Adam LZ Earns Another Podium In Seattle, But Leaves Disappointed

Adam LZ left Formula DRIFT Seattle with another carbon fiber trophy to add to his growing collection, but you wouldn’t think so based on his reaction.

It was a weekend of blisteringly fast runs at one of the toughest tracks on the calendar, where his freshly-upgraded BMW E36 was the quickest car on the grid by a huge margin.

However, one small mistake against James Deane cost him a potential shot at first place, and he was clearly left more frustrated than happy.

With Fresh Upgrades, LZ’s E36 Was Flying

The team upgraded to a bigger Garrett GXR drag racing turbo for more power and less heat, making the engine sound “smoother and happier because it’s able to breathe a bit more.” On top of that, they doubled the nitrous shot and regeared the car completely.

Despite confessing “I don’t really believe in rear sway bars”, LZ also revealed that one was added to his E36 specifically for Seattle, as the banked tracks change everything. Without this, the car would potentially wheelie on throttle and maybe end up with another crash into the wall – something he’s all too familiar with, and would undoubtedly rather avoid!

The fresh setup worked perfectly, enabling LZ to charge at the bank without touching the handbrake, relying heavily on left-foot braking throughout the entire track, as seen on the pedal cam.

“Today we are by far the fastest car by a huge margin,” LZ said after day one. “The car is not only very easy to drive, but it’s fast.”

Seattle’s layout also got a major overhaul for this round, widening the previously narrow zone after the bank and creating better flow for tandem battles.

LZ was excited about the changes after struggling with leaving the bank in previous years due to that “super narrow, awkward zone.” The track remained challenging, just in different ways that worked with what the cars wanted to do more naturally.

One Mistake Changed Everything

Adam sailed through his initial battles, adopting an “80%” strategy to avoid unnecessary risks.

He dropped Tommy Lemaire after Tommy went off course, then beat Dylan Hughes despite taking contact that nearly caused an over-rotation.

… Then he met James Deane and his insane RTR Mustang in the Final 4, which is never an easy feat.

After LZ nailed his lead run perfectly, he followed up with his chase run, which was everything he wanted it to be on the bank. But then his foot slipped off the clutch.

“I slipped and that split second of missing whatever I needed to do kind of let me fall back and then I just got sucked in the smoke,” he explained later, clearly frustrated with himself.

Unfortunately, these mistakes are often enough to be the deciding factor against someone on James Deane’s level, and this was no different.

Championship Hopes Still Remain Alive

Despite another podium finish, LZ’s reaction says everything about his current mindset.

He currently sits in 4th in the championship standings, tied with Matt Field on 150 points, 30 behind Fredric Aasbo, and 70 behind series leader James Deane with two rounds remaining.

While he might not be entirely happy, his decision to go all-in on Formula DRIFT this year, dropping Europe’s Drift Masters series, seems to be paying off with the recent podium achievements.

This is especially impressive when you consider that it’s not been an easy year behind the scenes, either, following his recent breakup with Collete, which had the social gossip on overdrive.

“It’s kind of crazy to think that we’ve gotten to the point where I get a podium and I’m not like super stoked just because I know that I can do better,” he reflected. “I’m just hungry for first.”

With the E36 seemingly more dialed in better than ever, and with the championship still within reach, he’s making it clear that he’ll be giving it his all to fight for the top spot on the podium for the two remaining rounds of the season. 

However, to do so, he’ll have to topple the likes of James Deane, Fredric Aasbo, Matt Field, and Hiro Minowa, to name just a few. It’s arguably the most challenging Formula DRIFT lineup in history – something even FD legend Diago Saito struggled with in his highly anticipated return.

Next up in the 2025 Formula DRIFT calendar is Grantsville, Utah, on August 28-30.

Then, it’s the highly anticipated final round on October 17-18 in Long Beach, California, where we’ll get to see whether the new “custom-built” layout can live up to the sorely missed ‘House of Drift’ – Irwindale Speedway.

Whether Adam LZ can pull an upset out of the bag in these remaining rounds is yet to be seen. In the meantime, enjoy his video where he provides an in-depth insight into what went down in Seattle:

You can also check out the 2025 Formula DRIFT Seattle highlights here: