15-Year-Old Hiroya Minowa Makes Formula DRIFT History In Orlando
Table of Contents
We’re just three rounds into the 2025 Formula DRIFT season, and while there’s been no shortage of shocks and upsets already, things just got a whole lot more interesting.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
In Orlando Speed World for Round 3, 15-year-old Hiroya Minowa became the youngest winner in the series’ 22-year history, claiming his first-ever FD PRO Championship victory in just his 11th round.
You can catch all the action in the official Round 3 highlights here:
Hiro’s path to victory wasn’t handed to him easily. He had to take down some FD legends on his route to the final, including Fredric Aasbo and Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis, as well as European rising star Conor Shanahan.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
His sudden rise through the FD ranks (in both the US and Japan) has been crazy considering he’s still not old enough to drive legally in most US states!
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
In his debut season, the Japanese teenager already proved he is here to fight with the best, following two second-place finishes in St. Louis and Seattle last year. With this result, he’s making a statement that he’s fighting for the title in 2025.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
Despite another early exit for fellow Japanese driver and FD legend Daigo Saito in the Top 32, he was waiting at the finish to congratulate Minowa on his first-ever victory.
Castro Finally Gets His Moment
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
Minowa wasn’t the only one making headlines in Florida – Jhonnattan Castro was also showing he was here to fight for his first-ever FD podium after knocking out Matt Field and Ken Gushi.
Castro, who’s been grinding in Formula DRIFT since 2012 and putting in plenty of impressive performances along the way, finally reached his first final and clinched his first-ever podium spot by landing second place after 13 years of trying.
How Things Stand After The Shake-Up
Despite getting knocked out in the Top 8 by Minowa, Fredric Aasbo still leads the championship with 110 points.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
Although it was another disappointing weekend for James Deane, he still sits in second, just 10 points back, after being knocked out by Rome Charpentier in the Top 16.
This comes following the huge crash with Piotr Wiecek in Drift Masters in his last event, where he was later knocked out due to taking too long in the burnout box.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
Minowa’s 50-point victory launches him into third place overall, tied at 80 points with Bakchis and Castro.
Image credit: Formula DRIFT
Castro’s best weekend ever bumped him to fourth place, while Jack Shanahan continues leading the Rookie title race with 18 points.
| Ranking | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Fredric Aasbo | 110 |
| 2 | James Deane | 100 |
| 3 | Hiroya Minowa | 80 |
| 4 | Jhonnattan Castro | 80 |
| 5 | Aurimas Bakchis | 80 |
| 6 | Branden Sorensen | 70 |
| 7 | Matt Field | 60 |
| 8 | Chris Forsberg | 50 |
| 9 | Adam LZ | 50 |
| 10 | Conor Shanahan | 40 |
| 11 | Ryan Tuerck | 40 |
| 12 | Dan Stuke | 32 |
| 13 | Rome Charpentier | 30 |
| 14 | Dylan Hughes | 30 |
| 15 | Ken Gushi | 30 |
Next up, FD rolls into Englishtown, New Jersey, on June 19-21 for Round 4. After what we just witnessed in this round, anything is possible!
Written by:
Published on:
Bill is a writer and photographer who has been part of the Drifted team since 2015. His work extends to various print and online publications, including Wangan Warriors.
As part of the King of Nations team, he traveled extensively for several years, capturing top-tier international drift events worldwide. His hands-on experience, including rebuilding his own Nissan Silvia S15 drift car, gives him unique insights into drift car building and global drift culture.
When not behind the lens or keyboard, Bill can be found browsing classifieds for his next JDM project or shredding virtual tires on popular simulators like Assetto Corsa, CarX, and Forza.
You can learn more about Bill’s story here or follow his socials on X (formerly Twitter), Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
