10 Things We Learned from 2026 Formula DRIFT Long Beach
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Long Beach Might Be Early, But Conor Shanahan Already Looks Like a Title Threat
Yes, there are still seven rounds to go, and no, nobody should be engraving nameplates on carbon fiber trophies yet, but Formula DRIFT Long Beach has a way of exposing who is actually built for a title run. It is not a guarantee, but this opener has repeatedly been a springboard for eventual champions, including Vaughn Gittin, Jr. in 2010, Chris Forsberg in 2014, Fredric Aasbø in 2015, and James Deane in both 2017 and 2024.
Conor Shanahan looked every bit like the next name in that conversation in his first event with Jerry Yang Racing, looking strong from media day through practice, qualifying, and the main event. If anything, we think he was robbed with his 8th place qualifying spot compared to how good he actually looked. His weekend nearly went sideways in the Top 32 after contact from Ken Gushi that affected his transition and sent him into the wall near Zone 6, creating one of the biggest scares of his event. Instead of falling apart there, Shanahan survived the chaos, kept his momentum, and drove all the way to the top spot, where he ended the weekend sharing the podium with his brother Jack.
Built in 16 Days, Jack Shanahan Still Left Long Beach Looking Dangerous
Jack Shanahan pieced together his new Pulsar Turbos E82 in just 16 days, then showed up in Long Beach like the build had months behind it. He opened the weekend by qualifying second on Friday under Formula DRIFT’s new hybrid qualifying format, then backed it up on Saturday with wins over Rudy Hansen, Jeff Jones, and Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis. His run finally came to an end in the semifinals, where engine issues forced him to bow out against Fredric Aasbø, but the bigger takeaway is obvious: even with limited time on the car, Shanahan was already a real threat. He still walked away with third place, and with back-to-back podiums (LB2 in 2025) to start the season, he is carrying serious momentum into Atlanta.
Ryan Tuerck to Step Away from Full-Time Formula DRIFT After 2026
Ryan Tuerck has announced that 2026 will be his final full season of Formula DRIFT competition, marking the beginning of the end of one of the sport’s most distinctive careers. A longtime fan favorite, Tuerck has been a regular podium threat in Formula DRIFT, with runner-up championship finishes in 2009 and 2010, third-place season finishes in 2020 and 2022, and a reputation that extends far beyond results alone.
Importantly, this is not a full retirement from drifting. Tuerck said he is stepping away from running a full championship season, not from the sport itself, as he turns more of his attention toward 411 Works, creative builds, YouTube content, touring events, and family. He will still contest all eight rounds of the 2026 season in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla with Papadakis Racing, giving fans one last full year to watch him compete on the Formula DRIFT stage.
Gregg Bucell Is Bringing Personality with the Gridwalk
The new Gridwalk pre-show with Gregg Bucell felt like a genuine refresh. He has a knack for getting people to open up, and when that does not happen, he is more than capable of making the moment entertaining anyway. That is part of what makes the whole thing work. Between the Gridwalk segments and his quick-hit 60-second post-event recaps, Bucell is carving out a lane that adds personality to the weekend. With the series heading to his home track next, there is every reason to think the fun is only going to ramp up.
Diego Higa Came Back Looking Like He Never Left
Diego Higa sat out 2025, but nothing about his Long Beach return looked like a driver shaking off rust. After competing in Formula DRIFT PRO in 2023 and 2024, then stepping away last year, Higa came back for 2026 and immediately looked dangerous. He qualified 17th, then turned into one of the biggest problem-makers in the bracket once competition started.
Higa opened Saturday by taking out Dan Burkett in the Top 32, then pulled off one of, if not the biggest upset of the weekend by eliminating reigning champion James Deane in the Top 16. His run ended in the Great 8 against eventual winner Conor Shanahan, but the bigger takeaway was obvious, this looked like the best version of Higa we have seen in a while. If Long Beach was any indication, he is not back just to fill the field, he is back to make noise along with all of his fellow Brazilians cheering for him.
Ken Gushi and His Team Showed What Real Sportsmanship Looks Like
Long Beach gave everyone plenty to talk about, but one of the best moments of the weekend had nothing to do with clipping points or bracket results. It came after Ken Gushi had already been declared the winner in his battle with Conor Shanahan.
