Pirtek Renews Gold Sponsorship with AW Drift

Pirtek New Zealand is proud to confirm the renewal of our Gold Sponsorship with AW Drift for the 2025–26 D1NZ Pro Championship season.

Our Gold Sponsorship kicked off in the 2024-25 season, and AW Drift has impressed us with their fan engagement and relentless drive, both on and off the track. Their professionalism and passion make them a key partner and a proud representative of the Pirtek brand.

As AW Drift prepares their Nissan Silvia S14 for the new season, we are excited to continue our partnership and support their journey in what promises to be another thrilling year of drift competition across New Zealand.

2025–26 AW Drift Schedule

Fans can catch AW Drift in action at the following events:

• 21 - 23 November 2025 - D1NZ Round 1 & 2, Invercargill

• 6 December 2025 - Mad Mike’s Summer Bash 8, Hampton Downs, Auckland

• 13 - 15 February 2026 - D1NZ Round 3, Pukekohe Park, Auckland

• 20 - 22 March 2026 - D1NZ Round 4, Gisborne

• 24 - 26 April 2026 - D1NZ Round 5, Bay Park, Mt Maunganui

• May 2026 (TBC) - Drift South 2-Day Event, South Island

 About D1NZ

The D1NZ Pro Championship is New Zealand’s premier drifting competition, attracting the country’s top drivers and teams. With events held across major circuits nationwide, D1NZ delivers high-intensity action and a passionate fan base, celebrating the skill and excitement of professional drifting.

D1NZ Pro Championship Competition Format: Qualifying, Battles, and Points Explained

As the 2025–26 D1NZ Pro Championship season gets underway, here’s a quick guide to how it works - from solo qualifying runs to intense tandem battles, and how championship points are awarded across the season.

Qualifying (Solo Runs)

• Each driver completes two solo runs, each scored out of 100 points.

Judging Criteria (2025 Season):

o Line – 40%

o Angle – 30%

o Style – 30%

• The “Line” measures how closely a driver follows the ideal path through the course, including inner and outer clipping zones. If you hit inner clipping cones, you risk being judged off-course.

• Drivers risk deductions or very low scores for spin-outs, straightening, going off-track (three or more wheels), or if car components such as the bonnet or doors open mid-run.

• Qualifying positions also award championship points toward the season standings. For example: o 1st = 14 pts, 2nd = 12 pts, 3rd = 10 pts, and so on.

Tandem Battles (Head-to-Head)

• After qualifying, drivers are seeded into an elimination bracket (Top 32, Top 16, etc).

• Each battle consists of two runs: one as the Lead car and one as the Chase car.

• Judges decide the winner based on both runs rather than assigning numeric scores.

Lead Car Goals:

• Follow the prescribed line set by the judges.

• Maintain consistent speed (within roughly 90% of their qualifying pace) to allow fair proximity for the chase car.

Chase Car Goals:

• Initiate drift no later than the lead car.

• Maintain close proximity, treating the lead car as a moving clipping point.

• Match or exceed the lead car’s line, angle, and transitions.

• If the lead car spins or goes off-track, the chase car may receive a 10–0 decision (automatic win).

Championship Points

• Drivers earn championship points based on their finishing position in each round (for example: 1st = 100 pts, 2nd = 80, 3rd = 68, etc).

• Qualifying points are separate from these results.

• Points accumulate across all rounds to determine the overall series champion.

Now you know how it all works - get behind AW Drift this 2025-26 D1NZ Pro Championship season and experience the excitement of New Zealand drifting!