JAMES DEANE ON THE RETURN TO FD, SUCCESS FACTORS, AND THE FUTURE.
Photo courtesy of Matt Jarrett
Interview by DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Brightman
A FEW WORDS FROM WORLD DRIFTING CHAMPION, JAMES DEANE.
Odds are, if you’re a fan of drifting from anywhere in the world, you’re also a fan of James Deane (@jamesdeane130). A sensation in the world of motorsports, this much-loved, Irish-borne drifting monger has made quite a career out of winning.
Deane is one of Formula DRIFT’s only three-time champions and he’s on a terror right now to become the first driver in FD’s 21-year history to be crowned a fourth time. And, FD is merely the tip of the iceberg for Deane, whose current record includes a total of 21 worldwide championship titles in the last 16 years!
Deane’s three FD titles were earned prior to the pandemic, while he competed alongside teammate and friend Poitr Wiecek (@poitrwiecek) under the Worthouse drift team. He left the U.S. circuit in 2020, returning in 2023, to drive the only custom, right-hand-drive Ford Mustang within the circuit as a member of the RTR Vehicles Drift Team.
Deane’s FD record thus far this season is stellar - with three first-place triumphs, one second-place win, and another podium in third place - making him the only driver in FD’s PRO league this season to podium at every stop so far. As of this date, Deane is 118 points out in front with FD, sits at the top of this current season’s Drift Masters European Circuit (DMEC) standings, and has podiumed in all 13 of the competitions he’s driven in the past nine months.
Too good to be true? Maybe not for one of the most decorated drifting soldiers on the planet.
We had the pleasure of visiting with Deane about his return to FD, what it’s like to drive his fiery beast of a Mustang, and some of his top drifting honors. Here’s what the good-natured, towering Irishman had to share.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Andrei Popov
What factors were involved in getting you to return to the United States last year to compete again with Formula DRIFT?
There were many different factors in getting us back here to compete in Formula DRIFT since our gap. We stopped competing in 2019, because COVID started in the 2020 season, and in the middle of all of that the team I was driving for decided to focus on competing in Europe.
So, yeah, we weren’t coming back, and I went off and did some other things - competing around the world. I really enjoyed this experience, but I always missed competing in the U.S. in Formula DRIFT.
So, I was talking to Vaughn (@vaughgittinjr) at RTR (we stayed in touch ever since I left). I always knew it would be a dream opportunity to come back and drive one of these Mustangs, because it’s a totally different experience, and I knew it would just be wild if we could make it happen.
I think it was probably a little past halfway through the season of 2022, when Vaughn and I really got into the idea, because Adam wasn’t going to be driving a full season in 2023 and they needed a driver for the AutoZone Ford Mustang. We sat down and had a really good chat about it all, looking at all the different options, to see what was possible. After a few months of discussion and making plans, we signed a contract, and now we’re here driving a Ford Mustang.
We competed all of last season, finished fifth overall in the Championship, and got a couple podiums. This year, we’re back, driving a new and improved chassis that’s more built around my driving style. Obviously, I’m a tall driver, so they had to make quite a few changes, and we are feeling better than ever."
Photo courtesy of Kevin Darwish
You had to face a unique obstacle at the Long Beach event, but you were still able to earn first place. What helped you mentally overcome everything there?
Coming into Long Beach, and the first round of the 2024 Championship, I was pumped. I was ready to push hard. I felt pretty confident going in there, because the new car was a lot more comfortable for me, and I was ready to go as hard as possible.
Unfortunately, we had the crazy fire on Formula Drift Media Day, which did so much damage. It burned almost everything under the hood. The team had to work for 48-hours straight to make some magic happen, and get us back on track for the main event, and they managed to pull it off.
For me as a driver, as long as that car was running, I wanted to do everything possible that I could to try and get on top of the box, because I knew how hard the team had worked. Not just during and after that disaster we had at Media Day, but all the way up, building to that point in the season when you know it was a lot to overcome.
I just couldn’t give up, so I pushed hard, and we managed to take it.
Photo courtesy of James Deane
You mentioned significant chassis changes and transitions. What changes have you made to the Mustang?
Jumping into the Mustang chassis last year, there were quite a few different things to get used to for me. A totally new engine package. A crazy V8, with a hell of a lot of nitrous, is aggressive. It takes a different driving style, and also the suspension set up, and how we get the grip out of these Mustangs. The feeling while behind the wheel is a lot different to anything I’ve ever driven before, and obviously, with limited testing and the limited practice we get here at these FD competitions, you know every single lap counts and you have to focus 110 percent.
We learned and got comfy pretty quickly, but I always felt like there was a bit more to learn, so the team made a lot of changes moving into this season. My seating position was a big part of it, and now I can sit comfortably behind the wheel a bit higher in the chassis. I need more space, because I’m tall, and that in and of itself has been a big improvement. There’s a lot more head space with the roll cage, the Recaro bucket seat feels a lot more comfortable, and we made some geometry changes as well.
