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Matt Coffman Earns Top 16 finish at Formula Drift Atlanta, Sits 14th overall
Matt Coffman Earns Top 16 finish at Formula Drift Atlanta, Sits 14th overall
May 26, 2017
Matt Coffman qualified 16th at Road Atlanta with a score of 80 points
After a disappointing early exit at Formula Drift Orlando due to irreparable damage in practice, Matt Coffman piloted his Coffman Racing Nissan S13 to a Top 16 finish at Formula Drift Atlanta, losing to top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. in a tough battle that left the team happy with the results. Coffman currently sits in 14th place overall after three events and is on pace for his best career Formula Drift championship finish.
Coming off of a disappointing Orlando round where the team was unable to run their Top 32 battle due to damage from practice, several repairs were made between rounds to ensure the car was 100% for the weekend. After a shakedown run in practice, the new power steering rack was showing signs of weakness under the strain of competition driving and was replaced. The rest of the weekend resulted in no other mechanical issues, a testament to the preparation and hard work of the entire Coffman Racing team.
Matt Coffman currently sits 14th in the Formula Drift Championship standings, a career best standing
Friday’s qualifying session was moved up several hours to avoid a pending thunderstorm, which cut down practice time substantially. A pair of consistent qualifying runs by Coffman were scored within three points of each other, resulting in a 16th place qualifying effort that paired him up in tandem with Pat Goodin. Coffman and Goodin were the first tandem battle of Top 32 due to the bye run granted to top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr., and a rain shower just moments before Top 32 started led to inconsistent traction levels across the entire track. Thankfully, the drivers were given a recon lap to test out the situation prior to the run. Unfazed by the moisture due to living in the Pacific Northwest, Coffman put down a pair of consistent runs while Goodin had several steering correction on both runs. All three judges voted for Coffman to move into the Top 16.
Matt Coffman was introduced in front of the packed Road Atlanta crowd
After Top 16 opening ceremonies, Coffman was paired up against top qualifier and fellow K&N-sponsored driver Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the first tandem battle on the competition schedule. Coffman has a stylish chase run with good proximity through the keyhole, but lost proximity across the early and late portions of the run which likely put him at a disadvantage. Coffman’s lead run was equally as stylish as his chase, but Gittin Jr. maintained consistently better proximity in his chase run and was handed the unanimous win from the judges.
Matt Coffman was eliminated by top qualifier Vaughn Gittin Jr. in the Top 16
Overall, Coffman finished the event in 13th place, and currently sits in 14th place overall in the championship standings. After his Top 8 finish in Long Beach, Coffman is motivated to repeat the finish and continue to improve his championship standings. The series rolls into Wall, New Jersey at an event dubbed “The Gauntlet”.
