Conor claims first, brother Jack finishes third, sandwiching Fredric Aasbo in second while reigning Champion James Deane is knocked out early

New season, new telemetry, new judging, new tracks, new broadcast partner, new drivers, new cars, new liveries but the same season opener on the imposing Streets of Long Beach track in Long Beach, CA. And as always, the demanding course with its immovable concrete walls and new scoring zones reprimanded the timid and rewarded the brave.

The 2026 season will witness some of the biggest organizational and regulatory changes in the series’ 23-year history. Among the pre-season headlines was the introduction of three new venues for the eight-round series – and all three feature double-header PRO and PROSPEC Championship weekends. The new venues include Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT, Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Vegas, baby!

In other news, the series introduced a new automated judging system for Qualifying and telemetry to assist the judges during Competition. Formula DRIFT also signed a major broadcast deal with Racer Network, making them the exclusive partner of the series. All Formula DRIFT event livestream broadcasts are now available on Racer Network, with Top 16 coverage and a new Grid Walk-style program only available on Racer or via an embedded Racer feed at formulad.com.

FORMULA DRIFT HALL OF FAME

Another series milestone was reached with the unveiling of the Official Formula DRIFT Hall of Fame permanent monument. Designed by series Technical Director Kevin Wells, it features stacked, authentic tire treads to acknowledge the importance of the early tire companies who helped establish the series. The memorial is topped with a reproduction of the famous FD carbon fiber trophy. It’s located close to the Streets of Long Beach track and the aim is to recognize people who’ve played a key role developing the series over the years. Previous inductees include drivers Rhys Millen, Samuel Hubinette and Tanner Foust, as well as series photographer Larry Chen. The 2026 inductee was 2011 FD PRO Champion Daijiro Yoshihara, whose name joined the others at the base of the monument.

A NEW CHAPTER: USDM

While Round 1 retained its traditional Long Beach home, which has been on the calendar since 2006, it heralded the introduction of the Universal Drift Scoring Method (UDSM) from Race Data Labs. The telemetry and data system is a development of technology used overseas but has been upgraded in collaboration with Formula DRIFT. Its introduction was necessitated by a return to solo qualifying runs after the PRO drivers chose to abandon the Seeding Bracket Qualifying format, which was introduced in 2024. As an interesting side note, the PROSPEC drivers voted to retain Seeding Brackets because it offered them more tandem competition time than solo runs.

With the different qualifying formats, there was a danger that weekend schedules could over-run their allotted time slots, but UDSM provided the solution thanks to transponders fitted to each car, able to detect track position, speed, angle, deceleration and more. As such, Formula DRIFT was able to automate 80% of a PRO driver’s Qualifying score by having it assess and quantify objectively the drivers’ drift Line and car Angle. The three-man judging panel was then only required to assess Driving Style – the remaining 20% of the Qualifying score. This was left to the experts because they’re best equipped to assess the nuance of transition snap, stability, e-brake use, left-foot braking, degree of difficulty and its aggregate effect, etc.

Formula DRIFT will use the UDSM system as the primary method for scoring Line and Ange in Qualifying, but for Tandem it will function as a judging tool, available to the judges to help see behind the smoke and into areas once difficult for eyes and cameras to see. UDSM will also provide the Fill Rate of each Zone on lead runs for the two competitors, plus a proximity score and a mimic score. This is the first time the physical aspect of drifting are being measured in real-time to tell the story of drifting. The data will ensure that no physical detail is either unknown or ambiguous for the judges and fans.

A further benefit of the data is to provide unique broadcast graphics for each part of competition to ensure viewers are able to digest and comprehend the data produced by each car and measured by the system.

QUALIFYING

The running order for Qualifying was decided by the reverse of the Championship ranking. For Round One, the Rookie drivers – Cody Buchanan (USA), Nate Chen (USA) and Cole Richards (USA) – went first, with the 2025 Champion running last. For subsequent rounds, the order will be the reverse of the 2026 Championship standings.

