Formula DRIFT is back, baby, kicking off another year of sliding in Long Beach, California. The rules have changed (a little), the cars spent the offseason getting tested and tuned, and everything’s shaping up for a great year of drifting. Except that damn rain.

If you missed Formula DRIFT’s first round, never fear — despite the format changes, the good stuff is still available for you to see on YouTube. Now, a few days out from the original stream, the folks at FD have compiled the first Top 16 action video of the season. Get caught up here.

Sure, the rain may have sullied things a bit, but a day of drifting is still better than one without. This year’s Long Beach even brought us another James Deane round victory, something the series has lacked for some time now. Sure, he’s always a safe bet to do well, but you can just never get mad at him for it.

Unfortunately for Deane, despite all that skill, he’s still stuck in the worst livery of the 2024 RTR lineup. Silver is just so boring, especially when compared with Vaughn’s geometric graphics or newcomer Ben Hobson’s black-yellow-purple style. James Deane just deserves better.

Still, boring paint wasn’t enough to stop him from clinching the win in Long Beach. Will the Deane dominance continue into Road Atlanta, or will someone else take the crown? Is it time for Odi to move back up the podium?