2024 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - Long Beach

The streets of Long Beach, California, served as the opening salvo for the 2024 Formula Drift championship, which saw some drastic changes such as dropping single qualifying runs in favor of a reimagined tandem-only format. Not only that, they picked up new sponsors such as South Korea's Kumho Tire, hand cleaner brand Fast Orange, and Alpinestars, among others. The 2024 season is going to be the turning point in Formula Drift history.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

James Deane in his #130 AutoZone Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD and Simen Olsen in his #707 Feal Suspension Nissan S14.9 are the drivers who advanced to the finals and amid wet weather, they put in a good opening salvo with their crowd-pleasing drifts.

By unanimous decision in a rain-soaked final round, James Deane drew first blood with a win against Olsen. Aurimas Bakchis in his #723 Feal Suspension / GT Radial Nissan S15 finished in 3rd place.

The next event is at Atlanta for the Road to the Championship this May 9-11.

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - TITLE FIGHT

Irwindale is the final stop of the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship, concluding the league's 20th-anniversary celebration with the epic title fight to decide who will be crowned the champion. Will DeNofa become the 2023 season or will either Field or Olsen snatch his glory? Let's find out.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

After Chris Forsberg trumped titled contender Simen Olsen at the Top 16 eliminations, Chelsea DeNofa, a first for his all-new #88 Pennzoil / BC Racing Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD drift machine, earned the right to earn the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Champion title, wrapping up his 12-year career run with a huge smoke. Despite being eliminated in the Top 32 match by Kristaps Bluss, he still earned the right to claim his title for his final time.

Meanwhile, Nick Noback wins the final round by unanimous decision.

This concludes the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship. Here's to another 20 years and see you next season!

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - ELEVATED

The Utah Motorsport Campus is the penultimate stop for the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with ELEVATED. With Chelsea DeNofa leading the title fight, will his road to the championship title remain in place for the finale?

Screengrab from Formula Drift

A winner by unanimous decision, DeNofa beats Matt Field in the finals, making it his third win of the 2023 season, while Simen Olsen settles in third place.

After Utah, DeNofa leads with 463 points, 53 points ahead of Matt Field, while Olsen's in third with 387 points. The three Utah podium finishers also happen to be the 2023 season points leaders. What a finish.

Will DeNofa become the 2023 season or will either Field or Olsen snatch his glory? The 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship concludes in Irwindale for the TITLE FIGHT this October 13-14. Don't miss it! 

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - THROWDOWN

The 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues in Seattle's Evergreen Speedway for THROWDOWN.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

Chelsea DeNofa, in his all-new Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5 drift car, and Dylan Hughes, in a Royal Purple BMW, ended up becoming the main event as both of these drivers emerged their way to the finals and show off their drifting moves. As the first run's too close to call, a second run is done and a unanimous decision is made.

Chelsea DeNofa emerged as the winner of THROWDOWN by unanimous decision, beating Hughes and third-placer James Deanne into it.

The next round will be at Utah Motorsports Campus for ELEVATED this September 14-16.

My FH5 Log: "WE MAKE DRIFTS"

Aside from the junk cars and the AMG GT Black Series offered in the FH5 Upgrade Heroes update, there are two additional Formula Drift cars as well with one a new version of the familiar drift car driven by Chris Forsberg, and the other driven by one of the Donut Media boys for PROSPEC class.

First up is the #64 Forsberg Racing Nissan Z that I won as the overall prize in the Upgrade Heroes playlist. Used in the 2023 season of Formula Drift Pro Championship, it's based on the RZ34 Nissan Fairlady Z but with the 3.8L V6 Twin Turbo engine from the Nissan GT-R stuffed in it and juiced to produce a thousand horsepower.

Lastly, the #51 Donut Media Nissan 240SX drift car that I've obtained has mingled through the Donut Media Low Car story's Bumper 2 Bumper segment. It's a Nissan Silvia S14A jammed with an LQ9 engine, it's been driven by Donut Media's Adam Knapik for the PROSPEC class.

Normally, I would rather compare these two drift cars to see which one is the best but sadly, that would be pointless to compare drift cars because they're focused mostly on drifting rather than doing laps. Luckily, I had a brainwave...

First off, I decided to give the #64 Forsberg Racing Nissan Z a little exhibition drift in my own version of a certain classic track from a certain classic racing game I can't mention. Okay, it's my version of GT2's Motor Sports Land and if anyone's interested, I'll tell you the share code, it's 147 528 997.

