Photo: Fifth placed Darren Benjamin (Toyoa 2JZ-engined Nissan Laurel) Auckland's 'Mad Mike' Whiddett (Mazda RX7) is $5000 richer after winning the opening round of the 2011/12 D1NZ National Drifting Championship Series at Feilding's Manfeild motor racing circuit on Saturday.
At each round of this season's D1NZ Championship there will be a $5,000 prize pool up for grabs, the cash prize at Manfeild won by Whiddett put up by Wellington modification and tuning specialist Shred Motorsport.
In a day of surprises at Manfeild in which defending D1NZ champion Gaz Whiter (Nissan Silvia S14) from Dargaville was knocked out in the second round of elimination battles (Top 16) by Taranaki driver Steve Sole, Whiddett made every move a winning one, first beating last year's Rookie series standouts Nico Reid (Nissan S13) and Darren Benjamin (Toyota 2JZ-engined Nissan Laurel), then taking on and beating 2006 New Zealand champion Daniel 'Fanga Dan' Woolhouse (Holden Commodore) and Andrew Redward (Nissan Silvia S14).
Tauranga's Cole Armstrong gave his hastily prepared new four-door Nissan Skyline R34 (his two-door model was written off after an accident at the Tectaloy International Drift Challenge in Sydney in August) the best possible start when he topped the 27-strong field in qualifying earlier in the day but lost to Andrew Redward in their Top 4 battle.
Whiddett and Woolhouse completed the top three in qualifying ahead of Redward, Curt Whittaker (Toyota 2JZ-engined Nissan Skyline R34), Bruce Tannock (Nissan S13) and Darren Benjamin.
Whittaker, however, didn't make it out of the Top 8 after losing out to Hasting driver Mac Kwok (Nissan S13 V8). At that stage Kwok had early beaten ex circuit ace Daynom Templeman from Auckland (Mazda RX7) in the Top 32 and his charge was only stopped in the Top 8 when he came up against a determined Andrew Redward.
Bruce Tannock was another to have an early end to his day after losing his Top 16 battle with Rotorua driver Bradley Lauder, while Hawera driver Darren Benjamin ended up the best of last season's Rookie bunch, slotting into fifth overall between Cole Armstrong and Steve Sole.
Earlier in the day the first round of this season's re-named Pro-Am competition was won by Auckland's Russell Sifleet (Nissan S14) from Waiuku's Shane Allen (Nissan Skyline) and Richard Tucker (Nissan Silvia).
Battles in that class were supposed to be finished on Friday but torrential rain at the track forced the organisers to postpone the action until Saturday morning.
Crowds flocked to the track on both days with over 3000 witnessing the action on Saturday.
The D1NZ National Drifting Championship Series action how heads north to Pukekohe Park Raceway (home of one of the world's fastest drifting corners) on November 25 & 26 in Association with Castrol Edge and the first round of the inaugural NZ Time Attack Series.
2011/12 D1NZ National Drifting Championship
D1NZ
Final placings
1. Mike Whiddett (Auckland)
2. Andrew Redward (Auckland)
3. Daniel Woolhouse (Whangarei)
4. Cole Armstrong (Tauranga)
5. Darren Benjamin (Taranaki)
6. Steve Sole (Taranaki)
7. Brad Lauder (Rotorua)
8. Mac Kwok (Hastings)
9. Curt Whittaker (Auckland)
10. Bruce Tannock (Auckland)
11. Gaz Whiter (Dargaville)
12. Dimitri Amos (Wellington)
13. Mark Burling (Taranaki)
14. Robbie Nelson (Whangarei)
15. Nico Reid (Auckland)
16. Sky Zhao (Auckland)
17. Jock Bennett (Matamata)
18. Dave Steedman (Tauranga)
19. Jason Sellers (Auckland)
20. Carlos Walters (Wellington)
ProAm
1. Russell Sifleet (Auckland)
2. Shane Allen (Waiuku)
3. Richard Tucker (Wellington)
4. William Foster (Matamata)
5=. Shayne Giles (Wellington)
5=. Vincent Hopkins (Auckland)
7. Ricky Lee (Wanganui)
8. Justin Hambley (Auckland)
Calendar
Rnd 1: Oct 28-29 2011 Manfeild Feilding
Rnd 2: Nov 25-26 2011 Pukekohe Park Raceway
Rnd 3: Dec 16-17 2011 Taupo Motorsport Park Taupo
Rnd 4: Feb 10-11 2012 Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Rnd 5 March 09-10 2012 Whangarei Street Course, Whangarei
Rnd 6: April 06-07 Grand Final, Hampton Downs, northern Waikato
