Kiwi Gaz Whiter has won the Red Bull Drift Shifters event on the streets of Liverpool on Monday morning (NZ time).
Whiter beat out fellow Kiwis 'Fanga' Dan Woolhouse and 'Mad' Mike Whiddett, the founder of the competition, en route to the final, where he beat Forrest Wang.
The Whangarei driver was one of 11 drifters from around the world to compete in the event's first venture into the Northern Hemisphere.
Drivers were each given 100 seconds to take any route they chose, gaining points for getting close to sensors along the sides of the track and on the objects within it.
Each driver was given two practice runs before the qualifying round, with only the top eight making their way into the quarter-finals.
"This event was crazy," Whiter said, after winning the event. "It was more than I expected once we hit the course.
“Walking it was one thing, but driving it was just completely mind-blowing, and with the colours and the lights, it was something I will never forget."
Woolhouse and Whiddett both failed to make the quarter-finals, so Whiter was the last Kiwi left to try to win the trophy.
"I'm stoked to take it [the win] back to New Zealand. We're so far away from home, we couldn’t go further in the whole world.
“We brought our little car from New Zealand with the help of Red Bull and Mike, and it’s a bit mind blowing really. "
In the final, Wang hit the track first and finished his run with 4.75m points, but it wasn't enough, as Whiter finished with an amazing score of 6.29m points.
Despite the early exit, Whiddett was pleased with how the first event in England went.
"Today was absolutely unreal,” he said. "I’m just absolutely ecstatic, I can't stop smiling.
"The fans that came out, even with the weather that was forecast - it was meant to rain all day - It didn’t scare anyone away. It was just overwhelming to see how many people came out and the actual event unfolded perfectly.
"And a bonus that a Kiwi landed on the top – Gaz Whiter won it. People are like, 'Ah, you got knocked out early', but for me, the success of the event is far, far better than standing on top of the podium."
Newshub.
