10 Things We Learned from 2025 Formula DRIFT Long Beach 2

It's always tough going to a new venue the first time. And although this Long Beach 2 / Shoreline Showdown was technically on the same asphalt as Round 1, it proved to be a different course. 

First, it was specifically designed with drifting in mind and wasn't adapted from the (street) road course the Grand Prix uses. Second, It proved that drifting could be showcased in any major city, regardless of a racetrack now. Sure Formula DRIFT has previously held competitions in parking lots (i.e. 2004-2005 Houston, 2005-2006 Chicago, and 2008-2012 Las Vegas), but they weren't built to the level that this one was. Last weekend's event felt like a real track. If it wasn't for the white painted parking spaces, the look would have been perfect. 

If the unfortunate recent trend of several racetracks closing around the country continues, hopefully more cities can be open to hosting temporary tracks like this built in the future. Taking into consideration the ease to travel to large cities, local transportation, food options, and lodging would allow for larger crowds and less traveling. Plus, there are plenty of professional sports teams that have large parking lots located in downtown areas. 

Matt Field is no stranger to finishing a Formula DRIFT season in second place. This season marked the third time (2021, 2022, and 2025) Field has narrowly missed the top spot. The good news is that despite a somewhat rough start to the season in Long Beach, Field managed to improve throughout the season and became reminiscent of his driving from 2021-2023 where he finished the seasons on the podium all three years. After a rough 2024 season, there's no doubt Field and his team are now operating like a well-oiled machine and his shot at the Championship is almost in his reach. 

Fredric Aasbø finished the 2024 season in third and was hoping to better that finish this year. Aasbø was the top contender for the Championship for the first half of the season until he suffered two early exits at Seattle and Utah. With the Championship out of reach and not winning a battle since the Great 8 at Round 5 in St. Louis, Aasbø would have to focus on getting a couple wins in Long Beach to secure another spot on the podium at the end of the season. 

Aasbø started off strong and was able to get his revenge on Nick Noback in the Top 32, who most recently took Aasbø's Championship run away in Utah. Aasbø would then go on to defeat Ben Hobson in the Top 16. However, Hiroya Minowa ended up defeating Aasbø in the Great 8, which would helping Minowa close the gap in points with Aasbø in the battle for third. Luckily for Aasbø, Minowa suffered a mechanical failure in the final battle which would cause him to forfeit and leave him just 10 points behind Aasbø. This third place result  marked the 10th time he's stood on the podium at the end of a season, further solidifying why he's one of the best in the sport. 

Calling Jack Shanahan a rookie in Formula DRIFT is just a formality, especially because he has been drifting since the age of 13. Shanahan has competed in (and won) in a wide variety of international championships including winning the 2015 British Drift Championship at the age of 16 (and again in 2016). Since then, Shanahan has gone on to win the Irish Drift Championship twice (2017, 2019), the Russian Drift Series (2021), and been the runner-up in Drift Masters twice (2019, 2022). 

We were excited when Shanahan first announced he would be competing in Formula DRIFT this season, and although he got off to a rocky start, ever since St. Louis he's been living up to his expectations. It's not easy competing in a series from another country, let alone with a new build and a new team. Over the years plenty of drivers have come over and struggled to no avail without the results they wanted. For Shanahan, we can only hope that two podiums, including a win in Long Beach, met his expectations and ensure we will see his return for 2026 and beyond.

Connor O'Sullivan has only been drifting for three years, proof that Formula DRIFT is one of the fastest motorsport programs where a beginner can become a professional. In those three short years, O'Sullivan has made a name for himself and backed it up with some amazing battles this season. Had it not been for the reshuffling of the seeding bracket (and based solely on results), we think O'Sullivan (and some others) would have faired better over the season, ...but those are the rules. In any case, we are excited to see him come back in his sophomore season with what he learned in his first year in PRO.

Hiroya Minowa continues to impress us. In just his sophmore season, Minowa managed to finish the season with a back-to-back fourth place finish. Minowa was just one win away from earning third this season. Had he been able to win the finals, he would have tied Aasbø with 200 points on the season (his higher placed finish on the event would have broken the tie). Let's also not forget that Minowa defeated former Champions Fredric AAsbø and James Deane in Long Beach 2 on his way to the finals. Had he not suffered a mechanical issue, we can only imagine how exciting the finals with Jack Shanahan might have been. 

Rounding out the last of our repeat finishers on the season is Adam LZ. LZ actually tied Hiroya Minowa with 190 points, but since Minowa made it to the finals, he got the tie-breaker and landed in fifth place again. LZ continues to bring both style and results to the track. Had it not been for his wall hit in Outer Zone 2 in his lead against Jack Shanahan, the results might have been different. What we do know is that LZ is another driver that will have a Championship sooner than later. 

Coming off his win in Poland at the final round of Drift Masters and securing the 2026 Drift Masters Championship, Conor Shanahan came out swinging in Long Beach. During practice Shanahan was one of the first drivers to master the track and we would have assumed win the event. Had it not been for a slight miscalculation in his lead against Hiroya Minowa resulting in his wheel hitting the wall at Outer Zone 4 causing his tire to dismount, Shanahan would have been the one to beat. This year probably didn't yield the results Shanahan wanted, but running full seasons in the two biggest drifting series in the world (and winning one of them) is no small feat, especially when you're based in another country. We look forward to Shanahan's return and know he has the talent to win a championship in this series as well.

Jhonnattan Castro has had an amazing season this year from getting his first podium in Orlando to finishing the season in 7th place. Castro, who has been competing in Formula DRIFT since 2012, managed to pull off the best season of his career in the series. Previously his best finish was 13th in 2023.  We're not sure what changed this season, but it appears everything clicked and we can't wait to see him resume this great driving at Long Beach next year. 

Ryan Tuerck never truly seemed comfortable this season until last weekend where he earned a season's best fourth place finish. There were a few changes with his team going into the final round, so it'll be interesting to see how next year pans out for him. Tuerck would end the season in 10th place.