30 Mar 2015 Red Bull Drift Battle kicks off; Australian Jake Jones takes steeplechase win

On 21 March, the 2015 Red Bull Drift Battle takes place at Zhuhai International Circuit as part of the Pan Delta Super Racing Festival. Jake Jones from Australia takes the steeplechase win with a 21:296 result, becoming the first winner for this new race. Chinese driver Michael Sit and Japanese driver Suenaga Naoto takes second and third places respectively.

The original and interestng Red Bull Drift Battle once again get the ten thousand strong crowd shouting and screaming. The new steeplechase format is like an obstacle course, where drivers need to drive around cones, bowling pins...etc. If they hit the Red bull can, high jump frame, bowling ball or failing to hit the suspended ball, there will be penalties. The 13 drivers take turn to tackle the course and each will receive two chances, the best attempt will determine their ranking.

The competition is held directly in front of the main grandstand. The track used is 200m long and 21m wide. To complete the course in such tight space is very difficult and very testing on the drivers. Japanese judge Iwata said, "The line, angle and speed are all important, only the driver who can balance all three can win."

From start to finish, drivers skill difference is clear to see. For the first obstacle, the 1m7 tall and 1m2 wide Red Bull can, the drivers choose different lines, some clockwise and some anti-clockwise. This seemingly simple choice will greatly affect the drift course that follows, and points are different. Because the first high jump frame is on the left side of the course, only those who go anti-clockwise will have enough angle to drift through the frame. Otherwise they can only go straight through.

The high jump frame is 8m wide and 2.4m tall. It is not hard to get through this obstacle, but the various drivers tackle this differently. Jake Jones, Suenaga Naoto, Federico Sceriffo all do it sideways.

The 0.8 diameter suspended ball is only 1m away from the wall and any driver who is not careful will hit it. The second driver to try it, Jia Qiang, does exactly that. Other drivers are too careful and miss the ball entirely, earning a penalty. Hong Kong driver James Tang said, "My car is not on good form recently. So today I did not try to hit the ball. I am worried that I will damage the car." After two rounds, James Tang avoided the ball and can only get a 26.940 seconds result, outside the top 3.

The difficulty of the bowling pins section is high, too. Ten bowling pins are set to two rows and each is 1.6m high. The gap between each row is slightly longer than the length of the cars. Drifting through without hitting the pins is very demanding on the drivers skills.

The winner must be brave and yet careful. Australian Jake Jones is exactly that. He made an almost perfect run on his second attempt, recording a 21.296 seconds run and wins the competition. "Yesterday I tried this and made a mistake, hitting the high jump frame. So today I was slightly worried. I am a competitions man and the more spectators the more excited I get, and the more excited I get the better I perform."

#88 Chinese driver Michael Sit performed outstandingly, on his second run he manages a 22.341 seconds run. He said, "Steeple chase requires accuracy, especially the suspended ball, I think that is the most difficult part, as it is far too close to the wall."

2015 Red Bull Drift Battle steeple chase is over and the 13 drivers then compete in the chase on 22 March (Sunday). Japanese driver Suenaga Naoto leads with 95 points in the qualifying session. Liu Zhuo, Liu Shun-Qi are second and third while James Tang from Hong Kong is fourth with 83 points. Italian Federico Sceriffo is fifth with 80 points.

Suenaga Naoto is the hot favourite for the win. Federico Sceriffo said, "Suenaga Naoto was my teammate in the Japanese D1 team. We know each other very well, he could be one of the best drift drivers in thwe world. But this time we are rivals and I will give my best shot. I believe in my own ability and I think a top 3 finish tomorrow is possible."

Race results: http://www.zic.com.cn/en/event_list.php?kind=Race%20results