Fredric Aasbo wins Opening Round of 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship in Long Beach
Three-time Champion beats four-time Champion in dramatic Final. Formula DRIFT announces new venue for Round 8, and Larry Chen inducted into Hall of Fame
The start of any new competition season is a momentous occasion but the Opening Round of the 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship brought more excitement than usual. In addition to a packed field of talented international teams and drivers, the series sprinkled five new prospects into the entry list, added significantly more grandstand seating to accommodate an even bigger capacity crowd, announced a new venue for Round 8 and inducted Larry Chen into its Hall of Fame.
We’ll review the new drivers below but 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. And for the first time, Formula DRIFT will have its own unique and independent street course venue. It will be vastly different to Round 1: Street of Long Beach, which is based on the Long Beach Grand Prix layout. The Shoreline Showdown takes place on October 17-18.
Photographer Larry Chen became the fourth inductee 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. His name will join previous inductees Rhys Millen, Samuel Hubinette andTanner Foust on a monument at the Long Beach venue this summer. Inductees also receive a custom Hall of Fame ring created by Jostens – famous for rings at all major US sporting events such as the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA, NASCAR, IndyCar, etc – valued at $10,000.
PRO SEEDING BRACKET QUALIFICATION
Over the winter, Formula DRIFT introduced a number of rule changes, which specifically impacted its Seeding Bracket qualification format. Among these were the introduction of prize money for the Seeding Bracket winner, three Championship points for each heat win, as well as the use of One More Time (OMT). Just as in the Main Event, OMT 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 and the option was exercised twice on the night.
The Seeding Bracket format had also been reconfigured to ensure all drivers in the Top 32 competition heats have a driver to battle rather than a bye run. It means that where possible, the highest finishing 12 drivers from the Seeding Bracket go through to competition rather than eliminating too many drivers and leaving bye runs in competition. And to achieve this, the lowest ranked driver/s who lose their Top 16 Seeding Bracket heat, and fall outside the leading 12 drivers, will be eliminated.
Candidates for the Seeding Bracket were selected once the first 20 competition places were locked in from the ranking achieved by drivers at the previous Round, which in this case was Round 8 in 2024. The remaining 13 drivers then had to qualify for one of 12 places in competition via the Seeding Bracket.
Unfortunately, the axe fell on Federico Sceriffo (Italy) in the Pennzoil / FuelTech / VP Racing Fuels Ferrari 599 GTB. He was the lowest ranked Top 16 heat loser, and was eliminated.
There was a palpable sense of relief for the remaining drivers, who included five new names for the 2025 season. Among the Rookies were drivers who earned a 2025 FD PRO competition license by finishing top three in FD PROSPEC. They included the 2024 PROSPEC Champion Tommy Lemaire (Canada) plus Connor O’Sullivan (USA) and Austin Matta (USA).
Two drivers were granted a license on the basis of an International Petition. The first was Rookie Jack Shanahan (Ireland), the holder of multiple Irish and British drift championship titles. Second was Daigo Saito (Japan) who 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 a fan favorite.
All five new drivers had to qualify through the Seeding Bracket because they didn’t have a 2024 ranking. And when the brackets were announced, many fans were shocked to see Shanahan paired against Saito as well as Lemaire pitted against O’Sullivan. Fortunately, all four were ranked higher than Sceriffo and, although Saito and O’Sullivan lost their first heat, they were able to qualify for the competition heats.
Winner of the Type S PRO Seeding Bracket was Daniel Stuke (USA) driving the MspeK Performance Nissan Silvia who had a hard-fought battle with Ben Hobson (USA) in the Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD. Hobson’s second place was a welcome return to form after he only qualified twice last season. Their qualifying success saw Stuke finish fifth overall in the competition heats with Hobson in tenth, gaining valuable Championship points and ensuring they pre-qualify for Round 2 by being inside the top 20 drivers.
PRO COMPETITION
With the continually escalating level of car preparation and driver skill, there are no easy matchups in Formula DRIFT competition. Add the unforgiving concrete barriers of the Long Beach street course and Round 1 has always been a do-or-die event. Yet despite the challenges, car development and incredible talent on display, it was the two most successful drivers in Formula DRIFT history that again rose to the top.
