Geoff Donati had a good showing in the heat at Formula Drift ProSpec Round 2 up in New Jersey. After qualifying and advancing through the round of 32, he was knocked out by Kelsey Rowlings in the round of 16.
Heat played a big factor in the competition, both for the drivers and their setups. According to Donati, temperatures inside the cockpit were between 120° and 140° Fahrenheit, and the track surface was over 140°. He and his crew opted to take a lot of grip out of the car to make it as drivable as possible for him on a track he’s not overly comfortable with.
After qualifying against Jayce Habich, he got matched up with Round 1 second-place finisher Alex Jagger in the round of 32. Jagger, supported by Forsberg Racing and competing at his home track, was no slouch.
“I had my work cut out for me. He’s definitely no push-over,” Donati said.
Still, he put down a solid chase run and a super smooth lead run that saw Jagger go two tires off in the final outer zone, giving Donati a unanimous decision from the judges. You can watch those runs here.
In the round of 16, a tough-to-follow lead run from Rowlings put Donati at a disadvantage going into his lead run. Despite a solid lead run, the judges sided with Rowlings, putting Donati’s weekend to an end. Check those runs out here.
He credits a solid event to the hard work of his team, despite them being short-handed for the round. “Everybody pitched in hard and we did what we needed to do. We probably made more setup changes than we ever have,” he said.
He and the team are headed to St. Louis this weekend for Round 3 in a better spot than they were in at this point last season. St. Louis is where Donati really hit his stride in 2023, and he’s looking to capitalize on his third-place experience from that round.
“Last year’s setup in St. Louis was the most dialed I’ve ever felt in the car,” he said. “We’re within striking distance of the championship if we do well these next two rounds.”
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The Drift Indy family is sending good vibes to Chris Scherzer, team member and close friend of Donati, as he deals with mystery health issues that have kept him from the track. We’re all thinking of you and wishing you a speedy recovery, Chris!