American Matt Powers (Nissan S14 V8) has won the world’s first Red Bull Drift Shifters event, beating US-based Swede Samuel Hubinette (Dodge Challenger) and Kiwi ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse (Holden Commodore V8) to the top step of the podium on a temporary course adjacent Auckland’s Victoria Park Market on Saturday.

The brainchild of high-profile Auckland-based drift international ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett (who finished fourth), the event is effectively the terrestrial equivalent of the Red Bull Air Races they used to run on TV on a Sunday afternoon….though Whiddett says it was actually inspired by an arcade-style pinball machine and the drivers were scored pinball-style via a network of proximity sensors.

Similar technology is used to measure car-to-wall distance in international drifting competitions. However, using sensors to electronically score competitors is a world first. The closer the cars drifted to the sensors, the higher the score. And just like a real pinball machine, points were accumulated in real time on a digital scoreboard at the head of the course.

“It was super rad! said Powers afterwards. “I loved the fast paced nature of the event. It is run after run, you really get to build up a lot of energy then release it on the course. Because it was so technical, it was a real guessing game. Going into each run I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but when you are out there, you just hope you get it right. I had a lot fun and I really hope I get to do it again.”

Runner-up Hübinette, driving the biggest, heaviest and in theory most unwieldy car in the field. echoed the winners comments. “I thought it was going to be much slower than it was. It had a huge amount of flow, while still being very tight and technical. The event had a great atmosphere and I had a great time. I’m really stoked for Mike [Whiddett] and Red Bull. I can really see this event going big internationally.”

And event architect Whiddett?

“It was absolutely unbelievable. The amount of people that turned up to watch was amazing. The driving skill just blew me away. I really want to thank Auckland City for letting us put this on; it really has been a dream come true. The best thing is, with this set up we can now take the event anywhere. There are big things to come for Red Bull Drift Shifters. Watch this space.”

Red Bull Drift Shifters Results

1. Matt Powers (USA)

2. Samuel Hübinette (SWE)

3. Dan Woolhouse (NZ)

4. Mike Whiddett (NZ)