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COMPETITION RESULTS FROM ROUND 3 OF 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP IN ORLANDO

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COMPETITION RESULTS FROM ROUND 3 OF 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP IN ORLANDO

Fifteen year-old Horoya Minowa claims victory in Round 3, making series history as the youngest ever winner

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Saturday, May 31, 2025

Location: Orlando Speed World, Orlando, FL 

Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 3 Competition Results

RESULTS FOR FD PRO ROUND 3

  1. Hiroya Minowa (Japan) – Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota GT86 
  2. Jhonnattan Castro (Dominican Republic) – Metaldom GR86
  3. Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) – Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S14.9

NOTES

  • Teenager Minowa claimed an historic first win in only his 11th Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round, improving on his two second place finishes in St Louis and Seattle in 2024. The 15 year-old is the youngest winner of any Formula DRIFT Round in the series’ 22-year history
  • On his march to the Final, Minowa conquered double FD PROSPEC Champion Dmitriy Brutiskiy, Conor Shanahan (Ireland), three-time FD PRO Champion Fredric Aasbo (Norway) and Bakchis, who occupies third in the Championship table
  • Every driver who wins a heat in Formula DRIFT competition receives ten points, so Minowa’s 50-point haul saw him leap from eighth in the PRO standings to third overall. He’s undoubtedly making the established drivers rather uncomfortable
  • Castro created his own history by claiming his first podium since joining the series in 2012, eliminating four-time FD PRO Champion James Deane (Ireland) in the process. Having placed fourth in Round 2, Castro is now fourth in the FD PRO Championship table, carrying a great deal of momentum into Round 4
  • Bakchis repeated his third place finish from Round 2 and has equal points with third-place Minowa. Odi continues to mount a serious assault on the 2025 title, creeping closer to Deane, who was knocked out early in the Top 16, and Assbo who reached the Top 8
  • Fourth place in Orlanda went to Matt Field (USA) driving the Borla Performance / GT Radial / Heat Wave Visual / Leen Customs / Drift Cave Motorsports Corvette. He lost a One More Time battle to Castro in the Final 4 but made a welcome return to the top of the points table – the last time he finished in the Top 4 was the 2024 St Louis Round. The points tally bumped him from ninth overall to seventh
  • Deane was the biggest loser in Orlando, only earning ten points from his Top 32 victory over Austin Matta (USA). Fortunately, his 100-point total only dropped him to second overall, ten points behind Aasbo
  • The 2025 FD PRO Championship Rookies struggled in Orlando. Connor O’Sullivan (USA) failed to qualify through the Seeding Bracket, while Austin Matta (USA), Jack Shanahan (Ireland) and Tommy Lemaire (Canada) were all eliminated in the Top 32 heats. Shanahan leads the Rookie title race in 19th with 18 points over Matta in 21st with 12 points
  • In the 2025 Formula DRIFT Auto Cup, Toyota maintained its first place thanks to having two drivers in the Final, while Nissan overtook Ford to claim second. In the Tire Cup, Kenda continues to lead but GT Radial jumped to second 
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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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COMPETITION RESULTS FROM 2025 FORMULA DRIFT SUPER DRIFT CHALLENGE DAY 1

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EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, April 12, 2025

Location: Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA

Event: 2025 Formula DRIFT Super Drift Challenge Day 1 at Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach

COMPETITORS

  • Trenton Beechum (USA/PRO) – Clonex Racing / ESR Wheels BMW
  • Rome Charpentier (USA/PRO) – Garagistic / Pedal Commander / Kumho Tire / BMW 1 Series
  • Jeff Jones (USA/PRO) – Evol Auto Works / Prisma Labs / BIG Drift Energy / Nissan 370Z
  • Margaritis Katsandis (Greece/PS) – LS Doctor E46 BMW
  • Kasey Kohl (USA/PS) – Mspek Performance / ECU Master Nissan S14.9
  • Sam Maghmoumi (Lebanon/PS) – 961Motorsport E36 BMW S54 Turbo
  • Josh Stuart (USA/PS) – StuartFamDrifting C6 Corvette
  • Daniel Stuke (USA/PRO) – MspeK Performance Nissan Silvia

