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    american  flat trackFORMULA DRIFT 

American FLAT TRACK

www.americanflattrack.com

Progressive American Flat Track is the world's premier dirt track motorcycle racing series and one of the longest-running championships in the history of motorsports. Sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing in Daytona Beach, Fla., the series is highly regarded as the most competitive form of dirt track motorcycle racing on the globe. Progressive American Flat Track is televised on FOX Sports and streams live via FloRacing. For more information on Progressive American Flat Track,

 

 

OTB Racing Announces Expanded Five-Rider Program for 2026 Season

 

 

 

 

scott hunter

 

The seven-race 2026 AFT AdventureTrackers™ championship will open with the class contenders vying for a $7,500 purse in Daytona

Hunter Scott

 

 

 

Tim Lester

 

Strider Bikes named the Official Balance Bike of Progressive American Flat Track

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 24, 2026) - Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is proud to announce that Strider Bikes has been named the Official Balance Bike of the 2026 Progressive AFT Season.

 

Strider’s world-renowned balance bikes, made for children ages 6 months to 6 years old, will help inspire the next generation of racers by empowering children to ride at the youngest age possible. Spawned by a father’s passion to pass his love of riding down to his kids, Strider Bikes combine a simple and lightweight design that help little ones confidently start their two-wheel journey, with performance features that help them harness elite riding skills. Trusted by Progressive AFT racers to teach their own children, Strider has helped over 10 million kids in 75+ countries learn how to ride.

 

“I’m a big fan of American Flat Track and these amazing racers,” said Strider Bikes Founder and CEO Ryan McFarland. “Strider and AFT have been collaborating on small activations for several years. I’m really excited to finally put together a big collaboration with the series and be a part of the full 2026 season! More kids on bikes today, means more racers and race fans in the future!”

 

As the Official Balance Bike of the Progressive AFT Season, fans can find Strider Bikes at races throughout the 2026 campaign with activations that include balance bike races, displays, and more.

 

Progressive AFT 2026 season begins with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6. 

 

To purchase Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II tickets, visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack.

 

Following the season opener, the series travels to Senoia Raceway for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track on March 21. 

 

To purchase tickets for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track, visit: https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-atlanta-short-track-165280.

 Formula DRIFT

www.formulad.com

Formula DRIFT (also known as Formula D or FD) is a United States-based motorsport drifting series. Formula DRIFT was co-founded by Jim Liaw and Ryan Sage in 2003 as a sister company to Slipstream Global Marketing, the same partnership that introduced D1 Grand Prix to the United States. The new entity would solely own, operate and launch the first official drifting series in North America. Formula DRIFT is not associated with the FIA series of formula racing championships

 

FORMULA DRIFT REORGANIZES PRO-AM AFFILIATE PROGRAM TO ASSIST NEW DRIVERS OBTAIN A COMPETITION LICENSE

 Formula DRIFT continues to strengthen foundation-building programs that help prepare drivers and guarantee a healthy future for the sport.

 

The world’s leading drift series – Formula DRIFT – has further strengthened its Pro-Am Affiliate Program for 2026 to provide a means for successful drivers to obtain a competition license to join either the FD PRO or PROSPEC Championships.

With both Championships capped at 40 drivers, the top 24 competition places in PROSPEC and top 32 in PRO are determined by the driver ranking from the previous season. The remaining 16 and eight places, respectively, are at risk of relegation. This means drivers who finish below 25th and 33rd, respectively, could lose their Formula DRIFT Competition License if they don’t meet certain criteria. To maintain their license, they are invited to petition the series to remain. New drivers can also win a lower tier regional multi-round championships to be considered, or PROSPEC hopefuls can take advantage of the Scouting Program.

 

PROSPEC LICENSE

As a means to ensure the best drivers rise to the top, Formula DRIFT has published a new list of multi-round championships that enable drivers to secure a PROSPEC license. There are ten qualifying championships around the country that include three new options: 

  • Drift Colorado for the communities of the Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Boulder
  • DMCC is an entirely new Pro-Am series, which will hold rounds in Quebec, Canada 
  • East 10 Drift serves Atlanta, GA and Bristol, TN
  • Full Lock Drift covers Oklahoma City and Tulsa
  • Gateway PROAM is also entirely new to FD and is based at Worldwide Technology Raceway near St Louis, MO
  • Great Lakes ProAm is based at Lake Erie Speedway in North East Pennsylvania
  • Klutch Kickers is a new multi-round affiliate for 2026, having been promoted from the Scouting Program. Its events are held at MidPond Raceway in Columbiana, AL
  • ND Drift caters to Fargo, ND
  • Spec D events cover the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia
  • US Drift Circuit events are held at Sebring International Raceway in Florida

A driver who wins one of the affiliated Pro-Am series list above will be awarded a Formula DRIFT license and be eligible to compete in PROSPEC during the following season. 

