Formula DRIFT (also known as Formula D or FD) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula DRIFT was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that introduced D1 Grand Prix to the United States. The new entity would solely own, operate and launch the first official drifting series in North America. Formula DRIFT is not associated with the FIA series of formula racing championships.[1]
Formula DRIFT has 81 licensed drivers competing in PRO and PROSPEC (formerly PRO 2[2]) as of October 2023. The series consists of an eight-round championship played out at race tracks across North America. Formula DRIFT is judged on line, angle, and style, rather than who finishes the course in the fastest time.
North America
Drivers in North America can compete in regionally sanctioned PRO/AM organizations for licensing.[3]
USDrift - Mid-Atlantic
East10Drift – Southeast
Evergreen Drift – Pacific Northwest
Colorado Drift - Colorado
ND Drift - Minnesota
Southwest Drift - Las Vegas
Spec-D Drift series - Western Canada
Hot Pit Autofest - California
Full Lock Drift - Oklahoma
US Drift Circuit - Florida
Great Lakes - Pennsylvania
Winners and high finishers of these feeders series are then able to enter the Formula DRIFT PROSPEC series, a secondary national tour where drivers compete to move up to the main series.
Formula DRIFT has increased its international presence every year since 2008 with the addition of demonstration and sister series in other countries. "Taking the Formula DRIFT brand internationally is a huge milestone. Our priority is to continue to build the Series here while growing the sport of drifting as a whole," said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. "We are very careful in choosing our event partners and take careful consideration of the boundaries of our international affiliates such as Drift Australia, MSC, and Pro Drift."[4]
Sister series
Formula DRIFT Asia. Formula DRIFT Asia was created in 2008 with the inaugural FD Singapore competition. The first real international competition of its in Asia, held at the Changi Air Show Grounds. This historic event was sold out before the gates opened. Since then, Formula Drift Asia became its own championship series, the first Pan-Asian professional drifting championship. In 2009 and 2010, the Championship made stops in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. For the 2011/2012 Championship tour, Formula DRIFT Asia added an additional stop in Indonesia.[5]
Formula DRIFT has continued to refine its rulebook and technical regulations year to year in terms of car and competition regulations.
Car eligibility
Cars and their builds are constantly under review by the Formula DRIFT staff. The rule book is revised every year to promote fair and exciting drifting. Some cars and practices are written out of the rule book in order to keep a realistic and level playing field. During the 2004 season, the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe was permitted to compete; subsequently it was ineligible in Formula DRIFT.
Although Formula DRIFT does not permit front-wheel drive cars, it does allow all-wheel drive cars to be converted to rear wheel drive, such as the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi EVO. In the United States, the Scion tC is sold only in the FWD layout, but because it shares the same chassis as the AWD Toyota Avensis (sold only in the United Kingdom and Europe), it can be converted to a competition-ready RWD layout. This change sparked great debate between drifters in the series who felt that an original FWD vehicle should not be eligible due to the front cross member changes needed.
A trademark of Formula DRIFT competition cars is the very open engine rulebook. Formula DRIFT allows engines from other manufacturers to be swapped into competition cars. "Engine, transmission, ECU and/or final drive modifications are free, but only the rear wheels may propel the vehicle". This results in a huge variety of engine/chassis combinations as well as huge power outputs commonly in excess of 850+ whp. Vehicles wishing to compete for the Manufacturers Championship must use an engine from the same manufacturer as the chassis. Engine swaps remain very common with older models but can be seen with new builds as well. Naturally aspirated or supercharged Chevrolet V8 engines are often used because of their availability and lower operating costs.
Suspension modification is widely open to development as long as stock pickup locations are utilized. Suspension tuning is a vital part of any successful Formula DRIFT team.
To keep cars in check Formula DRIFT institutes a maximum tire size based on the vehicles total weight.
Formula DRIFT cars are given fixed numbers for their cars and are not necessarily based on rankings.
Scoring and judging
Formula DRIFT uses its own scoring system that may differ from other drifting organizations. Often scoring systems for qualifying, tandem battles, and penalties are different.
