U.S Air Force’s Branden Sorensen Scores FD Pro Podium Finish
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U.S Air Force’s Branden Sorensen Scores FD Pro Podium Finish
Formula Drift • Round 3 • Orlando Speed World
(6/5/2024) – U.S Air Force Formula Drift Driver Branden Sorensen scores a career first Formula Drift Pro Podium finish at Orlando Speed World in Florida for round 3, which boosted him into the pro championship top five.
Formula Drift racers were greeted with perfect racing conditions in sunny Florida with racing action continue into the night. Branden took advantage of the great weather to charge his way through the brackets against some stiff competition.
Branden’s battle with Ryan Litteral lived up to the event name Scorched when Litteral’s rear tire caught fire midway through the second run with Branden in chase, but he didn’t let the fire spook him as he stayed door to door with Litteral to take the unanimous win to advance to the Great 8, “I have been a similar situation before and I almost lost because when I saw the flames, I backed off, but not this time, I wasn’t given anyone an excuse to beat me, I was pushing through till the end,” said Branden.
In the Great 8, Aurimas Bakchis and Branden were tied in the initial runs, so it came down to a final run, with Bakchis tapping Branden’s front tire, which ripped off Bakchis front bumper off his car. After the run, Branden was declared the winner, which advanced him to the Final 4 to take on Conor Shanahan.
Once again, there was a tie after the initial runs against Shanhan, so it would come down to a final battle. Unfortunately, Branden was eliminated in the rematch, but it was by the slimmest of margins. “Shanhan is a class act and probably one of the best drivers in the world, so to be able to push one more time with him and just barely beaten by something so small was a huge accomplishment,” said Branden.
After some intense battles with several competitors, Branden would secure the final spot on the podium since he finished ahead of Hiroya Minowa at the previous round. “Everything came together perfectly in Orlando with a great mindset, car and team, which allowed us to get the results we wanted and give our main sponsor, the U.S. Air Force the gratification that they deserve. This has been a long time coming as I have been working toward this moment for the past four years, so it is a big relief off my shoulder to score a finish on the podium,” said Branden.
Branden acknowledged that the Podium finish was truly a team effort, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for my great crew on under my U.S. Air Force tent with James stepping up as my crew chief and running everything now, which takes a huge weight off my shoulders, so I don’t need to focus on running a team and instead focus on my driving. Also, my engineer, Mike, has really improved the driving ability of my car this year, which has made significant improvement in my confidence between the wheel. Finally, my data engineer, Chris, has made a huge difference in analyzing all the data after coming off the track to make sure the suspension and everything is working at maximum performance to allow me to be competitive and move toward my goal of eventually winning a championship,” said Branden.
With three rounds down in the 2024 Formula Drift season, Branden is really optimistic about the rest of the season, “We are off to a great start to the season with everything coming together without an drama or mechanical issues, which has us now tied for the top five in points. Now we need to carry this momentum into the next round at Englishtown for Round four and keep gaining ground in the points battle,” said Branden.
Round 4 of the series heads to Englishtown, NJ on June 20-22nd for the Guantlet. “Every track is different, and now we are heading to Englishtown, which is a paved figured eight essentially, which doesn’t really suit my driving style, but we have gotten some really good results there in the past, so I am looking forward to the challenge and aiming to get another podium finish,” said Branden.
In New Jersey, Branden will be joined once again by his teammate and sister, Amanda Sorensen competing in the Pro Spec class, which will be her second round on racing in the 2024 Formula Drift season. As the pair will both be looking for a spot on the podium at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
FULL WEEKEND RECAP VIDEO:
Formula Drift Orlando Youtube Video
Social Media Handles:
IG: Branden_Sorensen
TT: Branden_Sorensen
TT: Amanda_Sorensen
YT: Branden Sorensen
YT: AmandaSorensen12
2024 Sorensen Sponsors:
U.S. Air Force, VP Racing Fuels, Comp Cams, Enkei Wheels, Odyssey Battery, RockfordFosgate, 212 Performance, Motion Control Suspension, OMP Racing, Extreme Sim Racing, Radium Engineering, and Whipple Supercharger