Alternatively, the FD Scouting Program allows drivers to enter and win events held by the following series that are not regulated by the Formula DRIFT Pro-Am rulebook. These include the following:

  • Drift School USA for drivers in Los Angeles and San Bernardino, CA
  • Evergreen Drift at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA
  • US DRIFT covers drivers in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and New Jersey

Each entity is able to “scout” successful drivers and submit a recommendation to Formula DRIFT on the driver’s behalf to obtain a license. It should be noted that the petition process does not guarantee a license.

As a third option, a driver who believes they’re qualified to obtain a PROSPEC license may submit a petition themselves. This approach is commonly used by drivers from outside North America holding current competition licenses. Again, the acceptance of a petition is not guaranteed but it gives an access point to overseas drivers.

 

PRO LICENSE

There are three routes to obtain a Formula DRIFT PRO license. The first, and most direct, is to finish in the top three places in the PROSPEC Championship. These drivers are guaranteed acceptance if they chose to advance into the PRO Championship the following season.

The second route is to win Hotpit Autofest, which is a five-round championship in the Greater Los Angeles region. And the third is to petition the series, which again is most commonly used by overseas drivers unable to take advantage of the first two options.

“Entering our 23rd season, we’re intently focused on ensuring we have the best drivers in the world competing for our Championships and entertaining the fans throughout our highly-competitive eight-round series,” said Ryan Sage, President of Formula DRIFT. “To maintain driving standards and allow the newest talent to emerge, we’ve again strengthened the our Pro-Am Affiliate Program. We’re particularly proud of the multi-round championships, which are designed to help drivers prepare for the demands of a full season in Formula DRIFT in terms of driver skill, car preparation, finances and logistical support. Committing to a competitive national series like ours is no joke, which is why we’re trying to set up the teams for success. 

Ryan continued: “The organizers of each multi-round championship have worked hard to reach a level of competition that will prepare the teams, and we’re especially proud of the work put in by Klutch Kickers and Hotpit Autofest to gain promotion in our Program. I have to recognize the work done by Jeff Jones, in particular, to reach an incredible standard of organization and competition to allow a driver to qualify directly for a PRO license for the first time. This is a really exciting development and is in addition to the overseas affiliates, who are also working hard to prepare drivers for entry into Formula DRIFT.”

“We’re confident the strengthened 2026 Affiliate Program will allow the best drivers in the country and overseas to obtain a Formula DRIFT competition license, ensuring the health of the series in both the short and long term,” Ryan concluded.

Full details of the 2026 Formula DRIFT Affiliate Program are available here: formulad.com/pro-am

 

NEXT ROUND

The 2026 Formula DRIFT season will open on The Streets of Long Beach course on April 10-11. Please visit formulad.com for ticket information, driver profiles, special content, and the event livestream.

 

ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver's skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

 

FORMULA DRIFT ANNOUNCES MAJOR 2026 COMPETITION FORMAT CHANGES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RACE DATA LABS

 

 fEBRUARY 23RD...Thanks to a formal relationship with data/telemetry specialists Race Data Labs, fans and teams will witness the biggest changes in Formula DRIFT history with the FD PRO Championship embarking on a revolutionary program, and PROSPEC benefiting from its implementation. 

As the world’s leading drift series, Formula DRIFT is constantly reviewing its competition format and has historically shown itself willing to make sweeping changes to improve the experience of teams and fans alike. Following the second year of its All-Tandem Qualifying format, the series organizers held two major driver summits to survey their response and welcome suggestions. 

From those meetings, and coupled with the recent development of a reliably robust data and telemetry system, Formula DRIFT has chosen to move the format in the direction noted by the majority of drivers in each Championship. 

 

To summarize the results, the majority of PRO Championship drivers voted to remove the All-Tandem Seeding Bracket Qualification format, which was used to seed the Top 32 Competition places. Conversely, PROSPEC drivers – who experienced perhaps the greatest advancement in driving ability thanks to the additional tandem qualifying runs – voted in the majority to keep Seeding Bracket Qualifying.

In an effort to accommodate the wishes of each Championship, the Formula DRIFT executives had to consider that any format change requiring extended track time could necessitate cutting the number of drivers in either Championship to ensure there was sufficient time for practice, qualifying and competition on “combined weekends,” where both PRO and PROSPEC Championships compete. Without making concessions, the return to the longer Two-Run Qualifying format could have led to major disruptions to the required practice and qualifying time prior to Top 32 Competition.

With Single-Run Qualifying proving inadequate in the past, there were few available options when considering the move away from the All-Tandem format for PRO until Formula DRIFT decided to collaborate with Race Data Labs on its UDSM (Universal Drift Scoring Method) system. The Australian-based telemetry and data systems company will automate the uniquely objective aspects of individual qualifying runs, thus allowing the return to Two-Run Qualifying for the PRO Championship while fitting into the existing weekend schedules. 