The Final heat came down to a confrontation between Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – three-time FD PRO Champion and most successful driver in the sport’s 22-year history – against James Deane (Ireland) – the reigning and only four-time PRO Champion. Both are extremely skilled drivers representing top teams in the form of Papadakis Racing and RTR Motorsports, respectively.
One potential hurdle was the switch from Nitto to Kenda tires on Aasbo’s Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra. Could this throw a wrench in the Norwegian’s plans and hand the advantage to Deane’s Nitto-shod AutoZone Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD?
As it transpired, neither driver displayed any weakness. Both executed almost flawless lead and chase runs, giving the judges no choice but to request OMT. At the second attempt, Deane made a critical error in Outside Zone 3, hammering the concrete wall with the Mustang’s tail as he attempted to match the speed and precision of Aasbo’s second lead run. The impact left the Norwegian with very few options, causing him to collide with Deane and the wall before composing himself. With Deane judged at fault, Aasbo was declared the winner.
“Today was one of those perfect days where everything comes together,” explained a visibly relieved Aasbo. “We’ve started the season with a major change; not really knowing how the switch from Nitto to Kenda would pan out, even though we’d done our testing. So, winning the first Round on Kenda is huge but it takes a village – the team, the car, my mindset, all the off-season practice – all of that meant we could stick it to James in the Final where he made a mistake and here we are with the win!”
Aasbo’s path to victory saw him initially defeat Rookie O’Sullivan in the OSully Racing / US Army BMW before overcoming veteran Ken Gushi (Japan) driving the Toyota Gazoo Racing / GReddy Performance / Kenda GR86. In the Top 8, Aasbo faced teammate Ryan Tuerck (USA) in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla. It was an intense battle that provoked a split decision from the judges in Aasbo’s favor thanks in part to his technique at the Inside Clip. Similarly, Aasbo’s battle with a hugely improved Branden Sorenson (USA) driving the US Airforce / Sorensen Motorsports BMW was another tight call but it again fell in the Norwegian’s favor.
Other headlines saw LZ finish third after an impressive run where he beat three-time Champion Chris Forsberg (USA) in the NOS Energy Drink Nissan Z NISMO after a OMT battle. He’d eventually succumb to Deane in the Top 4.
The highly anticipated return of Saito fell flat after he was knocked out of the first round in qualifying and then retired from his first competitive heat with engine trouble. Rookies Jack Shanahan and Lemaire fared better. The Irishman left Long Beach leading the Rookie of the Year title race after finishing 21st overall, while Lemaire placed 22nd and shares the same points.
As a result of Aasbo’s success, Kenda Tire notched its first win since joining the series in 2023. The brand leads the 2025 Formula DRIFT Tire Cup while Toyota heads the Auto Cup.
“We had a really exciting kick off to the 22nd season following a slight adjustment to the format but keeping our all-tandem competition,” commented Ryan Sage, President of Formula DRIFT. “Daniel Stuke won the Seeding Bracket and walked away with some prize money and Championship points. And in competition, we saw the standard being set between the drivers who were winning last year and the new international arrivals – we’re looking forward to seeing how that dynamic will evolve.
“James Deane looked like the guy to beat. Over the past few years he’s grown into an unstoppable force, but Aasbo was able to push him into making a mistake in the Final. We’re also delighted Adam LZ is committed to the full season and started strong with a third-place finish.
“We also announced our Round 8 venue, which will be back in Long Beach on a completely new track configuration for the first time in our history. And we announced Larry Chen as the first non-driver inductee to our Hall of Fame, adding his name to the other greats from the past few years.”
