An Interview With The Style King Himself, Forrest Wang

An Interview With The Style King Himself, Forrest Wang

By: Merrick Harding 

Instagram: @merrick_media

Forrest Wang is a professional Formula Drift driver widely regarded as one of the most exciting and skilled drifters in the world. Wang has been a staple in the Formula Drift scene for over a decade, known for his aggressive driving style and ability to push his car to the limit. After taking a break from the sport, Wang has returned to the 2023 Formula Drift season, ready to take on the competition once again.

This time around, he will be driving his signature Yellow Speed Racing, Kenda Tire S15, a car that he has worked tirelessly to refine and perfect over the years. Wang's return to the Formula Drift scene is highly anticipated, as fans and fellow drivers alike, are eager to see what he has in store for this season. With his impressive driving skills, competitive spirit, and the support of his dedicated team, there's no doubt that Forrest Wang is poised for success in the 2023 season. I had the opportunity to sit down with the "Style King" himself, and the interview reads as follows. 

How does it feel to be back in Formula Drift?

"This year the car setup is very similar to what we're used to running. The main change is direct port nitrous, which helped pick us up some increased spool-up time. So we're just using it as a little get up and go for the turbo to get spinning and then once the turbo's spooled up, then we turn off the nitrous and basically the turbo just takes over on the top end. We've always had the power we needed, just trying to get that response to come in a little bit quicker and that picked us up like a hundred-foot pounds of torque and about a thousand RPM earlier. So that's huge in a peaky car where it doesn't sound like too much, but it definitely is a significant improvement in the drivability of the car."

Do you feel that you are at any disadvantage because of your time off in Formula Drift?

"You know, I was still driving so it wasn't like I just haven't driven in three years. You know, I've been driving fun events, I've done some Grid Life, still got to mix in with some, high-level drivers like Matt Field and some of these other drivers that I've been running events with. So, I wouldn't say that it's gonna put me at a disadvantage, but I know the game has changed a lot since I've run. I mean, cars are getting faster and faster, with more and more grip and yeah, like I said, I'm just kind of seeing where we're gonna stack up. I know how to drive, it's just my style of driving and my high wheel speed, high angle isn't really what is fast, and it's not really what they're looking for. So, I'm gonna have to try to blend a combination of my style and try to mix it in with getting some grip down and you know, getting the car to go as quickly as I can."

After taking all the time off of Formula Drift, does it feel like you're coming back home or does it feel like everything has changed?

"I mean it does feel like a lot's changed, but I mean it's a pretty familiar basis, you know, most of the same drivers are here, FD's got most of the same staff. So it does kind of feel like we're kind of right back in the mix of things."

What made you decide to come back?

"FOMO. You know, it's like I've taken the years off but I still watch, the events and I still follow it and it's basically, yeah, just you miss it. It's like a love, hate relationship, you know, like when you're doing it, it's a lot of work and you're like, 'man, why am I doing this?' But then like, when you're not doing it, you kind of miss it 'cause you know you're not doing it. As I said, I was still driving, still driving fun events, you know, Grid Life, Fuel Fest, other events that we can go and mix in with other drivers. But it's kind of toned down, you know, it's not in a competition format where you're really pushing hard.

Everybody's just out there to have a good time, do ride-alongs, tandem trains, and stuff like that. So, the level of driving isn't as high as you'll see at an FD event because everyone's going, you know, it's make or break. It's either advance or get eliminated. So everyone's pushing a hundred percent out here and I think it's just everybody wants to push themselves, you know, to where like, I can't push myself as much at a local event as much as when I come out to FD. The drivers are all pushing to where you gotta push with them to get that high level. So that's something that, you know, I kind of miss, just driving at a high level."

So as a third-party observer of watching, while you're taking time off, do you feel like you've learned anything in your time off that you feel can give you an advantage?

"I mean, I already kind of know what I need to do. It's just applying it is hard, it's easier said than done. You can know that you want to try to be faster, you want to try to stick to people's doors, but just getting it done, is, as I said, it's a little bit harder to do than just imagining doing it. So that's just something I need to work on, you know. Starting the car off the line, it's super critical to be with the car when you start your initiation, because if you already got a gap, then you're playing catch-up full time and that's not a position you want to be in. So basically, getting your initiation timed right and getting up with that lead car when they're initiating, is probably one of the most important parts of Tandem. So definitely gonna try to work on that and see if that can help me out."

So with the variety of Champions, FunHavers and newcomers on the grid this year, who do you look forward to sharing the track with the most, this year? 

"I mean, James Dean's always an honour to share the track with. He's just, in my opinion, the best drifter in the world. So I think it's great that he's back in Formula Drift because it's just, good. He and drifting go hand in hand. It's kind of odd seeing him in a Mustang, you know, it's way different than what we're used to, but I'm sure his style is gonna show through his driving in that car and yeah, it'll be great to get out on track with him."

Alright, last question. You said that your goal is just to have fun this year. How do you keep the competitor inside you at bay? 

"Well, I mean we're gonna try to have fun but at the same time, you want to be as competitive as possible. It's just, I don't wanna put too much pressure on myself in being competitive 'cause then you know, it can just take some of the fun out of it. So I'm just gonna try to roll with it, do the best we can and you know, see where it lands."