SDC 2026 Worlds Competition Recap

October 12, 2026

On October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, here at Super-G R/C Drift Arena in Los Angeles, California, R/C Drifters from all over the world converged for the SDC 2026 Worlds Competition. This is an event we host every year, and I can say without hesitation this was the best one yet!

In the 2 years prior (Years of the teams), there was always a feeling of unspoken separation with the majority of people being freshly acquired by teams and sponsors. It may not have been so apparent to everyone, but it was definitely present. Should they cheer on the person from a competing team? Was it ok to show excitement for the person who just eliminated their teammate? I’m proud to say at SDC 2026 Worlds, it appears as a group, everyone figured out what this is all about. It was clear everyone attending was Familiy. Different teams, different regions, different sponsors, but we can still all come together as one big R/C Drift Family. Some were calling it the 2026 Family Reunion! It was apparent, we had all been together before and it was time to have some fun again. Even the first-timers were brought in as part of the fam! R/C Drifters are different, and everyone is fam. 

The SDC 2026 Worlds week started out differently than all the previous years. Normally we prepare for Worlds and open Tuesday the week of the event. In all the years past, Tuesday and Wednesdays are slower than our normal week days, then Thursday people start coming in from out of town and attendance at the Thursday Meet and Greet is a little more than half the competitors.

This year, before we opened on Tuesday, there was a line waiting. Within the first hour we had over 100 drivers. Wednesday was more of the same, and Thursday at the Meet and Greet, the majority of competitors were present. Of the 175 competitors, we were missing 25 ish. Needless to say, it was awesome! I usually cannot wait to see everyone, but this year we were able to hang out and visit with more people since the event basically started Tuesday and kept building til Friday morning. We will most likely open Monday also for 2027.

The Meet and Greet
On the Thursday before Opening Day, we always host the SDC Worlds Meet and Greet. This year we served up pizza from Pie Trap Pizza - Our favorite pizza spot, and burritos from Pepe’s Mexican Food - A staple for Mexican food for the locals. We had around 150 competitors show up, and countless others who were here for the slides and the food. It was really the storm before the storm. There was no calm this year.

Since we had so many prizes to give out, we couldn't wait, so we had an impromptu Backie Contest to kick off the festivities!

The Judges
The Official Judges for SDC 2026 Worlds were Shaine Collins, Manny Campalans, and Brandon Britt. These guys really put in the work to make SDC Worlds happen. Judging a competition of 32 is hard enough, but to judge 175 takes an amazing amount of concentration and stamina. I watch this group knock out comps of 60-80 competitors on a regular basis, so I had full confidence they were up to the task.

Opening Day - Qualifying Round 1 and 2

Live Stream - DAY 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIF35xQRgh4

Friday we got started bright and early! 7am open and tire distribution. 7:30am we started controlled practice. We had 8 groups of 22ish competitors and it made one complete cycle every hour. So if your first practice group was at 7:45am, your next turn would start at 8:45, and then 9:45, etc. This seemed to make it easy for everyone to know when it was their turn. Most people were pros at this already, and if they weren’t, there were plenty of people to help get you into the groove of things. The groups ran smoothly.

Qualifying Round 1
As I do before every comp, I observe the competitors driving the Qualifying Line. I want to ensure the line works, and there are no areas that need to be forced. Leading up to Round 1 of Qualifying, it was clear the majority of the competitors had it all figured out.

As we started running the first round of qualifiers, there were a lot of competitors having issues staying off the barriers for some reason. This wasn’t an issue during practice. I know some might say it’s because of cold tires, or the surface changed, but even on the very first laps of practice, there wasn’t an issue with hitting the barriers. This means they were able to do it on cold tires and different times of the day. After talking to many competitors, it seems at that point it was all about the nerves.

At the conclusion of Qualifying Round 1, we had a 3 way tie for TQ - Mako Nakajima, Muchen Li, and Ryo Ishii, all with a score of 91. There were also 3 competitors in the 80s, 5 in the 70s, 14 in the 60s, 11 in the 50s, 22 in the 40s, 18 in the 30s, and 8 in the 20s. 85 were sub 20 for Round 1.

