DMEC Round 4 2023 • Latvia • Qualifying LIVE

[Applause] thank you [Music] welcome ladies and gentlemen to round four of the drift Masters European Championship we're here it's Riga baby and one of our favorite tracks on the calendar the championship fight it's heating up we've got the contenders in the ring we also got some wild cards and we got a lot of drivers that want to redeem a poor start to the season we are on the road to the final in Poland later this year but this is going to be one of the turning points this track is knife edge it's dangerous it's got everything a drift fan wants fast Corners Full Throttle it's got unmovable walls it's got everything that's going to make it very exciting for you guys to watch we got an action-packed weekend lined up for you today and of course qualifying which means we've got to get 50 or so drivers down to top 32 for the battles tomorrow and it's going to be knife edge as our judges trying to decipher who's got the better run my name is Dave Egan I'm going to be talking you through all of the action this weekend alongside my good friend Eddie power the power in the tower is back Eddie this is one of our favorite tracks to watch and talk about I'm excited yeah absolutely Dave one of the most exciting tracks and layouts on the calendar in drift Masters I'm delighted to be joining you here this weekend and with the stack grid that we have here 60 drivers whittling it down to become the king of Riga I think we're in for a real special treat here this weekend absolutely this is where we've been and this is where we're going round one Peter gunzak business as usual heading towards that third championship in a row but then we go to Sweden and you are Renton upsets the party and then round three in Finland just a couple of weeks ago was Conor versus Jack Shannon in the final but Conor winning it out notably three different winners from the first three rounds we're here this weekend Riga I wonder will it be the same uh same outcome and different driver or will it be one of our Championship contenders starting to seal the deal then we got Germany and then of course we move to the big stadium in Poland for our final round let's have a look at that championship and I'm going to show you guys just how stacked this is if you're a drift fan look how close this is Connor Shanahan out of nowhere now leading the championship at 210 points Laurie Heinen from Finland the flying fin just behind him only 11 points back or 12 points back rather his brother Jack Shannon is trying to climb back up to beat his brother at this you are rented in round two winner Duane McKeever hasn't won around yet but he's had two podiums Peter geinsek our current and defending Champion will now have to have the perfect three rounds to try and get that three in a row Championship which is I mean it's just set up so exciting cooponski sitting at seven at Kevin bonjour in eighth position looking like he could make a late charge here this season I absolutely love it Eddie it is stacked off to be incredible and this track really divides the drivers Full Throttle through the whole first section of the course you get it wrong you get it wrong in a big way with a lot of crashes at practice and it shows that it's Take Your Eye Off the Ball here one bit and you could be in the wall yeah a lot of pit Crews working really hard to try and get these guys back out onto circuit for qualifying after a very intense practice session that we had here and notably 46 points separating the top six drivers here Dave Peter in the territory that he's not really used to coming into the final at the half of the season and he's really got his work to do to cut out for him if he's going to contend for that Championship as you said three in a row the possibility for him this season absolutely of course qualifying is today we have the battle action tomorrow but qualifying will be a test of how informed these drivers are and then let's have a look at this track it is wild it's crazy there's no runoff we've had big incidents here in the past you can't take your eyes off it I'm going to talk you through it this thing this track is a survival mode track it has got one in her zone five out of zones and most of them are Full Throttle track 670 meters one of the longer tracks on the calendar and it's off the start line well it's one thing and it's all go power power power power Full Steam into that first Corner absolutely as flat out as you can go and it's a very slight corner so you got a weight transfer fire the car out to where it's almost no man's land on the edge of the track and then it begins the Full Throttle pull through outer zone one two still Full Throttle interzone three and still Full Throttle in Arizona four then you transition out episode five you gotta come over this big bump and stay off the curbs which annoys a lot of the cars you can see people flying off the track here in practice and then it's this massive immovable wall for AutoZone six which seems like it goes on forever as you put the car right to the edge of it and then you gotta seal the deal across the finish line and at that point you know you take a little breath and then you say I have survived a lap of the Riga circuit these are the rules of qualifying if you're new to the sport we're going to talk you through it each drive against two runs of qualifying with their best score from two runs county has their overall score the top 32 from 50 to 60 drivers we're not sure how many left after practice we'll be going through to our battle action tomorrow where they go tandem head to head and we will decide our podium and our three judges Kevin Vernon and of course David are going to be whittling down these drivers here you can see are starting with our wild cards we always go on reverse Championship order you can see there Christian burkovs Janice burlesons corjaris ozolins Pina Vero vasilia alongside Ali mashita and the wild card in this event of course is the Machine James Dean our 10th wild card and then it goes into this reverse order you see some of these guys not scoring as they would have wanted in the first three rounds of the championship but hey but three different winners of three different rounds this could be their weekend would you like at this point to bet against any of these guys taking top staff head certainly not when you look at the likes of David kakashik sitting so far down the uh the order a guy who's more than capable of coming here this weekend and taking the win excited to see what he could do dude another driver finish driver very very capable of taking a Podium here this weekend and so many guys that we've seen on podiums over the years sitting in the bottom half of it look at Nakamura way down the order as well so you've got a lot of big champions from all over Europe from all over the world including Japan sitting right down the order and remember they can turn it on at any point in this championship and start to upset uh all of those things so and I'll tell you what I want to do it is is have a look at how beautiful the weather is we are up here in the tower right now having an absolute blast all day watching practice and you guys are going to be so fun hey guys how you doing we're up here we got a beautiful view of the first corner right and we have about essentially best seat in the house to watch what's about to go down well you know what I'm sick of talking I want to see some driving so right now guys for you at home and everybody here in attendance let's go to qualifying good evening [Music] well we're going to start with the man that we saw going very far off the track in the highlight reel on the track layer it's Janice bursens from Lafia Hometown and just a little bit away and looking to make a big upset here this weekend this is tough for these wild cards but they're going to have the Latvian fans behind the medi and I tell you what he's coming in here as a guy that's got a couple of trophies in Lafayette but this is a big step up let's see how it gets it done yeah huge step up here Dave as he it becomes our first driver to leave the line here for qualifying in Riga