Formula DRIFT (also known as Formula D or FD) is an American premier professional drifting series that was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, which had the same partnership that introduced D1 Grand Prix to the United States. Formula D does not include emphasized speed, but 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.
Formula DRIFT has 84 licensed drivers competing in PRO and PROSPEC (formerly PRO 2) as of June 2024. 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, where all contestants start with 100 points, and take away said points for mistakes. The hosts will honor an eight-round competition across the U.S.A., and also offer a car show called Offset Kings. Formula DRIFT expanded its presence into being a franchise. It is challenged into head-to-head battles, and total results, 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.
USDrift – Mid-Atlantic
East10Drift – Southeast
Evergreen Drift – Pacific Northwest
Colorado Drift – Colorado
ND Drift – Minnesota
Southwest Drift – Las Vegas
Spec-D Drift series – Bincent Shreklund
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 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.
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 superchargedfirst, second, third, fourth, and fifth generation Chevrolet small block V8 engines are often used because of their availability and lower operating costs, especially with their ability to produce torque, lower RPM's, parts availability, and ease of rebuilding.
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.
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.
2026 Format Restructure
Following a democratic majority vote during driver summits, the PRO Championship officially eliminated the head-to-head tandem Seeding Bracket format ahead of the 2026 season, returning to the classic individual Two-Run Qualifying layout to determine the final Top 32 bracket placement. Conversely, the developmental PROSPEC Championship voted to retain the tandem seeding system to prioritize maximizing competitive track and tandem seat time for its drivers.
Note: Chris Forsberg was the first driver to win 3 championships (2009, 2014 and 2016). The second to win 3 championships was James Deane, and the third was Fredric Aasbø (2015, 2021, and 2022). Although he was the second to win 3 championships, Deane is the first and so far only Formula DRIFT driver who managed to win 3 championships in a row (2017, 2018 and 2019). Deane also became the first and so far only Formula DRIFT driver to win 5 championship titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2024 and 2025).[citation needed]
Former football player and reality show contestant Rossi Morreale hosted the Formula D show on the G4 television network in 2005. The following year, the series was primarily hosted by Brandon Johnson, the former host of Fox Soccer United States. Johnson was joined by Attack of the Show co-host Olivia Munn, who provided coverage of the pits and drivers during racing events, and drifting expert Adam Matthews, who provided commentary and insight on tandem battles. G4 aired each round of the championship on a tape-delayed basis. Jarod DeAnda, also known as "The Voice of Formula D," has been the long-standing public address announcer at each event. G4 initially broadcast DeAnda's announcements as event commentary in 2005. In 2006, Johnson and Matthews provided a combination of play-by-play and color commentary. Johnson and Matthews were on-site for each event, but provided commentary in the style of a post-event recap - a common post-production practice in the motorsports business.
During the 2004 season, a two-anchor tandem led by interviewer Mayleen Ramey conducted driver interviews in the pit. While Ramey was a roving reporter during the broadcast, her co-anchor would cover the accompanying car show at each event. In 2005, G4 shifted to a three-reporter team. During the events in Wall and Houston, actor Emeka Nnadi served as the pit interviewer. During the Infineon-sponsored round, Attack of the Show! co-host Kevin Pereira took over the role, while Street Fury host Carlton Lewis conducted the interviews in Chicago and Irwindale.
During this time, G4 broadcast half-hour episodes between rounds. Most episodes covered the network's attempts to build a drift car from scratch, while other segments focusing on the technical aspects of drifting. One of the first episodes in 2005 portrayed Formula D competitor Chris Forsberg's journey to Japan, where he met another competitor, Daijiro Yoshihara, explored the country, and covered the origins of drifting. Episodes featuring event coverage typically lasted an hour and a half, and featured the top 16 tandem rounds, as well as repeat rounds that would be held if the judges deemed the finish too close to call. These episodes would be broadcast the night after the next round in the series.
In 2006, the network made a series of changes to its event coverage. The length of each episode was reduced to an hour, and episodes were frequently broadcast out of order. The Long Beach and Atlanta rounds premiered on June 18, while an earlier round in Chicago aired on July 2. During the Sonoma round, which was broadcast one week after it took place, G4 noted that the Seattle round would premiere on September 10; the broadcast date was subsequently changed to October 8, and the last two rounds (Wall and Irwindale) were aired every other week afterwards. These episodes featured more interviews and driver profiles, and reduced coverage of the tandem battles. The changes were criticized by 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 later revealed to be ESPN2. Each round began airing in a one-hour block on November 15, starting with the round in Long Beach. Subsequent airings were scheduled for every Thursday afterwards; however, beginning with the Evergreen Speedway round on December 5, the broadcast dates for new rounds was switched to Wednesday.
The ESPN deal lasted just one season. In 2008, all rounds of the Formula D season were aired on Speed TV, as well as the newly-created World Championship event held after the Irwindale round. Each event aired on Sunday at 4:00p.m. ET, beginning with the Long Beach round on October 26.
In 2010, Formula Drift announced a comprehensive programming schedule with a new broadcast partner, the Versus sports network, which was co-owned with Comcast by G4. The seven-stop Formula DRIFT Championship Series aired over fourteen Sundays during the 2:00p.m. ET time slot, beginning on August 30. The first episode featured a comprehensive overview of the sport and each participating driver. Each episode was re-broadcast the week after its initial airing.
United States
James Deane
Current season
