Photos courtesy of Formula Drift
Conor Shanahan won Round 7 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and moved into the Formula Drift PRO Championship lead with one round remaining.
Date: September 26, 2026
Location: The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, Nevada
FD PRO Round 7 Results
- Conor Shanahan (Ireland) – Red Bull / GT Radial / JYR Toyota GT86
- Matt Field (USA) – Borla Performance / GT Radial / Heat Wave Visual / Logitech / Liqui Moly Corvette
- Jack Shanahan (Ireland) – Pulsar Turbos E82 BMW
Formula Drift returned to Las Vegas for Round 7 of the 2026 PRO Championship, with Conor Shanahan taking the win and moving ahead of James Deane in the standings.
Deane entered the event with a five-point championship lead but retired from the Top 32 without completing a run after his O’Reilly / Pennzoil Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD suffered an engine problem. He dropped to second overall, 47 points behind Shanahan.
Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis was also forced to retire following an incident at the start of his Top 32 battle with Shinji Minowa. Minowa struck a cone and triggered a restart, but Bakchis was unable to see the restart lights and collided with the rear of Minowa’s Toyota GT86 when he applied the brakes. Formula Drift allowed both teams time to make repairs, but the engine in Bakchis’ Subaru BRZ failed when he returned to the starting line.
Bakchis remains fifth overall but is no longer in title contention. Fredric Aasbo also lost his chance at a fourth championship after falling to Andy Hateley in the Top 32.
Las Vegas driver Branden Sorensen qualified first and advanced through the Top 32 with a bye run before losing to Matt Field in the Top 8. Sorensen finished fifth and remains third in the standings, 48 points behind Shanahan.
Conor faced older brother Jack Shanahan in the Final 4. Jack dropped two tires off course in Zone 4, giving Conor the win and third place to Jack.
The Final matched Conor against Field, with the judges unanimously awarding the victory to Shanahan. The result moved him into first place with 212 points, followed by Deane with 165, Sorensen with 164 and Jack Shanahan with 162.
Deane, Sorensen and Jack Shanahan remain eligible for the title, but each must win the Final Round while Conor scores no points. If Conor wins one heat in Long Beach, he will secure the 2026 Formula Drift PRO Championship.
Cole Richards finished tenth and remains the leading PRO rookie. He holds a 41-point advantage over Cody Buchanan in the Rookie of the Year standings.
Ford leads the 2026 Formula Drift Auto Cup with 282 points, followed by Toyota with 245. GT Radial leads the Tire Cup with 470 points, ahead of Kenda with 290.
Next Round
The Final Round 8 of the 2026 Formula Drift PRO Championship takes place on the street circuit in Long Beach, California, on October 23-24.
Visit Formula Drift for tickets, driver profiles, event information, and the livestream.
