Shanahan defeats Aasbo in Long Beach Formula DRIFT opener

Conor Shanahan was awarded the Formula DRIFT Round 1 win on the streets of Long Beach after a very close final against three-time FD PRO champion Fredric Aasbo.

Coming at the start of his third season in FD, this was Shanahan’s second win, and was achieved at the wheel of a new car – the Red Bull/GT Radial/JYR Toyota GT86 – built by his new team: Jerry Yang Racing.

Shanahan’s win was more remarkable because it appeared he’d been knocked out of his top 32 heat against Ken Gushi. Although the driver of the Toyota Gazoo Racing/GReddy Performance/Kenda Tire Toyota GR86 was deemed at fault for a collision, Shanahan’s team was unable to repair the car in time and would be eliminated. However, the judges decided to call One More Time, allowing the runs to be repeated. Shanahan then emerged the winner and proceeded to the final.

Aasbo had a clean weekend, dominated his opponents, stayed out of trouble and kept the new Rockstar livery intact.

Shanahan’s brother Jack placed third after engine problems robbed the fans of his top 4 run against Aasbo. Shanahan had gallantly chosen not to risk covering the track in oil by trying to defeat the Norwegian. His withdrawal also meant fans missed the chance to potentially see the Shanahan brothers battle in the final if he’d been able to defeat Aasbo.

One name missing from the podium was another Irishman; five-time champion James Deane, who was favored to win this weekend after qualifying first. However, the driver of the O'Reilly/Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD lost his top 16 heat against Diego Higa.

Following a year away from Formula DRIFT, the Brazilian returned to competition in the Higa Motorsport Toyota GT86 and looked strong all weekend until he lost to Conor Shanahan in the top eight.

There were great expectations for Matt Field following his second-place performance in 2025, but he fell to Dylan Hughes in the top 32.

Similarly, Adam LZ – who finished 2025 in third – was ejected from the top 32 by Ryan Litteral after LZ made contact with two walls during his lead run in their One More Time battle.

Top rookie in Long Beach was Cole Richards. He placed fourth overall after losing to Conor Shanahan in the top four heats. The driver of the Richards Racing Toyota GT86 narrowly avoided a big collision on their first run and was unable to overcome the error. Despite that, he must now be regarded as a major force in 2026.

Following the opening round, Toyota leads the Formula DRIFT 2026 Auto Cup by a considerable margin, while Kenda leads the Tire Cup by a solitary point.

Watch all rounds of Formula DRIFT live on RACER Network.