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Formula Drift Long Beach 2026 opened the season with TYPE S Night Lights, a 20th anniversary monument, packed fan zones, and a full weekend of car culture in Southern California.<\/h4>\n
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Formula Drift returned to Long Beach to open its 2026 season, bringing the series back to the same waterfront streets that have defined its calendar for two decades. A temporary course ran along the shoreline, with grandstands, a paddock area, and fan zones built into the city grid. Fans filled the area early in the weekend, moving between the track and surrounding streets as activity spread across the district. By Saturday, the streets, the noise, and the crowds all belonged to Formula Drift.<\/p>\n
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Before the first official runs, Larry Chen’s TYPE S Night Lights at the Aquarium Garage set the tone for the weekend. The late-night Thursday gathering brought out thousands of fans, with rows of builds, photographers, and impromptu meetups filling the surrounding blocks. JDM builds mixed with exotics and supercars like Bugattis, Porsches, and Ferraris. Every kind of car imaginable was on display. Sung Kang’s presence added to the turnout as people moved between displays and nearby streets, turning the area into a full extension of the car scene rather than a separate event. By the time Formula Drift began on track, the city was already fully active.<\/p>\n
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Formula Drift marked its 20th anniversary in Long Beach by unveiling a permanent monument during the weekend. Long Beach has been part of the series for two decades, and the event used the milestone to show that history in a direct way instead of talking around it. A sport that sets up and tears down every year left something permanent in Long Beach.<\/p>\n
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A Street Course With No Room for Error<\/h3>\n
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Once tandem battles began, the Streets of Long Beach produced close competition across every stage of the bracket. The layout offered little space for recovery, and small errors ended runs quickly. James Deane entered the weekend as the top qualifier but was eliminated in the Top 16 by Diego Higa, who quickly became a factor after returning to competition. Cole Richards delivered a strong rookie performance, advancing deep into the field against experienced PRO drivers.<\/p>\n
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Conor Shanahan took the Round 1 win after a final battle against Fredric Aasb\u00f8, with Jack Shanahan finishing third after reaching the semifinal stage. Running alongside the PRO competition, Odi Bakchis won Super Drift Day 1, with Jeff Jones and Connor O’Sullivan rounding out the top three. Speaking after the win, Shanahan put the moment in perspective, saying, “It’s been a dream of mine since a kid to win this race. I’ve been 10 years old watching FD, thinking someday maybe it’s possible to be there.”<\/p>\n
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Fans, Culture, and the Scene Around the Course<\/h3>\n
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Away from competition, Ryan Tuerck confirmed during the weekend that 2026 will be his final full season in Formula Drift. “I’m not stepping away from drifting,” said Tuerck. “I’m just stepping away from running a full championship season.” Long Beach marked the opening round of what will be his final championship season.<\/p>\n
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The crowd spread well beyond the grandstands throughout the weekend, filling the fan zone, the paddock, and the streets. At Saturday’s autograph session, the line stayed long and not everyone got through before it wrapped. Drivers kept signing while fans waited patiently, making it clear how deep the connection is between Formula Drift and the people who follow it. We even met a young woman carrying a printed photo book she had been filling with driver signatures across multiple seasons. From the autograph lines to the vendor area, foot traffic stayed steady from morning through the final battle.<\/p>\n
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Sponsor activations and fan experiences stayed busy across the venue throughout the weekend. Leen Customs stood out with its display and collector pins, Canon provided on-site photo printing, and Meguiar’s drew crowds when TJ Hunt appeared at the booth on Saturday to hand out limited-edition Leen pins tied to his Ferrari 488 GT3 EVO. Pennzoil, Type S, Kumho Tire, GT Radial, Kenda Tire, Toyota, Ford Racing, O’Reilly, and Rockstar Energy Drink were also visible throughout the fan zones.<\/p>\n
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Ford’s Mustang Unleashed tour gave fans drift ride-alongs adhacent to the actual Long Beach street course, putting people in the passenger seat next to the same layout that the PRO field drifted on all weekend. Kasey Kohl’s scuba-themed livery made its debut and gave people another talking point as they moved through the paddock. A DJ kept the fan zone moving between sessions while people cooled off at the Don Julio bar lounge, which stayed packed through the afternoon. The Lions Automobilia Foundation booth drew steady attention with its engine-fixing challenge, pulling in diehard fans and curious first-timers alike.<\/p>\n
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Formula Drift Heads to Atlanta After Long Beach Opener<\/h3>\n
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