Formula Drift Is Being Taken Over By Corvettes

While the Corvette may seem like an underdog in the world of drifting, various FD competitors are here to prove its worth. 

You can think about nearly any RWD chassis from any country of origin and find one common thing: Someone somewhere has put an LS in it and taken it drifting. In that case, why not just go straight to the source, right? We will admit that a Corvette isn’t exactly the first thing that would come to mind for building a drift car. However, professional Formula Drift drivers Matt Field, Dirk Stratton, and João Barion are out to prove that they are beyond capable. While they are not the first to run a Corvette chassis in FD, they are the only current pro drivers running them in competition. Corvette Forum headed to Irwindale Speedway for the final round of Formula Drift‘s 2019 season to watch these guys shred.

Matt Field’s Carbon Fiber Beast

Field is certainly not new to Formula Drift. His debut season in FD was in 2011 when he was piloting a Nissan 240sx. He continued to use that car until the 2018 season. In November of 2017, Donut Media started covering the build of his new Corvette pro-car in a series of YouTube videos.

The car’s body is made entirely of a carbon-kevlar blend, as provided by HGK Racing. It’s Vortech Supercharged LS engine pushes a whopping 1,050 horsepower to the rear wheels. Inside and out, this Corvette is a one-off purpose-built drift car. It’s certainly no slouch considering the amount of power it makes. Field is a well-proven driver and has no problem keeping up with the pack in this gorgeous C6. However, he has yet to hit the podium in the green and blue Falken livery Vette. Based on his skills, though, it’s only a matter of time.

Stratton’s Lingenfelter legend

We don’t have to tell you the significance of the name Lingenfelter. Just reading it all over Stratton’s C6 drift Corvette should say to you all you need to know about the power this beast makes. Just in case, though, we’ll tell you anyway.

The Lingenfelter 427 cubic-inch V8 powering this beast is far from standard issue. It features a performance block, ported LSX heads, forged internals, a custom ground camshaft, and a Magnuson supercharger.

What’s remarkable about Stratton’s Corvette is just how much it hasn’t been changed from stock. The suspension is mostly factory, having only Fortune Auto coilovers and new lower control arms to allow the clearance of the insane steering angle added. The interior also remains mostly stock looking, with the dash, door panels, and even turn signal and windshield wiper stalks still in place. It’s pretty unique to see a professional drift car with a near-complete interior!

Stratton’s career in Formula Drift Pro is only just starting. However, he hit the ground running in the ‘Vette. In 2018, he was named Rookie of The Year. He certainly is a competitor to be watching closely if you are an FD fan, we think he’s going to go a long way!

The New-gen Newcomer

We can’t get enough of this guy. Barion is a driver hailing from Brazil, and 2019 was his rookie season for Formula Drift. This guy steered head-on into American culture. He wears a cowboy hat and is known around the pits as “Sheriff Barion.” How else could he possibly make a mark in his rookie season? Why, drive a C7 Corvette, of course.

Though he missed the majority of the FD season due to competing in Netflix’s show Hyperdrive, he did make an appearance at Irwindale Speedway for the final round. We couldn’t be happier, either, because this car is absolutely killer.

The reason for his choice to run a C7 Corvette is pretty crazy to wrap your head around. He picked it because it was the cheapest option. This C7 Z06 is almost entirely stock. A stock engine with a bit of nitrous, stock H-pattern transmission, and a stock differential that has only been welded is all it took. The rear suspension is left alone, as well as most of the interior and the entire body. To adjust the rear camber, they stack washers between the control arm and the mounting point. This C7 makes Stratton’s car look substantially more modified than it is, and makes Field’s C6 look like something only a race engineer could come up with, comparatively. Additionally, Lone Star Drift posted a full overview of this amazing car if you’d like a more in-depth look.

We love seeing Corvettes get sideways, and we hope more competitors take to these chassis. If you have considered getting into drifting, the aftermarket support for Corvettes in drifting is growing every day. You can even get angle kits for the C5 chassis. If you just like to admire it, though, enjoy this extended gallery of all the Corvette action at Irwindale Speedway, below.

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Photos for Corvette Forum by Braden Carlson

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