Qualifying Round 2
Entering Round 2 of Qualifying, it was clear competitors were feeling a little more comfortable and got the first round jitters out of the way. Mako Nakajima threw down a solid 93 point run, landing him as TQ at the end of Round 2 and Day 1. Jinxuan Jiang put down a 92, and Ryo a 90. At the conclusion of Round 2, we had 6 in the 80s, 19 in the 70s, 12 in the 60s, 23 in the 50s, 22 in the 40s, 13 in the 30s, and 6 in the 20s. 71 were sub 20 at the conclusion of Round 2 of Qualifying.

Day 2 - Qualifying Round 3 and The SDC 2026 United States Championship

Live Stream - DAY 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9iYbOVF4VI

Going into Day 2, we knew we would see some competitors going hard in Qualifying. If you were comfortably in the Top 32 or Top 64, there is really no reason to play it safe on your final qualifying run. I expected to see some really amazing driving, and also more zeros since for many it wasn’t about getting points on the board, but more about getting the absolute best run they could possibly put down. This means the most aggressive and highest risk lines they were capable of. This would prove to be the case. At the same time, there were some people who needed to get some points on the board, but more than that, the pressure was now on since this was also the last chance to get into the battles. So simply playing it safe wasn’t really an option either. This added another layer of pressure and excitement at the same time. 

Qualifying Round 3

As expected, everyone seemed to turn up the heat for their final run. Jinxaun Jiang, Hikaru Hoshi, and Ryo Ishii all threw down BLISTERING 94 point runs! This time around we had 6 competitors in the 90s, 4 in the 80s, 13 in the 70s, 16 in the 60s, 20 in the 50s, 20 in the 40s, 6 in the 30s, 7 in the 20s, and 75 sub 20.

Official Qualifying Results (RC DRIFT IO) Link: 
https://rcdrift.io/tournaments/4b54855a-5305-4e57-82a8-cf32d7b5e833/qualifying/0

Qualifying Results
Jinxaun Jiang of Rhino Racing landed the title of Top Qualifier of the event with his score of 94 and secondary score of 92!!! Congratulations Jinxuan!

Overall, we had 7 competitors in the 90s, 9 in the 80s, 27 in the 70s, 28 in the 60s, 32 in the 50s, 22 in the 40s, 8 in the 30s, 7 in the 20s, and 25 sub 20. The pressure of being on that driver’s stand and performing in a room of the absolute best drivers in the world is no easy task. Everyone who got up there and did their thing accomplished a lot. That is definitely a win in my book! Congratulations to everyone who took part in Qualifying. I personally believe that is the hardest part of any competition and really forces each competitor to step up with their skills. I know some do not care for the qualifying aspect, but what better way to showcase your individual skill set. Nothing but you and your skill and style on display.

The SDC 2026 United States Championship
Every year Super-G provides lodging for all the SDC Regional Champions. These Regional Champions are recognized in a group picture at SDC Worlds since they represent the very best competitors from each SDC Region. We always felt there should be more to this, but traveling out to Los Angeles twice at the end of the season seemed a little excessive.

This year, we implemented a SDC 2026 United States Championship Battle into the Worlds event. Although it is a special round, being a competitor here at Worlds is all part of it. The Regional Champions have competed throughout the entire SDC 2026 Season, and have supported their Regional Hosts. The final step is bringing their skills to SDC Worlds to compete against the best in the world. It only made sense to host the United States Championship Battle during the Worlds event since everyone supporting the SDC series to the end would be here.

Super-G had also changed their grand prize of flying the winner to WTDC and R.C.D.C. from the top finishing U.S. competitor in Worlds to the SDC 2026 United States Champion. Our thinking is we wanted to send the very best representative for the U.S. The true SDC United States Champion.

We chose 3 Judges from the community, Mike Holes - Super-G, Judson King - Drift-PDX, and Brian Lynch - RC Driftway to judge these battles.

We had 21 SDC 2026 Regional Champions present. Jake Dotter, Jeff Light, Matt Welch, Juan Hernandez, Will Mann, Kelii Battung, Mitch OLinn, Jose Gonzales, Aiden Wheaton, Zach Kelsey, Sean Billet, David Tuggle, Donovan Leary, Andy Marek, Christian Hansen, Collin Bernard, Adam Hokoki, Jerry Lumsden III, Mathew Meyers, Rj Ampil, and Alfredo Chan III, are all the best of the best in their respective regions. Congratulations to each and everyone of you! You are all 2026 Regional Champions.

