Shanahan wins Round 8 and Rookie of the Year, Deane finishes third, extending his lead as the 2025 FD PRO Champion
Following the sale and subsequent demolition of The House of Drift at Irwindale Speedway, the series needed a new venue to host its 2025 Final Round. And after considering many options, the Formula DRIFT team worked closely with the City of Long Beach and its Mayor to construct a purpose-built track using part of Shoreline Drive and the Long Beach Convention Center. The new facility represented another milestone for the series, which has traditionally used a section of the Grand Prix of Long Beach track for its opening round. And while the GPLB street course will continue to host the opening round of the season, the new track layout for Final Round 8: Shoreline Showdown gave the Formula DRIFT PRO Championship drivers a highly technical challenge for the season finale, as well as more seating for the capacity crowd. With seven Outside Zones to master, the track was a level playing field for all competitors, giving some of the newer drivers a chance to shine.
PRO SEEDING BRACKET QUALIFICATION
As before, the first 20 PRO Championship competition places were locked in according to the drivers’ ranking achieved at the previous Round, leaving the 12 remaining competition places to be decided by the Type S PRO Seeding Bracket qualifying session. But with 14 drivers in contention, two would be eliminated according to the lowest ranking among the drivers who lost their first heat in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket. Sadly, that meant the demise of Dmitriy Brutskiy (USA) and Federico Sceriffo (Italy), and the end of their 2025 season.
In the remaining heats, many drivers struggled with the demanding track layout but Ryan Litteral (USA) emerged victorious in his Sunoco Race Fuels / Colab Garage Nissan S15. It was Litteral who eliminated Brutskiy from the Top 16 before beating Jonathan Hurst (USA) in the Top 8 and two-time FD PRO Champion Gittin Jr in the Final 4.
Litteral’s opposition in the Final was to be Ken Gushi (Japan). However, a technical issue with the Toyota Gazoo Racing / GReddy Performance / Kenda Tire Toyota GR86 following Gushi’s semi-final battle against Connor O`Sullivan (USA) meant Gushi was unable to compete in the Final. This allowed Litteral to collect the maximum 12 Championship points for winning the Seeding Bracket qualification.
Competing in only his second round of the 2025 season, Vaughn Gittin Jr (USA) was required to qualify because he had no established ranking from the previous Round. That gave the two-time FD PRO Champion an opportunity to muscle the Monster Energy Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD around the tight course. He would eventually lose to Litteral after a small mistake in Outside Zone 6 saw the Mustang over-rotate and require a significant correction. Despite that, Gittin Jr qualified for Saturday’s Top 32 Competition heats where he would face the formidable challenge of Ryan Tuerck (USA).
Litteral was drawn against Connor Shanahan (Ireland) in Competition, while Gushi was matched against fellow countryman, Wataru Masuyama.
PRO COMPETITION
Round 8 of the 2025 FD PRO Championship: Shoreline Showdown represented much of what makes Formula DRIFT a uniquely compelling sport. It saw Jack Shanahan (Ireland) capture his first victory and claim Rookie of the Year. Sixteen year-old Hiroya Minowa (Japan), who clearly represents the future of the sport, placed second ahead of five-time Champion James Deane (Ireland) who finished third after an uncharacteristic mistake. However, Deane extended his lead even further in the 2025 PRO Championship, which he had won at the previous Round. And fourth place Ryan Tuerck (USA), who represents the origins of the series, scored his best result of the season as he awaited the birth of his second child.
For Shanahan, it was the perfect result. He had wrapped up the Rookie title with his Kumho Tires BMW 1 Series by winning his Top 16 heat against LZ (USA), but didn’t stop there. Shanahan powered on, beating Simen Olsen (Norway) in the Top 8 and Tuerck in the Final 4. Sadly, a mechanical issue with Minowa’s Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / Jerry Yang Racing Toyota GT86 robbed us of the Shoreline Showdown Final. Despite the somewhat anti-climactic end, Shanahan finished his Rookie season an impressive sixth overall with two podiums to his credit.
