Formula Drift announces changes for 20th anniversary season

Formula Drift announced changes to the organization’s race events for its 20th anniversary season.

One of the most enticing updates is the available prize money for the season’s successful teams. Per Formula Drift, all the driver registration fees will be invested back to the drivers resulting in almost $300,000 available to Pro and Prospec Championship contenders.

“Everybody at Formula Drift has been looking forward to our 20th anniversary with a mixed feeling of excitement and disbelief. We’ve come so far in what feels like a very short time but we’ve outlasted many of our competitors and risen to become one of the preeminent motorsports series in the world. To celebrate our success, we wanted to make significant changes that would be recognized by the fans and teams, such as helping to streamline the judging process in both qualifying and competition. We’re also giving back even more to the sport, increasing the prize purse for competitors, and recognizing the impact people have had through the Formula Drift Hall of Fame,” said Formula Drift President Ryan Sage.

Additionally, Formula Drift requested several changes to track owners such as new layouts whenever possible, new pavement and drainage at St. Louis, as well as permanent zone markings to help driver precision and judging.

Formula Drift also announced new tire partners for this year’s race season. Falken Tire has left the organization but will be replaced by brands such as GT Radial, Kenda Tire, Nexen Tire, Nitto Tire, and Vitour Tires.

To keep the driver and spectator tension high, Formula Drift will introduce an intuitive Qualifying format this season.

Further, Formula Drift believes that the “Decel Light” will become a game-changer in terms of the competition heats. Live telemetry will also make its debut this year and will be featured not only on the free-to-view livestream broadcasts but is planned to be implemented on a new phone app called FD Unlocked.

The Formula Drift drones also was a huge success since they were introduced a few years ago. This year, two drones will be active on every run to ensure the fans and judges have the best view of a driver’s line and any indiscretions.

Formula Drift will also introduce a panel of judges in 2023. Ryan Lanteigne, Brian Eggert, and Chris Uhl will be joined by ex-driver and FD Japan judge, Robbie Nishida. Formula Drift explained that three of the said judges will judge each round while the fourth will act as a driver’s steward. They will trade places each round to keep everything fresh.

In the Philippines, we have something similar called the National Drift Championship. The organization stages year-long drifting events that aim to gather amateur and professional drivers alike.

National Drift Championship staples include Audel “Dr. Drift” Sison and Ashley “Daughter Drift” Sison.

Photos from Formula Drift and Daughter Drift - Ashley Sison Facebook page

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