What Is Formula Drift? Our Recap From FD Utah

Most people think of racing as straight speed — fastest car wins. Formula Drift flips that idea on its head. Instead of chasing lap times, drivers are scored on how far they can push a car sideways while keeping it under control. It’s door-to-door battles, 1,000-horsepower builds, and judges deciding who had the better run.

We had the chance to see it all up close at the Utah round this year. Experiencing the sport firsthand gave us a better understanding of how Formula Drift works and why it’s different from anything else in motorsports.

What started in the early 2000s has grown into the top drifting series in North America. Today, Formula Drift fills stands across the country, blending competition with a car culture atmosphere you don’t see anywhere else. Fans walk the pits, drivers push their limits, and every round feels like part race, part festival.

What You’ll Find in This Blog

• What is Formula Drift
  

• The 2025 Formula Drift Schedule
  

• PROSPEC Utah Recap

• PRO Utah Recap

• RokBlokz in the Car Show

• Why Formula Drift Stands Out

• Conclusion

What Is Formula Drift?

Formula Drift is a professional motorsport built entirely around drifting — the controlled act of sliding a car sideways through corners at high speeds. Instead of racing for fastest lap times, drivers compete based on line, angle, style, and proximity. Think of it like gymnastics or skateboarding: athletes are judged on execution, not just results.

Each Formula Drift event is split into two parts:

Qualifying Runs:
Drivers take turns on the track by themselves, showing the judges their best drifting skills. They’re scored on how well they stick to the “ideal line” laid out on the course, how much angle they carry through corners, and whether they can stay in control while pushing the limits of speed.

Tandem Battles:
This is where the real action happens. Two cars go head-to-head. One leads, trying to run a near-perfect line. The other follows, staying as close as possible while matching every move — angle, speed, and transitions. Judges look for how tight the chase car can stay without crashing, and whether the lead car holds steady under pressure. After two runs (each driver gets a turn leading and following), the judges decide a winner who advances to the next round.

Formula Drift has two main championships in the U.S.: PRO (the highest level, with the most experienced drivers and most powerful builds) and PROSPEC (a proving ground for up-and-coming talent). International and amateur feeder series also exist, giving drivers pathways to climb the ladder.

The cars themselves aren’t ordinary. Most are heavily modified, often producing between 800 and 1,000 horsepower, with steering setups built for extreme angles. They’re designed to take massive abuse — multiple runs at full throttle, generating walls of tire smoke, while staying precise enough to run door-to-door with another car.

For fans, Formula Drift is hands-on. The pits are open, so you can walk through, check out the cars up close, and talk with the teams. Events feel like a mix of competition and car culture festival — you’re not just watching drivers on track, you’re part of the atmosphere.

In short: Formula Drift takes the raw thrill of sliding a car sideways and makes it a judged, professional competition. Drivers risk everything on every run, and fans get to experience the speed, smoke, and sound up close.

The Formula Drift 2025 Schedule

This season runs eight rounds across the U.S., hitting iconic tracks and fan-favorite venues. Here’s how it looked:

• Long Beach, California – Round 1: The Streets of Long Beach
  

  • PRO Winner: Fredric Aasbø
    

  • PROSPEC: No Race
    

• Atlanta, Georgia – Round 2: Road to the Championship
  

  • PRO Winner: James Deane
    

  • PROSPEC Winner: Cory Talaska
    

• Orlando, Florida – Round 3: Scorched
  

  • PRO Winner: Hiroya Minowa
    

  • PROSPEC: No Race
    

• Englishtown, New Jersey – Round 4: The Gauntlet
  

  • PRO Winner: Adam LZ
    

  • PROSPEC Winner: Cole Richards
    

• St. Louis, Missouri – Round 5: Crossroads
  

  • PRO Winner: James Deane
    

  • PROSPEC Winner: Nate Chen
    

• Seattle, Washington – Round 6: Throwdown
  

  • PRO Winner: Matt Field
    

  • PROSPEC: No Race
    

• Grantsville, Utah – Round 7: Elevated
  

  • PRO Winner: James Deane (clinched 2025 PRO Championship)
    

  • PROSPEC Winner: Cody Buchanan (clinched 2025 PROSPEC Championship)
    

• Long Beach, California – Round 8: Shoreline Showdown      
  

  • PRO Winner: Jack Shanahan

   

By Round 7 in Utah, everything mattered. Championships were on the line, and mistakes could make or break a season. For PROSPEC, the season ended in Utah with Cody Buchanan locking in his title. For PRO, James Deane sealed the deal early, becoming the first driver in FD history to clinch the championship before the Long Beach finale.

