As the North American Speedhunters assemble in Vegas this weekend for Formula Drift Rd.5, we are now more than half way through the 2010 season.
For our poll this week, we want to know who you think has been the most impressive Formula Drift competitor during the first half of the year.
Several drivers could be considered here, but we came up with four who have definitely stood out this year. The first is Dai Yoshihara, who dominated the East Coast portion of the season with back to back wins in Atlanta and New Jersey.
Next is Vaughn Gittin Jr. ,who kicked off the season with a win in Long Beach, followed by two consecutive second place finishes behind Dai.
Tanner Foust is someone can never be ruled out. He won the most recent event in Seattle, and had two third place finishes earlier in the season.
Finally we have fan-favorite Fredric Aasbo. He's only appeared in two events so far, but in both of those he be brought the fight right to FD's most established drivers.
So, who's impressed you the most out of these four fellows?
OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS
Assbo is KILLING IT! If he competes every round, he could be on of FD's top drivers.
needs a none of the above option
wheres nikolay konstantinov he deserves this haha
vaughn is always impressive , so has Dai this year with his confidence back, but Aasbo has just brought so much excitement to the season in such limited appearances , you just gotta hand this award to him. the champ killer Aasboo
its gotta be Daijiro Yoshihara. i mean yeah, JR and Foust (in their factory-backed works machines) put down consistently good performances year after year, but what's more impressive than that is a comeback as dramatic and wildly successful as Dai's. after switching cars with relative success since his debut, dai ran into trouble with the LS6-powered IS350 (IS620?), which ended in a wreck that left him seriously considering retirement from Formula D. but this year he's made a huge comeback with back-to-back wins-- especially impressive in a little old S-chassis (albeit powered by an LS6). pretty good imo for someone who used to drive trucks for a living.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DRFTmonkeh
Personally I would go with Mad Mike, but he's not on there.
It would easily have to be Dai, he more consistent than anyone listed above. Should make this an open pole to any of the drivers
I'm with Heretic Ghoul, Mad Mike has been my favorite driver of the year. Always ready to throw down and keeping drifting what it should be.
Aasbo BY FAR!! Aasbo has pure talent!! You don't see him with big factory teams backing him just the pure drive and love of the sport that powers him on!
Ditto on Mad Mike. Bring back the style in drifting. Of those listed I have to say Assbo. He's the closest were gonna get to a "Daigo Saito" over here.
Definately Aasbo.
i like dai ..still killing it with a s13 chassis awesome......
+1 for Mad Mike
Well if fd wasn't controlled by the drift alliance crew forrest wang would be the top driver....but alas somehow he is always put up against a da driver whom the judges take sides with. But as for the poll def aasbo
nikolay konstantinov!!!
KySharo +1
right on, mate
mad mike brah!!!
None of the above, James Deane has to be the most impressive, one appearance in a car he didn't know and a top 4 finish. He's back in the saddle this weekend, just watch him smoke em up in the twin battle !
#1 (sorry)
Fredric Aasbo.
how about the guy who doesnt have a quarter-million dollar budget in his car, and still makes the veterans look like chumps? yeah aasbo all the way
I Agree with Irish25256 ...
Where is D-Mac?
AASBO? if u havent noticed, he hasnt even podiumed! thats terrible even adding him to this list! RYAN TUERCK is 31!
Aasbo all the way, he's definitely going to win top rookie of the year. Dai is a close second though, it's good to see him back on top and feeling comfortable in s13.
emmm RMR?
next time try to include all the drivers, its more fair when we can pic the actual driver whos impressed us instead of the ones you want us to pic from
Aasbo hands down!! Not only is/was he lacking the sponsorship, but his Supra is near stock. His performances are by far some of the most impressive and fun to watch. Can't wait to see him again, hopefully he comes back to Irwindale!
KARNAGE FTMFW!!!
Rookie of the year for sure if it wasn't for breaking axles and being let down by the team!
James Deane is worth mentioning too and we shall see how he gets along in Vegas later on toad when qualifying commences.
Someone say Mad Mike? Please.....
Assbo kill everybody !!
personally, i gotta say matt powers, i was so stoked when he made it into top 32, but i think dai has done really good too
Aasbo !
No doubt!
Sorry typo... Aasbo not ASSbo my bad!
Mad mike? really? I like his CAR as much as the next guy, but he's not even on the same track as guys like JR and Dai...
There's only one - F. Aasbo. People rarely remember winners, the most impressive, exciting etc. people stays in their memory longer. I don't remember where I red that but that's totally true. Aasbo is a great driver, I had a honor to watch him in person @ Gatebil in Mantorp 2009 he was killin` it, such agression, such madness...
Aasbo for sure.
asaabo, his car is kinda a beater and hes putting alot of ppl to shame
I would vote for Dai, as I think he will take it in Irwindale from Gitten, but the question is, "Who Impressed Me Most".
Dai and Tanner and Vaughn we are used to these guys on or near the top. AASBO gets my vote, as an UNKNOWN with a totally underpowered and under-engineered car (compared to the rest) and he scares the CRAP out of the pros that go against him. NOBODY made the crowd scream at Long Beach like he did. I'm not a fanboi, I think he has another year of learning the tracks. But look out in 2011, this guy needs to be in Formula D like a fish needs to be in water!
Mad mike representing kiwi style!!
Aasbo.
Guy is holding his car together with red duct tape and dreams, while the other guys have big sponsors, have been running in FD for YEARS, and make hundreds of thousands on the side doing stunt/comercial driving and expositions.
Mad Mike, lmao!! "you never had your car"
Aasbo without a doubt!! Not only does he not have big time sponsorship, but last i read his Supra is near stock and he still kicks ass! His performance is intense and exciting! Not to mention he is a new face to FD!
