Drift Masters 2025 – Round Five in Riga. King of Riga once again from Poland!
After an almost month-long break, the excitement roared back into full swing – Round Five of Drift Masters 2025 took place on July 25–26 at the legendary Biķernieku Trase circuit in Riga. This venue, well-known to fans of controlled slides and motorsport, brought together as many as 44 drivers and huge crowds of spectators from across Europe.
This time the bar was set exceptionally high – to make it into the TOP32, a minimum score of 84.5 points was required, which was 5 points more than in the previous round. Five Polish drivers qualified for Saturday’s battles, and the qualifying session ended in… a triple tie! Juha Rintanen, Conor Shanahan, Piotr Więcek and James Deane each scored 95.0 points, sharing first place. Paweł Korpuliński and Dawid Sposób, with 90 points each, finished 17th and 16th respectively – meaning they faced each other right in the first TOP32 battle.
Unfortunately, luck was not on Paweł Korpuliński’s side. During the morning practice sessions, his car suffered serious damage – the suspension, steering rack, pump, and steering gearbox all required urgent repairs. Although most of the damage was fixed, there wasn’t enough time for the final, crucial part. Paweł didn’t make it to the start, and Dawid Sposób advanced to the TOP16 via a bye run.
Only two Polish drivers remained in the last sixteen – Piotr Więcek and Dawid Sposób. Only the former made it further, overcoming the next challenges all the way to the TOP4, where he was joined by James Deane, Nikolass Bertans, and Jack Shanahan. In the semifinals, Deane defeated Bertans, while Więcek, in spectacular fashion, beat Jack Shanahan, booking his place in the grand final for the second time in a row.
Before that, fans witnessed the small final – Bertans took advantage of his rival’s mistake, who hit the barrier, and claimed third place in front of his home crowd. The tension reached its peak during the final, where Piotr Więcek and James Deane engaged in a fierce duel. The Pole first executed a perfect lead run and then, as the chaser, nearly “glued” himself to his opponent’s car. Deane made a mistake, running off track – and Więcek was unanimously declared the winner by the judges!
Piotr Więcek not only claimed the title of King of Riga but also took the lead in the overall season standings with 298 points. Conor Shanahan now holds second place (278 pts), followed by James Deane in third (229 pts). Despite his unlucky withdrawal, Paweł Korpuliński maintains a strong ninth position with 164 points.
The next round of Drift Masters will take place on August 14–16 – see you at the legendary Ferropolis circuit in Dessau, Germany!
