Is This The Reason James Deane Left Formula DRIFT Before His Record-Breaking Return?

James Deane’s early dominance in Formula DRIFT was legendary. With three consecutive championships between 2017 and 2019 while driving for Worthouse, there was no question that “The Machine” was living up to expectations. Yet, at the peak of his supremacy, he disappeared from the U.S. drifting scene.

This new video from Tuna No Crust explores what happened behind the scenes, and the whole situation is more complicated than you might think:

The reality behind the three-peat

While Deane was busy proving his dominance with Worthouse, the team in the background dealt with the brutal logistics of running an international drift program.

This included shipping cars across the Atlantic, flying crews for extended periods, and juggling sponsorship demands from a base in Poland.

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, those challenges became tougher than ever. Borders were closed, flights were canceled, and eventually motorsport came to a grinding halt.

Worthouse entered Formula DRIFT to break into the U.S. market for its steel roofing business. However, with the global economy in turmoil, they were forced to make the difficult decision to withdraw.

Deane took the news in stride despite the circumstances. “Worthouse gave me the keys to follow my dreams,” he reflects.

Many fans speculate that there was more to the Worthouse story, given Piotr Wiecek’s family ties to the company. Despite the connections, Piotr clearly supported Deane at times, also stating, “James was always my toughest competitor on the track but most of all a great and true friend.”

His FD return continued to rewrite the history books

During his FD absence, Deane never stopped competing, continuing to dominate across Europe and Russia. At one point, he podiumed in 13 consecutive events, once again making history with the longest top-tier streak.

However, despite the success, James clearly knew where he wanted to compete. When RTR Motorsports offered him a custom right-hand drive Ford Mustang in 2023, with the chance to return to FD, Deane unsurprisingly jumped at the opportunity.

While his first season back showed promise, he wasn’t fully adapted to the unique muscle car setup, which was vastly different from the usual Silvia platforms he was used to. But by year two, he already proved he was untouchable once again.

He podiumed at every single event to clinch his fourth Formula DRIFT championship – more than any driver ever. His success continued from there, and this year he topped his own record by landing his fifth FD title.