Since everyone has earned the top spot, it only seemed right to have a Random Tandem style battle. So we entered everyone into RCDrift.io, hit shuffle 3 times and the brackets were formed.

After all was said and done, Jake Dotter of Team Reve D was victorious and is the SDC 2026 United States Champion!!! Second Place is Jeff Light of Sittin’ Sideways, and Third Place is Matt Welch of Lateral Grip! 

Congratulations Jake, Jeff, and Matt! The Top 3 U.S. Drivers!!!

A Word About the SDC 2026 U.S. Champion - Jake Dotter
As mentioned earlier, as competitors were being picked up by sponsors and joining various teams, there was this underlying tension spread throughout the SDC 2024 Worlds event. This was concerning since SDC started as a gathering of Drift Fam from different areas. The competition was secondary to everyone coming together to just have a good time. 2024 just had a different feel, and we started to feel as if things had just become too serious and SDC had evolved into something it wasn’t intended to be.

SDC 2025 Worlds came, and there were a few people who brought back the good sportsmanship and enthusiasm. One of the people who stood out was Jake Dotter. This brought back the true spirit of SDC to the event. Although there were different teams and sponsored drivers, Jake was cheering for the drivers regardless of affiliation. We all love to see a good battle or awesome qualifying run, but somehow the teams divided the community and teams would only cheer for their own. Jake, along with a few others, was there to support and inspire everyone. It didn’t go unnoticed.

Come SDC 2026 Worlds, and we witnessed a lot more of the community sharing excitement for each other, regardless of affiliation. People cheering for and encouraging each other. Congratulating members of other teams and words of encouragement coming from the crowd. Sportsmanship was back, and this is what SDC IS ABOUT. Yes, it is a competition to crown the best R/C Drifters of the year, but at the end of the day, we are all part of one big R/C Drift Family.

I have to say Jake having the confidence to break the mold and share his enthusiasm and showing the highest level of sportsmanship for his fellow R/C Drift Fam helped spark a change and got things back on track here for SDC Worlds. I could not be more proud to have Jake Dotter going overseas to represent the U.S. as the SDC United States Champion!

Day 3 - Top 94 / Top 64 / Top 32 and  Awards Ceremony

Live Stream - DAY 3:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmZUm3lEMhE

Day 3 is what this entire season had boiled down to. Any one of the people in the Top 94 and above had a shot at being the SDC 2026 Worlds Drift King.

Top 94
came down to Liam Shields of  Stylovrall vs. Patt Taemkonka of Team Reve D. Patt was able to secure the win, and Bump Up to Top 64! Good job Patt!!!

Top 64
ended up with Ray Lin of the Establishment vs. Mikko Yang of Team Reve D USA. Mikko was able to secure the win and Bump Up to Top 32 to play with the big dogs! Way to go Mikko!!!

Top 32 - Where the best in the world converge for the title of SDC 2026 R/C Drift King!
There were a lot of familiar faces in the Top 32, and some newcomers as well. Regardless, everyone knew all these battles were going to be some of the best ever witnessed here at Super-G. The energy was at an all time high. This was different from years past where most people would leave once they were eliminated. This time around, there was a lot of interest and excitement.

Top 8
Jinxaun Jiang, Alex Kim, Mako Nakajima, Hayato Yoshiba, Ryo Ishii, Adam Hokoki, Hikaru Hoshi, and Muchen Li. Of 175 competitors, these were your Top 8 competitors! This in itself is a victory, but we all know every one of the Top 8 could take the title.

It all came down to  Jinxaun Jiang of Rhino Racing vs. Hikaru Hoshi of Reve D for 3rd and 4th Place, and Hayato Yoshiba of Shibata vs. Ryo Ishii of Team Weld / Overdose for 1st and 2nd.

