Formula DRIFT uses a competitive Seeding Bracket format for driver qualification into the competition heats. The first 20 competition places were locked in by the ranking achieved by drivers at the previous Round, which in this case was Round 8 in 2024. The remaining drivers must qualify for one of 12 places in competition via the Seeding Bracket.
The Seeding Bracket format has been reconfigured to ensure all Top 32 competition heats drivers have a driver to battle rather than a bye run. To achieve this, the lowest-ranked drivers who lose their Top 16 Seeding Bracket heat and fall outside the leading 12 drivers will be eliminated.
Thirteen drivers competed in the Top 16 Seeding Bracket in Long Beach to fill the 12 places in the Top 32 competition. This meant only one would be eliminated, and the lowest-ranked Top 16 heat loser was Federico Sceriffo (Italy) in the Pennzoil / FuelTech / VP Racing Fuels Ferrari 599 GTB.
Results
1. Daniel Stuke (USA) – MspeK Performance Nissan Silvia
2. Ben Hobson (USA) – Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD
3. Andy Hateley (USA) – The Drift Wizard E46 BMW
Also, new for 2025, drivers will receive three Championship points for each Seeding Bracket heat win. The overall qualification winner will receive prize money.
The previously unavailable One More Time (OMT) option has been added to the Seeding qualification, just as it is in the Main Event. It allows the judges to request the drivers repeat both runs if they could not select a heat winner on their first runs. It can only be utilized once per battle. The option was exercised twice today.
In an update to the three-man Formula DRIFT judging panel, Brian Eggert (USA) and Reese Marin (USA) will attend every round. At the same time, Robbie Nishida (Japan) and Vernon Zwaneveld will rotate through the season. Nishida adjudicated in Long Beach.
The Type S PRO Seeding Bracket was won by Daniel Stuke (USA) in a hard-fought battle with Ben Hobson (USA), whose second place was a return to form for Hobson, who only qualified twice last season.
2025 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship Rookies must qualify through the seeding bracket to reach the competition heats. They included Jack Shanahan (Ireland), Conor’s older brother, and holder of multiple Irish and British drift championship titles. He was joined by 2024 FD PROSPEC Champion Tommy Lemaire (Canada), plus Connor O’Sullivan (USA) and Austin Matta (USA) – all three earned a 2025 FD PRO competition license by finishing in the top three in PROSPEC.
Although not a Rookie, Daigo Saito (Japan) has returned to FD PRO after a ten-year hiatus. As the 2008 and 2016 D1 GP Champion and the 2012 Formula DRIFT and 2012 FD Asia Champion, he’s undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
Shanahan and Saito entered the 2025 Series after being granted a license based on an International Petition. Because they were unranked, Formula DRIFT first stacked the PRO drivers by 2024 rank and then the promoted PROSPEC drivers. The international drivers were stacked alphabetically, and a number draw was performed on all drivers in the Seeding Bracket. That number is randomly selected and always between 4 and 7. The aim is to ensure that drivers will pair in the Seeding Bracket with those of similar parity and finishes throughout the season, without facing the same driver at every Round.
As a result of the ranking, Shanahan faced Saito in their Top 16 heat. And while Saito lost the Top 16 heat and Shanahan would be knocked out of the Top 8, both drivers advanced into the competition heats.
Rookies O’Sullivan and Lemaire were also paired for the Top 16 qualification, and again, with Sceriffo the lowest ranked heat loser, both Rookies advanced.
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