The Kiwi ace who smoked a major international event in Australia is keen to keep on burning up his rivals at Manfeild in late October.
Having headed a Kiwi one-two finish in the inaugural Tectaloy International Drift Challenge in Sydney on August 23, Curt Whittaker is the driver to beat in the New Zealand series, the D1NZ Drifting Championship. This rev-up riot is at the Feilding circuit on October 28-29.
The Challenge - part of the Yokohama World Time Attack Series at Sydney's Eastern Creek race circuit – saw Whittaker take honours from fellow Aucklander Daynom Templeman with the only Australian to make it through to the top four, Beau Yates, third.
It was a major boost for Whittaker, who drives a Toyota 2JZ-engined Nissan Skyline coupe, whose ambition to win the NZ championship is further fueled by having finished runnerup to Gaz Whiter (Nissan S14) in last year’s title chase.
The next phase of the Whiter-Whittaker war will be a major feature of the Manfeild opener for a series that has attracted 60 drivers. Whiter, with three D1NZ Drift King titles, so far has the upper hand.
Also coming to the Manawatu are Templeman, a former New Zealand Off-Road champion and circuit ace who drives a Mazda RX7, as well as Red Bull-backed Aucklander 'Mad Mike' Whiddett (Mazda RX7), Whangarei driver 'Fanga Dan' Woolhouse (Holden Commodore), and Pukekohe's Carl Ruiterman (Nissan S14).
A new format delivers qualifying and elimination battles for both D1NZ and a new DINZProAm feeder series and fans will see twice as many battles through the traditional Top 16 competition having been expanded to a Top 32. That’s a direct result of the driver interest in the upcoming series.
New Zealand was one of the first countries outside Japan to set up a dedicated drift series and since 2003 the local scene has developed into one of the best - and definitely closest and most competitive - in the world.
Many of the top drivers - past as well as present - have competed overseas, with a number shipping their cars to the United States for the Red Bull-backed 'World Drifting Challenge' event, run until recently on the Long Beach wharves west of Los Angeles.
Others have competed with distinction in Europe, Asia and - as the Kiwi team proved again last month - in Australia.
It was this early take-up and a willingness to travel and take on allcomers which has made New Zealand's series what it is, something organiser Brendon White is justifiably proud of.
"Though there are now something like 40 drifting championships in the world ours is consistently recognised as one of the top five elite ones,” he says.
After Manfeild the 2011/12 D1NZ National Drifting Championship heads to two more race circuits - Pukekohe in November and Taupo Motorsport Park in December – then goes to Mt Smart Stadium in February before hitting the streets of Whangarei in March, with a final in April at Hampton Downs.