Next up, I took the #51 Donut Media Nissan 240SX drift car on a little timewarp to Ancient Rome with a 10-lap drift track created by Forza player "l Wizzle l". Credit to the owner, as always.

As I said, if anyone's interested in this Ancient Rome drift track created by a certain Forza player, here's the share code: 175 263 128

These drift cars really know how to make a statement...

Enjoy your new rides!

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - CROSSROADS

 The 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues in St. Louis, Missouri for CROSSROADS.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

Fredric Aasbo and Aurimas Bakchis made it to the finals and they're going all-out in the name of audience impact in St. Louis. As the first run became too close to call for the competitors, they went for the second run and the winner is decided.

Bakchis is named the winner of CROSSROADS after beating Aasbo by a unanimous decision. Simen Olsen finished in third place.

The next event is at the Evergreen Speedway in Seattle, Washington, for THROWDOWN this August 11-12.

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - THE GAUNTLET

New Jersey is the next battlefield for the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship for THE GAUNTLET, one of the most intense drifting matches of the summer season.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Adam LZ made headlines in New Jersey as he scored his first Formula Drift career win after an intense match against Simen Olsen. Matt Field ended his New Jersey stint in third place.

The next event will be at St. Louis, Missouri for CROSSROADS this July 13-15.

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - SCORCHED

Orlando, Florida is the next stop of the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with the SCORCHED event.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Chelsea DeNofa in his brand-new Ford Mustang drift car and Fredric Aasbo in his Toyota GR Supra drift car were the ones who made it to the finals. As the two performed their drifts rather well, it was too close to call so the audience called in an encore and the second run commenced, finding out who has the moves.

After an encore, Chelsea DeNofa was declared the winner by unanimous decision. Kazuya Taniguchi, meanwhile, is this event's third placer.

The next event is at Englishtown, New Jersey, for THE GAUNTLET this June 22-24.

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Road Atlanta, Georgia, is the next stop for the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with the ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP event.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

The battle between the two drifting titans, Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chris Forsberg, became the talk of the town in the ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP event. As the two legends showcased their drifting performance in front of the audience, there can only be one. It was Gittin Jr who was named the winner of Formula Drift's ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP event in Road Atlanta, Aurimas Bakchis became the third placer of this event.

The next event will be at Orlando Speed World for SCORCHED this May 26-27.

2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - Streets of Long Beach

The streets of Long Beach come alive with the sounds and smoke from drift cars as the 2023 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship kicked off the series' 20th-anniversary celebration.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Matt Field in his Borla Performance GT Radial Corvette drew first blood in the season opener after outperforming Rome Charpentier in his Garagistic Vitour Tire BMW E36 in the second run of the final round. Supra driver Fredric Aasbo completes the podium in third.

The next event will be at Road Atlanta for the ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP event this May 11-13.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - TITLE FIGHT

Irwindale, California, is the final stop of the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship as the Title Fight will decide once and for all who will be this season's champion. With seven different winners in seven different rounds this season, will this season's streak be maintained or will someone break the streak to become this season's champion?

Screengrab from Formula Drift

Fredric Aasbo ended the streak by winning his second event of the season, earning him the right to be crowned the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Champion. Aasbo became this season's champion after his dramatic drifting performance against Ryan Tuerck which made the audience go in favor of the Supra driver. Jeff Jones finished 3rd in the final event of the season.

Aasbo won his second championship title while Matt Field ends the season in 2nd place in the standing while Ryan Tuerck finished 3rd.

Congratulations to  Fredric Aasbo for his second Formula Drift Pro Championship title!

This is the end of the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship. See you next season!

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - TYPE S Elevated presented by AutoZone

The 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues in their new venue, Grantsville, Utah, for the TYPE S Elevated presented by AutoZone, the penultimate leg of this season.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Drifting legend, Ken Gushi, in his new GR86 drift car, bagged his first win of the season after pulling some impressive drifts to defeat Fredric Aasbo, driver of the GR Supra drift car. Chelsea DeNofa, meanwhile, settles in third place.

That's seven different winners in seven different rounds this season. Will this season's streak be maintained or will someone break the streak to become this season's champion? Find out as the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship concludes in Irwindale, California, this October 14-15. Don't miss it!

