Drift Masters 2025 – Round 3 at PowerPark Huvivaltio, Alahärmä, Finland
After an exciting season opener at Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE, the Drift Masters drivers moved to Northern Europe. The third round was held at PowerPark Huvivaltio in Alahärmä, located about 66 km from Seinäjoki. This is the largest amusement park in Finland, which, in addition to tourist attractions, also features a karting track – and for one weekend, that track turned into a battlefield for the world’s best drifters.
Although the weather was far from ideal, with rain making the competition more difficult, the excitement and the fans were in no short supply. Qualifying highlighted just how tight the field has become – the cut-off score to reach the TOP 32 was as high as 85.5 points, compared to 77 points in the previous round. Once again, James Deane came out on top, scoring an impressive 98.5 points. Right behind him was fellow Irishman Duane McKeever (98 pts), with Piotr Więcek securing third (97.2 pts). Also finishing high were Naoki Nakamura, Oliver Randalu, Jack Shanahan, Itay Sadeh, and Paweł Korpuliński, who with a score of 95 points took eighth place.
In Saturday’s TOP 32 stage, Paweł Korpuliński faced Hungary’s Kevin Piskolty. Thanks to his better qualifying result, the Pole was able to choose his starting position – he opted to begin as the chaser. Despite tricky conditions and plenty of standing water, Korpuliński drove with confidence and deservedly advanced to the TOP 16.
There, he went up against Czech driver Marco Zakouřil. Once again, the Pole showed his class – first sticking close behind his rival, then, as the lead driver, delivering wide and spectacular drifts that earned him a spot in the TOP 8. Fellow Poles Piotr Więcek and Jakub Przygoński also made it into the quarterfinals.
In the TOP 8, Korpuliński was paired with James Deane – the driver dominating this year’s qualifying, and a four-time Formula Drift champion. The matchup promised excitement and did not disappoint – after two closely fought runs, the judges called for a One More Time. In the rerun, it was Korpuliński who prevailed, advancing to the semifinals as the only Polish driver. Joining him in the final four were Tor Arne Kvia, Lauri Heinonen, and Conor Shanahan.
In the semifinal, Korpuliński made a small mistake at the end of his second run, which was capitalized on by Norway’s Tor Arne Kvia, who moved on to the final. The Pole then faced Lauri Heinonen – the local favorite – in the battle for third place. Despite strong driving, Paweł had to concede to the home hero and finished the event in fourth place.
In the grand final, Conor Shanahan claimed victory over Tor Arne Kvia, taking the lead in the season’s overall standings.
Thanks to his excellent performance in Finland, Paweł Korpuliński now has 100 points in the championship and currently sits in eighth place overall – the highest-ranked Polish driver. The next round of Drift Masters is just around the corner – on June 28–29, the drivers will meet at Mondello Park in Ireland.
