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QUALIFYING SEEDING BRACKET RESULTS FOR 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3 IN ORLANDO

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EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, May 30, 2025

Location: Orlando Speed World, Orlando, FL 

Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 3 Seeding Bracket Qualification

RESULTS FROM FD PRO SEEDING BRACKET

1.   Jack Shanahan (Ireland) – Kumho Tires BMW 1 Series

2.   Federico Sceriffo (Italy) – Pennzoil / FuelTech / VP Racing Fuels Ferrari 599 GTB

3.   Daigo Saito (Japan) – Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota GR86

NOTES

  • The figure-8 track at Orlando Speed World had some damp patches at the start of the Top 16 Type S Seeding Bracket but the rain stayed away for the duration of the qualifying session
  • The Formula DRIFT competitive Seeding Bracket format for driver qualification locks in the first 20 PRO Championship competition places by the ranking achieved at the previous Round. The remaining drivers must qualify for one of 12 competition places via the Seeding Bracket
  • The Seeding Bracket format has been reconfigured to ensure all drivers in the Top 32 competition heats will face a driver rather than a bye run. So, of the 13 drivers seeking qualification in the Seeding Bracket, the top 8 finishers automatically progress, with the next four places decided by driver ranking
  • With 13 drivers competing in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket for 12 places in competition, only Connor O’Sullivan (USA) was eliminated
  • Drivers receive three Championship points for every Seeding Bracket heat they win. The winning driver, for example, gains 12 points by winning the Seeding Bracket Final heat
  • The Type S PRO Seeding Bracket was won by Shanahan who had a relatively easy path to the Final with two bye runs. In the Top 8 heat, there was drama when both he and Dan Burkett (USA) hit the wall in Outside Zone 1 but Shanahan took the win thanks to his lead run
  • In the Final against Sceriffo’s Ferrari, both drivers executed impressive lead runs but Shanahan was awarded the win thanks to a great chase 
  • Third place Saito damaged his GR86 in the Top 4 heat against Sceriffo but gained the podium thanks to his higher ranking than fourth place Tommy Lemaire (Canada)

ROUND 3 PRO SEEDING BRACKET

POSITIONNAMEPOINTS
1Jack Shanahan12
2Federico Sceriffo9
3Daigo Saito6
4Tommy Lemaire6
5Dan Burkett3
6Dmitriy Brutskiy3
7Derek Madison3
8Rudy Hansen3
9Ryan Litteral0
10Andy Hateley0
11Nick Noback0
12Austin Matta0
13Connor O`Sullivan0

DEANE WINS ROUND 2 OF 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP IN ATLANTA, TALASKA WINS PROSPEC OPENING ROUND

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In a reversal of fortunes from Round 1, four-time Champion Deane beats three-time Champion Aasbo in dramatic OMT Final. Talaska claims his first PROSPEC victory

As the original venue for the first ever Round of Formula DRIFT, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta has become a special place for drift teams and fans. Its natural amphitheater, high-speed approach and changeable weather adds to the spectacle. It’s also where the Link ECU PROSPEC Championship joins the 2025 party, adding another level of drama to the Atlanta weekend. And if that wasn’t enough to entertain fans, this weekend marked the inaugural Formula DRIFT x Gridlife joint event, guaranteeing additional full course action throughout the FD weekend.

Despite the almost overwhelming sights and sounds, it would be mother nature who grabbed the headlines, transforming from sunny skies on Friday into almost continuous rain on Saturday. And since Formula DRIFT is an all-weather sport, the show doesn’t stop for a wet track. Instead, the drivers displayed their prodigious skill in tackling the conditions behind the wheel of the most powerful cars in motorsports this side of the NHRA.

In addition to the wet track for PRO competition, the drivers also had to adapt to several minor changes made to the course for the 2025 season. The position of a number of outside zones, inside clips plus the Touch & Go were adjusted, primarily to keep drivers out of the grass and gravel to enhance safety.

PROSPEC SEEDING BRACKET QUALIFICATION

With the introduction last year of competitive, tandem qualification via a Seeding Bracket, the Link ECU PROSPEC class of 2025 would have to negotiate a Top 16 battle on Thursday to earn the right to compete on Friday. And with the first 24 places locked in based on Final Standings from 2024, the majority of drivers in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket were series Rookies.

Among the new arrivals were two female drivers – Collete Davis (USA) and Chellee Hansen (USA) – plus a 13 year-old – Camren Sorensen (USA). They were joined by fellow Rookies Brian Hoplamazian (USA), Joshua “Jerry” Johnson (USA), Ryan Kaufman (USA), Feras Qartoumy (USA), Carsen Ruger (USA), Justin Ruth (USA) and Collin Zielinski (USA). 

The winner of the Seeding Bracket was Camren, the third Sorensen sibling in the Formula DRIFT series, joining sister Amanda in PROSPEC and brother Branden in PRO. As the youngest driver to ever compete in the series, the teenager performed flawlessly in the Sorensen Motorsports / Spyder E46 BMW to win the Bracket and claim position 25 in the PROSPEC competition heats on Friday.

To finish second, Collete Davis had to overcome technical issues with her Collete Racing E46 BMW during qualification, including a handbrake problem during the Top 8 battle against Jerry Johnson. However, both Johnson and Adam Heishman (USA) also suffered mechanical problems during their battles with Davis, allowing her to advance. She would lose the Final to Sorensen by a narrow margin.

Third place Chellee Hansen, wife of FD PRO driver Rudy Hansen (USA), scored a dominant win in the first heat driving the Team Hansen Supercharged Nissan S13 for the first time in competition. She was knocked out of the Final 4 by Sorensen

A new rule introduced for the 2025 season sees PRO and PROSPEC drivers receive three points per heat win in the Seeding Bracket, with Sorensen scoring 12 points thanks to his four wins.

Unfortunately, Hoplamazian and Ruger failed to win their heat and were eliminated from competition with the lowest rankings.

All teams in the Link ECU PROSPEC Championship must use Link engine management and GT Radial tires.

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2017 FormulaDrift – #FDSEA

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