Although drift cars might not reach the same insane top speeds as other motorsport series, the enormous power and sideways nature of the Formula Drift means that accidents can still be quite serious, as drifter Adam Lizotte-Zeisler (a.k.a. Adam LZ) discovered at a recent event in Long Beach.
In a practice run, the driver carried too much speed into a corner and wound up crashing his 2024 S650 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD Formula Drift racecar into the wall. Although he walked away largely unscathed, Lizotte-Zeisler described the incident as his “worst crash yet.”
In a video posted by the driver, he can be seen exiting a right-hand turn, before heading into a long left-hander. He quickly slides past the racing line, before spinning the car 180-degrees and barreling into the wall.
Read: Ford Unveils 1,300 HP Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD Drift Monster, Highlights Electronic Drift Brake
“As soon as I was halfway to [the corner], I knew that I was coming in too hot, so I tried to steer the back of the car against the wall and just put the pedal to the metal,” explains Lizotte-Zeisler. “I think it was a best-case scenario in terms of damage to the car, like it was all stuff that was pretty easily replaceable. I think the guys will have me back out in practice soon.”
The onboard footage shows how violent the incident was, and just how difficult it must be to be the safety team at a drift event. The cabin can quickly be seen filling with smoke, and an unseen track marshal is asking Lizotte-Zeisler if he’s okay.
“I definitely got thrown around the car a bit,” he said after the crash. “I’m feeling okay, [but it’s] definitely not what I want to happen in the middle of practice from a confidence standpoint.”
The good news for Lizotte-Zeisler was that his team was able to get the car back together for qualifying and race runs. Unfortunately, the driver found the wall (or at least the tire wall) again later in the event. That accident was less severe, though, and he was able to finish his run, despite losing much of the body work behind the rear wheels.
The 2024 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5-FD Formula Drift racecar is a specially modified version of the next-gen pony car that makes 1,300 hp (956 kW / 1,318 PS). Lizotte-Zeisler is sharing this particular example with Vaughn Gittin Jr., who will race it for four of the season’s eight events.