Programa de Afiliados Pro-Am da Formula DRIFT é Reorganizado

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

The post FORMULA DRIFT REORGANIZES PRO-AM AFFILIATE PROGRAM TO ASSIST NEW DRIVERS OBTAIN A COMPETITION LICENSE appeared first on Formula DRIFT BLOG.