19 Mar 2017 Australian driver wins in the rain (Circuit Hero-Drift Battle)

At 12:20 on 19 March, Pan Delta Circuit Hero-Drift Battle commences on Zhuhai International Circuit’s main straight facing the grandstand. According to the qualifying results from yesterday afternoon, 8 cars will pair off into battle. The winners of each heat will progress to the next round.

Circuit Hero-Drift Battle has been one of the most attractive races in the Pan Delta Series of races. Two drifting cars one ahead of the other will have to perform the same maneuvers. The two cars will take turn to lead. The judge will award points to each driver according to their performance, then decide the winner who will progress to the next round. The two drivers will fight each other closely and in their bids to impress the judge, drift very close to the limit, therefore gaining the fans adoration.

The battle is held in the rain, making it even more challenging for the drivers. Drift requires perfect control and pools of water on the track will only add difficulty to it. The rain affected track will have even less grip than normal.

The first round will see the 8 cars pair off according to the qualifying results from yesterday. The first driver will face off with the 8th driver; the second driver will face off with the 7th driver…etc. Each driver has two laps of individual practice. Then the two cars will enter into battle. After one round the two cars will switch positions and go for another round. The winner will progress to the next round. Under normal circumstances, the driver who can closely follow the leader and drift with a wider angle will be favoured by the judge. After the first round of face offs, #22, #68, #17 and #55 make it through to the semi-finals. Then #22 beats #68 and #17 defeated #55. #22 face off #17 in the final. Finally, Jake Jones of Australia wins the battle with a perfect drift performance.

After the race, Jake Jones said he is very glad to race here in Zhuhai, the crowd and the atmosphere are great. It is a pity that the rain affected every driver’s performance. But he has had a lot of fun. The only female driver Cristiani Nanami said, “I am honoured to take part in Pan Delta. Compared with male drivers, female drivers enjoy no physical advantage. But with a lot of hard work and practice, we can also achieve a high level of performance. The enthusiastic crowd gave me a lot of encouragement. I feel very happy.”