FROM START TO FINISH

Photo courtesy of RTR Motorsports

THE MOJO OF FORMULA DRIFT’S LONG BEACH AND IRWINDALE STOPS.

Every motorsport has certain tracks and events that stick in the minds and hearts of its fans. NASCAR has the unusual length of the Talladega Speedway, Formula 1 has the memorable Circuit de Monaco, and the magic that happens at the Formula Drift (Formula D or FD) events on The Streets of Long Beach and The House of Drift tracks is unmistakable.

Photo courtesy of RTR Motorsports

The Power Of First Position.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach raceway has been the first stop on the FD circuit since 2005 with only one exception, when the pandemic forced a delay in 2021.

This track has featured the Long Beach Grand Prix event for over forty years and draws fans from all over the world who come to feel the roar of motors and excitement of the chase in their bones every year at this picturesque Pacific coast waterfront location.

The Long Beach Formula D stop has long become a symbol of the start of a new season and a new championship to be earned. This track, and FD’s opening event, signify the fruition of all of the work put in by the drivers and their teams during the off season. It’s when the competitive strategy and plan are finally put into action.

And, that action starts with the drivers and their respective cars, cruising down the streets of downtown Long Beach, shaking the hotel and apartment room floors with the pure power of 36,000 horses. It’s a true stampede, unlike any other in the automotive world!

Then, everyone migrates to an area of town that used to be a vibrant web of city streets surrounding the Long Beach convention center, but was then converted into a permanent version of the enclosed contraption we all call a race track.

At this point, the FD competitive season begins.

The track layout for the FD Long Beach event is special. It uses turns 9 and 11 of the Grand Prix track, and it is one of the (if not THE) most difficult and demanding tracks on the FD circuit. The technical aspect of this track is hard to come by here in the United States and provides a unique opportunity for drifting motorsport fans to relate to some of the most technically famous tracks in Japan. Aptly paying homage to the history of the sport.

WALLS! WALLS! WALLS! Every zone and touch-and-go here is a chance for the drivers to show off their practice and precision. They seamlessly massage the rear end of their machines into white barriers surrounding the course, while expertly transitioning from one wall to the next.

It is a time when the teams competing in the new season get to prove themselves and show how they and their newly configured vehicles will stand up to (and apart from) the rest. Largely, this is because it’s the first time they will drive and showcase their improved setups in a competitive setting. These drivers are simply itching to create excitement and exhibit the skills that prove they will be formidable competitors all season long.

It’s also when the dynamics of the season begin to define the competitive landscape for each driver and team. This is when the real strategy to win begins, and the epic magic of that energy spans over the crowd like a promising rainbow.

Photo courtesy of Larry Chen

Ending With A Bang.

The season finishes with Irwindale Speedway, also referred to affectionately by FD and its fans as ‘The House of Drift’. This distinction is what makes the symbol of this race track so powerful. It’s the ‘end-all-to-be-all’ of an entire season coming to a close.

The Irwindale stop has been the deciding factor for who wins the season championship many times, even though there have been times when the overall season champion has already been locked in before this event happens.

Regardless, this stop will always be the ‘Title Fight’ for the year’s earnings, and oftentimes, the outcome of the Irwindale battles decide which drivers take the second and third places on the podium.

Unlike ‘The Streets of Long Beach’ event, the layout of the Irwindale track has undergone several changes throughout the years. More zones and technicality have continually been added, therefore, forcing drivers to push harder here every year than in years before. This, of course, also adds to the excitement and suspense for the audience.

Irwindale was the first track in the United States to host a professional drifting competition when Japan’s D1 Grand Prix (D1GP) event came to the states in 2003. When Formula D kicked off its own circuit shortly thereafter in February 2004, it was decided Irwindale would host the final event of each season, and this has been the case since.

However, in 2017, the operators of Irwindale Speedway and Formula Drift were faced with a dilemma. They’d been informed the track was scheduled to be demolished early in 2018 and the land would be repurposed by its owners. This meant it would no longer host the final event of the FD season, and at the close of the 2017 circuit in October, FD officials had no choice but to share the demise of the beloved track with its fans.

It was an upsetting piece of news for the drifting world to hear, but miraculously, the amazing spirit within the motorsports community somehow tugged at the hearts of the track’s owners. They ultimately agreed to a deal that would resurrect the quarter-mile track and dragstrip.

It was a proud day for everyone associated with professional drifting when Formula Drift president and co-founder James Liaw was able to share the news publicly. “With Irwindale Speedway being saved, we have chosen to go back to it, instead of having the finals in Las Vegas,” Liaw said in The Drive, 

This decision changed the future course of FD, keeping ‘The House of Drift’ a place of champion-making history.

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

These two tracks have always been the make-or-break for teams leading into next year’s following season. They are the start and the finish of a circuit that has become one of the greatest competitions in drifting motorsports.

If you liked this article, be sure to subscribe, so we can give you the scoop on upcoming editions and events covered by Drift Enthusiast. We’d also love your feedback on our social pages, so hit us up @driftenthusiastmag. Together, we’ll keep celebrating, talking up, and spotlighting this awesome community of drift we’re all privileged to be a part of.