Powers through that first outer zone doing a really nice job so far is ianna's persons as you can hear the turbo scream from that BMW E36 now as he comes down in front of the grand side not a bad line straight from the off here but just asks the deviate from that out of Zone you'll just be watching that and penalizing him as he comes through the final sections and across the line not a bad way Dave to start qualifying here at Round City you're just as excited as I am because we wanted to see cars get scored we've seen a lot of practice earlier on and to be honest it looked like Janice was struggling a little bit I saw the team tear that whole car apart in the last hour or so so they'll be happy just get back out on track just miss this inner Zone a little bit of understeer quite badly judges are going to be you know those are just they're not fun guys they're just technical guys they want to they're Market Fair he jumps up on the curb and one thing you will notice throughout this qualifying session is those curves very high I mean Eddie we had to scale them earlier on they're that big you got to get up on top of them and said he transitions a little bit too early doesn't get to the other Zone towards Arizona six and it's very hard to get back in naturally gets there halfway through but I think that's going to be a pretty mid-pack score for against berzins there as judges know what a good run looks like here they've seen you know they've watched this track so many times they know what a 99 looks like well then they're going to judge accordingly and we'll be able to get a little bit of a feel as we go what is that you know score line what do you need to get we looked a couple rounds it's definitely mid 70s 80s it's where you need to be with the level so high so we're gonna get a score on the board for Giannis I feel it's going to be a little bit down the order yeah 53 for him puts him into first place so far but I feel that will be not long-lived no certainly not with the likes of James Dean you know sitting a tent and qualifying here 10 driver up he's certainly going to be setting that scoreboard or lighter aiming to do so as we move it on to our second driver Dave Yeah Christmas burkhovs love this thing I mean you know what do you do you build a Pontiac Trans Am To Go drifting in drift Masters he's the only man that's ever done it but he's a very talented driver he had an E36 V8 before this went totally out of the box with this car it looks like something it looks like a spaceship going around the strike but he works really well it's an LSX 720 horsepower he's got a lot of trophies to his name and he's a guy who's going to attack this corner with a lot of good stuff he certainly is David here he comes fires through the first zone is Christians bark offs in a LSX powered you can hear just a scream from the super tractors he misses that outer zone as he comes in front of the grandstand and this run is starting to just slightly fall apart from it but look at this Davis he jumps up onto the wall not carrying a huge amount of speed here but certainly fully committed to that outer zone he rubs the wall the whole way around and crosses the line yeah the good running funny that the arrow on the car apparently surviving the speed of the first two cars you can see it's starting to flex and bend I think for me if you look at it it doesn't get the flow through the first two corners he has a lot of speed but he doesn't have enough and he doesn't get to outer zone F4 where he would have liked it and that kind of messed up his line a little bit he definitely came in with a lot of commitment we see that left foot breaking he's doing it's slowing the car down quite a bit and he's expected that car to hook up a little bit more good line but watch what he transitions he's got a lot of speed loss with that left foot breaking as he transitions to the outer zone he does get this outer zone does get the inner Zone but he can't get out to wide enough on the track here and this one makes this a little awkward here to transition back he didn't use the extremities of the course and therefore was uh was suffering but you know he's definitely getting 72 cool points for me for having the most unusual car on the grid it's a very calm collected customer I feel like he'll do a very strong second run you can see the rear bumper was like I was not designed for this level of speed 64 on the board for Christian berkovs and his first run and you know what he's a very technical driver if she comes alive in the battle is more doesn't qualify some of these drivers can be like that either they're just you know they're not really the most technical on the line but they do come alive when they're put up against another driver we go back to the line there's gonna be Edgar's crogeris Michael jira is from Latvia beautiful F-22 all carbon all Kevlar you gotta there's gonna be a lot of these cars of course we've got hdk just down the road here and they're building a lot of these crazy Kevlar kits which means they take a lot of abuses another car that was half apart in the pits area with a couple of hits let's see how Edgars gets on in this first one late initiation yeah late negotiation was going to leave him with some work to do that first inner Zone just so important as angers now tries to find something special through the latter stages of the room but again they're just not getting that line exactly 100 and that's going to hurt him and don't apply the pressure to a bit of a tap with the wall there as he comes through the final Zone upsets the rear end of that F22 BMW and he crossed the line one run in the bag absolutely and you know what there's so many cars now on the grid with Incredible horsepower figures but Edgars doesn't have all the horsepower he has 500 horsepower this is a tough track with 500 horsepower it seems crazy to say that 500 horsepower isn't enough to spin the wheels but when you're on this level of speed you're trying to overpower very grippy tires you can see Edgar not being able to use a huge amount of angle on the course just to get around does a good job gets there sort of where he needs to be but it's not an absolute inch perfect run and again we're not going to expect that right out the box from some of these drivers a lot of these drivers would approach the first run as a more casual get a score on the board run and work from there because you obviously have the two and only one of the two counts as your overall score so Edgar's uh we're actually lucky enough to have a kebab from Edgar's stand in the pits later on I will say I would give it more than a 47 out of 100 it was a phenomenal command but scored it mapped the 47 he's in third position right now and missing a couple of zones and those judge they don't take any prisoners right we move on to our next driver it's going to be uh Uranus ozolins from Lafayette he went from the street class to the pro class to drift Masters in just three years of drifting he is a nest 13 750 horsepower and he looks ready he looks uh it's gonna be nervous enough for some of these guys certainly looking focused and ready to go yeah but very daunting on the start line for these guys you can't even see the end of that first outer zone uh even from the point of where you actually initiate and here we go through the gears goes Uranus as he looks to take on the circuit for his first qualifying run the ball commitment there as he comes nice and deep into that outer zone now can he switch back he certainly can nice through the first three sections of the course as he comes down to front of our patreon stand to shape it up to be a really nice run so far could be a little bit deeper into that outer zone four and there's just starts to fade away as he drifts in and out of the final outer zone and gets himself safely across that Finish Line yeah flirting with the zones but not quite completing them and you see those white boxes on the ground so I just really want to see his two wheels in each of those we got one wheeler just a touch of a tire you're scoring but you're not scoring high-end that's and again that first Corner look how little runoff