With 33 drivers attempting to qualify for the Top 32 Competition places, one would be eliminated, and Rome Charpentier (USA) in the Garagistic / Pedal Commander /  Coco Love / Kumho Tire / E36 BMW was deleted from the game after he was unable to complete his first run and could only score 48.3 points on his second.

The top qualifier was the reigning and five-time FD PRO Champion James Deane (Ireland) with a score of 89 points driving the O’Reilly / Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD. As the top ranked driver from 2025, he ran last and claimed the lead on the final run of the session, closing the session with a dramatic climax.

Second place went to Jack Shanahan (Ireland) in the Pulsar Turbos E82 BMW – a car built by his team in 16 days. In fact, Jack seemed uncertain it would be ready for Round 1. However, he scored 88.46 points on his second run to secure the position.

Third place went to Chris Forsberg (USA) in the Destined Industries Nissan Z. The three-time Champion gave his new livery a stunning introduction and showed he’s still a “Fors” to be reckoned with.

Qualifying fourth was Ryan Tuerck (USA) in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla. Not only did he celebrate his birthday the same day, but Ryan announced he’d be leaving the series at the end of the year and promised to continue pushing.

Throughout the first run session, the lead was held by Deane’s RTR teammate Ben Hobson (USA) who scored a dominant 86.26 points. However, a spin on his second outing meant he couldn’t improve and placed seventh overall.

The leading Rookie was Cole Richards in the Richards Racing Toyota GT86 who scored 83.46 points, placing him 12th overall and signaling to his fellow PROSPEC graduates that he was in contention for the 2026 Rookie of the Year.

As the top qualifier, Deane received three Championship points, while second place got two, and one point for third.

 

COMPETITION

Having secured a record-breaking fifth title in record-breaking time in 2025, and then claiming the top qualifying position in 2026, few people would have bet against James Deane maintaining his crushing momentum in Long Beach. Equally, few would have placed a bet on the Irishman being eliminated from the Top 16 by Diego Higa (Brazil) in the Higa Motorsport Toyota GT86. The Brazilian had looked strong all weekend but would immediately succumb to Conor Shanahan (Ireland) in the Top 8.

The Shanahan brothers, Conor and Jack, had brought their own momentum. They’d finished first and third, respectively, in the prestigious 2025 European Drift Master Championship. Jack had also won the Final Round of the 2025 FD PRO Championship in Long Beach and qualified second for this event within half-a-point of Deane.

Both men also had new cars. Conor had teamed up with Jerry Yang Racing and the Red Bull / GT Radial / JYR Toyota GT86 immediately looked competitive, qualifying eighth. Jack forged his own path with the Pulsar Turbos E82 BMW but had done very little testing before qualifying. Fortunately, he also felt comfortable in the car until he experienced an engine problem in the Top 8 heats against Aurimas Bakchis (Lithuania) in his new Feal Suspension / GT Radial / Subimods Subaru BRZ. With both drivers pushing hard, the judges called for One More Time and possibly the extra pressure to defeat Bakchis caused the problem.

Upon inspection after the heat, Jack gallantly chose not to risk covering the track in oil by trying to defeat Aasbo in the Top 4. His withdrawal meant fans missed the chance to potentially see the Shanahan brothers battle in the Final if he’d been able to defeat Aasbo. In the end, Jack placed third and stood beside his brother on the podium at the end of an incredible day.

Meanwhile, Conor was matched against veteran Ken Gushi (Japan) in the Top 32 heats. Driving the Toyota Gazoo Racing / GReddy Performance / Kenda Tire Toyota GR86, Gushi surged forward in the chase position as the Irishman was preparing to transition into Zone 6. The rear of Conor’s GT86 swung into the front of Ken’s GR86, pushing the front-end into the wall.

Towed off the course, Jerry Yang Racing – assisted by several other teams – had 10min to repairs Conor’s car. When time ran out they utilized the optional 5min Competition Time Out, but a suspension arm broke as Conor attempted to leave the pits. With Conor unable to start the second run, Ken completed a solo run to allow the judges to compare the lead runs of each driver. Yet after a period of deliberation and consultation with the official rule book, the judges decided to re-run both heats once Conor’s car had been repaired. Following a close battle, the Irishman took a narrow victory over Gushi, allowing him to continue on.