Qualifying – Formula DRIFT competitors are allowed two non-consecutive judged solo runs to post their highest possible score in order to compete. The top 32 drivers with the highest qualifying scores are entered in a competition bracket pairing the highest scoring drivers against the lowest scoring drivers. 1st v. 32nd, 2nd v. 31st, 3rd v. 30th, etc. The drivers are judged on line, speed, angle, and overall impact. The judges can also make additional request at the drivers meeting for actions or techniques that will weigh in their decision making (ex; entry technique, racing line, proximity, etc.). Formula DRIFT drivers are scored on a points-deduction system where every driver will start their judged run with a perfect score of 100 pts. For every mistake, points will be deducted. These points will vary between .25 point to the most severe mistakes 1.75.[6]
Competition – The top 32 qualifying drivers are paired up in an elimination bracket pairing the highest scoring drivers against the lowest scoring drivers. The biggest difference from qualifying is that now drivers face off head to head on the track in a tandem battle. The two cars run together side by side, each driver trying to show greater skill than the other. The highest qualifying driver leads on the first run, then on the second run the lower qualifying driver leads. Drivers are judged on the same basic criteria as qualifying but an emphasis is put on the interaction between the two drivers competing head to head. The lead driver will set the pace and driving line often trying to produce a gap between themselves and the following driver. The following driver will try to stay on top of the lead driver as close as possible without making contact with their vehicle. The goal is to mimic or "shadow" the lead drivers run while staying on their door throughout the run. It is possible for either driver to win either run. Often one driver will have a points advantage going into the second run. Driver mistakes (ex. 2 wheels off course, spinning out, avoidable contact, etc.) can also cause them to be given an automatic zero. The three-judge panel then will look at both runs and determine one of three outcomes; Driver 1 advances, Driver 2 advances, or if a winner can not be determined a "One More Time" will be called. In the event of a "One More Time" the drivers will then complete a new pair of runs. The drivers will face off again until a winner can be determined. The winner advance to the next bracket.
Competition Time Out – Drivers have a one-time option to utilize a "Competition Time Out" in order to attempt to fix their vehicle. In the event that a driver or car can not come to the start line in time for their tandem run the other driver will be allowed to run a solo lap to advance.
Overtaking – Follow cars are permitted to overtake or pass in certain instances. passes may only happen at inside clips, and can only be done so if the lead car is off line enough to allow the follow car to pass between them and the clip. If a successful pass is made the lead car run is deemed a zero.
The current judges are Robbie Nishida (2023-), Brian Eggert (2012-), Chris Uhl (2020-). Kevin Wells is the Competition Director for the series.[6]
Note: Chris Forsberg was first driver to win 3 championships (2009, 2014 and 2016). The second one to win 3 was James Deane, and the third was Fredric Aasbø (2015, 2021, and 2022). Although he was the second driver to win 3 championships, Deane was the first and so far only Formula DRIFT driver who managed to win 3 championships in a row (2017, 2018 and 2019).
