At the 2024 Formula Drift event in Long Beach, the air is filled with the smell of burning rubber and exhaust, signaling an exciting day ahead for car enthusiasts. The event draws a large crowd, with people gathering in the surrounding parking lots and on apartment balconies to watch. The atmosphere is lively, with fans cheering loudly and enjoying community activities like tailgating and skateboarding. This year, the track is slightly shorter, which means cars need to drive into the booth and paddock area for repairs. This layout change allows fans to get a closer look at the teams working on the cars, adding an interactive element to the experience.
Shoutout to all the media teams who cover this show on a regular basis. This is a tough media event because in order to get good shots you have to either fight for the few spots and then your prize for that… getting hit with smoke and rubber each run. Another highlight before the race was the induction of Tanner Foust, also known as The GoldenBoy, into the Formula Drift Hall of Fame.
Formula Drift Top 16 Coverage
First round of Top 16 – Ryan Tuerck and Nick Noback had to run it back because of a debeading issue. This cause a lot of controversy with fans arguing favoritism but the ruling is pretty clear that the debeading happened BEFORE contact so it was fair to run it back. Ryan Tuerck still ended up losing the bracket anyway so fans willed it into existance.
Formula Drift Long Beach Driver Highlight: Hiroya Minowa
Hiroya Minowa, a 14-year-old from Japan, comes from a family of avid racers; his parents, Shinji and Masayo Minowa, are both professional drift racers. Hiroya, introduced to racing at a young age, has been developing his skills in drifting, practicing in a Toyota Chaser JZX100 with an automatic gearbox.
His early exposure to the sport through his parents, both of whom compete professionally—Shinji in a Nissan 370Z for Team Potenza and Masayo in a JZ100 for Formula Drift—has set Hiroya on a path to becoming a professional driver well before he reaches the legal driving age. His commitment is evident in his focused approach to mastering the intricate art of drifting.
How does the new Formula Drift Tandem format work?
In 2024, Formula Drift is making a significant change by eliminating single-run qualifying across both Pro and Prospec competitions, transitioning to a tandem-only format from the first lap to the podium. This means no individual qualifying runs; instead, competitions will now be completely head-to-head from start to finish. Depending on the number of competitors, which can vary between 32 and 48 at each event, different formats will be implemented:
- 32 or fewer competitors: Simple elimination format to determine the winner.
- 33 to 40 competitors (Pro): The top 24 finishers from each event automatically qualify for the next event’s Top 32. The remaining drivers will compete in a Top 16 bracket to fill the eight slots left for the Top 32.
- 41 to 48 competitors (Prospec): Sixteen drivers are automatically locked into the main event’s Top 32, with the rest battling in a Top 32 bracket to fill the remaining spots.
This new system is designed to enhance viewer experience by focusing on continuous high-stakes tandem battles, which are more exciting than single runs. It also aims to reduce tire usage throughout the season by eliminating the need for separate qualifying setups. This format ensures that every round showcases top-level drifting and maintains a merit-based competition structure. See the official rule change video here.
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