RESULTS

  1.  Rome Charpentier (USA) – Garagistic / Pedal Commander / Vitour Tires E82 BMW
  2. Daniel Stuke (USA) – MspeK Performance Nissan Silvia
  3. Jeff Jones (USA) – Evol Auto Works / Prisma Labs / BIG Drift Energy / Nissan 370Z
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COMPETITION RESULTS FROM OPENING ROUND OF 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP IN LONG BEACH

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Fredric Aasbo wins Round 1. Streets of Long Beach announced as venue for Final Round of 2025 PRO Championship season. Larry Chen inducted into Formula DRIFT Hall of Fame

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025

Location: Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 

Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Round 1 Competition Heats

RESULTS FOR FD PRO ROUND 1

  1. Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
  2. James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD 
  3. LZ (USA) – Drift HQ E36 BMW

NOTES

  • Among the new Formula DRIFT competition rules for 2025 is a change to points scoring. In the past, drivers earned points for reaching each heat, with 100 points for a win. Now, drivers gets 10 points for each heat win all the way to the Final. This means success is rewarded more directly and the points battle should be even tighter to the end of the season
  • Aasbo’s win is his first on the Streets of Long Beach course since 2020. He credited his success both to the Kenda Tires the team has switched to, and his ice drifting over the winter
  • The Round 1 Final pitted three-time FD PRO Champion Aasbo against reigning and four-time PRO Champ Deane. Together they’re the two most successful drivers in the series’ 23-year history. Their battle went to One More Time after the judges couldn’t separate their first runs. Aasbo took the win after Deane hit Outside Zone 3 hard, causing the Norwegian to make a major correction
  • Third place LZ continued his strong 2024 form. He finished fifth overall at the end of a season he hadn’t intended to complete. It looks as if 2025 is starting out even stronger
  • Five drivers joined the 2025 FD PRO Championship including three Rookies promoted from Formula DRIFT PROSPEC; 2024 Champion Tommy Lemaire (Canada) plus Connor O’Sullivan (USA) and Austin Matta (USA). Jack Shanahan (Ireland), older brother of Conor and holder of multiple Irish and British drift championship titles, is also a series Rookie
  • Daigo Saito (Japan) returned to FD PRO after a ten-year hiatus. As the 2008 and 2016 D1 GP Champion and the 2012 Formula DRIFT and 2012 FD Asia Champion, he’s a fan favorite but retired from his Top 32 heat with engine failure
  • Jack Shanahan was the top Rookie in Long Beach, finishing 21st overall and leads the Rookie of the Year title race into Round 2. Lemaire finished 22nd and shares the same points as the Irishman
  • Aasbo’s success gave Kenda Tire its first Formula DRIFT win since joining the series in 2023. As a result, Kenda leads the 2025 Formula DRIFT Tire Cup, while he also contributed to Toyota heading the Auto Cup
  • During the Opening Ceremony, photographer Larry Chen was inducted into the Formula DRIFT Hall of Fame. Having captured the action and drama of the series since 2006, Larry has become a fixture at almost every round and his contribution was honored today
  • As a Hall of Fame inductee, Larry’s name will be immortalized on the Formula DRIFT monument, which will be located at the Long Beach venue this summer. Joining previous inductees Rhys Millen, Samuel Hubinette and Tanner Foust, each has received a commemorative crystal plaque plus a custom Hall of Fame ring. Made by Jostens, each ring is valued at $10,000
  • Jostens was chosen for its experience making rings for the NFL Super Bowl, NBA World Championship, MLB World Series, plus NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, Supercross, NCAA National Championships and more
  • And in a special announcement, Formula DRIFT revealed the Final Round of the 2025 PRO Championship will take place in the City of Long Beach using large portions of Shoreline Drive. For the first time, Formula DRIFT will have its own unique and independent street course venue, which will be vastly different to Round 1: Streets of Long Beach. The event will be titled, Shoreline Showdown
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QUALIFYING SEEDING BRACKET RESULTS FROM OPENING ROUND OF 2025 FORMULA DRIFT PRO CHAMPIONSHIP IN LONG BEACH

