The fifth stop on the 2023 Formula DRIFT championship circuit saw the series once again return to World Wide Technology Raceway just across the river from St. Louis, where excessive heat, humidity, storms, and carnage saw Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis pick up his first win of the 2023 Pro season in the early hours of Sunday morning. To sweeten the deal, his two teammates Simen Olsen and Ben Hobson, finished third in Pro and first in PROSPEC, respectively – a near-perfect weekend for the Feal Suspension team and grinding the RTR Motorsports domination this season to a screeching halt.

The biggest difference between this year and last was the expansion of the Outside Zone 3. WWTR paved an additional portion of this historically tight section of the track to allow for a more fluid transition into Outside Zone 4, while shifting the finish line back to just before the cars would hit the banked portion of the track, though many drivers continued into this section purely for show. The consensus between drivers was that the change was for the better.

Severe storms rolled through the area just before the PROSPEC top sixteen competition was set to start on Friday evening, and FD staff originally anticipated being able to dry out the soaked track. When the lightning didn't let up and the rain became relentless, the decision was made to run PROSPEC top sixteen early enough Saturday morning so as to not interfere with the PRO competition that afternoon.

PROSPEC drivers led the charge into the weekend, hitting the pavement Thursday morning for practice and switching to qualifying mode early that afternoon. Ben Hobson in his Pedal Commander / Feal Suspension / Koruworks / Motegi Racing Nissan S14 took the top spot for the third time in as many rounds, the car looking as dialed in as ever. Amanda Sorensen piloted her United States Air Force / Sorensen Motorsports BMW M4 to second place on the rung, a mere three-tenths of a point ahead of the third-place qualifier, hometown hero and fan-favorite Derek Madison and his Fuelab Fuel Systems / IG Motorsports Nissan S14.

In a points shake-up, PROSPEC leader and round one winner Rudy Hansen managed a 25th place score, while the winner of round two, Cole Richards, was unable to complete his qualifying runs and sacrificed his third-pLace points standing as he was demoted to general admission early on and joined six other PROSPEC drivers in the stands.

The 32 drivers who made it went into battle Saturday afternoon, including the first all-female tandem competition in the series' 20-year history. Kelsey Rowlings and Zandara Kennedy went to battle in their wildly different Nissan S14s, with the first set of runs warranting a OMT with Rowlings ultimately getting the nod in the end.

Then-points leader Hansen was eliminated in the first round by Austin Matta who had defeated Rowlings, finishing back in 27th on the day and dropping to third overall with an 81-point disadvantage. Two-time PROSPEC champion Dmitriy Brustki fell to Geoff Donati and his Freedom Builders / Tuner Tools-powered E46 BMW in another major upset, as Donati, returning to competition after a short hiatus, would solider on to see his best PROSPEC finish to date with third.

Hobson set out on the warpath to victory by first taking out Matthew Bystrak in Top 32, as the latter slid into the former in Outer Zone 1 in their first battle, all but gifting Hobson the win. It wasn't as simple in the next pairing, as Trevor Root put up a solid challenge in his Peak Performance Fab E36 BMW that warranted a One More Time call from the judges, as Hobson got the nod in the second set of runs for a superior chase performance. A split decision in his battle with Matta was also edged out by Hobson with a more favorable display on his chase run.

In the Final Four, Hobson drew Connor O'Sullivan as the latter dropped two tires in OZ1 before smacking the wall in OZ2, taking himself out but securing a fourth-place finish on the day and bumping him up a notch for Rookie of the Year contention.

Hobson would face Andy Hately and the Hateley Motorsports Habanero E46 BMW in the finals, where the self-proclaimed Drift Wizard had put Hooman Rahimi, Nate Chen, and Blake Olsen under spells of defeat for his spot in the finals.

The Wiz opted to run the tires that were battle-worn from his Final Four match due to a concern over lugnuts, a move that ultimately gave him a noticeable disadvantage against an on-fire Hobson, though the second-place finish bumped him from ninth to second place in the overall standings.