Shanahan proceeded to defeat Simen Olsen (Norway) in the Top 16, Diego Higa in the Top 8, and Rookie Cole Richards in the Top 4. And with his brother retired from the Top 4,  Conor  met  triple FD PRO Champion Aasbo in the Final.

Mentally exhausted from the earlier shenanigans, Shanahan put everything on the line and narrowly beat Aasbo after an intense battle that was decided by the smallest of mistakes in drift line and angle.

“What a day, full of emotion!” Shanahan stated after the podium ceremony. “It was a rough start with the big crash in Top 32 but I was very happy the judges decided to go One More Time. After that, we just chipped away. We put a lot of work into the weekend and it was a pleasure to drive with Jerry Yang Racing. Jerry gave me an incredible machine, which made my life much easier than in the past. It’s been a dream of mine to win this Round in Long Beach – I’ve been watching it since I was ten years old – and to drive against the three-time Champ in the Final meant we had to push hard. But it’s a very special feeling and very emotional. I’m glad we made it happen with JYR. I’m hoping to dominate the series from start to finish and I think we’ve got a good shot!”

Second-place Aasbo had a slightly easier route to the Final in his Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra. He first defeated Trenton Beechum (USA), then teenager Hiroya Minowa (Japan) – who announced a 2026 season split with Toyota WRC driving duties – before Dylan Hughes (USA) in the Top 8. The next heat was a bye run after Jack Shanahan withdrew. And while he narrowly missed a win in the Final, he undoubtedly appreciated the points advantage over his nemesis, James Deane.

Outside of the top three, there were great expectations for Matt Field (USA) following his second-place performance in 2025, but he exited early after falling victim to Dylan Hughes in the Top 32. Similarly, LZ (USA) – who finished 2025 in third – was ejected from the Top 32 by Ryan Litteral (USA) after LZ made contact with two walls during his lead run in their One More Time battle.

Among the new faces, top Rookie in Round 1 was Cole Richards. His placed fourth overall after losing to Conor Shanahan in the Top 4. During their contest, the driver of the Richards Racing Toyota GT86 narrowly avoided a big collision on the first run and was unable to overcome the error. Despite that, he should now be regarded as a major force for 2026.

“This has been easily the most ambitious season in our 23 years. We’ve succeeded in increasing the exposure and reach of the series while also enhancing the judging objectivity,” said Ryan Sage, President of Formula DRIFT. “We’ve stepped into a different space; one that preserves our roots while giving us the ability to know it’s where professional athletes deploy. I was reminded of that by 22 year-old Conor Shanahan, who was dealt a challenging hand on the track but showed the maturity of a veteran and gave the drifting world a masterclass to become our Streets of Long Beach winner.” 

Ryan added: “I also want to take this opportunity to recognize both Alex Pfieffer and Long Beach’s own Jim Michaelien, without whom we’d never have made this sport as big as it’s become. Both passed away shortly before this weekend’s event and we’ll miss them both.”

And finally, Toyota leads the Formula DRIFT 2026 Auto Cup after Round 1 by a considerable margin, as does GT Radial in the Tire Cup.

ROUND 1 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS*

POSITION	DRIVER	POINTS
1	Conor Shanahan	50
2	Fredric Aasbo	40
3	Jack Shanahan	32
4	Cole Richards	30
5	Aurimas Bakchis	20
6	Branden Sorensen	20
7	Diego Higa	20
8	Dylan Hughes	20
9	James Deane	13
10	Chris Forsberg	11
11	Ryan Tuerck	10
12	Hiroya Minowa	10
13	Ben Hobson	10
14	Simen Olsen	10
15	Jeff Jones	10
16	Ryan Litteral	10

2026 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS*

Toyota	60
BMW	32
Ford	23
Nissan	21
Chevrolet	0

 

2026 TIRE CUP STANDINGS*

GT Radial	80
Kenda	51
Kumho	42
Nitto	23

* Preliminary standings. Final results pending official confirmation