The team has worked very closely with me to find a steering geometry set up that feels comfy and helps me show more of my style behind the wheel. I feel like it's better than ever.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Owen Garrett
Has drifting an RTR Mustang had any influence in your overall driving style or habits?
Definitely! Driving this car, you have to adapt to a new driving style. I’m used to inline sixes and turbo chargers. In cars that feel a lot differently, you have to define the grip a lot differently, and I would say one of the biggest things that you need to adjust in this car is your throttle control.
The Mustangs like to stay pinned more, because when you're full throttle in these cars, that's when you have the most grip to go as fast as possible. Whereas some other chassis I’ve driven in the past, you modulate the throttle, to find the grip. If you overpower the tires, it will just start spinning, but these cars work a lot differently. So, you have to adapt your driving style, and yeah, it’s been a fun challenge.
I love trying new things, I love the challenge of driving one of these cars, and you know when you pull off a sick run, there’s no better feeling!
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Ramirez
Which of the U.S. tracks is your favorite to compete at so far?
My favorite track in Formula DRIFT is definitely the ‘Streets of Long Beach’. It’s a special one.
It’s the first track I ever competed at in Formula DRIFT way back in 2010 and we had good success at that event. We got into the top eight, and then when I came back in 2017 with Worthouse, that's where I managed to receive my first Formula DRIFT win. It has a very special place in my heart.
Every time I go to Long Beach, I just feel the special energy, and I think that’s what helps. As well as this last round there - going through everything that we had to just to push through and just never giving up - but finding the result that we came there to get.
I love that place! The atmosphere is so amazing. It’s downtown on the streets of Long Beach. Like so many people, I just think there’s no place like it in the world, and it’s a hard one to top.
Interview by DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Brightman
What are the three most significant contributors to your worldwide success?
It’s hard to pick my top three contributors to worldwide success.
Obviously, I’m still a fan of the sport, so I watch as much drifting as I can possibly watch. You learn from not only your experience, but also what others are doing, and you just keep your eyes on everything. I think that helps me to push harder and get better results.
Also, for me personally, I really like being involved with ‘how’ the cars work. I work very closely on all of my own cars back in Europe, and I know what I'm inside of. Over the past twelve months, I've managed to really get to know the Mustang, and feel like that in and of itself gives me a lot more confidence as a driver. If something’s going wrong, you can pinpoint it, and point it out to the team without them trying to figure it out. Then, you’re not losing that time. You’re understanding the car a lot better.
I think the third one is I compete as much as I can and I drive as much as I can. I’m addicted to the sport, and we just push hard all the time, and I’m always aiming for that #1 spot and trying to put on a great show for the fans that are watching as well.
So, I think those are the three biggest ones for me.
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Ramirez
Out of all the drifting honors you’ve earned in recent years, what are some of ones that stand out in your mind?
If I'm looking at results, I would say that I love that we won at Long Beach, because it was my first time winning in the Mustang RTR.
In the off season, we also won the Oman International Drift Championship in the Middle East, so we had a lot of different drivers from worldwide competing there, and the competition level was high.
Another I would mention is the win at the FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup competition a couple years ago. We were invited to the FIA end-of-season award event, where Max Verstappen also got his trophy for winning the F1 World Championship. Sebastien Ogier, who won the World Rally Championship, was also there. And, we were there winning the drifting competition.
It was special to share the same evening in front of so many unbelievably high-level athletes from all these different disciplines of motor sport. It’s a really cool one to win.
Let’s see what happens this year!
Photo courtesy of DRIFTEM Correspondent Ian Ramirez
What would you like to see happen for the sport of drifting over the next 3-5 years?
In the next 3-5 years, I would love to see drift championships keep pushing the boundaries.
Formula DRIFT is doing a great job right now speeding up the show. There’s no more single runs anymore, so there's only tandems from the first lap to the last lap, and I think that's more exciting for the fans that are coming in.
I hope they try and get a stadium event here in the U.S., because that works really well in Europe.
I also hope we can have another “World Championship” event where you combine the best from Drift Masters, Formula DRIFT, Japan, etc. All the best leagues across the world, and try to get it to some venue in the world to have the best of the best battling it out. That would be amazing, and something I’d love to be a part of, so let's see what happens.
This sport is going in a great direction. The fans that come out to support us are absolutely unbelievable! Hardcore fans, no matter what - rain, thunder, lightning, sun - whatever. They will be there and we will be there to put on a show for them.
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Many thanks to Deane and the entire RTR team for making this interview possible amidst such a busy, dynamic season. We’re looking forward to seeing how everything continues to progress.
