In a stunning display of talent and maturity, 15-year-old Hiroya Minowa became the youngest winner in Formula DRIFT history on May 31, taking the win at Round 3 of the 2025 PRO Championship at Orlando Speed World.
Minowa piloted his Toyota GT86—fitted with the ultra-high-performance Champiro SX2 RS GT Radial tires—to victory in just his 11th PRO event. It is a career first for the Japanese youngster, who came close to a victory in 2024 with two runner-up finishes in St. Louis and Seattle.
Minowa’s victory was not just personal, it also turned out to be a massive boost for GT Radial. The tire brand, which already claimed the Formula DRIFT Tire Cup championship in 2023, also received a third-place effort from veteran driver Aurimas Bakchis in Orlando. The duo’s combined effort launched GT Radial into second position in the 2025 Tire Cup rankings.
Minowa’s path to the podium was paved with difficult competition. He beat some of the sport’s most seasoned drivers, including FD PROSPEC two-time champ Dmitriy Brutiskiy, Ireland’s Conor Shanahan, three-time PRO champ Fredric Aasbo, and even his own teammate, Bakchis.
The Orlando round provided Minowa with 50 championship points, propelling him from eighth to third in overall standings. Bakchis also moved up and is now ranked fifth in the championship chase.
GT Radial’s motorsports win underscores the performance of its Champiro SX2 RS tires, which are engineered and manufactured in Richburg, South Carolina. Although the tire is engineered for the street but proven on track, it keeps making a name for itself with every podium finish—now adding the record-breaking win by the youngest champion in series history.