From our understanding, the issue was procedural, not a judging controversy. After contact by Gushi during Shanahan’s transition, he was sent into the wall near Zone 6. His team scrambled to get the car repaired and it looked like they made it, but unfortunately as Shanahan was heading back to the line, it broke again. That should have been the end of it. Instead, Gushi and his spotter Kevin reportedly offered to rerun the battle anyway, extending the same kind of courtesy that had once been shown to them in a similar situation.
That is where this stopped being just another bracket story and became something bigger. It is easy to talk about respect and sportsmanship when they cost nothing. It is a lot harder to live those values when you have already been handed the win and choose to put it back at risk. Ken and Kevin did exactly that, and unfortunately would lose the rematch. Whatever the season brings from here, that was a class move from a class team.
Cole Richards Looked Right at Home in His PRO Debut
After finishing fifth in PROSPEC last season, Cole Richards wasted no time making an impression in his first Formula DRIFT PRO event as a rookie. Richards qualified a solid 12th, then backed it up with a deep run through the bracket, knocking off Tommy Lemaire, Ryan Litteral, and Brandon Sorensen before his weekend ended in the Final 4 against event winner Conor Shanahan. More importantly, he did not look out of place for a second. Richards looked aggressive, comfortable, and completely capable of running with the top names in the field. If Long Beach was the first real look at what his rookie season might be, fans have a lot of reason to be paying attention heading into Atlanta.
New Car, Same Odi: Bakchis Already Looks Settled in the BRZ
Veteran driver Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis made his debut in the new Feal Suspension / GT Radial / Subimods BRZ, and if there were any signs of a learning curve, he did a good job hiding them. Bakchis looked composed and confident all weekend, carrying over the same calm, controlled presence that has defined him for years in various S-chassis builds. He qualified 10th and once again showed the consistency and chase-driving that have become trademarks of his program.
His weekend came to an end in the Great 8 against Jack Shanahan, but a fifth-place finish in a brand-new chassis is still a strong way to open the season. More importantly, the car already looks competitive, and Bakchis already looks comfortable in it. If Long Beach was the baseline, it should not take long to see this program fighting for podiums.
Formula DRIFT’s New UDSM System Changed How Long Beach Was Measured
Long Beach may have kept its familiar place on the calendar, but Round 1 also introduced one of the biggest technical changes Formula DRIFT has made in years, the debut of the Universal Drift Scoring Method (UDSM), from Race Data Labs. The system builds on technology used overseas and was further developed in collaboration with Formula DRIFT. Its arrival followed the PRO drivers’ move away from the Seeding Bracket Qualifying format introduced in 2024 and a return to solo qualifying runs, while PROSPEC kept seeding brackets in place for the extra tandem seat time.
That change created a scheduling challenge, and UDSM became part of the solution according to Formula DRIFT. Using transponders fitted to each car, the system tracks position, speed, angle, deceleration, and more in real time. In qualifying, it now automates 80 percent of a PRO driver’s score by objectively measuring Line (40) and Angle (40), leaving the judges to focus on Style, the remaining 20 percent.
In tandem, UDSM did not replace the judges, but it will give them better tools. It can help see through smoke, clarify hard-to-read sections of the course, and provide additional data if requested, like helping explain what may happen to cause contact or a collision. Just as important, it gives fans a clearer view of what is happening on track through better broadcast graphics and more meaningful real-time data.
Comments online gave mixed reviews, as well as some of the drivers, including comments from the podium winner's on Formula DRIFT's Outerzone podcast where you can watch on YouTube here.
Rome Charpentier’s E36 Return Did Not Go to Plan
Rome Charpentier returned to the E36 this season, but Long Beach did not deliver the comeback he was hoping for. He never looked fully settled in the car, and qualifying was where it showed the most. After scoring a zero on his first run, Charpentier came back looking more conservative on his second attempt, taking a safer, more midline approach through much of the course. Even then, it still was not enough to hold onto a spot in the show. When Jhonnattan Castro improved on his second run, Charpentier was bumped to 33rd and left out of the main event by a single position.
What made it sting even more was the bigger picture around it. Federico Sceriffo, driving Charpentier’s backup car, qualified 26th, which only added to the frustration of a weekend that never quite came together. Long Beach was a rough start, but the season is still young. If Charpentier can get the car back to the form it showed in 2022 and 2023 where he finished the seasons 10th and 11th respectively, Atlanta should be a much better measure of where this program really stands.
