On October 18-19, the 2024 Formula DRIFT season reaches its climax at Irwindale Speedway, and FD president Ryan Sage is expecting a very special finale, particularly from points leader James Deane.
Sage declared: “As we stand on the precipice of the final event of the season, we’re all struck by the focused determination of James Deane. Not only has he established one of the most dominant seasons in Formula DRIFT’s 21-year history, but he’s poised to capture the championship title in a unique way that is the direct result of the format changes we introduced for Season 21.
“Barring any catastrophic practice incident, the moment James rolls up to the line in the Top 32 Competition heats – having pre-qualified for the event thanks to his fourth place finish at Round 7 in Utah, and with the points tally he has amassed – Deane only needs to demonstrate a standard of participation on his first competitive run to grasp his fourth championship title! Completing the heat will bag him enough points to ensure the title.
Champion elect James Deane flanked by Simen Olsen and Aurimas Bakchis, who is currently Deane’s closest challenger. / Image: Formula DRIFT
“As a series, we plan to celebrate this unbelievable achievement of a record fourth title for the first time in series history, which is once-in-a-season and once-in-a-lifetime. It highlights the skill and commitment James possesses as an athlete. His achievement will surpass every other FD driver. And while others might one day equal or surpass his record, we may never see an athlete like him in competition again, and so the moment he wins becomes extremely important to the history of our sport.”
Sage is also enthused by the venue of the season-closer.
“We’re excited to return to Irwindale Speedway,” he said. “Not only is it the House of DRIFT but one of only a handful of operational tracks in Southern California and the closest to our Los Angeles home. It holds so many special memories for fans, teams and drivers and continues to be an integral part of our series.”
Formula DRIFT has added a new spectator footbridge from the paddock to the reserved trackside grandstands. The series has also created dual burnout boxes, and added a fourth grandstand to the reserved trackside seating options.
Fans wishing to witness the event in person can still purchase tickets from formulad.com, and the action will be shown on the series livestream at youtube.com/Formuladrift and on MAV TV.
2024 FD PRO championship standings after Round 7
| 1 | James Deane | 566 |
| 2 | Aurimas Bakchis | 492 |
| 3 | Fredric Aasbo | 436 |
| 4 | Hiroya Minowa | 406 |
| 5 | Adam LZ | 350 |
| 6 | Matt Field | 350 |
| 7 | Ryan Tuerck | 338 |
| 8 | Simen Olsen | 336 |
| 9 | Dylan Hughes | 322 |
| 10 | Branden Sorensen | 322 |
| 11 | Conor Shanahan | 310 |
| 12 | Chris Forsberg | 308 |
| 13 | Trenton Beechum | 294 |
| 14 | Jeff Jones | 294 |
| 15 | Ken Gushi | 294 |
| 16 | Jonathan Hurst | 280 |
2024 Auto Cup standings
| Toyota | 872 |
| Ford | 692 |
| GM | 602 |
| Nissan | 490 |
| BMW | 434 |
2024 Tire Cup standings
| Nitto | 1102 |
| GT Radial | 1038 |
| Kenda | 686 |
| Vitour | 646 |
| Kumho | 462 |
| Nexen | 448 |