there is we saw uh Eric gotcha go really hard into the wall in practice yesterday destroying the chassis of the car you get on the dirt you get onto the edge there it just it you know you just go straight into those walls and it's you know we're expecting because it's easy for us as bystanders to watch these guys go hey why don't you go faster why don't you go closer well that's pretty scary I'm gonna be honest even standing down there it's pretty scary just to see that how it's almost not really a drift corner of the first corner it's so slight so you need so much power and commitment to get through there and then you got all this technical stuff towards the end of the run so you could do the first section amazingly and you still could get a low score from not getting the technical wall section right at the end that's it of course a lot of drivers saying as well that grip levels just change every single run no matter where you are on this circuit they're constantly badly and trying to find out where exactly the grip is going to be even in dry conditions like that as we see the score dropping in for rain is a 61 and second position momentarily for him not bad you can see he's missing a lot on style there and a little bit off the line as well for those clipping Stars even we had you know Peter gunzak was saying to me if you're comfortable on a lap of this track you're not driving hard enough that's the only run he said he's never done one lap of this track where he's felt it was a comfortable run so we move on to our next driver there's going to be yakopino from Estonia I love this he's in a mark 4 Supra with a 2J so he basically has one of the only cards on the grave with the actual engine the car came with from the factory but it's not exactly an average engine it's got a ton of Power 900 horsepower exactly comes in very slight through the first Corner not on that correct line Ed no certainly not Dave not what he'd be looking for 900 horsepower to use and you can just see as he comes past the grandstand again missing out of his own Tree starts to bring it back together now through the final sections but he needs to keep this going but I think it's the first action of this course is uh we're gonna hurt the run and the score from the judges as he gets himself across the line certainly not the Run he was open to start his qualifying campaign but here at round four no a little bit of a throwaway there as a again I think he tried to go in Full Steam looked like there was a little too much grip in the car and he thought it was going to extend watch it drops out of that outer zone instantaneous he's on very little angle so at that moment he's on the wrong line and that puts him on the wrong line here and then he transitions too early which puts him on the wrong line coming out of this corner he does overly do the inside Zone but nowhere near the next outer zone and then you know the judges are like that's not what we want because the reason this line is placed if you're new to sport is because we want good lead runs so when we go to Tandem battles Head to Head tomorrow you want that lead car to be as predictable as possible and on the most outer line which means that the Chase car has so much room on the inside if the lead car is wavering all over the place it's what we call an unchaseable run and that's what they're judging here in qualifying so 44 for yakopino from Estonia he'll hope for better in the second half as we move back to the Star Line it's going to be AO Veda and this guy has a very very cool car I actually quite like this one it's got a duck on the front of as well talk with a helmet head not just a duck but a duck with a hammer that duck is going to go in for a wild ride here as he heads off the third line he is from Estonia 750 horsepower looks ready to go but everybody's ready to go until they pull the handbrake on that first corner it all goes right around instantaneously as he comes off the line and sees let's see how he gets on yeah so here he goes through the gears it goes right up with that duck leading the way on the front bumper of that E36 but Ayo now doing a good job just linking up those outer zones but just a little bit shallow as well as he comes by the grand centers you can see a wheel just dropping up just how severe those curves are Dave and we've seen cars flip at that other Zone and just not the run that Ayo Vita was looking for on his first attempt to qualifying here in Riga but it is just so knife edge around this second you've seen those curls they call them curves I'm going to call them small walls because if you hit those curves the car just jumps up in the air we watch Jack Shanahan go out last year to one of those curves when he was looking like he was ready for a Podium they are the thing you need to stay away from this weekend and you can see that this wasn't a really perfect run from the start he was missing a lot of zones watch this he goes on too much angle here on the transition he starts to lose it and all of a sudden he's like oh here comes the car boom the two the car jumps up he has to come off throttle because he's going to shoot straight into the wall on the far side I'm gonna put that down to experience and say that is not going to be the Run score into qualifying here he had to come after all very quickly he transitions back and he's like oh this is just a mess right now yeah and at that point that wall is coming at you very quickly and if you're on the wrong line it's really really daunting but of course our three judges in attendance here scoring at 36 for Ayo Vita yeah I can see that I can see there's a lot of mistakes there he almost was flirting with a zero for the lack of uh being on the correct line throughout the center of the course but look he got a second run he can he can redeem himself well we talk about the first Zone being all important and getting the car set up on the correct line and that's exactly why Dave a very good example is what can go wrong when you don't do that yeah here comes a car that's just too beautiful to even be drifting this track it is absolutely gorgeous it's the four series the g82 brand new build from Andreas for city house because from Lithuania he's 12 years drifting five time Lithuanian Champion I think he's got one of the newest cars what it was you can see he's got to take a few bits off it in practice but this is full carbon Kepler incredible machine 800 horsepower look at this thing move around this circle but not on the correct line completely no not on the crack line at all Dave but Andreas vasilias knows major to put in a car up against the wall a very aggressive driving style and certainly won't be afraid to bank these carbon Cavalier panels off that wall as it comes through the final Zone but it hasn't been the best drawing a little bit Scrappy from Brazilians because not what we'd expect from him but baby just coming to grips with a new chassis here this weekend and yeah but I mean these are new cars I mean this is a very different machine than what he had before I think it looks absolutely spectacular and of course these new chassis have all different characteristics and it's going to take a couple of rounds to get used to it big angle on this car a big Power and it looked at moments like he had a grip on the track but just not getting deep into outer zone four there and then as he came back to the wall just I mean we it's easy for us to say right oh we didn't get here we didn't get there still going at over 80 miles an hour sideways and a car worth probably what a small apartment would be worth anywhere else in Europe so you've got to say this is brave no matter what so Andreas facilities does get a run on the board he will score look at the detail on this machine as it fires through the course guys it's beautiful phantom camera in the middle of the course there and it just gives us that you see look at all the shimmering from the from the hood there as well just all the the heat that these cars are generating a 55 on the board we expect to see him uh definitely put in a better second run he's Andrea is a phenomenal driver and he's someone that