Fredric Aasbo takes championship lead in Orlando shakeup
ORLANDO, Florida (June 1, 2025) – Fredric Aasbo edged the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra into the points lead this weekend in a challenging Formula Drift round at Orlando Speed World. Aasbo went one battle round further than closest championship challenger James Deane to move to the top of the rankings with 110 points to Deane’s 100.
Aasbo advanced decisively past Nick Noback in the Round of 32, then Daniel Stuke in the Top 16. His weekend ended in a close battle with teenaged driver Hiroya Minowa, who went on to take the event win and move into third in the points.
A stroke of bad luck this weekend saw Ryan Tuerck eliminated in the opening round. Tuerck put down a solid lead run against series newcomer Derek Madison and was in a strong position to win the match-up. But he faltered off the line when the motorsport transmission popped out of gear, handing his rival the win. It was a rare mechanical issue for the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla and the team is investigating the cause. Tuerck now sits tied for 10th in the points. However, with more than half the season still to go, he remains a title threat.
Next up for the team is Round 4, when the series heads to New Jersey June 19-21.
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 20 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.
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