Formula DRIFT Reveals ‘Sneak Peek’ Of All-New Long Beach 2 Final Layout
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Formula DRIFT just dropped the best insight yet into what we can expect from the layout at the ‘Long Beach 2′ 2025 championship finale, replacing Irwindale Speedway for the first time in the series’ history.
For the clip, FD teamed up with some of the biggest names in Assetto Corsa’s sim drifting mod community – the guys from Sim HQ, Geronimo Designs, and ACS Drift to create the best insight yet into what we’ll see from the custom layout.
Following the closure of Irwindale Speedway last year, FD is relocating its championship decider to a brand new Long Beach course, known as the ‘Shoreline Showdown’, which will take place on October 17-18 in Long Beach, CA.
Despite the Long Beach location, the final will be hugely different from both the usual Round 1 track and the historic Irwindale finale.
“This isn’t the Long Beach you know. We’re flipping the script with an all-new layout”, declares FD.
A fresh, level playing field
The AC recreation shows it’ll be far more technical and slower-paced than the usual tracks on the FD calendar.
While Round 1 utilizes the established Long Beach Grand Prix street circuit, the championship finale takes place on large portions of Shoreline Drive, creating what Formula DRIFT calls “its own unique and independent street course venue.”
This is the first time in FD’s history that the series has complete control over its finale venue design, rather than being forced to adapt to existing track infrastructure.
The unique design provides a level playing field, as nobody has driven the course yet (well, besides the AC guys, of course!)
We expect the technical design to work in favor of drivers who’ve competed in the European DMGP (Drift Masters Grand Prix) series, especially those like already-crowned 2025 champion James Deane, The Shanahans, and Adam LZ, who are more accustomed to the European-style layouts.
Can the final live up to the hype of Drift Masters?
Fans have been vocal about how DMGP has been stealing the limelight from FD in recent years, particularly with their 50,000-seater stadium finals, and opinions on the new plans have been mixed.
While some are delighted to see something new and unique, others are already comparing this ‘parking lot’ setup to Drift Masters’ spectacular recent stadium finale.
However, this is the perfect opportunity for FD to show their hand, and it certainly sounds like they’ve invested a lot of time and effort into pulling it off.
Can the fresh Long Beach finale live up to expectations and create an entirely new chapter in the series’ history? We’re excited to find out!
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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.