I would expect to have solved those issues by the second half of qualifying moving along we got one of the youngsters on the grid 18 years of age but you swear he'd been around for a very long time he's probably got about 18 high level trophies in his cabinet it's knick-knack Nicholas Burton's from Lafayette he's running a 620 horsepower E36 not the fastest car on the grid but boy can you make this thing work and he is a phenomenal Chase driver and now it's all about the lead can he get himself well up yours his home track they've probably done as many laps as anyone here and that's a perfect star it certainly is perfectly fails that outside Zone as he fires through the second one now comes a little bit wide on inner zone three and now down in front of the ground said look at how he snaps that car from one way to an are huge transitions across the track and now gets nice and early into the final Zone up onto that wall and look at this pulls out that big cloud of smoke as he crosses the line and that is how you announce yourself back on the grid in front of the home fans yeah do you know what's funny you know maybe not characteristics Infinity didn't really make a showing there he kind of was okay but you know you could have forgotten he was there he didn't have the perfect weekend this is his home track expect him to be very hungry for Success here and he had a great initiation it just seemed to me just came out of the other Zone a little early maybe just didn't have to go in the car you can see him starting to drop a little bit and he fires too fast here which means he completely misses his inner Zone watch this nowhere near that which puts him on a weird line here we just put a load of angle on and it's a good run is it a great run is it we can be critical because we know what this young man is capable of I think there's going to be a bigger run to come in the second half qualifying yeah well Dave we have to be critical because we know what we we know what we can expect from these drivers we're here at the highest level of competition they're here to perform they're here to show us that they can do perfect runs and it's not always possible on knife edge tracks like this but he does what if you want to beat the best you got to be the best and that's what the championship's all about it's 72 does put him into first position the crowd love it here I think 72 is going to be a pretty much a benchmark when we start getting into the business end of this championship and we move back up to the start line we've got a driver who's come all the way from Kuwait which as you guys know is not in Europe that's how far this Championship is getting out of hand we got Japanese drivers got Kuwaiti drivers got Israeli drivers it's almost becoming a world championship we might have to scratch that name off eventually but it is animaxia the guy we're very familiar with from the Middle East a phenomenal driver he's in a rented drift car it's actually rented driftcar.com this weekend and he is a phenomenal driver there but he's getting the grip from this new chassis it's 900 horsepower LS Turbo in a good showing in Sweden let's see how he goes here there's some fast energy finally I'm actually playing with the other Zone had to handbrake a little bit just to get it under control yeah certainly did Dave and will that upset the line it doesn't appear to be so far as he Nails the other zone two and enter Zone one and look at this now as he transitions across the circuit in front of the grandstand battling the car there when he gets it back online not as quick through that final outer zone as we've seen some of their drivers but he makes it work and gets himself across the line bigger on there in a borrowed car from Ali Mac shade yeah you know he's up against it not in his own machine but I'll tell you one thing he is uh a very capable driver and what I like about that run was it didn't go right for him in a couple of areas but he was able to adjust the car to get the line right so yeah the style might be down a little bit in some places the angle might be down but that line every time he felt like he was dropping out of his own he was making a correction for it and he does collect if I'm not mistaken every Zone on the track so you can see on the transition as he came back to me just went a little bit hot here I had to slow up a little bit he gets it done though I think that's a good run and as he transitions back to the wall it gives you a little bit maybe too much handbrake but he gets the other Zone guess what the judges want and he's buried in that wall for the whole last hour Zone yeah it's really nice showing from Ali love this camera angle at the end yeah fantastic yeah big long wall run absolutely perfect and Ali doing a good job it's a 64 and as you can see look the line pretty good but the style and not just so good so he has to improve on that in the second half of qualifying but you know what I think the line is harder than the style so if you can put out all together Ali will be in the in the mix I think now this guy while I'm not sure if you know who he is he's a new and upcoming driver let's see how he gets on this weekend it is of course the most successful driver in the history of drifting James the machine Dean his credentials are so long they didn't even have enough ink in the printer for me and Eddie to read them but he's back this weekend at his he's been a king of Riga so many times and he's driving angry this weekend he says coming back with a lot to prove and look at the entry from James Dean he entered about an hour before everyone else did phenomenal so far certainly phenomenal from James Dean just what we expect but as James now fires down in front of the ground sound it's pinpoint perfect so far can he beat that 99 Point run that we saw Peter vasek do last year Well if there's any man that can do it it is the man on your screens right now James Dean filling that outer zone and he absolutely destroys the circuit Dave dare I say that may go top and qualifying well it's definitely going to be copper qualified so far will it be tough towards the end this is the interesting thing James Dean's score is going to sit so early in the qualifying order as a wild card that he'll be the Benchmark everyone else is up against and that is absolutely phenomenal for that first Corner playing with that outer line the whole way through and in the car you can see Elijah's just going to the shops he's just relaxing through the course if you can make this course look that easy then you are the best driver in the world and many will argue that James has proven that over the years jumping in the Euro Fighter this weekend as opposed to the S14 or his brand new with quadroad or RX7 and of course competing in the USA as well in a Ford Mustang well that's quite a mixed match of car as he's jumping between you know week by week but it goes to show he's able to manage them all from the machine that's exactly what you expect he knows what the judges wants here he's done it time and time again business as usual for the man from gork so James Dean awaits his score it's an 89 on the board and 89 drop a 10 off where we thought you know we might be flirt with that 99 but still work to do but he's got a second run to go so an 89 from James Dean and I could see you know a couple of areas there a little bit tentative he was you know playing a little bit on the left for breakfast he wasn't over committing now this machine on the line wow I I had to have a moment when I was looking around this earlier on because this is a beautiful car from Timor lipsky from the Ukraine 16 years of age Eddie I mean the talent that's coming through the ranks here from all over you're a fully carbon Cavanaugh Toyota Supra A90 with a 2JZ thousand horsepower thousand horsepower at 16 years big yeah this thing absolutely crazy and lipsky can match the craziness behind the win and look at that line through the first action as he comes in front of the grandson and just misses that inner Zone but can he make it work big angle as he throws the car trying to reach the other zone four he's just starting to get it