More than 8,000 fans braved the California wildfires and falling ash and made their way down to the Port of Long Beach for the Red Bull Drifting World Championship on November 15 and 16.
Seventeen past and present drifting champions from the top drifting organizations in the world gathered in Long Beach, CA for the first Red Bull Drifting World Championship.First place qualifier Rhys Millen and his Red Bull Pontiac Solstice outperformed the competition to win the largest single prize of $25,000 in drifting history. . Teammate Daijiro Yoshihara and his Bridgestone / RMR Pontiac GTO took home the 2nd place prize of $15,000 and the 2007 and 2008 Formula DRIFT champion, Tanner Foust and the Rockstar / AEM Nissan 350Z took home 3rd place overall and $10,000.
Our own Mad Mike Whiddett in his super customized 4 rotor Mazda Rx 7 featured heavily in the 2 days of racing. Mad Mike’s awesome style and aggressive driving saw him smash through the front end of the field in a blazing style of controlled professional driving only to come head to head with Tanner Faust in the early races of the ‘Great Eight’
The achievement of Mike Whiddett to make the cut into the ‘Great Eight’ is truly an outstanding effort considering the world’s top drift drivers were packed into the field. Unfortunately Mike battled car problems throughout the race days and could not quite squeeze 100% out of his Red Bull Mazda. Who knows what the outcome would have been if the car was running in top form?
"All the teams, fans, sponsors, supporters and especially Red Bull and the City of Long Beach made the Red Bull Drifting World Championship truly historical event," said Jim Liaw, president and co-founder of Formula DRIFT. "We were able to bring the entire drifting world together under one roof and made for one of the best drifting competitions ever."
The event was held at a special venue on the Port of Long Beach that featured a purpose built drifting track that was highlighted by a very fast entry and 66 technical turns.
The level of competition was at an all-time high and created one of the most exciting events in drifting history. The Top 32 drivers battled round by round and the semi-finals pitted (4) Formula DRIFT drivers against each other. Yoshihara got the best of 2-time Formula DRIFT Champion Samuel Hubinette in the Nuformz / Mopar Dodge Viper placing him into the Finals.
Event winner Millen set the speed bar high by also claiming the highest entry speed of the event with a speed of 103.7 miles per hour during the finals. The track proved to be challenging with many drivers falling victim to the walls and barricades and other drivers stepping up to show off their total car control.
Current Formula DRIFT champion Tanner Foust battled against Rhys Millen, with Millen coming out on top. The consolation round with Foust and Hubinette was a close fought battle, but Foust’s consistent driving proved to be the deciding factor placing him in 3rd place. The final battle between teammates Millen and Yoshihara was a close fight, but Yoshihara decided his fate with a spin in the last round, giving the inaugural Red Bull Drifting World Championship to Rhys Millen.
Well done and huge congratulations to our own Mad Mike Whiddett who has now proved without a doubt that he can mix it up with the big boys and has earned the respect he deserves from the world’s finest drift drivers.
Be sure to check out Mike Whiddett this weekend at Pukekohe in the final round of the NZ Drift Champs!
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