
- 1st American to defeat a Japanese D1 driver in tandem competition
- Placed 5th in first ever D1 Grand Prix US vs. Japan, Irwindale Speedway
2004
- 3rd OVERALL in Formula Drift Series Championship
- Placed 2nd at inaugural Formula Drift, Road Atlanta
- Placed 3rd at Formula Drift Round 2, Houston
- First American built drift car on the cover of a national magazine
- Only driver to defeat champion Samuel Hubinette in Formula D 2004 season competition.
2003
- Course designer and instructor at first organized East Coast events. (DGTrials 2003)
- Aces High member of DGTrials.
- Featured in October 2003 Wired magazine article on drifting, alongside Tony Angelo