PRO/AM Drift Series and Championship 2008

The following was take from www.ziptied.com ...

From the USDrift/ LookoutDrift Forum.....With PRO/AM getting ready to kick off it's third year, and this year being quite a bit different than the previous two, I've decided to post up a sneak peak at the changes, format, scheduling, etc... unofficially so you guys can get an idea of how it's going to work and plan accordingly before the PRO/AM site is complete and it's all officially announced. It's currently being updated as we speak and will hopefully launch in the next week or so (fingers crossed).

Format:Ok, this year the biggest and most noticeable change is that we are going to split the country vertically along the Mississippi River and create 2 divisions, East and West. There will be no more regional series run in the North, South, East, and West. Too many events, too many organizations, and too much confusion among all parties involved. It was a great idea on paper and in a perfect world may have worked, but hey this is America, so we'll just scrap it and try something else until we get it right. So here's version 2.0, the newly created East and West Divisions that will operate similar to how football and baseball have the AFC/NFC and NL/AL (respectively). Drift Association will organize events in the West and USDrift will organize events in the East. Other organizations are still participating in the PRO/AM, however they will work with USDrift and Drift Association for the events they host. With that being said, please visit the PRO/AM website first for all your event information (once it's updated), and if you still have questions then contact either USDrift or Drift Association depending on what division you are participating in to ensure the event you are attending is indeed a qualified event. Other organizations not previously associated with the PRO/AM are welcome to express interest in hosting an event in either region pending certain requirements are met.

Since there are no more regional series to earn season points in and then get invited to the PRO/AM Championship Event and there are more and more competition series (both amateur and professional) being created daily, we have chosen to try the qualifier format this season. Each division will have "X" number of events and at each of those events, "Y" number of drivers will be invited to attend the PRO/AM Championship Event. The "Y" number is not set in stone and is only an approximation based on driver skill level at any given event, the "Y" number can be increased or decreased based on driver performance. For example, the East Division currently has 7 qualifier events scheduled for 2008. Therefore, we plan to invite roughly 5 drivers from each East Divisional qualifier event to represent the East Division and attend the PRO/AM Championship Event. The West Division will follow the same format and invite roughly the same number of drivers to represent the West Division. If all goes as planned, there should be roughly 70 drivers at the PRO/AM Championship Event (~35 from each Division).

Location:The 2008 PRO/AM Championship Event will be held on October 3-5, 2008 at VIRginia International Raceway on the 1.1 Mile Patriot Course, in Alton, VA in conjunction with GTLive. That's right, it's finally on the East Coast, so no slacking off this year guys (and gals). It's also being held a month prior to SEMA, hopefully that will help any drivers who earn licenses in securing sponsors easier then the past 2 years.

Schedule:The East Division has the following 6 qualifier events scheduled:June 8, 2008 - Old Dominion Speedway, Manassas, VA (USDrift)June 20-21, 2008 - Summit Point Raceway - Main Course - Summit Point, WV (USDrift)July 26, 2008 - VIRginia International Raceway - Patriot Course - Alton, VA (USDrift)July 26, 2008 - Gateway International Raceway - Infield Road Course - St. Louis, MO (ClubFR)August 16, 2008 - USA Iinternational Raceway - Shawano, WI (ClubFR) August 24, 2008 - Summit Point Raceway - Shenandoah Circuit - Summit Point, WV (USDrift)The West Division is still currently being worked out. Their first qualifier event however is:June 28-29, 2008 at Miller Motorsports Park, in Tooele, UT (Drift Association)

USD East Coast Series:All rounds currently scheduled for the 2008 USD season will be qualifier events in addition to the normal series events we always run. Nothing is going to change for drivers trying to win the series in cumulative points at the end of the season. The only difference now is some drivers may not have to compete against drivers competing in the entire series just for an invite to the PRO/AM, as that can be earned at only one event now. Although the 2008 USD season is open to both professional and amateur drivers this year, only amateur drivers will be eligible to earn invitations to the PRO/AM Championship Event. For example, lets say 3 professional and 40 amateur drivers enter Round 1. The first and second place winners are professionals, and the next 4 are amateur and the eighth place is the last professional. The first 4 amateurs will be invited to the the PRO/AM, even though they placed 3-7th in the competition.

The USD season points system will be the same as the last several years. Each 2008 USD competition will award drivers' (both professional and amateur) points based on their performance. At the end of the USD season, a series champion will be determined based on the driver with the most overall points earned this season.