Toyota wins 10th Auto Cup, Fredric Aasbo third in championship and Top 10 for Ryan Tuerck
LONG BEACH, California (October 20, 2025) – The Papadakis Racing Toyota team wrapped up the 2025 Formula Drift season this past weekend with a strong showing in front of a sold-out Long Beach crowd, capping off another successful year for the Southern California team.
Fredric Aasbo secured third place in the overall championship standings after a solid performance behind the wheel of the Rockstar Energy Toyota GR Supra. Teammate Ryan Tuerck delivered one of his best drives of the year, advancing to the final four in the Rain-X Toyota GR Corolla to lock down a Top 10 finish in the championship.
Both Aasbo and Tuerck showed adaptability and precision on the new Long Beach street course this weekend, helping Toyota clinch its 10th Formula Drift Auto Cup for manufacturers and contributing to Kenda Tire’s impressive second-place finish in the Tire Cup standings.
“It’s been a rewarding season from start to finish,” said team owner Stephan Papadakis. “We’re grateful to all of our partners for their support and we’re proud of the progress this team continues to make.”
Kenda Tire joined Papadakis Racing at the start of the season, and the partnership quickly delivered results. The team helped Kenda achieve its first-ever Formula Drift podium, with Aasbo taking the win at the Long Beach opener in April. Aasbo went on to score three additional podium results, including a pair of second-place finishes and one third, marking a standout first year together.
One of the most consistent drivers in championship history, Aasbo has finished inside the Top 3 eight of the past 10 seasons, including three championship crowns. With ten manufacturer titles for Toyota and the most wins in series history, Papadakis Racing remains one of the defining forces in professional drifting, continuing to set the standard for competition, teamwork, and innovation.
“We always want to be fighting for the championship right down to the wire and finishing third in such a competitive field is something to be proud of,” said Aasbo. “This season had its ups and downs, but the team never stopped pushing. We learned a lot, stayed consistent, and we’re already looking ahead to coming back stronger next year.”
Heading into the off-season, the team has some exciting projects in the works, including the launch of a new Hot Wheels Team Transport model of the winning Papadakis Racing Toyota GR Supra. Tuerck is expecting the arrival of his second child in the coming weeks, while continuing to build out his 411 Works shop at home in New Hampshire, while Aasbo has plans to hit the frozen lakes of Scandinavia for ice practice as soon as the weather permits.
Norwegian driver Aasbo joined the Papadakis Racing team in 2011, fresh off a rookie of the year performance in 2010 as a privateer. He earned 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 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.
Tuerck, who hails from New Hampshire, is a 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.
“The new Long Beach layout was such a fun way to end the season, and to make it to the Final Four felt great,” said Tuerck. “This year was about building momentum, and I think we did that. The car felt amazing, the team was dialed in, and I’m stoked to carry that energy into next season.”
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 ten times since 2014. The team has recently expanded 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 assemble 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.