1. Fredric Aasbø– 18 wins - 2014 at Wall Speedway and Texas - 2015 at Long Beach, Wall, Seattle, and Irwindale - 2016 at Orlando and Canada - 2017 at Orlando and Canada - 2018 at Long Beach And St. Louis - 2019 Road Atlanta - 2020 at St. Louis (Rd 1) And Irwindale (Rd 7) - 2021 at St. Louis - 2022 at Road Atlanta and Irwindale
2. Vaughn Gittin, Jr.– 13 wins - 2008 at Irwindale - 2010 at Long Beach and Sonoma - 2012 at Wall Speedway and Seattle - 2014 at Road Atlanta and Miami - 2016 at Road Atlanta and Wall Speedway - 2018 at Irwindale - 2020 at Seattle (Rd 3) - 2020 at Seattle (Rd 4) - 2023 at Road Atlanta
3. Chelsea Denofa – 10 wins - 2016 at Long Beach - 2019 at Texas - 2020 at St. Louis (Rd 2) - 2021 at Orlando, Lake Erie, and Seattle - 2022 at Seattle - 2023 at Orlando, Seattle and Utah
4. Aurimas Bakchis – 10 wins - 2015 at Road Atlanta - 2016 at Seattle - 2017 at Wall Speedway - 2019 at Long Beach and Orlando - 2020 at Irwindale (Rd 8) - 2021 at Road Atlanta, Long Beach, and Irwindale - 2023 at St. Louis
5. Chris Forsberg– 10 wins - 2005 at Irwindale - 2007 at Road Atlanta and Infineon - 2008 at Long Beach - 2009 at Road Atlanta and Seattle - 2013 at Seattle - 2014 at Long Beach - 2018 at Orlando - 2020 in Texas (Rd 6)
6. Samuel Hübinette– 9 wins - 2004 at Road Atlanta, Houston, and Infineon - 2005 at Road Atlanta and Chicago - 2006 at Long Beach, Chicago, and Wall Speedway - 2007 at Summit Point
7. James Deane– 8 wins - 2017 at Long Beach, Road Atlanta, Seattle and Texas - 2018 at Wall Speedway and Monroe - 2019 at St. Louis - 2024 at Long Beach
8. Daijiro Yoshihara– 8 wins - 2006 at Irwindale - 2007 at Seattle and Wall Speedway - 2010 at Road Atlanta and Wall Speedway - 2011 at Road Atlanta and Seattle - 2013 at Long Beach
9. Tanner Foust– 7 wins - 2006 at Road Atlanta - 2007 at Irwindale - 2008 at Englishtown and Sonoma - 2009 at Las Vegas - 2010 at Seattle and Irwindale
10. Rhys Millen– 7 wins - 2004 at Irwindale - 2005 at Wall Speedway - 2006 at Infineon - 2008 at Road Atlanta and Seattle - 2011 at Las Vegas - 2012 at Las Vegas
11. Daigo Saito– 6 wins - 2012 at Palm Beach and Irwindale - 2013 at Road Atlanta, Wall Speedway, and Irwindale - 2014 at Irwindale
12. Ryan Tuerck– 6 wins - 2009 at Long Beach and Irwindale - 2015 at Orlando - 2019 at Wall Speedway - 2020 at Texas (Rd 5) - 2022 at Long Beach
13. Justin Pawlak– 4 wins - 2011 at Long Beach and Palm Beach - 2012 at Long Beach and Road Atlanta
14. Matt Field – 4 wins - 2016 at Texas and Irwindale - 2021 at Englishtown - 2023 at Long Beach
15. Piotr Więcek – 3 wins - 2017 at Irwindale - 2018 at Texas - 2019 at Seattle
16. Ken Gushi 3 wins - 2005 at Houston - 2019 at Irwindale - 2022 at Grantsville
17. Tyler McQuarrie – 2 wins - 2010 at Las Vegas - 2011 at Irwindale
18. Michael Essa– 2 wins - 2013 at Palm Beach and Texas
20. Darren McNamara– 2 wins - 2009 at Wall Speedway - 2014 at Seattle
One win each for:
Alex Pfeiffer (2004 invitational at Irwindale featuring the top 16 Formula D drivers from 2004)[55][56]
All PROSPEC drivers are required to run the spec GT Radial Tire.
The 2023 Season of Formula DRIFT saw the exit of Falken Tire and Federal Tire, as well as the introduction of Vitour Tire, and the re-introduction of Kenda Tire. Many drivers who were previously sponsored by Falken switched to GT Radial, while Kenda and Vitour picked up newer drivers, and some who were previously sponsored by Federal.
2020 was the first year of PROSPEC, which replaced PRO2 as the feeder competition series for PRO. 2020 also saw the debut of GT Radial as a tire sponsor for both the PRO and PROSPEC series. All PROSPEC drivers are required to run the spec GT Radial Tire - one of several new regulations for the new PROSPEC series.