all around here now as he looks to try and correct him find something special to the latter stages of the circle but Dave those big errors gonna really cast them absolutely and I think the thing is you make one error on this circuit because it's such a fluid track it exaggerates it so much you can see what happened he just snapped it to Too Much angle there's no recovery there's nothing you can do you've just lost your momentum and once you lose the momentum the only way you can gain momentum is by pulling the handbrake for a long time and somehow rescuing it it started off with such promise to this first Corner lots of speed lots of angle but when he transitions back here as you mentioned that he starts to come a little bit on too much angle misses this inner Zone and this is where it all starts to go wrong as he transitions because on the left foot break he unwinds the car and as it transitions Bap big snap and now he's in the wrong place on the track all together and he's like oh no what am I doing over here so he's got a handbrake and try and get himself back into it again you can see here in absolutely no man's land and you know what he's been putting in phenomenal runs in practice so this is not a good representation of his talent but when the pressure's on I mean it's easy to do a couple of practice runs because you know it doesn't mean anything but when you get to qualifying and you know you're a wild card and there's only so many spots in that top 32 that's when you can start seeing uh unforced errors appear and we did there with teamwork Nipsey well certainly I know you got to remember 16 years of age and really only starting out on his drift or his competitive drifting journey and you know I certainly wouldn't be a capable of down at 34 years of age never mind exactly 51 on the board Eddie we struggled with the rental car from the airport to the Airbnb and this man's throwing it around at 16 years of age we have to take our hats off to that and the teamer's gonna have to try and get it all done in the second half for qualifying as Christian samre is now on the start line the Estonian 42 years of age so a lot older than our previous driver but uh it's hope that experience counts for something here is he's got a NASCAR engine BMW as you do just a thing that happens in drifting there that we all accept it shouldn't have to make sense and he has got a ton of Power with that as well 800 horsepower and great runner in Finland to see if he can improve on that here coming in with a lot of speed yes coming in with a lot of speed and a lot of experience under his mouth look at this is full commitment absolutely obliterating that outer zone and see now Christian salmery tries to hook this up through the final sections really nice run so far can you switch it back onto the wall nice he certainly can as he looks to fill that final Elder Zone and what if it is from a camera shot just showing you that full length of that outer zone so long it's so difficult for these drivers to be fully committed all the way through there but it's crazy doing a fantastic job it's like that wall never ends it's just the longest outer zone War run ever and not a lot of angle I mean maybe that's a tactic he's using that he doesn't have maybe the power so he's trying to throw the car with a little bit more momentum than speed but uh again as you mentioned that he missed that inner Zone it's a strange when a lot of drivers missing it he went up on the curb there as well again to get this track perfect all the way through is a real challenge it's not an easy track and you know any moment you hit occur but you get a little bubble or you're going through much angle it hurts you for the rest of the run and you can see here for uh Samurai that he does a good job is it a great job probably not but I think for these first couple of runs maybe it's about getting scores on the board because we're going to see a lot of people score quite a little big big mistakes yeah certain and uh the track you may not even be able to see it from the cameras but it's so narrow that in a split second if you're late on your transition is gonna show a huge huge difference out on the circuit and you can be just you know a fraction of a second off in when you transition and that can lead to you being meters away from any of those in or outer zones and I think that's what we're seeing from some of these guys they've been out of the car for a long time big gap between their final practice runs and now jumping back in for qualifying and the track's pretty hot I mean the temperature here is weird so the trees hang over the first two corners which means that it actually gets quite loose there and then when you come past those trees you're onto a very sticky surface where all of the cars run Full Throttle so you get these different surface changes and grip levels right throughout the course as well so a lot going on especially when you're at that speed to try and keep it all together so uh we wait for the scores to drop in got a score for Christian summary or wait no it's okay we got time we all need a breather everyone needs to breathe already because it's uh it's pretty hot it's pretty hot out here it's pretty hot heavy out here and I'll tell you one thing what I do love about this truck is that um that commitment to Full Throttle for the first three or four zones you never really see that in drifting where you're Full Throttle all the way through and what the guys are saying is they're they're transitioning the car on Full Throttle which is also something I've never even tried in a drift car but it seems pretty scary there you have it the best dressed man in front of Estonia 58 on the board for Christian Sam right he's uh that's a beautiful suit I gotta I gotta give it to him he's looking good but the score not so good he's in six at 12. we haven't you know Barra James Dean we haven't seen someone you know light up the scoreboard maybe it's our next driver will be Max Miller beautiful Carl from the Ukrainian Max Miller a thousand horsepower 2JZ F22 F22 Series this thing is all carbon Kevlar beautiful yeah absolutely mind-blowing how they can get the car down to such a low weight but here we go Max Miller fires into that Arizona look at the commitment as he drops the wheel into the dirt kicks up a little bit of dust but he's straight back on it does let it upset the line a little bit of a waiver as he comes through inside zone three but gets deep there we're all part of the curb look at this full commitment and the car a little bit unsettled as Max Miller now tries to recover from that contact with the curb gets its safety across the line but look at the car Dave certainly that got to be up there with one of the most you know it's okay in our comments you know it's he says the most beautiful thing about the car is the driver so that gives you a taste of how much of a fun guy Max Miller is he's always smiling around the back as well he takes it seriously on the track and not off which I quite like that combo and this car beautiful I think without that curb hit Eddie we could have been looking at a huge run here yeah the only thing he was almost trying a little too hard he said if I just go a little bit closer to the edge and then boom hits it he does recover from it it will be a good score I think a very committed run look how close he is to that wall but just making a few errors and again it's a simple one that car most drivers would have fallen apart at that point he does recover but he misses the first half of the next set of Zone because of it so a recovery from what was going to be an exceptional run a little tidy up for the next one I think this could be right up there so there are lifting in the inside wheel off the ground there's that much suspension travel on the rear end of the car and that much grip and then as he hits this curb I imagine he's going to lift all sorts of wheels off the ground but look at that the front just pitches up the back bounces along and that is complete that curve is red and white ladies and gentlemen that's how many tires have been on it today 77 on the board for Max Miller