American-expat Andrew Redward has claimed his second Valvoline D1NZ National Drifting Championship round win of 2021.
Qualifying in fourth for the first of the weekend’s South Island double headers, Redward faced off against Darren Kelly in the final, having fended off Gagan King and Ben Jenkins earlier in the evening.
The Mazda pilot laid down a clean, close-proximity chase run underneath the rear wing of Kelly’s Heart of Racing Nissan R35 GT-R, with an action-packed final battle deciding the match-up.
While trying to stay as close as possible to Redward, Kelly made contact. This sent Redward into a spin, resulting in a zero-point run and handing Redward the win.
Friends off the track Liam Burke and ‘Fanga Dan’ Woolhouse reignited their rivalry in pairing up for the third-place playoff; Woolhouse eventually securing the spot.
The result subsequently sees Redward’s grip on the D1NZ title lead increase heading into tomorrow’s event; round four of the season.
He now sits atop the standings with 302 points, almost a round win’s worth of points ahead of Kelly in second (216 points). Woolhouse, Ben Jenkins, Burke, Taylor James, Dave Steadman, and Bruce Tannock make up the title fight’s new-look top eight.
D1NZ, Crossed Up Media