With the event win, Hankook Tire takes the early lead in the tire championship, although there seems to be much more parity in the pits this season than in seasons past as far as tire compounds. All four of the final Long Beach competitors were on different tire brands (Aasbo on Hankook, Bakchis on Nitto, Tuerck on Maxxis, and Field on Yokohama), although Long Beach isn’t always the best indicator of tire performance due to the patchy pavement. With Kenda tire leaving Formula Drift this season, there are now 7 tire manufacturers competing for the Tire Manufacturer Championship.

Here’s the standings after the first event in the 2015 Formula D Championship:

1. Hankook Tire – 143 Points
2. Nitto Tire – 135 Points
3. Maxxis Tire – 102 Points
4. Falken Tire – 101 Points
T5. Achilles Tire – 86Points
T5. Yokohama Tire – 86Points
7. GT Radial – 52 Points