First up was Jinxaun vs. Hikaru. Jinxaun was first on the Lead and Hikaru on the Chase. Jinxaun was able to put down an awesome Lead while Hikaru was right on his door the entire time! Both drivers did exactly what they needed to do. So they switched positions and now Hikaru was on the Lead and Jinxaun was on the Chase. The pressure was on since they both knew the stakes were high. There was a lot of room to fail, but not a lot of room to outdo each others last run. 

Hikaru did exactly what he needed to do, running the qualifying line to a T. Jinxaun was determined to win by throwing down a superior Chase. The switchback between Zone 3 and 4 had proven to be Jinxaun’s undoing, as he made a small miscalculation and got a little too deep on Hikaru’s rear bumper, hindering Hikaru’s transition. That was all that was needed for Hikaru to secure a hard fought for 3rd Place!!! Awesome driving guys, and congratulations to Hikaru on 3rd Place!!!

The Finals!!!
I felt like we had been here before. Hayato Yoshiba - Reigning SDC 2025 R/C Drift King vs. Ryo Ishii - SDC 2024 R/C Drift King! Both of these guys have proven they are the absolute Kings of Drift. Both drivers put down some amazing Leads and Chases! It’s mindblowing the accuracy both Hayato and Ryo have. It is always exciting to see these guys battle! 

As close as they both were, on Hayato’s Lead going into Zone 1, Ryo was just a tad bit too aggressive and ended up impeding Hayato’s transition at the high-speed chicane. This was enough to secure Hayato for First Place, and the title for the second year in a row, SDC 2026 Worlds R/C Drift King!!! Ryo secured a very respectable Second Place!!!

CONGRATULATIONS KING HAYATO YOSHIBA!!! Back to Back SDC Worlds Champion!!!

Congratulations to Ryo Ishii on Second Place, and Hikaru Hoshi on Third Place!!! 
Another Japan Podium Sweep!

Also congratulations to Jinxaun Jiang, Top Qualifier of The SDC 2026 Worlds Competition!!!

RCDrift.io
The SDC 2026 Season has been big for the advancement of the series. Using RCDrift.io for Worlds was, to put it lightly, stressful. All our testing and tweaking leading up to Worlds had instilled confidence in all of Josh Parrett’s hard work, but all the testing in the world is no guarantee that things will run smoothly at go time. 

RCDrift.io has changed the game for us! The consistency and ease of use is nothing short of amazing, and something that was really needed. I cannot imagine going back to how we were doing it prior. Every step of the way there were precious seconds saved. Over the course of the event, we are talking about shaving hours off the overall time. Since everything is automated, we aren’t stressing over making a clerical error either. Josh has created something special with RCDrift.io and we are honored to be a part of it!!!

The Super Raffle!!!
At the conclusion of Day 2, we held the Super Raffle. This is the time where the top brands give back to the community. Futaba, Rhino Racing, MST, ScaleReflex, Hayashi Garage, Pandora, JoshGeeg, Vanquish, and Yokomo came in hard with the prizes this year. It seemed like anyone entered in the raffle took home SOME good prizes! Of course we had the Competitor Raffle as well, where every competitor wins something!

That wraps up another SDC (Super Drift Competition) Season. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the SDC Series and your Regional Hosts (Tracks and Shops). Remember, it’s very important to support those who are giving you a place to gather, practice, make friends, hang out, and run your rigs. As much as you might think you know how much work goes into running comps, I’m sure your Regional Host will tell you it’s much harder than that. So make sure to show them your appreciation and buy from them whenever possible. It makes a difference.

Regional Hosts, you all have done great this season! We hope to make it even better for 2027. This past year was a lot of behind the scenes work to hopefully make running and SDC Region even smoother. With that being said, we are planning on starting the SDC 2027 Season earlier to make it easier on some of you.

Dates for the SDC 2027 Season:
November 1, 2026 - Registration for Regional Hosts Open
January 16, 2027 - SDC 2027 Season Officially Opens
August 8, 2027 - SDC 2027 Season Officially Closes
August 8, 2027 - Registration for SDC 2027 Worlds Officially Opens
October 1-3 2027 - SDC 2027 Worlds Competition at Super-G R/C Drift Arena in Los Angeles, CA
Dates subject to change without notice

Official RC DRIFT IO Link: https://rcdrift.io/tournaments/4b54855a-5305-4e57-82a8-cf32d7b5e833/