Asbo rules..
My vote goes to Foust, bu the old Foust, the one who drove a 350Z before this major Toyota/Scion contract...
The Foust that scared the s**t out of the other drivers
Aasbo for sure. That guy is fucking killin it.
aasbo. he is pure drifting - what drifting should be. pure talent.
Aasbo, no doubts. Pedal to the metal style =)
Aasbo
All For Dai... Dude Is The Man..! haha
I Love That S13! Wish It Was Mine...
GO DAI YOSHIHARA! just cuz he's japanese lol
Aasbo is the shiiitt ! He's so fu*king awesome to watch! loove him !
aasbo is absolutely sick, he is an honest role model for me. I'm just learning how to drive of course on a standard transmission and i hope someday i can be as insane as he is.
MadMike is gonna kill it in Vegas!!!
Mad Mike or Assbo? Pick both
Aasbo for sure! Pure talent!
Come on Aasboe you can take em all!
Of the four listed: Aasbo by far. Seeing him in person in Seattle blew my mind. He is going to be unstoppable if he can get a team. JR is a great driver and personality but... I gotta give massive respect to Joon Maeng. He is a really great driver and also just might be the nicest person I have EVER met. Being at his level he could act like a tool (I won't name any drivers, but we all know who..!) So, for me it is: Aasbo and Maeng.
AASBO 1.place 2011
Aasbo is killing it! pure talent and a GO-attitude! love it!
AASBO and his SUPRA OWNS THEM ALL!!
Hands down Champkiller Aasbo!
Lots of love for JR Vaughn Gittin on here.....lol
The Champkiller, Aasbooooo!
Definitely has to be Fredric Aasbo. Not only is he competing in his first year in an "underpowered" and heavy Supra, but he managed to compete against the best of them without a fret! I'm surprised no major sponsors has picked him up yet...
morro og se det går og lage show der å. lyke til fredrik
Aasbo! best driver in the worst car...
MATT POWERS!
Aasbo for sure! Why? Okey, he hasnt got any podiums, but he doesnt have any really big sponsors, the car is near stock, and Fredric himself is a really great person. Who is INDEED killing it!
Coming from Norway, started to drift in a BMW E30 with a M3 engine, not too long ago, and being able to kill such big competion from god know how many million dollar teams in the states now.
HE deserves it
I really want to see Fredric Aasbo piloting the "B.M.I./Snap-On" 4 ROTOR RX-8 in the future. His exciting driving style matched with the awesome sound of raw power that only a peripheral port four rotor screaming at 10k RPM can bring is a combination that I would love to see and hear... Too bad no other team out there can figure out how to build one, I would definetly like to see more cars/teams out there with this engine package!
Aasbo! He's a real drifthero
of the four I vote Dai.. coming back with a vengeance!! but out of all I think Michael Essa really stands out and I was thoroughly impressed with Joon Maeng as an overall person when I met him in Atlanta.
Aasbo is the driftking!
Aasbo!!!:D
Aasbo without a doubt
Totally agreed with Henry Aasbo and Maeng is totally awesome drivers
Good luck to them both! 
Why the fuck does everyone like aasbo so much? Ok hes a really good driver and he has a underpowered car. But why is he every bodys "fan favorite"?
And also for the people saying matt powers and mad mike, really? If they impressed you the most you mustve had so much doubt for them in the begining of the season. They got cool cars (kinda) and they are cool but the driving doesnt compare to any of these drivers.
But the people who impressed me were jtp and mike essa
it's not about what you win,It's all about how you do it. That's why M.r Gittin is the leader.
Actually if your talking about Formula D it is NOT about how good you are, dont get me wrong all of the drivers are very skilled in my opinion but to really WIN anything in this series you HAVE to have the right sponsor first. It is about who kicks down the most money and who is carrying the corporate sticker in your car.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Charles Ng yet...
Dude has been killing it so far, and is one of the best rookies in FD right now!
AAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSBBBBBOOOOOOOOO. dude beast
whats up no one has any thing to say about jtp, hes killing out there switching from his fc to a mustang i think justin should be on that list
AASBO FOR THE UNDER DOGS!!!! GIVE THE MAN A SUPER SPONSOR
Daijiro!
mad mike kiwi hard
Has to be Aasbo. I mean, a FD new guy attacking championship contenders that's epic.
Aasbo... do i need to say more???
Everyone needs to start somewhere..Aasbo will soon reach the podium!!! Go Fredric!!
Aasbø without any doubts
Aasbo
These four drivers are really impressive, I think more is the newcomer Charles NG also has a great future for clues to the formula drift....
Aasbo. That guy is pure dedication, alsways driving on the edge, like he has nothing to lose.
dai and foust.
I agree 100% Aasbo has been the most impressive surprise this year. It is also very flattering to me that I am expected to do well and it is no surprise when I do. I imagine Tanner and Dai feel the same way.
As far as the mentioning of expensive purpose built drift cars... I love how everyone seems to think that we were born with silver spoons in our mouths. Just for the record, I started out in my garage built S13 9 years ago, I still love drifting just as much now as I did then. The sport has progressed a ton since then and I am fortunate that I have done what it takes over the years building relationships, marketing etc to have a very good program and team. Guys that are still fresh to the series without the best equipment will come around after they put years into it of doing the right things to make it happen just as alot of us "veteran" drivers have, it doesn't happen overnight.
As far as the ridiculous "sponsor's determine the results claims" these are my favorite ignorant comments. Riddle me this batman... if that was true and NOS is the title sponsor of FD then why is a Monster Energy Car leading the points? Less conspiracy theory's and more love!!
PIC 3 DESKTOP