Spectators excitedly rushed in the humid Friday afternoon to watch drifters burn rubber on the downtown Long Beach racetrack along Shoreline Drive and to witness their favorite drivers drift. 

Though considerably smaller than the Grand Prix Long Beach hosts annually, diehard fans and the drifting-curious alike got their fix at the 21st annual Long Beach Formula Drift: Shoreline Showdown. Unlike most athletes, Formula Drift drivers give tons of their time to the fans, allowing for a personal connection that sets the sport apart from other professional leagues. 

“I follow FD because the people are cool, you can talk to them on Instagram, they reply to messages and as a fan, it feels good,” Formula Drift fan TG Galit said. “These guys have sponsors they need to talk to and if they had the time to talk to the fans, that’s what makes me [feel like] they’re friends. Coming out for so long, meeting their family members, my kids playing with some of the driver’s kids, yeah that’s awesome.” 

Formula Drift fan Rodi Thomas was the first in line for the Formula Drift autograph signing on Oct. 17, 2025 at noon, as a crowd lines up to get memorabilia signed by their favorite drivers. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
Two-time Formula Drift champion Dmitriy Brutskiy went up against Ryan Litteral during the seeding bracket on Oct. 17, 2025 at 3:40 p.m. Litteral took down Brutskiy in the first round and ended up winning the seeding bracket. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

Fans Rodi Thomas and Tom Tighe shared similar sentiments after getting autographs from all of the Formula Drift drivers on the first afternoon of the two-day event. 

“Everybody makes you feel like we’re family ‘cause we know the drivers so well and they interact with us, they know our names now and it’s great when you go through a line and they know your name,” Thomas said. 

Thomas and Tighe said they’ve been attending Formula Drift events since 2018 and feel the drivers at Formula Drift are humble enough to be part of their lives. 

“These athletes are different than everyone else. You would not see this in NASCAR, you would not see this in the NFL, you would not see this in baseball,” Thomas said. 

One cherished memory they shared is with Formula Drift racer Dan Barkett at the Big Indian Drip Pit in Washington, New York. 

Dozens of fans walk into Shoreline Showdown on Oct. 17, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. as the venue opened to the public. Formula Drift had multiple tents selling merchandise and food throughout the event. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)
Formula Drift racers Jonathan Hurst and Ken Gushi practice against one another on Oct. 17, 2025 at 10 a.m. Gushi lost to Federico Sceriffo in the first round of seeding brackets, while Hurst lost to Ryan Litteral in the second round. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

“I visited there and Dan has a car there, Baby Blue, and Nancy, his wife, does all the graphics for the car. They’re just so nice to us and they’ll stop and say, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’” Thomas said. “It’s so great. It’s just like we are part of a family is in motor sports.”

This year’s Formula Drift: Shoreline Showdown isn’t merely the usual clash between drag racers. For avid fans, it offers a glimpse of the new layout for Shoreline Showdown. With the shutdown of the legendary Irwindale Speedway in 2024, Long Beach took its place this year.  

The debut track, according to fans, is similar to its European counterparts. With Japanese-style drifting events and an overall harder track to navigate, making the battles crazier than before. 

For the fans, it’s more than just a new track to get them to come back. It’s something that they feel connected to — even in close to 80 degree weather.

“I’ve been coming here, checking out the track being built every single day on my lunch break,” Galit said. “Every time I have time to leave work, I’m like, I’m going to pass by. That’s how important it is to me.”

Ryan Litteral and Ben Hobson battle against each other on Oct. 17, 2025 at 9 p.m. Litteral won the seeding bracket while Hobson lost to Dylan Hughes. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

31-year-old race fan Brian Gutierrez said that after 12 years of attending Formula Drift races, this event was the best thing that has happened to his life and mentions that it was probably everyone else’s as well. 

“It’s fucking amazing,” he said. “I hope it brings more people to enjoy drifting or just enjoy the car scene itself. It’s amazing to see the community coming together and having fun, enjoying drifting.”

Following warm ups and practices in the afternoon, the first day of Formula Drift concluded with the seeding games from 3:15 to 5:45 p.m. as the heat continued to hit on attendees while they cheered on their favorites. 

Day two of Formula Drift starts on Oct. 18 at the Long Beach Convention Center, with the top 32 racers battling from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., then the top 16 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. before closing with the trophy ceremony from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.