What an incredible weekend at the Drift Kings International Series Round 2 at Anneau du Rhin with DRIFT CUP MSO!
This is round 2 of the 2024 Drift Kings International Series, marking an early but crucial stage on the road to the crown. With 160 drivers competing, the battle was intense, and only the strongest managed to shine through. Every point from now on is vital, and the competition has set a high bar for the upcoming rounds.
The Anneau du Rhin is known as the fastest track of the year and lived up to its reputation once again. Local legend and 2021 Drift Kings Steve Leiber set a new attack speed record with an astonishing 186 km/h, surpassing his 2023 record of 182 km/h. The crowd was thrilled by this display of speed and skill.
The weekend presented various weather challenges, from a scorching hot Friday to a rainy Saturday and a mixed cloudy Sunday. These changing conditions tested the drivers’ abilities to adapt their setups for optimal grip and speed, adding an extra layer of difficulty to the competition.
In the Queen Series, defending champion Sandra Janusauskaite faced more bad luck after breaking two engines in Round 1. The tricky track conditions led to a double zero for her, opening the door for the French drift girls to dominate. Gaelle Mayet emerged as the Round 2 winner, showcasing her exceptional skills.
Even though French Florian Loyenet won the Pro2 category, the real excitement lay elsewhere. Hungarians Erik Lobmayer and Richard Miklos are fiercely competing for the crown and are now almost equal at the top of the Pro2 rankings. The return of Hugo Goncalves, the Portuguese-Swiss driver, added another layer of excitement, as he showed he hadn’t lost his edge and might contend for a season podium. Young Greek driver Samaras Pavlos is still the outsider, and we might definitely see him also on the season podium as well. The competition in Pro2 is heating up as we move closer and closer to the finals in Greece.
The Pro Series saw unexpected twists, with the championship leader and defending champion Giorgos Christoforou unable to repair his car in time for qualifying. This setback ended his race weekend prematurely. However, we are confident the Cypriot will come back stronger than ever in Round 3 at Mariapocs, Hungary. Additionally, 2023 runner-up Massimo Checchin struggled all weekend with clutch problems and couldn’t qualify. Andros Antoniou from Cyprus also faced difficulties with the unstable track conditions and failed to qualify. On a brighter note, German driver Gerson Junginger and his iconic E30 convertible made it to the Top 32 and advanced into the race.
The competition saw a thrilling Top 16 battle between Donatas Macpreiksas and Patrik Cselotei, where Macpreiksas emerged victorious. Cselotei, however, earned enough points to stay in the 4th position in the general rankings. In the Top 8, a high-speed contact at over 180 kph between Calin Ciortan and Steve Leiber sent Ciortan to the semi-finals and Leiber home, though he took the highest speed trophy with him.
The semi-finals featured intense battles: poleman and title contender Gediminas Levickas from Lithuania faced off against the surprising Hungarian Peter Porkolab, while Romanian legend Calin Ciortan battled Lithuanian Donatas Macpreiksas. Both Lithuanians emerged victorious, moving on to the finals. Porkolab secured his first-ever Drift Kings podium after Ciortan’s retirement from the race. The final match between Macpreiksas and Levickas was the highlight of the weekend, with Macpreiksas taking his first-ever win at Drift Kings International. The Lithuanian drivers dominated both the race and the championship rankings, solidifying their reign in France.
We have just a month to wait until Round 3 at the legendary Trackwood festival. With close to 100 drivers expected, the competition will be fierce. Will ElaKoko make a comeback? Can Miklos Richard overtake Erik Lobmayer? Will Sandra Janusauskaite find her way back to the podium? Join us on July 11-13 to discover who will reign in Hungary!
**Pro Series**
🥇 Donatas Macpreikšas 🇱🇹
🥈 Gediminas Levickas 🇱🇹
🥉 Peter Porkolab 🇭🇺
**Pro2 Series**
🥇 Florian Loyenet 🇫🇷
🥈 Hugo Goncalves 🇵🇹
🥉 Dylan Mougenot 🇫🇷
**Queen Series**
🥇 Gaelle Mayet 🇫🇷
🥈 Alena Renaude 🇫🇷
🥉 Nina Lingsch 🇨🇭
