McKeever Dominates As Heinonen Clinches 2024 Drift Masters Title

Heinonen secures the 2024 title as McKeever defeats Deane in an all-Irish final battle amid wet track controversy, with LZ scoring his first podium.

The 2024 Drift Masters Grand Prix concluded with a spectacular finale at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy stadium, where Finland’s Lauri Heinonen, piloting his Nissan Silvia 180SX S13, secured the title in a nail-biting finish with 437 points.

Entering the final round with a 75-point lead over James Deane, Heinonen’s consistency throughout the season proved crucial.

Ireland’s Duane McKeever and his 180SX S13, sitting fourth before Warsaw, caused an upset by achieving a clean sweep at the event with a perfect 112-point performance, propelling him to second overall in the championship standings, with Deane and his Nissan Silvia S15 rounding out the podium.

Over 50,000 fans witnessed intense battles on a controversially wet track, with plenty of last-minute twists shaping the championship outcome.

Qualifying Sets The Stage For The Epic Finale

While the wet track conditions, which would become a major weekend factor as a safety measure due to an impending storm, added an extra complexity, drivers quickly adapted their styles to the slicker surface.

Duane McKeever laid down the gauntlet with a near-flawless run in his S13, scoring an impressive 94.5 points, once again showcasing his precision and aggression on the custom-built track.

Hot on McKeever’s heels, Norway’s Tor Arne Kvia, nicknamed “The Norwegian Sledgehammer,” showcased why he’s a force to be reckoned with, piloting his Nissan 180SX S13 to secure second place with a score of 93.5.

Three-time champion James Deane claimed third with 93 points, with these tight margins hinting at the epic battles we’d be treated to in the main competition.

Close-Calls In The Final Stages

Lauri Heinonen’s path to the championship was nearly derailed in a heart-stopping Top 16 battle against Benediktas Cirba. In a moment that will go down in Drift Masters history, Heinonen’s engine gave out just as he crossed the finish line.

This nail-biting finish secured the championship victory by seconds.

Duane McKeever’s flawless performance was spectacular throughout the battles, showcasing his mastery of wet conditions, which there is certainly no shortage of in Ireland! By achieving a perfect 112-point score, a feat matched only by James Deane in Round 2, he showcased the potential for dramatic shifts in the championship standings by rising from fourth to second place.

James Deane’s championship challenge was hampered from the start due to his absence in Round 1, attributed to his Formula DRIFT commitments. This missing round likely cost him the title, and he narrowly missed out on taking both championships in a single season.

Final 2024 Top 10 Drift Masters Grand Prix Championship Standings

1 – Lauri Heinonen (FIN) – 437 points

2 – Duane McKeever (IRL) – 412 points

3 – James Deane (IRL) – 409 points

4 – Conor Shanahan (IRL) – 293 points

5 – Pawel Korpulinski (POL) – 265 points

6 – Kevin Pesur (EST) – 250 points

7 – Kevin Piskolty (HUN) – 246 points

8 – Jack Shanahan (IRL) – 228 points

9 – Tor Arne Kvia (NOR) – 225 points

10 – Benediktas Cirba (LTU) – 222 points

Battle Highlights And Unexpected Turns

The main talking point was how Duane McKeever worked through tough competition, outmaneuvering Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni and Juha Rintanen before overcoming Poland’s Piotr Wiecek’s home crowd advantage. Each victory built momentum towards the climactic final against Deane, where he then stole the second-place spot in the championship.

Adam LZ, driving his “European” BMW E36, secured his first-ever Drift Masters podium. He benefitted from a favorable bracket that saw him advance to the Top 4 without facing some tougher competitors. However, his third-place finish was hard-earned after a rare minor mistake saw him defeat local favorite Piotr Wiecek in his GR Supra in the play-off.

Not all stories were successful, such as Mad Mike Whiddett, the highly anticipated wild card entry, who failed to qualify for the main event in his iconic four-rotor RX7 MADBUL.

The Wet Track Controversy

The organizers’ decision to wet the track throughout the event divided opinions. Although the decision was seemingly popular with the drivers, it wasn’t so much with the fans on social media, who felt they were missing out on the smoke show spectacle they’d been hoping for.

With an impending storm forecast for the main event, it would provide potentially dangerous conditions if rain fell during competition with melted rubber laid down on such a challenging course surrounded by walls.

In this scenario, the track would have become an ice rink, which would have been a disaster for the drivers and their cars. Instead, they wet the track throughout the weekend to ensure consistency while prioritizing driver safety and fair competition.

The wet track could explain some of the unexpected performances we saw in the final round, such as McKeever’s dominant showing and potential struggles for other competitors who aren’t so used to wet weather, such as Mad Mike.

It disappointed the fans who missed the spectacular smoke shows, with some ticket holders branding it a “scam.” However, it ultimately ensured that the championship was decided on driver skill and adaptability so that the event could go as smoothly as possible.

Let’s face it: stopping after each run to recover yet another destroyed car off the track isn’t entertaining either!

Our Thoughts On The 2024 Season

As the 2024 DMGP season draws to a close, here are some of our main takeaways:

The Irish Domination Continues

The final standings reveal a strong Irish presence at the top, with three drivers in the top four positions. McKeever, Deane, and Conor Shanahan (4th with 293 points) showcased Ireland’s strength in the drifting scene, much to the delight of the huge fanbase that traveled to Poland for the event.

Despite the Irish stronghold, the championship maintained its international flavor. Heinonen clinched the title for Finland, and Poland’s Pawel Korpulinski rounded out the top five with 265 points.

The top 10 also featured drivers from Estonia (Kevin Pesur), Hungary (Kevin Piskolty), Norway (Tor Arne Kvia), and Lithuania (Benediktas Cirba), highlighting the diverse talent in European drifting.

Consistency Pays Off

Lauri Heinonen’s championship victory showcases the importance of consistency in drifting. Throughout the season, he never scored below 40 points in any round, ranging from 40 to 110.

In contrast, other top drivers like Duane McKeever and James Deane experienced more volatile results, with scores ranging from as low as 16 points to perfect 112-point performances.

Nissan’s Silvia Still Reigns Supreme

Even in 2024, it’s hard to ignore the dominance of Nissan’s JDM S-chassis, given that it landed the top three spots in the overall standings, with the 180SX S13 landing both the top two spots despite being introduced 36 years ago!

The S-chassis offers an optimal wheelbase-to-track width ratio and weight distribution, which is still proving hard to beat. Additionally, years of competition data and setup knowledge give teams a significant advantage in fine-tuning these chassis for peak performance.

Despite James Deane’s big-budget RTR Mustang in Formula DRIFT using the latest technology, it’s interesting to see that he opts for the S-chassis, as proven by his S14 and S15 builds which have been a huge part of his success in recent years.

While the likes of the GT86/BRZ and even the GR Supra are becoming increasingly common in drifting, and the BMW 3-Series continues to be a popular choice, they’re still struggling to prove their worth against these old-school JDM cars in what is arguably the toughest drifting competition in the world right now. You’ve gotta love to see it!

Photography Credits

Thank you to Joerg Mitter and Red Bull Content Pool for the use of their media.

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