Three weeks after winning the Formula Drift PRO title, Conor Shanahan is heading to the home of professional drifting. Japanese outlet Motor-Fan reports that the Irishman will compete at Tokyo Drift, the D1 Grand Prix season finale on the special course at Odaiba, Tokyo Bay, scheduled for 14–15 November.
From D1 fan to D1 competitor
The move closes a circle. Shanahan grew up idolising Japan’s D1 scene before building a CV few drivers can match: drifting since the age of nine, a Grand Tour TV appearance at 13, a win over James Deane on his Drift Masters debut at 14, Drift Masters titles in 2023 and 2025, a Formula Drift round win as a rookie in 2024 and now the 2026 FD crown.
The car
His current Formula Drift weapon is a Toyota GT86 fitted with a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 from the Nissan GT-R, good for around 1,100 hp in FD specification. It runs MoTeC M150 engine management, a Wisefab angle kit and BC Racing suspension. He previously ran Toyota’s 2JZ-GTE. Details of the team, car and tyres he will use in Japan have not been published.
Who he will face
D1GP is celebrating its 25th anniversary season in 2026, and Odaiba is the climax. Shanahan has already battled former D1 champion Naoki Nakamura in Drift Masters, and Motor-Fan singles out Taigo Saito among the Japanese stars he will meet. Reigning series champion Hideyuki Fujino and a deep Japanese field mean nothing will be handed to the visitor.
Tickets for both days of Tokyo Drift went on sale in October. For fans in the Middle East, it is a rare chance to watch the world’s hottest drifter tested against Japan’s best on their own ground.
Lead image is illustrative. Photo: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).