“It’s been a hell of a season, fighting to get the first win. We’ve struggled with the car but today it’s been better than ever,” Shanahan reflected during the awards ceremony. “We knew FD would be a challenge but to see it pay off like this is incredible. We had to learn new tracks and a new car but I want to thank Rome Charpentier and all the boys for making sure the car has been as good as it could be. And all the changes we made really paid off today. It’s unfortunate we didn’t get to battle Hiroya because he beat my boys and I was looking forward to putting him to bed!
“But thanks to all my partners, including Kumho Tire, as well as my family and friends… I need to make my plans for next year a little clearer, but for now we’re going to enjoy this win!”
Minowa finished the weekend in second place, securing fourth overall again, repeating the success of his 2024 Rookie season. And while an engine problem robbed us of the Final against Shanahan, and Minowa’s opportunity to finish the season in second, he remains the youngest driver in FD history to claim the top podium step after his win in Orlando this season.
While James Deane had already clinched the FD PRO Championship at the previous Round 7 in Utah – making history as the first five-time PRO Champion and the first driver to claim the title before the Final Round – he didn’t fly to California to watch from the bleachers…
Although he clearly wanted to end the season with another win, a rare mistake by Deane in his semi-final battle with Minowa saw the car over-rotate exiting Outside Zone 6, relegating the Irishman to third. Despite the error, Deane claimed his seventh podium from the eight-round season and extended his winning PRO Championship margin to 90 points over Matt Field (USA). While seemingly not as big as his 118-point lead in 2024, let’s not forget the Formula DRIFT scoring system changed this year. Instead of receiving 100 points for a Round win, drivers now get 50.
“We officially collected the Championship trophy after the eighth Round of an incredible season. It’s been an emotional year for me personally with a lot of things happening behind the scenes – losing one of my best friends in February and dedicating the season to him,” Deane told us. “But we’ve wrapped it up with a podium and shared it with Jack Shanahan, who took his first win. I’m so proud of him because I’ve known Jack since he was a baby and always supported his drift career as much as I could. So, I’m very happy for him but want to thank the RTR team for giving me an amazing car to score multiple wins and podiums this year, wrapping up the title one Round early. The RTR Mustang was unreal all season and I’m so proud. Thanks to the team, my family, sponsors, and all the fans who supported us. See you all in 2026!”
Deane’s Championship is the third in a row for RTR Motorsports. The run was started by DeNofa in 2023, then Deane in 2024 and now 2025. But it’s actually RTR’s fifth title because Vaughn Gittin Jr claimed two Championships in 2010 and 2020. And while Gittin Jr might have lost his Top 32 battle to Tuerck, he witnessed RTR teammate Ben Hobson (USA) reach the Top 16 for only the second time this season. And Ford presented the new factory-built Mustang RTR, which will be available soon.
After defeating Gittin Jr in the Top 32 heats, Tuerck tore through the field in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla, beating triple PRO Champion Chris Forsberg (USA) in the Top 16, and knocking out title contender Matt Field in the Top 8 before losing to Jack Shanahan in the Final 4. Tuerck’s focus was more remarkable since he was awaiting the birth of his second child. Yet he clinched his best result of the season and bounced from 13th to sixth in the Championship standings.
With Deane claiming the title early, the battle for the remaining places remained tight but Long Beach 2 wasn’t kind to the main protagonists. In fact, Jhonnattan Castro (Dominican Republic), Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) and Dylan Hughes (USA) – placed sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively – were knocked out of the Top 32 and would play no further part. LZ (USA) was knocked out of the Top 16 and dropped from third to fifth, while fourth-placed Fredric Aasbo (Norway) was beaten by Minowa in the Top 8 but rose to third.
That left Matt Field (USA) who arrived in Long Beach in second and managed to retain the position thanks to early heat victories. He lost to Tuerck in the Top 8 but his Round win in Seattle and second place in Utah secured enough points over an inconsistent Aasbo to hold onto second in the Borla Performance / GT Radial / Heat Wave Visual / Leen Customs / Drift Cave Motorsports Corvette.
In the 2025 Formula DRIFT Auto Cup, Toyota claimed the title by a significant margin thanks to Aasbo and other leading Toyota drivers.