“It’s been a long time coming but we finally achieved a perfect event and I’m super-stoked about it,” Hobson confirmed after the podium celebrations. “My team and family are going crazy and I want to thank my sponsors as well. We’re going gung-ho into the next round where we have a chance of taking the Championship. And I’m not lifting, so we’re running into Round 4 at full tilt like we have all season”

The smoke had barely cleared from the wet Midwest air on Saturday when the PRO drivers took center stage. Kazuya Taguchi, who scored his first FD victory at St. Louis in an emotionally-charged performance last year with his Upgarage / ISR Performance / GT Radial / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota 86, took top qualifying honors with a very respectable 93. Both he and second-place qualifier Nick Noback would receive by-runs in Top 32, guaranteeing a spot in the big Top Sixteen show. Points leader Matt Field mustered up a best score of 78.6 with his Borla Performance / GT Radial Corvette, putting him in the 21st spot against Round 4 winner Adam LZ, while Chelsea Denofa lost power in his Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD during his first qualifying run, forcing him into knock-out qualifying and salvaging 25th place, enough to at least make it into the show.

Bakchis and his Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 qualified fifth, setting him up for battle with Mike Power and the Power Racing Type Nissan S15 in the Top 32. With a combined 2,000 horsepower between them, it was the Texas Speed LSR V8 in Bakchis' car (a car that basically has a Holley parts catalog thrown at it) that got the win over the legendary Toyota 2JZ.

Not that Power was any slouch, but the next three battles were against some of the absolute best of the sport. First up was Field, and the two went OMT as the judges couldn't make a decision. Backchis edged out the points leader in their next set of runs with superior proximity and angle in the chase position, while Field could do nothing but watch his points lead erode from the sideline.

Ryan Tuerck was set to face Bakchis in the Great 8 by virtue of a by-run over Ken Gushi in the Top 16, but mechanical issues forced Tuerck to be unable to complete his solitary run. For the first time since Formula DRIFT has been around, a driver failed to start a by-run, gifting Bakchis placement into the Final Four without breaking a sweat.

Three-time FD champion Chris Forsberg in the NOS Energy Drink / GT Radial Nissan Z would be Bakchis' next obstacle, but this is where things got sticky and the first and only protest of the evening was utilized. In short, Forsberg had collided with Bakchis in OZ1 just after initiation, spinning the S15 around and the fault was originally found with Forsberg. With the allotted 10-minute window to check his car, the two went at it again and Bakchis was awarded the win. It was then that Forsberg filed a protest, stating the leader of Team Feal had slowed in a non-deceleration zone going into OZ1, therefore making it Bakchis who caused the collision. Though judges initially ruled the deceleration was not a factor in the collision, Camp Forsberg made the case with the steward and the Final Four battle was re-ran from scratch. Ultimately the protest was in vain, as Forsberg dropped two tires in OZ4 and failed to maintain proximity in his chase run, ultimately resulting in the same outcome before – Bakchis with the victory.

On the other side of the bracket, Bakchis' teammate Simen Olsen was holding his own against two-time champion Fredric Aasbo. The duo went OMT twice, and six runs later, Aasbo would get the nod after he was bumped by Olsen in OZ4 requiring a correction by the driver of Team Feal. Olsen would place third, just a step down from his second-place finish in New Jersey the previous round.

Bakchis and Aasbo, their cars battered and bruised, threw down the gauntlet just after midnight, bringing a welcome end to a LONG weekend. Bakchis' near-perfect lead performance and spot-on chase run narrowly edged out Aasbo to claim his first win since 2021. It was the fifth time in as many rounds a different winner was crowned.

“What a crazy event,” Bakchis exclaimed after stepping off the podium. “Winning was no easy feat but it feels very special because it represents the tenth win in my Formula DRIFT PRO career. Simen and I put my team through a lot today but we both got on the podium. And to do that against a field of crazy drivers means you have to beat on the cars super-hard, and we did that. We laid it all on the line and the cars got beaten up. They constantly needed attention from the crew but they kept them together for us and we kept on going. We definitely owe it to them and I’m thrilled with Feal Race Team – we took first place in PROSPEC as well as first and third in PRO, so we’re carrying a lot of momentum going into the PRO Round in Seattle. Simen and I have to keep charging hard but the cars and team are working well, so we’re confident for the next round.”

Aasbo's second-place finish put him in the championship lead by a small 15-point window over Field, while Denofa fell to fourth. With two GT Radial drivers on the podium, the company moved to first overall in the PRO Tire Cup.