James Deane makes history as first five-time FD PRO Champion, first to take title before the Final Round, and winner of Round 7
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday, August 30, 2025
Location: Burt Brothers Motorpark, Grantsville, UT
Event: Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Round 7
RESULTS FOR FD PRO ROUND 7
- James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
- Matt Field (USA) – Borla Performance / GT Radial / Heat Wave Visual / Leen Customs / Drift Cave Motorsports Corvette
- LZ (USA) – Drift HQ E36 BMW
NOTES
- James Deane arrived in Utah with a healthy 40-point lead over second place Fredric Aasbo (Norway). And with 50 points available to the Round winner, the pressure was on Deane’s rivals to close the gap and remain in contention
- Unfortunately, Aasbo’s run of misfortune continued when his Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra was again knocked out of the Top 32 after a frantic battle with Nick Noback (USA). In that moment, Aasbo scored no points and left the chat
- The focus then shifted to Matt Field and LZ in equal third place on 150 points – 70 behind Deane. One of them would need to win Utah and the Final Round 8 to claim the crown. And they almost made it!
- LZ reached the Final 4, only to be knocked out by Deane. And in that moment, the Irishman had accumulated enough points to claim the 2025 title, shifting the focus to who would finish second
- Deane’s victory set more series records. He’s now the first ever five-time Formula DRIFT PRO Champion. And the first driver to amass enough points to win the title before the Final Round in the series’ 22-year history. And to underline his dominance, Deane won Round 7, amassing 50 points and an unassailable lead. He’s the only driver with more than one victory this season – he now has three wins with one Round remaining
- “We lost one of our best friends, Adam Long, before the start of the season. He was a family friend and this is for him… I want to give a huge thanks to the team, sponsors and my family watching at home, as well as everyone that supports me,” said an emotional Deane after winning the 2025 FD PRO Championship
- By reaching the Final, Field was able to leapfrog Aasbo and claim second in the Championship standings on 190 points – ten ahead of LZ and Aasbo in equal-third
- Field was fortunate to complete the Round after his Corvette was mounted by Dylan Hughes’ Royal Purple Synthetic Oil / GT Radial / 2JZ-powered BMW. It happened with Hughes in the chase position during their Final 4 battle. Pushing hard to maintain proximity, the BMW’s front tire climbed Field’s tire onto the Vette’s hood. Fortunately, both drivers saw the humor and were able to return to the pits under their own power for repairs
- “I was looking at the sky and hoping I wasn’t on top of Matt!” Hughes said after surveying the damage. He finished fourth and climbed from ninth to eighth overall
- LZ also rose from fourth to equal-third with yet after another podium finish to keep him very much in the conversation for second overall
- Teenage sensation Hiroya Minowa (Japan) celebrated his 16th birthday with a fifth-place finish in the Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota GT86. He was defeated in the Top 8 heats by LZ and remains fifth in the Championship table
- The leading Rookie was again Jack Shanahan (Ireland) who finished 14th, which dropped him to 12th overall but with a healthy 34-point lead over nearest rival, Connor O’Sullivan (USA) in the 2025 Rookie of the Year title race
- In the 2025 Formula DRIFT Auto Cup, BMW has taken the lead for the first time in recent memory despite no factory support, while GT Radial further extended its lead in the Tire Cup
ROUND 7 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS*
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | James Deane | 50 |
| 2 | Matt Field | 40 |
| 3 | Adam LZ | 30 |
| 4 | Dylan Hughes | 30 |
| 5 | Hiroya Minowa | 20 |
| 6 | Rome Charpentier | 20 |
| 7 | Chris Forsberg | 20 |
| 8 | Trenton Beechum | 20 |
| 9 | Jhonnattan Castro | 10 |
| 10 | Ryan Tuerck | 10 |
| 11 | Wataru Masuyama | 10 |
| 12 | Conor Shanahan | 10 |
| 13 | Nick Noback | 10 |
| 14 | Jack Shanahan | 10 |
| 15 | Jeff Jones | 10 |
| 16 | Aurimas Bakchis | 10 + 9 |
2025 FD PRO TOP 16 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS*
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | James Deane | 270 |
| 2 | Matt Field | 190 |
| 3 | Adam LZ | 180 |
| 4 | Fredric Aasbo | 180 |
| 5 | Hiroya Minowa | 150 |
| 6 | Jhonnattan Castro | 130 |
| 7 | Aurimas Bakchis | 128 |
| 8 | Dylan Hughes | 120 |
| 9 | Chris Forsberg | 100 |
| 10 | Branden Sorensen | 92 |
| 11 | Rome Charpentier | 90 |
| 12 | Jack Shanahan | 86 |
| 13 | Ryan Tuerck | 80 |
| 14 | Conor Shanahan | 70 |
| 15 | Dan Stuke | 62 |
| 16 | Trenton Beechum | 53 |
2025 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS*
| BMW | 401 |
| Toyota | 362 |
| Nissan | 312 |
| Ford | 289 |
| Chevrolet | 235 |
2025 TIRE CUP STANDINGS*
| GT Radial | 463 |
| Kenda | 376 |
| Nitto | 362 |
| Kumho | 208 |
* Preliminary standings. Final results pending official confirmation
