The countdown to New Zealand’s newest action sports festival has begun with Cody’s D1NZ National Drifting Championship organiser Brendon White confirming today that a new New Zealand Allstars event will run alongside the third round of the 2013/14 Cody’s series at Mount Maunganui’s ASB Baypark stadium over the January 18/19 2014 weekend.

New Zealand has been without an annual X Games-style extreme and/or action sports event since the demise of Vodafone X-Air and White says the unique mix of Drifting, FMX, BMX, Skate and Scooter action at the combined event should help fill the gap.

“What the X Games did in the States and Vodafone X-Air did here was provide a focus for athletes from all the different disciplines. That’s what we’d like to do with New Zealand Allstars and that’s why we’ve had such a positive response from the key people in the various disciplines,” says White. “They’ve jumped on board because they can see the value in us all getting together and putting on a mega show for the fans in the middle of summer in one of the country’s highest profile holiday spots.”

While White says he has been thinking about putting such an event together for a number of years now it was the success of the inaugural Bay of Plenty round of the 2012/13 Cody’s D1NZ Drift series at the ASB Baypark venue (the weekend crowd figure was 7500, a Cody’s D1NZ record) that prompted him to consider turning dream into reality.

“The thinking, if you like,” says White,” was that, ‘it’s such a great multi-discipline venue it deserves a great multi-discipline event.'”

For the new, combined, event the Drift course will remain in the carpark area. Also outside will be the FMX ramps, while inside, in the 3,500 capacity ASB (formerly TECT) Arena, the country’s largest temporary ramps will be set up for the BMX, Skate and Scooter competitions.

After a win at the second round of this season’s Cody’s D1NZ series in Whangarei in early December Auckland-based international ‘Mad Mike’ Whiddett (Red Bull/Speedhunters Mazda RX7) leads the National Drift Series points standings heading to the Bay of Plenty round, albeit with just a two-point buffer on round one winner, three-time former D1NZ champion Gary ‘Gaz’ Whiter (Tectaloy Nissan S14 V8).

With such a strong local drift scene there will also be strong interest in how Cole Armstrong (V Energy Nissan Skyline R34) from Tauranga, and Drew Donovan (Milwaukee Tools Nissan S15 V8) and Jodie Verhulst (Milwaukee Tools Toyota Supra) from McLaren Falls, go at the event.

Meanwhile, Whiddett’s Red Bull stablemate, Nick Franklin from Tokoroa, will be the rider to watch out for in the country’s first real Pro-Am FMX showdown with competition set to come from Australian Truman Carroll (Metal Mulisha) and high profile local riders Mitch McHardy and Luke Smith.

In keeping with the theme of action sport competition Red Bull Thre3style champ DJ Scizzorhands will also host the inaugural New Zealand Allstars Iron Finger scratch battle inside the ASB Arena over the two days.

Tickets for the event are available from iticket (http://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2014/jan/the-codys-d1nz-national-drifting-championship-round-3) with prices starting at $20 per person on Saturday and $30 per person on Sunday.

For more information go to www.d1nz.com or the d1nz facebook page.