Latvia will host its tenth Drift Masters event this July. Riga offers one of the best shows on the calendar: the Bikernieki track is fast and challenging, fans are crazy, and the nightlife is unforgettable.
www.drifting.today team has gathered some interesting facts about the Drift Masters event in Bikernieki.
Early years
In 2016, Drift Masters went abroad for the first time. That September, Bikernieki Racetrack hosted two events. During round 7, Pawel Borkowski defeated James Deane. The following day, Piotr Wiecek triumphed over Dawid Karkosik.
Next year, local hero Janis Eglite, driving a BMW E46 coupe, defeated 2017 Drift Masters champion Adam Zalewski and is the only Latvian to hold the title of Drift of Riga.
James Deane scored his first victory in 2018, and then Jack Shanahan claimed his first podium in Bikernieki in 2019.
During the COVID period 2020, Drift Masters hosted only one event – in Latvia.
For the second time in Drift Masters history, Latvia had two events in one weekend. It was in 2021.
Podiums and victories
Wiecek has won in Riga three times, while Deane and Conor Shanahan have won twice. Pawel Borkowski, Janis Eglite, Martin Richards, and Jack Shanahan each won.
Deane stood on the podium in Riga seven times, one more than Piotr Wiecek. Conor and Jack Shanahan attended the award ceremony three times each.
Krzysztof Romanowski and Adam Zalewski did it twice. Benediktas Čirba, Karkosik, Georgy Chivchyan, Grzegorz Hypki, Eglite, Juha Rintanen, Martin Richards, Nikolass Bertans, Borkowski and Korpulinski – once.
Interesting facts
Juha Rintanen is the only Finnish driver to get a podium in Bikernieki, while the best result of 2024 Drift Masters champion Lauri Heinonen is Top 8.
Polish drivers stepped on the podium fourteen times – one more than Irishman.
Nikolass Bertans was 32nd in qualification but managed to advance to the final. He is only the second Latvian driver to step on the podium in Riga, while the United Kingdom, Russia, Lithuania and Finland have one podium.
Piotr Wiecek scored 99 points in qualification of 2022.
Sandra Janušauskaitė was the first woman to compete in the Drift Masters Riga competition. She outscored notable drifters such as Kristaps Bluss, Latvian champion Rolands Berzins, and Clint van Oort.
2024
The leading three qualifiers were Piotr Wiecek (97,5), Lauri Heinonen (96,5), and James Deane (94), and then 77,49 was the average score for qualification.
Benediktas Čirba scored 73.5 points in qualification, securing the 32nd position.
Conor Shanah won against James Deane, while Pawel Korpulinski.
Best Finnish drivers: Lauri Heinonen (1st), Juha Pöytälaakso, Jarkko Jylhä, Mika Keski-Korpi (Top 16).
Tickets for the 2025 event