As a result of the collaboration, approximately 80% of a driver’s score in PRO Qualifying will be automated. Using this approach, the drivers’ drift Line and car Angle will be quantified and scored entirely by the UDSM system. Driving Style – the remaining 20% of the overall score – is subject to nuance and requires an ability to ascertain the degree of difficulty. Subsequently, the Style score needs to account for and weight driver errors. As a result, the Style score has been decoupled from the other two categories and will be assessed and awarded by the existing panel of three Formula DRIFT judges. 

In addition to this entirely new approach to Two-Run Qualifying, the RDL systems will be incorporated into all competition cars for the entire weekend. It will serve as a robust tool for the judges to reference during competition by providing the same physical data available during qualifying. It will also extend into areas such as objectively measuring the proximity between vehicles, comparative angle between drivers, and comparative speed. More importantly, UDSM will provide a reliable deceleration pattern – impervious to the otherwise obscuring smoke lines produced by the cars. This will build on the technology of the existing Formula DRIFT “Decel Lights” by quantifying the deceleration, and in the case of collisions, provide an unambiguous data set to help reveal which driver was at fault. Furthermore, the system will detect whether a driver puts one, two, three or even four tires off the prescribed course, making the scrutiny required to assess precise position far simpler.

Michael Vernuccio from Race Data Labs said: “Race Data Labs is beyond excited to integrate into the 2026 Formula DRIFT program. Our role will extend beyond traditional drift telemetry to help evolve the sport into a new era of digital judging. Our current UDSM system – a platform that supports drivers, teams, fans, and competition operations, while evolving the process of judging itself – has been capturing drift telemetry for more than three years in 12 different countries, so its adoption by FD presents a new pathway for integration into the sport as a whole.”

He added, “We’re working directly with the Series as a technical partner to design, deploy, and operate the UDSM system. And thanks to input from Formula DRIFT and the wider drift community, we’ve developed it to deliver real-time qualifying results that promote driving precision and excitement, while introducing new levels of transparency to the sport.

“Our collaboration involves close coordination with series officials, judges, and technical staff to ensure the system integrates seamlessly into existing infrastructure, while adding new layers of objectivity, consistency, and real-time performance analysis."

In turn, Formula DRIFT President, Ryan Sage is looking forward to opening a new chapter for the series and sees the benefits for fans, drivers and judges alike: “Michael and his team have created is truly powerful system. It’s been developed by highly-talented operators who are drifters first, so UDSM carries the fingerprints of people who drift, and you can see that in its operation.

“We will work with his team to automate the objective aspects of the sport, which will allow the classic Qualifying format to return with a major twist because it’s resistant to run-time; time we desperately need, particularly at events where PRO and PROSPEC Championships share track time,” Ryan continued. 

“We’re finally able to give our judges the tools they’ve been asking for, empowering them to make the right decisions with greater certainty and in a shorter time. In partnership with RDL, we’re able to provide information about the incredibly complex dynamics of 1200hp PRO drift cars at high speed that’s invisible to the naked eye and has been extremely difficult to analyze and interpret despite the help of our multiple camera angles.”

As an added bonus, the RDL system will be made available to the fans. “We can propel the sport forward by incorporating much of the UDSM data into our free-to-view livestream broadcasts,” Sage confirmed. “By capturing, animating and dynamically transmitting the data, fans can share the robust backbone of the system and gain a greater understanding of the most nuanced motorsport series in the world. We believe this will both preserve the excitement of drifting for fans while supporting our judges without subordinating them. This approach is consistent with the increased data now provided by organizations such as the NFL, MLB, F1 and more, so we’re very excited to introduce RDL's UDSM system on the livestream at the Opening Round in Long Beach on April 10-11.”

 

NEXT ROUND

The 2026 Formula DRIFT season will open on The Streets of Long Beach course on April 10-11. Please visit formulad.com for ticket information, driver profiles, special content, and the event livestream.

 

ABOUT FORMULA DRIFT

Formula DRIFT is recognized as the leading international drifting championship. Established on the streets of Japan, drifting has evolved into a worldwide competitive sport that challenges the driver's skill while demanding a great deal from their vehicle in terms of power and strength. Formula DRIFT provides a series for the best professional drifters from around the globe to compete for the coveted title of Formula DRIFT Champion. As the first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting drift fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life, and established itself as the global leader for the sport. For a competition schedule, ticket information, special content and livestream, please visit formulad.com

 

WATCH FORMULA DRIFT

Fans can find the free-to-view event livestream at youtube.com/Formuladrift. FD is also available on Racer Network (please check with your local provider), and available in Spanish via PX Sports on numerous outlets across Latin America. To find out where it’s broadcast in your country, visit pxsports.com/outlets

 

FOLLOW FORMULA DRIFT ONLINE 

formulad.com

instagram.com/formulad

facebook.com/formuladrift

twitter.com/FormulaDrift

youtube.com/Formuladrift

 

     american  flat track FORMULA DRIFT    

 

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