Bakchis Places Second at Formula Drift Season Opener in Long Beach

Ontario, CA – The 2015 Formula Drift World Championship opened in Long Beach, California on April 10, 2015 and set the tone for an exciting drift season.  Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis placed second in the Ark Performance Feal Suspension Nitto Tire Hyundai Genesis, joining a select group of drivers that have stood on the podium at Long Beach.  

Bakchis debuted the redesigned Ark Performance Hyundai Genesis at Long Beach after four seasons of competing in a Nissan 240SX chassis.  The car boasts a supercharged LS7 engine built by CBM Motorsports that Bakchis drove into the 12^th qualifying spot on Friday. Bakchis then battled through the Top 32 bracket with two “one-more-time” matchups, a slight hit against a wall, and contact with another competitor during the final tandem matchup.  Bakchis was arguably one of the most exciting drivers to watch during the season opener and established himself as a strong contender in the 2015 championship.

Bakchis has committed to compete in the full world championship and the Ark Performance Hyundai Genesis will be shipped to Japan soon for the international events.  Bakchis will drive the Ark Performance Feal Suspension Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX for the remaining USA drift events while the Hyundai Genesis is overseas.  The second Formula Drift USA event will take place on May 8^th and 9^th at Road Atlanta in Georgia and promises to further the excitement of Bakchis’ 2015 season.  

Bakchis has thanked his sponsors for the opportunity to competitively showcase his driving including Feal Suspension, ARK Performance, Inc., Nitto Tire USA Inc., STR-Racing Wheels, Torco Advanced Lubricants, 702 Graphics, Clutch Masters, Holley Performance, Hooker Headers, Nitrous Oxide Systems, CBM Motorsports, Rola A/V, Mishimoto, Swift Springs, Canton Racing, McCune Design and Mfg, Extreme Dimensions, Grip Royal, Sparco, Koru Works, Vortech, Synapse, and Wisefab.

Bakchis Teams with Ark Performance and Feal Suspension for Drifting World Championship

Ontario, CA (February 10, 2015) – Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis has announced his plans to participate in the Formula Drift World Championship for the 2015 drifting season. Entering his fifth year of professional drifting, Bakchis has teamed with ARK Performance, Inc. (ARK) and Feal Suspension, Inc. to expand his drifting program globally. The Formula Drift World Championship will include competitions throughout the USA and into Japan, Canada, and China where Bakchis will be competing amongst other renowned drivers.

Bakchis finished 4^th overall in the 2014 Formula Drift USA championship in his Feal Suspension Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX. ARK also competed in the 2014 season using two Hyundai Genesis builds with a team of two drivers. This new partnership between Bakchis and ARK will allow for international presence by using both the Nissan 240SX and the Hyundai Genesis in competition since logistics for such globetrotting requires the use of two vehicles.

Both the Genesis and the 240SX are powered by LS engine platforms built by CBM Motorsports and will have customized Feal Suspension coilovers. The Hyundai Genesis boasts a 1,000-hp LS7 motor and will be driven by Bakchis at Formula Drift Round 1 in Long Beach, California prior to shipment overseas for the international events. Bakchis will then use the familiar Nissan 240SX for the six rounds throughout the USA.

The collaboration between Bakchis, the ARK Performance team, and Feal Suspension will allow Bakchis to bring his distinctive driving style internationally and continually grow his drifting program. The partnership promises that the 2015 drift season will be adventurous for the team and exciting to follow.

Additional sponsors for the 2015 season will include Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., Torco Advanced Lubricants, 702 Graphics.com, STR-Racing Wheels, Clutch Masters, CBM Motorsports, Holley Performance, Hooker Headers, Nitrous Oxide Systems, Mishimoto, Swift Springs, Rola A/V, McCune Design & Mfg, Extreme Dimensions, Grip Royal, and Wisefab.

Gone with the Drift: Episode 1

Press Release: Podium Finish for Bakchis at Formula Drift Round 4

24 June 2014 – Odi Bakchis received his first carbon fiber trophy for finishing third at Formula Drift Round 4 in New Jersey this past weekend.  The podium finish placed Bakchis fifth in overall series championship points.

Bakchis had a strong start to the weekend by qualifying fifth on Friday in the Feal Suspension Nitto Tire Nissan 240SX. He was paired with Ryan Kado for Top 32 and with Nitto Tire teammate Matt Field for Top 16. Bakchis then won the Great 8 tandem round against former series champion Daijiro Yoshihara. Bakchis was paired with Chris Forsberg in the Final 4 where his third place finish was secured.

