Fredric Aasbø leverte en meget god sesongåpning i Formula Drift, og endte på andreplass i Long Beach. Simen Olsen var i 8-delsfinale men ble dessverre utslått.
De to norske drifterne var i hver sin stige og kunne teoretisk ikke møtes før en eventuell finale i helgens åpningsløp. Men Simen møtte Conor Shanahan i sin 8-delsfinale og måtte se seg slått. Shanahan var den som til slutt skulle møte og nedkjempe Team Norway-fører Fredic Aasbø i finalen.
Fredric fikk med seg 40 poeng, mens Simen Olsen med sine 10 poeng ligger på 14.plass etter første runde.
Neste runde er i Road Atlanta 7.-9. mai.
PRESSEMELDING fra Papadakis Racing:
Papadakis Racing opens 2026 Formula Drift season with Long Beach podium
Massive crowds, high-energy fan events and big streaming numbers launch season
LONG BEACH, California (April 12, 2026) — Papadakis Racing opened the 2026 Formula Drift season with a strong showing on the Streets of Long Beach, where Fredric Aasbo drove the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra to a second-place finish in front of a packed Southern California crowd.
The Long Beach event carries extra significance for the Carson, California–based team, whose shop sits just a few miles from the circuit. It also marked the competitive debut of Aasbo’s refreshed Rockstar Energy livery for the new season.
“Long Beach is always special for us,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “It’s close to home, the fans here bring incredible energy, and it’s the perfect place to start the season. This team has built a record of success in Formula Drift, and every year the goal is the same: compete for wins and championships.”
Papadakis Racing is the winningest team in Formula Drift history, with five driver championships and 10 manufacturers’ titles for Toyota, while Aasbo holds the record for the most event wins in Formula Drift competition.
Aasbo’s run to the podium included one of the standout battles of the weekend, defeating rising star Hiroya Minowa in the Top 16 en route to the final, where he met rival Conor Shanahan.
Teammate Ryan Tuerck advanced to the Top 16 in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla before a wall tap forced him offline and ended his run through the event ladder earlier than hoped. Even so, he leaves Round 1 with points on the board and in a good position to start the season.
The week began with several fan-focused events around Long Beach, including a special appearance for Tuerck alongside close friends and founding Drift Alliance members Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Chris Forsberg at the Night School gathering hosted by Race Service. There, surrounded by friends, he announced that the 2026 season will be his final full-time campaign in Formula Drift.
While stepping away from a full championship schedule, Tuerck emphasized that he is not leaving the sport and expects to be busier than ever in the years ahead with appearances, demonstrations and ambitious build projects through his growing 411 Works operation.
“I’ve been lucky to spend so many years doing this at the highest level,” Tuerck said. “Drifting has given me incredible experiences and friendships. This last season is about enjoying every round and every moment with the fans and competitors who helped build the sport — and then taking everything we’ve learned into the next chapter.”
Thursday night featured a packed Type S Night Lights event, where Aasbo ran demonstration laps showcasing Formula Drift machinery to Grand Prix fans gathered in downtown Long Beach. It is estimated some 25,000 fans turned out to the free event.
On track Friday and Saturday, the Long Beach opener introduced several changes to the championship. Single-car qualifying returned to the format alongside the debut of the computer-assisted “Wally” scoring system, designed to help reduce the possibility of human error in scoring. The system drew mixed reactions across the paddock, though many drivers agreed it showed promise in its first outing.
The event also marked the introduction of the Racer+ app as the exclusive broadcast platform for the Top 16 battles on Saturday. As in previous seasons, the Round of 32 streamed live on YouTube, while the remainder of the competition moved to the new platform. Official streaming numbers for Racer+ are not yet available, but within 24 hours the YouTube broadcast had already generated nearly 20 percent more views than last year’s equivalent program.
Both drivers returned to competition in Papadakis-built Toyota drift cars: Aasbo in the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra and Tuerck in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla Hatchback — both powered by the team’s in-house developed 1,000-plus horsepower Toyota B58 engine. Papadakis Racing’s Toyota drift cars compete on Kenda tires, continuing a partnership that helped deliver multiple podiums and strong results for the team last season.
Aasbo said the podium finish provides a strong start to the season. “The level in Formula Drift keeps rising every year, so starting the season with a podium feels great for the whole team,” Aasbo said. “Everyone at Papadakis Racing has worked incredibly hard in the offseason, and this result shows we’re ready to fight for another strong championship run.”
With the championship now underway, Papadakis Racing turns its focus to Round 2 at Road Atlanta, May 7–9, as the team looks to build momentum in what promises to be one of the most competitive seasons yet in the world’s premier drifting championship. Both drivers showed strong pace at the Georgia circuit last season, with Aasbo finishing second and Tuerck sixth.