Fredric Aasbo second at NJ Formula Drift
ENGLISHTOWN, NJ (June 23, 2025) – Papadakis Racing Toyota driver Fredric Aasbo earned a podium result in New Jersey this weekend, taking second place in the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra and extending his championship lead by another 10 points.
As the season rounds its mid-point, three-time champion Aasbo tops the leaderboard with 150 points and a narrow, 20-point advantage over closest challenger James Deane. The two drivers are the most winning in the sport and, this season, are locked in a close battle. Between them, they own seven of the last 10 championship titles.
To get to the podium this weekend, Aasbo won his opening battle against veteran Daigo Saito then faced down Dylan Hughes in the Top 16. In the round of eight, he advanced past Matt Field to find himself lining up against Deane for a battle of titans in the final four.
After judges declared their first all-out battle too close to call, fans were treated to a one-more-time rematch. When the smoke cleared, it was Aasbo who advanced to the Final. After a rowdy battle against Adam LZ, he finished second overall.
“We are all pretty stoked with this result. This is one of those tracks I’ve been fighting to get better at and the podium feels good,” said Aasbo.
Teammate Ryan Tuerck had an unfortunate first-round knockout in Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla and is heading into the next round hoping for a turn in fortunes after a string of bad luck so far this season.
Known as The Gauntlet, the Englishtown competition takes place on a converted drag strip that has been reconfigured into a tight Figure-8. The track has a long history of drift culture and is a favorite among amateur competitors. Wild weather on Thursday ripped through the area, felling trees and tearing apart tents in the paddock. There were no serious injuries and the Papadakis Racing squad escaped damage. By the time battles began on Saturday afternoon, the sun was shining. The weather held as competition continued late into the night.
Next, the Papadakis Racing Toyota team heads to St. Louis, Missouri, for Round 5 at World Wide Technology Raceway on July 17-19.
Norwegian driver Aasbo has won three Formula Drift titles since joining the Papadakis Racing Toyota team in 2011, earning his first series championship in 2015, as well as back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022. The Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra driver has a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most winning driver in Formula Drift, having now achieved 21 No. 1 finishes in the premier USA series and 100-plus podium finishes on three continents over the past decade of global competition. In 2024, he finished third in the championship chase.
Tuerck, who hails from New Hampshire, is a Formula Drift title contender in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla. His down-home charm, commitment to the sport’s grassroots, and talent in front of the camera have brought him a social fanbase of 1.7 million followers. His build legacy includes the Celica GT411, the Stout, and the Formula Supra, and started with the viral Toyota GT4586 build released in 2016. That inventive first project inspired the genre of build content online when he paired a Toyota GT86 with a Ferrari 458 engine to generate some 70 million digital impressions. He joined the Papadakis Racing team in 2020 and is a fan favorite for his go-big or go-home commitment to competition.
Based in Carson, California, the Papadakis Racing team began drifting in 2004 and is the most winning in Formula Drift history, earning the 2022, 2021 and 2015 championship titles with driver Aasbo, as well as back-to-back championships with driver Tanner Foust in 2007 and 2008. Partner Toyota has won the manufacturer’s cup nine times since 2014. Team owner Stephan Papadakis is a legend of sport-compact racing who began building his reputation in the 1990s in drag racing. The team has recently expanded of its capabilities outside of racing, delivering prototyping and engineering services for select industrial clients under the Papadakis Engineering banner.
Drifting is a high-skill, high-powered motorsport with an emphasis on car control. In the Formula Drift series, drivers compete in knockout heats on a closed course, sliding sideways in trials judged on speed and style. With origins in Japan, the sport has rapidly grown to one of the most popular youth-oriented motorsports in the world. Here in the United States, Formula Drift officially launched in 2004 and its national schedule of eight events routinely host capacity crowds, while live-streamed multi-platform broadcasts attract millions of online viewers.
ABOUT TOYOTA Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands, and directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America (nearly 48,000 in the U.S.).
For almost 70 years, Toyota has assembled nearly 47 million cars and trucks in North America at the company’s 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, the company’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
Through our more than 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.), Toyota sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (more than 2.3 million in the U.S.) in 2024, of which more than 43 percent were electrified vehicles (full battery, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell).
ABOUT KENDA TIRE Founded in 1962, Kenda Tire is a global leader in tire and wheel manufacturing with market presence in multiple industries, including automotive and light truck, bicycle, motorcycles, ATV, RV, industrial, golf, and more. With more than 12,000 employees globally, Kenda Tire prides itself as an organization where quality, honesty, innovation, and customer service are core values.
ABOUT ROCKSTAR ENERGY Founded in 2001, Rockstar Energy Drink is committed to understanding the mind-body connection, providing functional energy to keep you moving confidently through every moment. It empowers a new generation to feel energized both mentally and physically, giving them the power to access and optimize every version of themselves. Acquired by PepsiCo in 2020, Rockstar Energy Drink offers over 40 products and is available in more than 30 countries. For more information, visit www.rockstarenergy.com and unlock your full potential, mind, and body.