ROUND 1 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Fredric Aasbo | 50 |
| 2 | James Deane | 40 |
| 3 | Adam LZ | 30 |
| 4 | Branden Sorensen | 30 |
| 5 | Daniel Stuke | 22 |
| 6 | Aurimas Bakchis | 20 |
| 7 | Ryan Tuerck | 20 |
| 8 | Conor Shanahan | 20 |
| 9 | Chris Forsberg | 20 |
| 10 | Ben Hobson | 19 |
| 11 | Hiroya Minowa | 10 |
| 12 | Matt Field | 10 |
| 13 | Dylan Hughes | 10 |
| 14 | Ken Gushi | 10 |
| 15 | Trenton Beechum | 10 |
| 16 | Jhonnattan Castro | 10 |
2025 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS
| Toyota | 70 |
| Ford | 59 |
| Nissan | 20 |
| Chevrolet | 10 |
| BMW | 9 |
22025 TIRE CUP STANDINGS
| Kenda | 72 |
| Nitto | 70 |
| GT Radial | 50 |
| Kumho | 30 |
NEXT ROUND
Round 1 of the Link ECU PROSPEC Championship will take place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on May 8-10 along with Round 2 of FD PRO.
Please visit formulad.com for ticket information, driver profiles, special content, and the event livestream.
Competition Results from Opening Round of 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship in Long Beach
- 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
- Fredric Aasbo (Norway) – Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra
- James Deane (Ireland) – AutoZone Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
- 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
ROUND 1 FD PRO TOP 16 DRIVER POINTS & CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
| POSITION | DRIVER | POINTS |
| 1 | Fredric Aasbo | 50 |
| 2 | James Deane | 40 |
| 3 | Adam LZ | 30 |
| 4 | Branden Sorensen | 30 |
| 5 | Dan Stuke | 22 |
| 6 | Aurimas Bakchis | 20 |
| 7 | Ryan Tuerck | 20 |
| 8 | Conor Shanahan | 20 |
| 9 | Chris Forsberg | 20 |
| 10 | Ben Hobson | 19 |
| 11 | Hiroya Minowa | 10 |
| 12 | Matt Field | 10 |
| 13 | Dylan Hughes | 10 |
| 14 | Ken Gushi | 10 |
| 15 | Trenton Beechum | 10 |
| 16 | Jhonnattan Castro | 10 |
2025 AUTO CUP TOP 5 STANDINGS
| Toyota | 70 |
| BMW | 60 |
| Ford | 59 |
| Nissan | 42 |
| Chevrolet | 10 |
2025 TIRE CUP STANDINGS
| Kenda | 72 |
| Nitto | 70 |
| GT Radial | 50 |
| Kumho | 9 |
Qualifying Seeding Bracket Results from Opening Round of 2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship in Long Beach
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
ROUND 1 PRO SEEDING BRACKET
| POSITION | NAME | POINTS |
| 1 | Daniel Stuke | 12 |
| 2 | Ben Hobson | 9 |
| 3 | Andy Hateley | 6 |
| 4 | Dmitriy Brutskiy | 6 |
| 5 | Derek Madison | 3 |
| 6 | Rudy Hansen | 3 |
| 7 | Jack Shanahan | 3 |
| 8 | Tommy Lemaire | 3 |
| 9 | Austin Matta | 0 |
| 10 | Connor O`Sullivan | 0 |
| 11 | Daigo Saito | 0 |
| 12 | Ryan Litteral | 0 |
| 13 | Federico Sceriffo | 0 |
ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT
Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver’s skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport.
2025 FORMULA DRIFT OFFICIAL SPONSORS
Major Sponsor, Official Vehicle Lighting – TYPE S
Major Sponsor, Official Energy Drink – Rockstar Energy Drink
Major Sponsor, Official Military Branch – United States Air Force
Major Sponsor, Official Autoparts Retailer – O’Reilly Auto Parts
Major Tire Sponsors – GT Radial, Kenda Tire, Kumho Tire, Nitto Tire
Official Sponsors – Ford Performance, Toyota Gazoo Racing, BC Racing (Official Suspension), SIMAGIC (Official SIM Racing Hardware), Fast Orange (Official Hand Cleaner), NEFT Vodka (Official Vodka)
Associated Sponsors – Enkei Wheels, RAYS Wheels, Eneos Oil, Meguiars
Official ECU & PROSPEC Title Sponsor �� Link Engine Management
Official PROSPEC Tire – GT Radial
Official PROSPEC Tire Service Partner – Racetreads
Broadcast partner – MAV TV
Official Education Partner – University of Northwestern Ohio
Official Technical Partner – Alpinestars
Official Community Outreach Program – Acceler8
Technical Partners – PCI Race Radios