Drift Masters

Drift Masters

Category	Drifting
Region	Europe
Inaugural season	2014
Drivers	36 (not including wild cards)
Drivers' champion	Lauri Heinonen (2024)
Teams' champion	Ireland
Official website	dm.gp
Current season

Drift Masters (also known as DM)

is a European drifting series founded in 2014. The championship was originally called Drift Masters Grand Prix until aligning with Zigen Promotions (parent company of the Irish Drift Championship and British Drift Championship) to create an official partnership and rebranding to Drift Masters European Championship. In 2024 the championship once again rebranded, this time into Drift Masters.

Competition

Judging

In Drift Masters competitions, drivers are scored by three judges based on three main criteria: angle, line, and style. Each run can earn a maximum of 100 points.

• Line: ability to follow an ideal path which was predefined by the judges through the course. This line is indicated by clipping points, typically located on the inside of corners, and clipping zones, generally positioned on the outside. Drivers are expected to keep the front of the car close to the clipping points and the rear aligned with the clipping zones. (60 out of 100 points)
• Angle: how far the rear of the car is rotated during a drift, with greater emphasis placed on sustaining significant angles for as long as possible without sacrificing speed or control. Judges may indicate areas where high angle is not required. The points are broken up by sectors. (20 out of 100 points)
• Style: overall impression of the run, including elements such as initiation (5 points), fluidity (10 points), and commitment (5 points). Drivers are encouraged to demonstrate a high level of control and flair. (20 out of 100 points)

Each run starts with 100 points and the judges are supposed to deduct points for actions such as: double initiation, tire off course, missing zones and clips, corrections, driving off line, lack of angle.

The run might be deemed incomplete and awarded zero points if the driver: spun out, drifted with the opposite angle required at that point on course, had his hood, hatch, trunk and/or doors opening during a run, stopped drifting or put two wheels off the track.

Each of the judges is assigned to one of the criterias during qualifying.

The current judges are Kevin O'Connell, David Kalas, and Vernon Zwaneveld. Since 2024 season, the main judge changes at each round. The competition director is Maciej Polody.

Qualifying

Each round of Drift Masters begins with a qualifying session, in which each driver performs two solo runs. These runs are scored using the judging criteria mentioned above.

The best score from the two attempts is used to determine a driver's qualifying position. 32 drivers with the highest scores advance to the main event and drivers placed 33rd and below are out of competition. Drivers with eight best scores are awarded points with the 1st place receiving eight and every place below getting one less point with the driver in 8th place getting only one.

Qualifying showdown

The top four qualifiers advance to two matchups, where the highest-ranked qualifier competes against the fourth-ranked, and the second faces the third. The winners of these battles proceed to a final to determine the winner of qualifying showdown. Championship points are awarded based on the results: the winner receives four additional points, the runner-up earns three points, while the remaining two drivers receive two and one point respectively, determined by their original qualifying positions.

Tandem battles

The Top 32 Qualified drivers are placed in a standard bracket based on qualifying position. In a tandem run, two drivers compete simultaneously on the same course: one as the lead driver and the other as the chase driver. Following the first run, the drivers switch, with the former lead driver now taking the chase position and the former chase driver taking the lead.

The lead driver's objective is to complete the course while following a designated line, maintaining appropriate drift angles, and achieving consistent speed. The chase driver is tasked with closely following the lead car, mimicking it's movements as accurately as possible while maintaining close proximity, all without making contact.

Judges watch both runs in a tandem battle to determine which driver performed better overall. The judges assess both lead runs in comparison to each other, as well as both chase runs, in order to make a decision.

Lead runs account for 60% of points possible in a battle, while chase runs account for only 40%.

If the judges are unable to identify a clear winner after both runs, a One More Time (OMT) is called, requiring the drivers to repeat the battle. Only one OMT is permitted per battle. If a decision still cannot be reached, the judges will re-evaluate the original two runs to determine a winner. A definitive winner must be declared following the OMT.

Tracks

Current tracks

• Vallelunga Circuit, Rome, Italy 2025–
• Circuito de Madrid Jarama - RACE, Madrid, Spain 2025–
• Power Park Huvivaltio, Alahärmä, Finland 2023–
• Mondello Park, Kildare, Ireland 2018–
• Bikernieku Trase, Riga, Latvia 2016–
• Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen, Germany 2019–2023, 2025–
• PGE Narodowy, Warsaw, Poland 2023–

Former tracks

• PGE Arena, Gdańsk, Poland 2014
• Karpacz, Poland 2014
• MotoArena Toruń, Toruń, Poland 2014–2015, 2017–2018
• Tor Jastrząb, Radom, Poland 2015
• Tor Poznań, Poznań, Poland 2015–2017
• INEA Stadion, Poznań, Poland 2015
• Kazimierz Górski Stadium, Płock, Poland 2015–2019
• Nadarzyn Expo, Nadarzyn, Poland 2016
• Parking AmberExpo, Gdańsk, Poland 2016
• Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany 2017
• Hockenheimring, Hockenheim, Germany 2017–2018
• RabócsiRing Máriapócs, Máriapócs, Hungary 2018, 2024
• PS Racing Center, Greinbach, Austria 2019–2022
• Circuit de Croix-en-Ternois, Croix-en-Ternois, France 2019
• MotoArena Łódź, Łódź, Poland 2022
• Drivecenter Arena AB, Fällfors, Sweden 2022–2023
• Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia, Spain 2024

Records and statistics

Drift Masters Grand Prix champions

Season	Driver	Car
2014	Piotr Więcek	Nissan Skyline
2015	Piotr Więcek	Nissan 200SX
2016	Piotr Więcek	Nissan 200SX
2017	Adam Zalewski	BMW E30

Drift Masters European Championship champions

Season	Driver	Car
2018	James Deane	Nissan 200SX
2019	James Deane	BMW E92
2020	James Deane	BMW E92
2021	Piotr Więcek	Nissan S15
2022	Piotr Więcek	Nissan S15
2023	Conor Shanahan	Toyota GT86
2024	Lauri Heinonen	Nissan 180SX

*In 2020, the series planned to organize 6 rounds. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the first stage in Austria was canceled, and the remaining stages were postponed to a later date. Ultimately, it was announced that the championships would be canceled and only one event would take place in Riga (DMEC King of Riga).

Nations cup champions

Season	Country
2018	Ireland
2019	Ireland
2021	Poland
2022	Ireland
2023	Ireland
2024	Ireland

Event wins

Wins by driver

	Driver	DMGP	DMEC/DM	Total
1	Piotr Więcek	9	7	16
2	James Deane	4	7	11
3	Conor Shanahan	0	6	6
4	Jack Shanahan	0	4	4
5	Adam Zalewski	3	0	3
	Grzegorz Hypki	2	1	3
	Dawid Karkosik	3	0	3
	Duane McKeever	0	3	3
	Paweł Borkowski	2	1	3
6	Lauri Heinonen	0	2	2
	Paweł Trela	2	0	2
7	Bartosz Stolarski	1	0	1
	Kevin Pesur	0	1	1
	Oliver Evans	0	1	1
	Martin Richards	0	1	1
	Juha Rintanen	0	1	1
	Marcin Mospinek	1	0	1
	Jakub Przygoński	1	0	1
	Janis Eglite	1	0	1
	Nigel Colfer	1	0	1

Driver wins by nationality

	Nation	DMGP	DMEC/DM	Total
1	Poland	24	9	33
2	Ireland	5	20	25
3	Finland	0	3	3
4	Great Britain	0	1	1
	Estonia	0	1	1
	Wales	0	1	1
	Latvia	1	0	1