Bakchis previously obtained two fourth place finishes (2011 and 2013) and the event in New Jersey marked his first professional podium.
With only three events remaining of the 2014 season, Bakchis is a contender for the championship as he is currently fifth in overall series points. Bakchis thanked his sponsors for the great showing last weekend including Feal Suspension, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., Torco Advanced Lubricants, 702 Graphics.com, Clutch Masters, Dstroyr, EBC Brakes, CBM, Holley Performance, Hooker Headers, Nitrous Oxide Systems, Mishimoto, Swift Springs, Rola A/V, XXR Wheels, Weir Performance, McCune Design & Mfg, Canton Racing, Extreme Dimensions, Wisefab, and Grip Royal.

The next Formula Drift event takes place at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Washington on July 18-19.

Feal Suspension and Odi Bakchis take on Formula Drift

Video by Dstroyr from the last round of Formula Drift, Irwindale

http://vimeo.com/78138211#at=0

Some great footage of me and my fellow http://www.Dstroyr.com teamates. Enjoy!

EEDC Round 4 Movie

New movie from Lukas Skersas about Round 4 of the Eastern European Drift Championship in Lithuania.  This sums up a good portion of our recent trip:

Formula Drift Seattle video by: Dstroyr

Fourth Place Finish for Bakchis at Formula Drift Round 5 in Washington

For immediate release (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) – Formula Drift Round 5: Throwdown wrapped up on July 20, 2013 at Evergreen Speedway in Washington.  One driver that stood out throughout the event was fourth-place finisher Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis in his Nexen Tire Nissan 240SX.  Bakchis exhibited strong driving technique throughout the event with close follow runs on a banked turn and precise lead runs throughout the course.

 

Bakchis qualified fifth on Friday and made his way into the main Top 16 event.  Following tandem battles with drivers Conrad Grunewald, Vaughn Gittin, and Michael Essa, Bakchis entered the round for third place with Fredric Aasbo.  The Bakchis and Aasbo tandem resulted in a one-more-time ruling from the judges.  Bakchis then completed a close follow run with Aasbo; however, Bakchis was forced to forfeit his lead run after he needed to change one tire before completing his lead run.  For a team to touch the car during a paired tandem battle the team must use an allotted competition timeout, which Bakchis had already used earlier during the event.  

 

The ruling regarding the tire change resulted in a fourth place finish for Bakchis, who is now eighth overall in Formula Drift championship points.  Bakchis stated that the battle at Evergreen Speedway solidifies his confidence that he will finish on the podium in future events.  Formula Drift next visits Texas in September and closes the season in southern California later in the year. 

 

Bakchis has thanked his team, family, and sponsors including Nexen Tire USA, United States Air Force, Feal Suspension, Torco, 702 Graphics, Clutch Masters, Dstroyr, Mishimoto, CBM Motorsports, Sikky Manufacturing, Battle Version, Top Line Industrial Products, EBC Brakes, XXR Wheels, Nitrous Express, Holley EFI, and Weir Performance.

 

To learn more about Bakchis and his drift program visit www.BakchisMotorsports.com.

 

 

 

 

Written by Amy Bakchis

 

Photograph by Ben Chavez 

Bakchis Wins Eastern European Drift Championship Event in Lithuania

For immediate release (Klaipeda, Lithuania) – While visiting his home country of Lithuania, American Formula Drift driver Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis participated in the Eastern European Drift Championship (EEDC) on June 29^th, 2013.  After events in neighboring countries, the fourth round of EEDC was conducted at the “Nemuno Ziedas” track in Bakchis’ hometown of Kaunas, Lithuania.  Bakchis moved to the United States when he was eight years old and has not visited Lithuania for six years prior to the event.

 

After several days of preparation, Bakchis competed in the EEDC event with a borrowed Lexus SC 300 powered by a Toyota 2JZ engine and Nexen tires.  Bakchis stated that the track was the fastest he has competed on and “is the only track where I initiate in fourth gear and finish in fourth gear without down shifting.”  With initiation speeds of approximately 180 kph (112 mph) and limited practice, Bakchis qualified tenth in the Nexen Tire SC 300.  After tandem rounds with competitors including Hypki (Poland) and Bluss (Latvia), Bakchis won the event following a one-more-time for first place. 

 

Bakchis’ win was the first for a Lithuanian in the EEDC championship.  He stated “I had a very warm welcome and lots of support from the Lithuanian crowd, which was encouraging and motivating to perform well”.  Bakchis’ next drift event is the fifth round of Formula Drift in Monroe, Washington on July 19^th and 20^th, 2013. 

 

 Additional information regarding Bakchis and his drifting program can be found at http://www.bakchismotorsports.com/.

 

 

Written by and photo by: Amy Bakchis