Deane leads Seattle Formula DRIFT qualifiers

Championship leader James Deane grabbed the top spot on the final run of the qualifying for tonight's Formula DRIFT PRO round in Seattle. He received a perfect score for drift Angle, placing him on 87.8 points.

Minutes earlier, Conor Shanahan thought he’d be No. 1 qualifier when he earned 86.4 points on his second run. He narrowly beat third-place Branden Sorensen who was awarded 86.36 points on his first run of the evening

Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis, who currently sits second in the 2026 title chase, finished fifth with 81.46 points. While Jack Shanahan, who occupies third in the point table, finished fourth with 83.7 points

Shinji Minowa) – a drift legend with more than 20 years of experience – substituted for his son Hiroya at Seattle, driving his Enjuku Racing / BC Racing / GT Radial / JYR Toyota GT86. Shinji scored 39.83 points and qualified for his first Formula DRIFT round while Hiroya continues to participate in the World Rally Championship Challenge program and still hopes to compete in FD this season.

The leading Rookie driver was Cole Richards, who qualified seventh, scoring 80.96 points

The top qualifier receives four championship points, second place receives three, third gets two and all other drivers receive one point.

Competition rounds will be held Saturday evening and airs live on RACER Network and RACER+, with the Grid Walk at 5:00pm ET on RACER+, followed by Top 32 starting at 5:30pm ET and Top 16 starting at 10pm ET.