New Zealand’s sole professional drifting couple, Drew Donovan and Jodie Verhulst, are set to compete in Japan later this year as they grow their Kiwi drift team to compete in a multitude of international events.
The Kiwi duo, based in Tauranga, decided to add the King of Nations series in Japan to their calendar after already competing in both New Zealand and Australia drift championships over the past season.
“This has been a long time dream of ours and it’s great to finally make it happen, thanks to Link ECU and our other fantastic supporters. It will be a long season of drifting but both Drew and I are really looking forward to the challenge,” says Verhulst.
“We want to represent New Zealand in true Kiwi fashion through being competitive on the world stage. Drifting is now a major global sport and we’re excited to show Kiwi drifters are just as good as the rest of the world.”
After years of planning, the duo have built two vehicles which will ship direct to Japan from Australia, and which replicate their New Zealand cars; a 1999 Nissan Silvia and a 1993 Toyota Supra which are both sponsored by New Zealand brand Link ECU.
Having drift machines in both New Zealand and aboard means Donovan and Verhulst can quickly and easily transition from one side of the world to the other, although they say logistics is still difficult to organise around multiple schedules.
“It’s a huge logistical challenge. We have to get the cars around the world in sea-containers, which means having them ready months before the events. Then we have our crew which we have to organise flights, accommodation, and so on for which isn’t the easiest especially when there’s a foreign language involved,” explained Donovan.
“Although Jodie [Verhulst] and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are truly committed to drifting and spend our whole lives chasing it around the world. We also run a drift school in New Zealand which takes up a lot of our time when we’re home in New Zealand,” continued Donovan.
The couple, based in the Bay of Plenty, will commute to Japan for each round while still keeping up with their New Zealand and Australian Drifting Championship commitments, along with their drift school and other professional duties while they continue to build Team DMNZ into an international team.
“Our Link ECU cars will carry a special New Zealand livery to highlight our ties to home because we’re really proud to be from New Zealand and want to encourage more people to come down here and compete,” said Verhulst.
The two rounds of the King of Nations series Verhulst and Donovan will compete in kicks off in Ebisu near Tokyo on July 2, before visiting Nikko in central Japan.
DMNZ’s Japanese campaign is supported by Link Engine Management, Hakon Suspension, EFI & Turbo, Jetpilot, Teng Tools.
