Formula DRIFT press conference

A full Formula DRIFT press conference from Long Beach is now on YouTube, and it lands one day before the 2026 season opener on the Streets of Long Beach on April 10 and April 11. The video matters because press conferences are where drivers stop selling posters and start explaining what they actually changed on the car, the tire, and the plan. (youtube.com) (formulad.com) Formula DRIFT is not a race where the first car across a finish line wins. Judges score a run by looking at line, angle, style, and how closely the chase driver follows the lead car without turning the whole thing into scrap metal. (downtownlongbeach.org) That scoring system is why setup talk matters so much in drifting. A small change in rear grip, steering angle, or power delivery can decide whether a driver holds a long smoky slide near the wall or straightens the car and throws away the run. (downtownlongbeach.org) Tires sit at the center of that tradeoff because they have to do two opposite jobs at once. They need enough grip to keep the car fast and stable, but they also need to break loose in a predictable way so the driver can place the car sideways like a marker sliding across paper. (prnewswire.com) Car builds matter for the same reason. A Formula DRIFT car may wear the shape of a road car, but underneath it is usually a purpose-built machine with major changes to suspension, steering, cooling, and engine response so it can survive repeated full-throttle slides in close combat. (downtownlongbeach.org) That makes a press conference unusually useful in this series. In one room, before qualifying starts, drivers and teams explain which parts they trust, which problems followed them from testing, and which rivalries are real enough to shape the weekend. (youtube.com) Long Beach is the right place for that conversation because this stop is both symbolic and practical. Formula DRIFT calls it Round 1 of the 2026 season, and Downtown Long Beach describes the city as the birthplace of professional drifting in North America. (formulad.com) (downtownlongbeach.org) The 2026 Long Beach schedule shows how compressed the whole weekend is. Practice starts Friday morning, qualifying is livestreamed Friday afternoon, the Top 16 main event begins at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the trophy ceremony follows at 6:15 p.m. (formulad.com) The series itself is entering 2026 with bigger media and sponsor moves than a single weekend suggests. Formula DRIFT announced an exclusive broadcast deal with RACER on March 31, 2026, and Kumho Tire U.S.A. announced a three-year sponsorship extension through 2029 in the same stretch. (formulad.com) (tirereview.com) Kumho’s announcement also shows how tire talk turns into driver storylines. The company said Jeff Jones, Andy Hateley, Rome Charpentier, Jack Shanahan, Ryan Litteral, and Cody Buchanan will represent Team Kumho in the 2026 Formula DRIFT PRO Championship on Ecsta V730 tires, which gives fans a concrete reason to listen for who says the tire suits their style and who sounds like they are still adapting. (prnewswire.com) The wider 2026 calendar gives this opener extra weight because the series is changing around it. Formula DRIFT revealed three new venues for 2026, including Stafford Motor Speedway in Connecticut, Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indiana, and the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so Long Beach is the first public read on who looks ready for a reshaped season. (performanceracing.com) (racer.com) That is why the full press conference is more than filler content between highlight clips. If you care about drift culture, this is the part where the series shows its real machinery: drivers naming tire choices, teams hinting at car builds, and a championship explaining itself before the walls, smoke, and judging take over. (youtube.com)