from the Ukraine he's into second position so far a nice run could I could see that being up in the you know near the 90s if you hadn't hit that curve so it's very positive now these things these two Supras from two other guys are racing it from Switzerland are absolutely phenomenal the first up is pismeyer and we had a look around them they are incredible these these things have more technology in them than the plane we flew here on it is incredible bill it's taking it to the next level they are brand new carbon fiber A90 supers two of them in competition let's see how he gets on they said they're struggling a little bit with them always right to the edge of the track here does okay though yeah certainly no signs of struggling so far Dave for eavesmeyer as he rips up this circle there you see just starting to fall a little bit shallow not filling those outer zones in front of the grandstand and then he comes through this final wild section looking to try and weld the judges and just crawl back as many points as he can after those slide errors we're going to call them slide errors Dave because you know what fully committed throughout that whole run yeah what I love about this car is this car comes with about 350 horsepower standard with a b58 the same engine they've managed to get 1010 horsepower to be 58 of this with a big old tank of nitrous in the back and a lot of rebuilt Parts but these are beautiful cars we had to look around them as I said before in the break and it's just you know it you'd live in them they're not perfectly put together and they have so much technology to try and make them go but they also said that with all of that new development comes a little bit of practice and these guys are practicing they're with probably the highest level of drifting in the world so not an easy place to come and test these cars so good job from these Meyer it is okay as you said extending a little bit on angle in certain areas it looked a little awkward through the center section he's going to lose some score for that but there's a lot of potential here for a great run later on so score n it is a 64 for use Meyer and these guys have competed you know in you know over the water and Formula Drift they've been a huge uh influence in drifting right throughout Europe and us as well and if you like the last car you're gonna love this one because same car except as Joshua Reynolds driving this one a Swiss driver and again it is another he actually got somehow another 20 horsepower he has a 1033 horsepower so I don't know what same car a couple of hours maybe a different dining maybe that's a little worse so here comes Joshua Reynolds in his gr super b-58 powered you say it thousand 33 horsepower at his disposal and using every last bit of a just a little bit wide as he drops the wheel over that white line coming through out his own one now but look at this gripping it up as he brings it an ICU board in front of the grandstand perfect on that fourth outer zone and then just starts to fall away from him as you lose a little bit of his outer line drifting in and out of that final Zone but gets it across the line another good run in the Box yeah I spoke to the guys about these new bills these new chassis these these A90 supers and Peter guns of course building one very recently and having the same you know conversations that they can get the car to have the power and the grip but the steering seems to be just a little bit different on these than you know an s body or a Sylvia or whatever else you may see out there a BMW so um even though they're technically kind of are a BMW but they're a brand new chassis so a lot of guys saying they can't get the setups you know there's not a 10 or 15 year development cycle here for them to just copy and paste from someone else that's built one before of course we've seen Frederick Osborne the US you know take one but he's had it more development probably than anybody and quite a different setup than these guys are running too so it's going to take time for these guys with the A90 supers to get them to the highest level of competition but I think it's not going to be too far away I think you know one or two seasons we're gonna see these cars right at the top of the game and it's nice to see brand new chassis that are still available to buy brand new in the store in the showroom right now out here drifting with over the thousand horsepower which seems ridiculous 58 on the board for Joshua Reynolds from Switzerland in ninth position so far we're looking for those scores to creep up a little bit and either just kind of sitting around the 50s 60s and 70s I expect in this reverse time tour to see things starting to pick up and we might see a pickup right from the off here as our next driver takes to the line and Toby has pushan and Tobias tushan had a great old run out in Finland so let's even keep that momentum going 760 horsepower e92 I'm not afraid to throw it into that first corner here Enrique here he goes through the chicane up through the gears and it's a terrifying first band it really is terrifying for these drivers but they seem equal to it oh is that a spin almost yes certainly just going too hard maybe for Tobias and that is really going to ruin that run for him as he tries to recover some momentum look at this you can just see how vicious those curbs are everything just going wrong right from the off there for Tobias pose Channel and that is not the way to continue your momentum from the previous round and he would be absolutely furious with himself yeah I think he he went in too hot and then he lost his momentum maybe he lost a little bit of the mental fortitude as well of you know maybe just kind of he held on here very well because if you don't keep on the throttle there you can push yourself to the inside you're going to the wall so he gets away with that but to try and start the run again from here you don't know what speed you're going at you don't know what's happening because you're starting from a dead stance and he went way too fast locked it up and he sent this thing way into the grass in the gravel zero on the board first zero qualifying if I'm not mistaken I think you're correct on that one yeah first zero he won't uh be delighted to have that title yeah that's the first not the first you want to be of anything is again a zero but I I feel that's why it's pushed in we'll put push on for the next run the boot LED there just saying exit in the chat there as it came into the grass move on to our next driver it is going to be magic jakovich from Poland yakovic is uh I'm not sure if he's the oldest driver on the grid but I think at 52 I'd give it a good guess a lot of experience really fun guy to be around in the pits 800 horsepower and he's got that you know that Chevrolet Camaro boss front on this S14 is that a I think I would say a mixed bag of results in drift Masters over the last two years he says he really just wants one good round get that momentum going to get that confidence build up and well you know Dave it's difficult when you are 52 years of age to be competing up against you know 16 17 18 year old guys who are in their Prime you know no fear and uh you know what I like the fact that he's still out there rocking it showing that he's got a little bit of life left in the old dog but can he put in a top qualifying run here because I know that would make him absolutely thrilled yeah I think one of the biggest things for uh Magic is that he's struggled a little bit qualifying that's been his weak point I mean when he gets to the battles he seems to really Excel but qualifying not as strong in the suit I think again there is no like safe run you just gotta go with that is you gotta qualify well if you want to get as far as those battles so what can you do as he leaves the line nice wide line so far as he just fires through and appears through the woods and Now setting himself up for the grand Town section this has been nice run so far hitting those outer zones and fulfilling them well no problems with the curb as he comes by Arizona five but a big error there just as he comes towards the wall and