Formula DRIFT 2025 Round 4: Englishtown, NJ – Preview & Livestream
Table of Contents
Formula DRIFT prepares to head to Old Bridge Township Raceway in Englishtown, New Jersey, for Round 4 of the 2025 season on June 19-21, and the championship picture is getting interesting.
Image credit: Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT
Fredric Aasbo sits just 10 points ahead of James Deane as we hit the halfway mark. Last round in Orlando delivered some serious upsets that nobody saw coming (including a certain 15-year-old making history, yet again!)
Image credit: Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT
The Gauntlet should reveal a lot about where this season is truly heading. If the season so far is anything to go by, there’ll be no shortage of surprises in store!
A Quick Recap Of The 2025 FD Season So Far
Round 1 (Long Beach) Fredric Aasbo defeated four-time champion James Deane in the Final; Adam LZ claimed third, with Branden Sorensen fourth.
Round 2 (Road Atlanta) Deane struck back, edging Aasbo after two One-More-Times in torrential rain, while Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis grabbed third.
Round 3 (Orlando) Japan’s 15-year-old Hiroya Minowa earned a historic first win, Jhonnattan Castro took second for his first-ever FD podium (and the first for any Dominican or Latin American driver), while Odi Bakchis repeated third.
We now head to the halfway point of the season with Aasbo ten points clear at the top ahead of James Deane.
Who To Watch Out For
Image credit: Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT
No one’s had clear-cut dominance in the 2025 season so far. Despite both Aasbo and Deane holding the top two spots in the rankings, they both had rough rounds in Orlando, proving just how unpredictable pro drifting has become with the ever-increasing talent in the sport.
Deane was runner-up in Round 1 and winner in Round 2 – showing exactly why the Irishman is still regarded as the benchmark. However, he was knocked out in the Top 16 in Orlando, and the challenges continued in the Finnish Drift Masters round last weekend, where he was knocked out in the Great 8.
Both drivers will be looking to reassert themselves after Orlando’s surprise early exits.
Image credit: Drift Masters
Meanwhile, Conor Shanahan pulled off an exceptional performance in Finland, taking the win and catapulting him to the top of the DMGP overall series rankings. He’ll be looking to carry that momentum back to Formula DRIFT.
We also can’t forget about 15-year-old Hiroya Minowa’s breakthrough performance in Orlando, where he became the youngest-ever FD winner. Following two back-to-back second-place finishes last year, it’d be incredible if he turns that into back-to-back wins for 2025!
Despite currently being fifth in the rankings, Odi Bakchis is always capable of pulling off an upset, too. With two third-place finishes in Atlanta and Orlando, he has been consistently solid and is looking to step up to the next podium spots.
Image credit: Larry Chen | Formula DRIFT
Castro finally earned his first podium last round, his first since joining FD in 2012, while Chris Forsberg has been showing promising signs despite yet to prove himself this season fully.
The depth in FD continues to grow (which is great to see), and plenty of other drivers are more than capable of shaking things up. The Orlando podium proves that we never know what’ll happen, and that’s what makes drifting so epic.
Season Standings Heading Into Englishtown
| Position | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Fredric Aasbo | 110 |
| 2 | James Deane | 100 |
| 3 | Hiroya Minowa | 80 |
| 4 | Jhonnattan Castro | 80 |
| 5 | Aurimas (Odi) Bakchis | 80 |
| 6 | Branden Sorensen | 70 |
| 7 | Matt Field | 60 |
| 8 | Chris Forsberg | 50 |
| 9 | Adam LZ | 50 |
| 10 | Conor Shanahan | 40 |
Formula DRIFT Englishtown, NJ Schedule & Free Livestream
Here’s the full schedule for the weekend, along with the free livestream links. This round features both PRO and PROSPEC competitions.
Thursday, June 19, 2025
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM – PRO: Practice
3:00 PM – 6:15 PM – PROSPEC SEEDING BRACKET
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM – PRO Practice
7:45 PM – 10:30 PM – PRO SEEDING BRACKET
Friday, June 20, 2025
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM – PROSPEC MAIN EVENT TOP 32
7:00 PM – 10:30 PM – PROSPEC MAIN EVENT TOP 16
Saturday, June 21, 2025
12:30 PM – 2:15 PM – PRO Warm up
2:15 PM – 5:15 PM – PRO MAIN EVENT TOP 32
6:45 PM – 10:30 PM – PRO MAIN EVENT TOP 16
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.
