GT Radial Brand Returns to Formula DRIFT
Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. is leveraging its GT Radial brand at this year's Formula DRIFT Tire Cup opening on April 10–11.
Backed by a 10-driver roster, the company says the GT Radial Champiro SX2 RS is the only Formula DRIFT competition tire made in America.
"Built in Richburg, South Carolina, the tire represents the performance, engineering and craftsmanship behind GT Radial’s presence in one of the world’s most demanding motorsports series," say company officials.
GT Radial won the Tire Cup in 2025 for the second time in three years. The 2026 driver lineup includes Hiroya Minowa, the 16-year-old standout from Japan who finished fourth in last season’s driver standings, along with four additional top-10 finishers from 2025: Matt Field (second), Adam LZ (fifth), Aurimas “Odi” Bakchis (eighth) and Dylan Hughes (ninth).
Also competing on GT Radial tires this season are Conor Shanahan, Amanda Sorensen, Dan Burkett, Branden Sorensen and Connor O’Sully.
GT Radial plans to spotlight the Champiro SX2 RS throughout the Formula DRIFT season through social media, advertising and other brand communications.
The 2026 Formula DRIFT season kicks off in Long Beach, Calif. Additional competitions will be held in Atlanta, Ga.; Orlando, Fla.; Stafford, Conn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Monroe, Wash.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and the finale in Long Beach.
“It is a real point of pride for our team,” says Mike Meeiem, GT Radial's motorsports manager. “Our associates in South Carolina take great pride in producing the competition tire as well as every passenger and light truck tire that leaves the plant. What we learn and prove in Formula DRIFT helps reinforce confidence in the GT Radial tires drivers choose for their own vehicles. That connection between competition performance and everyday driving matters.”
The GT Radial brand first won the Formula DRIFT Tire Cup in 2023, say company officials. "The Champiro SX2 RS name is recognized in both competition and enthusiast circles as part of the brand’s broader performance story."