PROSPEC in Utah: A Breakthrough Championship

Utah hosted the final round of the PROSPEC Championship, and the track at Burt Brothers Motorpark made sure it wasn’t easy on anyone. The revised layout was fast and punishing — drivers who missed their marks found themselves in the dirt and out of contention.

Coming into the event, the championship was tight, with several drivers still in the hunt. But it was Cody Buchanan who stole the show. He fought his way through the bracket, stayed consistent when others cracked under pressure, and pulled off his first-ever Formula Drift event win. That victory didn’t just give him a trophy for Round 7 — it secured him the 2025 PROSPEC Championship on the spot. For a driver still relatively new to the series, it was a huge moment and a reminder that Utah has a way of reshaping storylines in a single night.

PRO in Utah: History Made

While PROSPEC wrapped up its season in Utah, the PRO drivers rolled into Round 7 with two more battles to go. The heat and revised course punished mistakes, and plenty of big names fell short. Fans saw door-to-door battles at 80+ mph on one of the fastest tracks of the season, with smoke and shredded tires filling the desert air.

The spotlight, though, belonged to James Deane. Already a four-time champion, Deane showed up in Utah and made history. By winning Round 7, he locked in his fifth Formula Drift PRO Championship, becoming the first driver in the 22-year history of the series to clinch the title before the Long Beach finale. No one else even had a shot at catching him after Utah. For fans in the stands, it wasn’t just another round — they got to witness a record-setting moment in Formula Drift history.

RokBlokz in the FD Car Show

FD Utah wasn’t just about watching from the stands for us — we brought our Subaru STi hatchback and put it in the car show. The lineup was stacked with everything from clean imports to big-power muscle, and our STi fit right in. Fans stopped by to check it out, talk cars, and swap stories, which made the show feel like its own community inside the bigger event.

The car show added a different kind of energy compared to the track — less noise and smoke, more conversations and close-up looks at unique builds. For us, it was a solid way to connect face-to-face with people who care about cars the same way we do.

And if you were trackside during the battles, you probably caught a rock or two in the spray. It made us laugh — if only the drift cars had RokBlokz mud flaps, the crowd would’ve been just as protected as the cars we build for.

Why Formula Drift Stands Out

Looking back at Utah and the season so far, Formula Drift showed exactly why it’s unique. It isn’t about lap times or who crosses the line first — it’s about how much control a driver can keep while pushing a car past the limit. PROSPEC crowned a new champion in Utah, PRO saw James Deane make history with his fifth title, and fans got to watch it all unfold just a few feet away.

For anyone new to drifting, that’s what makes FD different: big-power cars running inches apart, drivers being judged on precision and style, and fans having direct access to the teams and builds. It’s a mix of competition and community that keeps growing every year. With the final round in Long Beach closing out the season, the future of Formula Drift looks like more of the same — faster cars, tighter battles, and even bigger crowds discovering the sport for the first time.

Conclusion

Formula Drift proved why drifting has a loyal and growing following. From Utah’s punishing track to the championship battles and the energy in the car show, the series put everything on display — speed, precision, and a community that lives for cars. Being part of that with our Subaru STi reminded us why we build what we build.

At RokBlokz, our focus has always been protection that holds up when things get intense — whether you’re running daily miles, heading off-road, or carving corners on track days. If FD taught us anything, it’s that rocks, dirt, and debris are part of the deal, and the right gear makes all the difference.

👉 Find the mud flaps your ride needs and get them built to handle whatever you throw at it.

If you've attended any of the FD races this year or years past, drop us a comment below! We'd love to hear your passion for the sport.

Frequently Asked Questions About Formula Drift

What is Formula Drift?
Formula Drift is a professional motorsport where drivers slide their cars sideways through corners at high speed. Instead of being judged on lap times, they’re scored on line, angle, style, and proximity in head-to-head battles.

How is Formula Drift different from regular racing?
In regular racing, the fastest car across the finish line wins. In Formula Drift, the winner is decided by judges who score runs based on precision and control while drifting.

What kind of cars do drivers use?
Drivers compete in heavily modified cars, often producing 800–1,000 horsepower. Builds range from imports like Nissan and Toyota to American muscle like Mustangs and Corvettes, all tuned for extreme steering angle and durability.

What’s the difference between PRO and PROSPEC?
PRO is the top tier of Formula Drift, featuring the most experienced drivers and biggest teams. PROSPEC is a feeder series for up-and-coming drivers, giving them a chance to earn a PRO license.

How many rounds are in a Formula Drift season?
The U.S. series runs eight rounds each season at tracks across the country, from Seattle, WA to Orlando, FL, with the finale in Long Beach, California.

Can fans meet the drivers?
Yes. Formula Drift is known for being fan-friendly. Spectators can walk the pits, see the cars up close, and meet drivers between battles.

Sources: Formulad.com