“To be celebrating our tenth Formula DRIFT Auto Cup is truly astounding and is a monumental feat for Toyota,” said Paul Doleshal, General Manager, Sponsorships and Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “We couldn’t be more thankful nor prouder of our teams and drivers for what they’ve accomplished this season, adding another chapter to Toyota’s legendary success across global motorsports. We look forward to much more drifting success in the years to come.”
Similarly, GT Radial won the 2025 Tire Cup by a considerable margin thanks to drivers such as Field and Minowa.
“Winning the Tire Manufacturer’s Cup is an incredible honor and a testament to the performance and reliability of our tires—proudly made in the USA. This achievement reflects the hard work of our entire team and the dedication of the drivers who trust our product to perform at the highest level. We’re proud to be part of the Formula DRIFT community and excited for what’s ahead,” said Mike Meeiem, Motorsports Sales and Marketing Manager.
And at the end of yet another incredible season, we’ll give the last word to Ryan Sage, President of Formula DRIFT: “As the 2025 season has come to an end, we witnessed not only an incredible podium finish for the Round but the battle for Championship places also went down to the wire in the shadow of James Deane, who demonstrated his dominance of the sport, winning in Round 7 by a considerable margin. But Matt Field made a resurgence in 2025, proving he’s still one of the best drivers in the world, claiming second place over Fredric Aasbo, who had been in close contention until Round 6. Freddy battled back in Long Beach and secured third in the Championship. And let’s not forget Jack Shanahan, who scored his first FD victory in what should be many more to come. And it came at a track that perhaps mirrored the European tracks more closely than most of the previous rounds, focusing on driver skill and execution.”
“As for the event itself: the track, the weather, the fans, the Mayor being the Grand Marshall, the support from the City of Long Beach – it’s been the most amazing experience we’ve ever had in Formula DRIFT history. We’d like to thank all the fans who’ve supported the series in person and online, as well as the tremendous effort by all the teams and drivers, plus our own staff and track staff around the country. We’re looking forward to a few months off before coming back even stronger in 2026 with a number of changes planned to shake up the status quo yet again!”
ROUND 8 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS*
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Jack Shanahan | 50 |
| 2 | Hiroya Minowa | 40 |
| 3 | James Deane | 30 |
| 4 | Ryan Tuerck | 30 |
| 5 | Matt Field | 20 |
| 6 | Fredric Aasbo | 20 |
| 7 | Connor O`Sullivan | 20 + 6 |
| 8 | Simen Olsen | 20 + 3 |
| 9 | Adam LZ | 10 |
| 10 | Chris Forsberg | 10 |
| 11 | Trenton Beechum | 10 |
| 12 | Conor Shanahan | 10 |
| 13 | Jeff Jones | 10 |
| 14 | Tommy Lemaire | 10 |
| 15 | Ken Gushi | 10 + 9 |
| 16 | Ben Hobson | 10 |
2025 FD PRO TOP 16 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS*
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | James Deane | 300 |
| 2 | Matt Field | 210 |
| 3 | Fredric Aasbo | 200 |
| 4 | Hiroya Minowa | 190 |
| 5 | Adam LZ | 190 |
| 6 | Jack Shanahan | 136 |
| 7 | Jhonnattan Castro | 130 |
| 8 | Aurimas Bakchis | 128 |
| 9 | Dylan Hughes | 120 |
| 10 | Ryan Tuerck | 110 |
| 11 | Chris Forsberg | 110 |
| 12 | Branden Sorensen | 92 |
| 13 | Rome Charpentier | 90 |
| 14 | Conor Shanahan | 80 |
| 15 | Connor O`Sullivan | 78 |
| 16 | Simen Olsen | 71 |
2025 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS*
| TOYOTA | 415 |
| FORD | 329 |
| CHEVROLET | 265 |
| BMW | 232 |
| NISSAN | 125 |
2025 TIRE CUP STANDINGS*
| GT Radial | 529 |
| Kenda | 429 |
| Nitto | 402 |
| Kumho | 307 |
* Preliminary standings. Final results pending official confirmation
