Drift Masters Round 4: Latvia – Preview & Livestream

Drift Masters kicks off the second half of the season at the epic Bikernieki Circuit, best known for “It’s Riga, Baby!” Here’s everything you need to know.

Latvia’s legendary Bikernieki Circuit will once again host Round 4 of the Drift Masters series from August 2-3, 2024. Known as the “Drift King of Riga,” the event kicks off the second half of the 2024 season.

It promises some of the most intense high-speed entries and adrenaline-pumping action on the calendar, which could likely shake up the current championship standings.

Bikernieki Circuit, located in the Latvian capital of Riga, is a firm fan favorite best known for its notoriously challenging layout, featuring high-speed entries, unforgiving walls, and prominent curbs. The infamous “sand hill” adds another layer of complexity, catching out even seasoned pros. The combination of these consistently delivers intense battles and plenty of upsets along the way.

If the name rings a bell, it’s likely because Bikernieki is the star of the viral “It’s Riga, baby!” videos from the Drift Allstars series. The track’s reputation and huge spectator turnout make it a stand-out highlight on the calendar.

Drivers To Watch Out For

Here are the Top 10 heading into Round 4:

1. Lauri Heinonen (246 points)
2. Duane McKeever (212 points)
3. James Deane (190 points)
4. Kevin Pesur (164 points)
5. Ørjan Nilsen (138 points)
6. Benediktas Čirba (138 points)
7. Jack Shanahan (132 points)
8. Jakub Król (112 points)
9. Adam Zalewski (108 points)
10. Kevin Piskolty (102 points)

Lauri Heinonen leads the pack after a home-crowd victory in Finland last round, after defeating Ireland’s Duane McKeever in the final, who is also hot on his heels in second. Check out what went down in their final battle here:

Meanwhile, current Formula DRIFT series leader James Deane sits in third despite missing the opening Drift Masters round in Spain. Deane, knocked out by Heinonen in Finland after taking the win on home soil in Ireland, will be eager to close the gap.

The field is stacked with talent beyond the top three. Kevin Pesur, currently in fourth, claimed victory at Round 1. Last year’s Riga winner, Jack Shanahan, currently in seventh, will be looking to climb the ranks. His brother Conor Shanahan, last year’s Drift Masters Champion, is currently in 12th place and will be hungry for points.

Several wildcard drivers are set to shake things up, including local heroes Kristaps Bluss and Rolands Berzins, Ukraine’s Dmitriy Illyuk, Lithuania’s Sandra Janusauskaite, Ireland’s Tomás Kiely, Estonia’s Karel Piiroja, and Latvia’s Aleksandrs Vlasovs.

Finland’s Jarkko Jylhä also joins the roster after causing a huge upset in his JZX100 last round.

We think it’s safe to say that there will undoubtedly be plenty of upsets throughout the weekend with the star-studded lineup!

Event Schedule

All times are local. For US fans, Latvia is 7 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone (ET) in the United States. For UK fans, Latvia is 2 hours ahead of the United Kingdom (BST).

Friday, August 2, 2024

• 9:00 – Spectator Gates Open
• 9:30 – Drift Practice
• 16:30 – Qualifying
• 20:00 – Qualifying Challenge

Saturday, August 3, 2024

• 10:30 – Spectator Gates Open
• 14:00 – Top 32 Battles
• 17:30 – Top 16 Battles
• 18:30 – Top 8 Battles
• 19:45 – Podium Ceremony & Event Finish

How To Watch Drift Masters Round 4 (Riga, Latvia)

The Qualifying sessions are available on the official Drift Masters YouTube channel. For the battles, Red Bull has the official rights, so they’re only available via their website.

Qualifying

Battles

Unlike the qualifying, which is available on YouTube, the battles are exclusively shown on the Red Bull website from the following links:

• Watch the Top 32 battles here
• Watch the Top 16 battles here

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Photography credits

We thank the following entities for the use of their photography:

• Drift Masters

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