Whittaker Is Latest D1NZ Round Winner

Whittaker Is Latest D1NZ Round Winner

Curt Whittaker (Whittaker Motorsport 2JZ Nissan Skyline R34) is the D1NZ National Drifting Championship's latest round winner, the Aucklander battling his way to the top step of the podium at Pukekohe's Pukekohe Park Raceway on Saturday.

In hot, dry conditions and in front of a 4000-strong crowd Whittaker withstood huge pressure as he battled his way to the top spot and $5000 worth of prizes courtesy winner's award sponsor Drift Max, beating local driver Matt Jackson (MJM Mazda RX7) to get into the Top 8, former D1NZ champion Daniel Woolhouse (Castrol Edge Holden Commodore) to progress to the Top 4 then top qualifier Darren Benjamin (C35 Nissan Laurel) to make it into the Final 2 where he met Tauranga's Cole Armstrong (V Energy Nissan Skyline R34).

Having beaten Randal Luipihi (Champion Oil Nissan Silvia S15), Daynom Templeman (NAC Mazda RX7) and defending D1NZ champion Gaz Whiter (Tectaloy Nissan Silvia S14), to get there Armstrong had just as strong a case, proof the fact that the judges had to call a re-run (One More Time) before they could split the pair.

The victory is Whittaker's first major one on this side of the Tasman this season but comes just four months after his win in the Tectaloy International Drift Challenge in Sydney in August and it elevates him to third in the series points standings behind Armstrong and Round 1 winner 'Mad Mike' Whiddett (Red Bull Mazda RX7).

Whiddett qualified seventh but was sidelined before the Top 16 elimination round by a broken differential. Gaz Whiter was also in the wars, hitting Pukekohe's unforgiving armco hard in qualifying but - after hasty repairs - able to continue. Andrew Redward (Nankang Nissan S14), meanwhile, started the battles in a borrowed car (ProAm driver Cam Vernon's Nissan Skyline R32) after blowing a piston in his before he even got a chance to qualify.

Most impressive performance from one of the new faces in the D1NZ Pro this year was definitely that of Darren Benjamin, the young Hawera driver topping the points standings in qualifying by two points from Cole Armstrong with Gaz Whiter another three-and-a-half points, then successfully battling his way to the Top 4 without third gear.

The day before, Aucklander Shane Poulton (AOSC Nissan Silvia S15) and Pukekohe's Cam Vernon (Gull Nissan Skyline R32) were the class of the ProAm field with Poulton getting the better of Vernon in the Final to claim his first round win of the season.

Third and fourth places were also hard-fought, the nod eventually going to Auckland's Joe Kyle (Nissan Laurel) from Matamata's William Foster (SR20 Toyota AE85)

Poulton now leads the ProAm points standings from Waiuku's Shane Allen (who was knocked out of the Top 8), Foster and Kyle.

The second round of the 2011/12 D1NZ National Drifting Championship also saw the opening round of the 2011/12 Time Attack (single lap) series. Two classes (Pro and Pro-Am) were contested with victory in Pro going to local driver Hans Ruiterman (E&H Nissan Silvia S14) with a best lap time of 1.02.853, and victory in Pro-Am going to Aucklander Harry Dodson (Dodson Motorsport Nissan GT-R35) with a time of 1.01.687.

The focus of the 2011/12 D1NZ National Drifting Championship now turns to Taupo where the third round will be held on Friday December 16 and Saturday December 17 before breaking for the summer months.

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