Conor Shanahan Showcases Three-Wheel Drifting Talents Following Shock Tire Incident
Formula DRIFT’s 2025 ‘Shoreline Showdown’ finale at Long Beach delivered no shortage of drama, but the hot topic was the unfortunate tire loss for Conor Shanahan.
After defeating Ryan Litteral in the Top 32, Conor faced off against 16-year-old Hiroya Minowa in the Top 16. As usual, he went full send into the first corner with Hiroya hot on his tail, pushing his Red Bull Toyota GT86 to the absolute limit while trying to maximize every inch of the all-new technical street circuit.
Soon after, disaster struck when he had a slight collision with one of the many walls lining the track, which initially looked like nothing more than a routine wall tap.
However, once Conor transitioned, the extent of the problem quickly became clear as his GT Radial Tire flew off his STRÖM Wheels, traveling alone down the ‘Long Beach 2’ layout and leaving him drifting on just three tires.
Catch the moment it happened in this clip.
Despite the walls and potential disasters that could’ve followed for the GT86, Conor stuck with the popular “never give up” drifting motto, with the recently-crowned European Drift Masters champion continuing his typical flat-out approach that earned him the DMGP title.
However, while pushing as hard as possible with the less-than-ideal three-tire setup, the lack of grip was evident as Conor scraped his way along the asphalt, with Hiroya quickly playing catch-up before advancing to the next round.
Following the incident, Minowa went on to reach the final against Conor’s brother, Jack Shanahan, after defeating James Deane. Meanwhile, Jack’s route to the final included knocking out popular drifting YouTuber Adam LZ.
Unfortunately, a mechanical issue stopped Hiroya from potentially securing a hat-trick of Irish defeats in the finale, as Jack took his first-ever FD win while also completing his quest for the 2025 Formula DRIFT Rookie of the Year title. “It’s been a hell of a season fighting to get the first win. We’ve struggled with the car but it’s been better than ever today”, declared Jack Shanahan.
It came as no surprise that 2025 FD champion James Deane yet again rounded out the podium for the seventh time in the eight-round season, though it followed a rare mistake against Minowa.
In case you missed the 2025 Formula DRIFT final, here’s the full recap of all the Top 16 battles:
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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.