it all falls apart Dave yeah when you hear the groans the universal groans from the judges when they were because they were on he was on for a good score there he had done absolutely everything he needs to do and I'm gonna say it out loud he messed up the easy bit so he's done all the hard bit when he got all you do is pull the hammer and go up onto the wall he would have been fine look at this out to the outside of the track this is the perfect line to that first Corner as he transitions back you're thinking who's this Djokovic that we've seen it comes through the inner zone AutoZone absolutely perfect he plays a little bit with the Hamburg getting it out to the next header Zone but this is excellent look at that right to the edge of the circuit touching the curb the judges liked it adjusts the car beautifully here and you're thinking well it's home and dry now my check you just gotta get to that wall and go home and as he transitions watch the car grips up does he miss a gear I think he misses a downshift that's what happens yeah I think he's going down the gear I think you're right there he goes I mean he comes out he's in neutral so then he's got to start again it has to be that because it's a very unusual mistake to make I think that is a downshift error and which will be kicking himself for that one he certainly will because it seemed as though he had nothing left to do but just finished the run very unfortunate but he will have one run left and an opportunity to put things right oh for sure I think magic now knows that he can do the track with me there's no issue there are 50 on the board I think that could have been up in the high 80s if you just not made that downshift error in the last uh wall run so let's hope you can do that for the second half of qualifying as we move along to our next driver on the grid it's gonna be Henry hamper Henry with I think one of my favorite aesthetically pleasing cars on the grid he's jumped from his Mercedes E-Class into the little swapparoo with Felix inval he's now in a and that's 15 and Henry Harper yeah he's the x-finish champion at 2JZ 800 horsepower on this car is giving all sorts of trouble in Finland but let's hope they have those Graphics work out here yeah but he's coming for a big fast entry here he dials on the angle now as Henry hamper looks to set that qualifying board a light with a big run here but ever so slightly off that Arizona four now and it just gets a little bit wide angles you're on the Line Rider just not perfect you can see just messes him up as he comes through the final section he's backed out of it Dave backed out of it Henry hamper something about that car again I think that's a new build for Henry Hanford you can see the frustration in the cabin there and something definitely went wrong with that car again I mean the same issues in Finland when you see that frustration you know it's not driver error no I mean generally people are more open to blame the car than themselves that's just kind of a racing driver thing but Henry hamper coming through that whole course it just looked like the car was fighting him a little bit of times definitely not a lack of commitment anyway no certainly not no lack of commitment whatsoever from hamper but as you say you can have all the commitment but if the Machinery is not working right with you then sometimes just that 30 second run could be too long and there you go a second zero on the board you can see it hand put his score on that one out of here too early for that too early for that we'll move it along unfortunately Henry Hapa not scoring I'm really hoping he gets back out gets a very strong second score I love that car moving on to our next drive it's gonna be David karkoshik let's check from Poland who has had so many podiums across Europe it's a strange that we haven't seen him on one in quite some time in drift Masters he's been struggling a little bit with his S15 770 horsepower 2JZ pretty uh interesting setup but uh looking for a turn of four should get back on form here you know he's uh he hasn't shown it in a couple of rounds and I feel like he's done all the potential very early initiation for him oh wow drops out of that other Zone a little bit early but gets back in and again as he transitions through the center section of the car collecting that inner Zone outer zone this is where people are struggling with this curb he's coming very fast he's in trouble here he's gone and that is the problem you go too fast too aggressive and you're out of the game yeah you know so unusual we seen kakashik in the past just you know performing to such a high standard and you know we know that he's capable of competing with the likes of James Dean and Peter vysek when it comes down to it and to see him making unforced errors like that perhaps just not having the confidence uh in in the in recent times and you know unfortunate to see yeah drivers I think they go through periods of being confident and you know maybe just lacking that and it shows out on circuits well you'll always see someone who gets a pose Podium you know driver gets a Podium out of nowhere all of a sudden with a different driver they start to believe hey I am good enough to win this I am so you know maybe a result that Kakashi didn't want there but I'm sure we'll see him out with a stronger Run for the second half but uh he goes to me it sure you can see it from the camera and goes instantaneously if you go too fast past outer zone four very hard to slow the car down and you hit that curb you're going straight off into the grass in the gravel as two drivers you know we had no zeros for a while now we're talking a few of them up as we move to our next driver which will be Alexander kosov from the Ukraine the great runner in Finland a couple of weeks ago I'll be honest I wasn't too familiar with them now I'm a big fan great driving style good twin battle style let's see if we can continue the form 850 horsepower [Music] and a good score here well he'd be looking to do just that Dave as he fires through that first some look at this started so nicely on the first Air Zone but just started to come a little bit shallow and now looking back up as he comes in front of the grandstand big angle to angle but it's sacrificing the line and he's missing those all-important outer zones and again you just see another driver who's just inches away from Perfection but not getting it hooked up the way he would have liked and again crosses the line I feel as though the judges will be looking at that run and saying that is not what we want to see from a lead driver when it comes to the battles tomorrow afternoon so you can see it from the crowd slow Club it's a slow clap run it's like well done but not not amazing so it was a good run not a great run and you can see as Alexander kosov comes through here you know what he actually did a very nice first start throw I think technically there was nothing too wrong with this I think actually now in second look it's actually a little better than I first thought he was actually really close to the edge of the track there just missing that outer zone and again if you look at that running kakash it's two opposites you know too deep and then two shallows so a lot of drivers struggling to know which is the best way to approach that section of the track but I think Alexander will score a 67. it's okay see the style is okay but the line's being dropped a little bit there so Alexander got to pick a little bit of that up for the second half of qualifying as we move back to the start line Norbert zamich sits up there and enormous damage Feast for a family this is guys you're going to be top qualifier or hold on you know take two steps back from the fence Norbert goes a hundred percent every time I love his driving style representing Hungary and over 27 years of age and he is 800 horsepower 800 horsepower so this is eight Norman he goes into this first corner but look at the wash on the first corner from Norman he goes to the edge of the gravel yeah you can't be more committed than normal damage was right there kicking up the dirt as he fires now in front of the