AUTOTRADER SUPADRIFT SERIES 2015 OFF TO A SMOKING START
Event date: 1 March 2015 | Story by: XS Promotions. | Images: Elize Mare.

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This year’s AutoTrader SupaDrift Series got off to a roaring start at the Red Star Raceway, Mpumalanga, this weekend. Spectators were treated to an unbelievable triple first being set, with the series’ first visit to Mpumalanga, the first win by an international driver, and the debut of a first on South African shores car build.


Mozambican Fullboost Performance driver Richat Kan entered the contest as a true dark horse and immediately set about shaking up the field. Advancing to the quarter finals with poised, technical driving he faced a massive test in AutoTrader SupaDrift superstar and former champion Jason Webb, but held his composure to unseat the 21 year old before advancing to face the hugely experienced Dezzi Racing driver Shane Gutzeit.


Critical errors from both drivers, Gutzeit erroring with a straight line and Kan clipping a cone, forced a dramatic tie-breaking run to name the champion. In a thrilling twist Gutzeit clipped the same cone as Kan, the mistake that was his salvation becoming his downfall. As the first international driver to take an AutoTrader SupaDrift round win, Kan was ecstatic. Jean Mare took third place.


2014’s champion, Speed and Sound driver Wade van Zummeren, debuted his brand new R35 GTR powered Nissan R34 Skyline, a first build of it’s kind in South Africa. Unfortunately for Van Zummeran the engine did not perform as planned, forcing him to retire early. The presence of the trail-blazing vehicle on the track heralds a huge ramp up in competition, however. “It’s a big budget build, and it’s the first time it’s been done,” said Speed and Sound spokesman Annie Silva. “We believe it’s a game-changer, and troubleshooting the engine is a vital step in the process. We’re refining and can’t wait to see what Wade does at the next event.”


The unexpected underdog victories of Kan and Mare mean that of 2014’s podium finishers Van Zummeren, Webb and Gutzeit, only Gutzeit banks top three points going into the next round.


The Red Star Raceway was the first stop in an eight-round national series. As the dust settles and the smoke dissipates drivers will be gearing up for an Easter Weekend showdown at the MonsterMob Raceway in Kimberley, taking place on 04 and 05 April.


To find out more about drifting or to follow the AutoTrader SupaDrift action, watch the series LIVE via the supadrift.co.za site. Or visit Facebook.com/supadriftseries and Twitter.com/Supadriftseries to keep posted on the action.