Podium for Fredric Aasbo in Orlando as championship heats up
ORLANDO, Florida (June 1, 2026) -- Fredric Aasbo returned to the Formula Drift podium this weekend at Orlando Speed World, finishing third in the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra at Round 3: Scorched. Ryan Tuerck and the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla also advanced into competition points, finishing 14th as both Papadakis Racing drivers remain among the top contenders in the early 2026 championship.
Aasbo arrived in Orlando looking to rebound from an uncharacteristic early exit at Road Atlanta and immediately showed podium potential. He qualified third on Friday with an 84.7-point run, then carried that momentum into Saturday’s competition heats.
Aasbo opened eliminations with a Top 32 win over Rudy Hansen, then advanced past Trenton Beechum in the Top 16. In the Great 8, he defeated Dylan Hughes to secure a place in the Final Four. His weekend ended in a semifinal battle with James Deane, who went on to finish second behind Orlando winner Aurimas Bakchis.
“It was important to come back strong after Atlanta,” said Aasbo. “The Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra felt good all weekend and the team gave me a car that could fight for the win. We wanted more, of course, but getting back on the podium keeps us right in the conversation as the championship starts to tighten up.”
The result gives Aasbo two podium finishes in the opening three rounds of the 2026 Formula Drift season. He finished runner-up at the season opener in Long Beach, then recovered from his Road Atlanta setback with a third-place finish in Orlando. Aasbo leaves Florida fourth in the provisional driver standings with 74 points.
For his part, Tuerck advanced from the Top 32 after defeating Tommy Lemaire. His run ended in the Top 16 against Dylan Hughes. One more win would have created an all-Papadakis Racing Great 8 matchup between Tuerck and Aasbo, but the teammates avoided facing each other in the bracket. Aasbo instead met Hughes in the Great 8 and won the battle to advance to the Final Four, while Tuerck came away from Orlando 11th in the provisional championship standings after three rounds.
“It was a tricky weekend, but we kept pushing and came away with points,” said Tuerck. “Orlando always throws a lot at you, and the level of driving in the field is high right now. We know what we need to work on and I’m excited for a new track at Round 4.”
With the first three rounds complete, Formula Drift now enters a stretch that includes first-time stops at Stafford Motor Speedway, Indianapolis and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, along with the established Seattle event, before the season concludes at Long Beach. The new venues could play a decisive role in the title fight as Papadakis Racing prepares for Round 4: Battle at the Springs, June 18-20 at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, Connecticut.
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 hosts capacity crowds, while live-streamed multi-platform broadcasts attract millions of online viewers.