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - Throwdown

The Pacific Northwest is the next stop of this season's Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with Throwdown at the Evergreen Speedway. In the midst of the heat advisory, nothing's hotter than intense drifting action that burns the Washington State down than a sizzling heat wave.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Matt Field and Chelsea Denofa made themselves to the finals and their final round duel became too close to call for the audiences to decide who wins the Throwdown. After an intense drift showdown, the judges have decided. It's Chelsea Denofa who wins the Throwdown while Matt Field is in 2nd place. Chris Forsberg is in 3rd place.

The next round will be at Grantsville, Utah, this September 15-17.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - Crossroads

St. Louis's World Wide Technology Raceway, a NASCAR staple, has transformed into a drifting battleground for the next leg of the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship, called Crossroads.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

Kazuya Taguchi made headlines because not only did he qualifies first for the first time and land on the podium for the first time but also he made his first Formula Drift win after Ryan Tuerck's drifting mistake at the finals landed him in second place. Matt Field finished in third place.

The next event will be at Monroe, WA, for Throwdown this August 5-6.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - TYPE S The Gauntlet presented by Auto Zone

Englishtown, New Jersey is the next stop of the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship with TYPE S The Gauntlet presented by Auto Zone.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

From the qualifiers to the semis, the final two who made it to the final duel of The Gauntlet are Travis Reeder and Rome Charpentier, the first time these two unknown drifters made it to the podium while Chelsea DeNofa ended in third place. As the two unsung heroes engaged in the final duel of the event, the two drifters pulled some impressive slides until a mishap from Charpentier cost him drastically when he went off the course by the left.

This means Travis Reeder is named the winner of The Gauntlet.

The next event will be at St. Louis, Missouri for Crossroads this July 14-16.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - TYPE S Scorched presented by Auto Zone

The Orlando Speed World comes alive with the world's best drifting professionals clashing each other with the TYPE S Scorched event, the third leg of the 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship. Despite the name of the event, the rainy weather occurred but that hasn't stopped them from delivering the best drifting duels speedo boys can't get enough of.

Screengrab from Formula Drift

The #129 BMW driver Dylan Hughes and Chris Forsberg, who drives the new Nissan Z drift car, managed to survive their way to the finals and they faced each other in a soaked-up Orlando battleground for the finals. The two drivers struggle to drift their way through the wet course but they barely made it.

In the end, the judges have spoken. Dylan Hughes wins the TYPE S Scorched presented by Auto Zone.

After Orlando, Fredric Aasbo, who finished 3rd in this event, remains in the lead with 264 points while Matt Field's in 2nd place with 255 points and Chris Forsberg is in 3rd place with 249 points.

The next event will be The Gauntlet in Englishtown, New Jersey, this June 9-11.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - AutoZone Road to the Championship presented by TYPE S

The 2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship continues in the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the AutoZone Road to the Championship presented by TYPE S.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Chris Forsberg and Fredric Aasbo became the final two competitors who drifted their way from the qualifiers to the finals over the course of this weekend. As the final two faced each other, both drivers showcased their drifting talents until cone-hittings cost them dearly. As the match became too close to call, the majority of the audience has spoken. They're demanding "one more time" and the two are going for the restart.

After their encore performance, Frederic Aasbo, driving the Rockstar Energy GR Supra wins the AutoZone Road to the Championship presented by TYPE S. Forsberg, who now drives the new Nissan Z drift car, is named 1st runner-up, and Matt Field's the 2nd runner-up.

The next event will be the TYPE S Scorched presented by Auto Zone, to be held in Orlando Speed World this May 19-21.

2022 Formula DRIFT Pro Championship - AutoZone Streets of Long Beach presented by TYPE S

The streets of Long Beach, California, come to life with the sounds of screeching tires and burnouts as the 2022 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship kicked off with the AutoZone Streets of Long Beach presented by TYPE S.

Screengrab from Formula DRIFT

Ryan Tuerck technically became the winner of the final round of the first event following Matt Field's sudden withdrawal due to his #777 Corvette drift car sustained heavy damage in the quarter-finals, marking his first win since Round 5 of the 2020 season and the first for the brand-new Toyota GR Corolla drift car. Lithuanian drifter Aurimas Bakchis finished 3rd due to his 4th place qualifier result compared to Fredric Aasbo's 7th place qualifying result.

The next event will be at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the AutoZone Road to the Championship presented by TYPE S from May 6th to 7th.