Former Fox Soccer United States host Brandon Johnson hosted the Formula D show for G4 in 2006. Rossi Morreale was the show's host in 2005. Johnson was joined by Attack of the Show co-host Olivia Munn who covered the pits and drivers during the events and drifting expert Adam Matthews who provided commentary and insight on the tandem battles. G4 aired each round on a tape-delayed basis. Jarod DeAnda is the public address announcer at each event, earning him the moniker, "The Voice of Formula D." In 2005, G4 used DeAnda's event commentary track, but for 2006, used Johnson and Matthews calling each battle like a typical play-by-play/color commentator combination. Johnson and Matthews were on-site for each event, but it sounded as if they had taped their commentary after the event had already taken place. This practice is not uncommon in the motorsports business in post-production.
In the 2005 season, there were two people working the pits — driver interviewer Mayleen Ramey, who was a roving reporter for the half-hour episodes, and a second anchor, who patrolled around the car show at each event. In 2005, G4 used three reporters for this job. From the round in Wall to the round in Houston, actor Emeka Nnadi held the job. At the Infineon round, Attack of the Show! co-host Kevin Pereira took the duties, while Street Fury host Big C finished things out in Chicago and Irwindale. Also, G4 showed half-hour episodes in-between rounds, most of which focused on the network having its own drift car built from scratch, with other segments focusing on the aspects of drifting. One of the first half-hour episodes in 2005 had one Formula D competitor, Chris Forsberg go to Japan, and meet up with another competitor, Daijiro Yoshihara, to explore the country and get more perspective on the birth of drifting. Episodes that featured event coverage lasted an hour and a half, and featured the top 16 tandem rounds, including those that needed to be run again, because the judges deemed them too close to call. These episodes aired the night after the next round in the series had already taken place.
In 2006, however, coverage was dramatically different. The half-hour episodes were gone, event coverage was reduced to an hour, and their scheduling was quite random. The Long Beach and Atlanta rounds premiered on June 18, with the Chicago round airing on July 2, and the Sonoma round airing a week after it took place. During the Sonoma round, G4 noted that the Seattle round would premiere on September 10, but that date was changed to October 8, with the last two rounds (Wall and Irwindale) airing every other week afterward. These episodes featured more interviews and driver profiles, many of which would've been placed in a half-hour show last year, and many of the tandem battles have been cut out, and any battle that needed to be run again did not have its second run shown. This led to some criticism from those in the drifting community, including fans and some Formula D drivers.
At the 2006 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Formula D co-founders Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage announced that the series would have a new television partner in 2007. That partner was ESPN2. Each round began airing in a one-hour block on November 15 with the Long Beach round. All subsequent airings were supposed to be every Thursday afterward, but beginning with the Evergreen Speedway round on December 5, the air dates for new rounds switched to Wednesday.
The ESPN deal lasted just one season. SPEED Channel aired all rounds of the 2008 Formula D season, as well as the World Championship, scheduled for after the Irwindale round. Events aired on Sundays, beginning with the Long Beach round on October 26; all airings began at 4 PM Eastern.[57]
For 2010, Formula Drift announced a comprehensive race programming schedule with the sports network then known as Versus (ironically co-owned with G4 by Comcast). The seven-stop Formula DRIFT Championship Series programs aired over fourteen Sundays during the 2 PM (EST) / 11 AM (PST) time slot beginning Sunday, August 30. Each episode showcased all the on- and off-track action as the world's top drift drivers battle for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. The first episode, aired on August 30, will feature a comprehensive overview of the sport and drivers. Each episode re-aired the week following the initial airing.[58] Coverage was slated to remain the same for the 2011 season.
In 2012, as a result of NBCUniversal's acquisition by Comcast, Comcast's sports channels were combined under the NBC Sports division, in an arrangement known as the NBC Sports Group; this resulted in Versus being re-launched as the NBC Sports Network on January 2, 2012.
In 2010 Formula D joined forces with Justin.tv to bring a live stream of all 7 events. All rounds were broadcast via Justin.tv complete with practices and all rounds of competition were included. During the 2010 season over 1,000,000 viewers tuned in to watch the live action unfold over the 7 Pro Championship events.
2013 Formula D partnered with Livestream for the domestic series.
2014 Formula D partnered with Daily Motion for its live stream.
At the 2010 SEMA show, FD co-founder Jim Liaw announced the Formula Drift would begin the quarterly publication of a Formula Drift's magazine in 2011. The publication will be handled by Haymarket Media Group.
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