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EVENT DETAILS

Date: Friday, April 4, 2025

Location: Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 

Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Round 1 Seeding Bracket Qualification

RESULTS FROM FD PRO SEEDING BRACKET

1.   Daniel Stuke (USA) – MspeK Performance Nissan Silvia

2.   Ben Hobson (USA) – Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD

3.   Andy Hateley (USA) – The Drift Wizard E46 BMW

NOTES

  • Formula DRIFT uses a competitive Seeding Bracket format for driver qualification into the competition heats. The first 20 competition places were locked in by the ranking achieved by drivers at the previous Round, which in this case was Round 8 in 2024. The remaining drivers must qualify for one of 12 places in competition via the Seeding Bracket
  • The Seeding Bracket format has been reconfigured to ensure all drivers in the Top 32 competition heats have a driver to battle rather than a bye run. To achieve this, the lowest ranked drivers who lose their Top 16 Seeding Bracket heat, and fall outside the leading 12 drivers, will be eliminated
  • Thirteen drivers competed in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket in Long Beach to fill the 12 places in Top 32 competition. This meant only one would be eliminated; and the lowest ranked Top 16 heat loser was Federico Sceriffo (Italy) in the Pennzoil / FuelTech / VP Racing Fuels Ferrari 599 GTB
  • Also new for 2025, drivers will receive three Championship points for each Seeding Bracket heat win. The overall winner of qualification will receive prize money
  • The previously unavailable option of One More Time (OMT) has been added to Seeding qualification, just as it is in the Main Event. It allows the judges to request the drivers repeat both runs if they were unable to select a heat winner on their first runs. It can only be utilized once per battle. The option was exercised twice today
  • In an update to the three-man Formula DRIFT judging panel, Brian Eggert (USA) and Reese Marin (USA) will attend every round, while Robbie Nishida (Japan) and Vernon Zwaneveld will rotate through the season. Nishida adjudicated in Long Beach
  • The Type S PRO Seeding Bracket was won by Daniel Stuke (USA) in a hard-fought battle with Ben Hobson (USA), whose second place was a return to form for Hobson who only qualified twice last season
  • 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Rookies must qualify through the seeding bracket to reach the competition heats. They included Jack Shanahan (Ireland), older brother of Conor and holder of multiple Irish and British drift championship titles. He was joined by 2024 FD PROSPEC Champion Tommy Lemaire (Canada) plus Connor O’Sullivan (USA) and Austin Matta (USA) – all three earned a 2025 FD PRO competition license by finishing top three in PROSPEC
  • Although not a Rookie, Daigo Saito (Japan) has returned to FD PRO after a ten-year hiatus. As the 2008 and 2016 D1 GP Champion and the 2012 Formula DRIFT and 2012 FD Asia Champion, he’s undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with
  • Both Shanahan and Saito entered the 2025 Series after they were granted a license on the basis of an International Petition. Because they were unranked, Formula DRIFT first stacked the PRO drivers by 2024 rank and then the promoted PROSPEC drivers. The international drivers were stacked alphabetically and a number draw was performed on all drivers in the Seeding Bracket. That number is randomly selected and always between 4 and 7. The aim is to ensure that over the course of the season, drivers will pair in the Seeding Bracket with those of similar parity and finishes, without facing the same driver at every Round
  • As a result of the ranking, Shanahan faced Saito in their Top 16 heat. And while Saito lost the Top 16 heat and Shanahan would be knocked out of the Top 8, both drivers advanced into the competition heats
  • Rookies O’Sullivan and Lemaire were also paired for the Top 16 qualification and again, with Sceriffo the lowest ranked heat loser, both Rookies advanced
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