ground side but again Dave another driver getting it right through the first three sections but then just not timing those transitions property and a massively impacts the remainder of the run and the latter half of the room but he gets it into that deep in towards that wall section and safely across the line and running the Box Dave but not the run that normal damage was looking for no I mean I think he went in as hard as anyone inside for a score and he made it work it you know he even dropped the wheel but again he's he's pushing right that's the whole point he's on the edge and this is great then all of a sudden you get to hear and you go what's going to go wrong well the next Saturday goes wrong it comes way too shallow there and as he transitions back he kind of Misses up this whole area hero so it's trying to get all these sections of this course together seems to be the problem some guys nailed the first Quorum some guy's name in the second some beautiful on the wall but we want to see people putting those three sections together and that's what's going to score you above an 80 on the circuit so an Orbitz damage would await his scores from the judges it's a 68 another 60 mid 60 score kind of on the on the board very similar to Alexander kosherhoff that went before him and we are waiting for those big scores to come in from someone will it be Christian erlinson to set the scoreboard light the next Swedish Champion 1088 horsepower in a very small Subaru of BRZ and that 88 means it makes all the difference Eddie it certainly does that 80. 88. you got to be precise this is a precise sport Dave you can't uh argue with it for being precise about the figures as he leaves the line for his first run and if there's a driver who can light up the scoreboards it certainly is Christian erlinson and he's doing just that so far tears through the first two outer zones and look at the line from but again Dave just not hooking it up from inside Zone tree to outside zone four and the rest of the run just becomes that much more difficult flirting with the wall in the final Zone and gets himself across the line he's going back to the pits thinking do you know what there's a lot more left me I need to find something special if I'm gonna beat at the top level here this weekend yeah the grand says absolutely packed for qualifying here in Rio we are sold out Eddie sold out no more tickets even Eddie couldn't get a ticket he was trying we had to sneak it in so look me in the back in the back door because this is the standing room only all the seats are only put three more grandstands in gone sold out so we got 10 000 people here in Riga this weekend waiting to see these guys throw down and Christian are on Central now pretty good but uh I think I can see the problem right there on your screen for Christian Erickson is he cannot see where he's going the amount is smoked in the cabin look at this crazy there's no no room to see you using the force he's using the force through the last couple of sections there very cool car as we as Ian would always say the fastest mocha around the track and uh beautiful car I love the color scheme Christian's such a good dude as well but snappy transition in the middle of the course it cost him the line and it's going to cost them the score too and the judges you know as much as they're fun guys outside they're very serious at these scores so 69 on the board it's not the worst it's still a fourth position so far we've watched some other drivers struggle a lot more but it seems to be I think that first section with the sort of darkness and the shadow of the trees making it quite you know quite loose and then all of a sudden they come to the center section and it's really grippy it seems like they're struggling with that Arizona four on the transition we move on to the star line again and our next driver up is going to be [Music] 26 years of age 850 horsepower 2J in this S14 got a lot of style tin fan he's gonna need every bit of it here to get a good score from the judges yeah he's coming in hot day really really hard to explain fanort as he absolutely fires that S14 through the first section of the circuit now as he carries huge huge speed and nailing that fort out his own but look it is a big straighten as he tries to get from clip or outer zone four to outer zone five with that effect scoring he shuts it down big shot down there and he backs out of the Run perhaps problems with that car he was really on fire there through the first few sections and then just as he comes past the grandstand you'll see that car starting to straighten and perhaps some mechanical problems with the cars we take a look back at the replay here yeah it has had some issues with this car over the last couple of rounds and you know they're just so highly strong these machines you know we've watched a couple of engine failures through practice and you're taking you know three liter cars or you know 2.5 liter cars or whatever it may be I'm trying to get a thousand eight hundred horsepower them they are pushed to the absolute limit and the real hard part of this track is how much that engine is being used so as you see with uh Clinton there the car is on Full Throttle for a huge amount of time so it's rev limiter full thrall engine max power and maybe the ECU shut the car down maybe it overheated something along those lines but a zero on the board for Clinton as he does not complete his first run of qualifying so sad to see we never want to see the car take the driver out but that happens more often than not here in drift Masters as we move to an interesting story on the star line all the way from Israel it's it takes the dash 16 years of age 16 years of age wow 800 horsepower E46 in the European drift championship this it's just the stuff dreams are made of Eddie and this guy has been looking for formal here he's not been finding it but he says he's really fake comfortable on the shark look like it's a crazy initiation this kid's going for yeah really crazy and it's either going to work perfectly or cause absolute Havoc for him but he seems to be making it work to him as it is outer zone nice job like the line that he carries here a true out of zone five and then deep into the final Zone look at this look at the wall can he keep it there the whole way around he certainly can't look at that camera shot love that view you could just see how committed these drivers are having to be through that final section and I think for a taste of that a 16 year old from Israel he is going to be buzzing after that one yeah actually met the crew uh before we actually got to the event such a nice bunch of people around there did a bunch of friends over from Israel and it's amazing that you can see the concentration in his face there this is frightening stuff but he does really well and I like the way he's controlled the transition on the left foot break and he sort of figured out what a lot of other people haven't you know slow the front of the car down give yourself plenty of time and this is a great job watch the front lock up there just gets him beautifully threw that out of his own I think it's going to score pretty high I don't disagree with you Dave I think this is going to be a big one right up there certainly contending for I'm going to say top 10 anyway I would agree and I think the one thing about a Tay is that he's you know he's a new driver to the championship he's a rookie he's out there he doesn't really have any expectations nobody expects him to be winning that's what happens when you win a few rounds you get a lot of expectation and pressure but right now with age is out there learning from the best he said I'm out here driving with you know Dwayne McKeever Peter Vine SEC you know James Dean this is what it's all about getting experience from them chasing them in practice and a 74 on the board for a tasted out from Israel puts him into third position I'll tell you one thing that is not a bad score that could even be enough in the end to get him into battle action tomorrow so we'll see how things play out well judging by the scores we've seen so far certainly looking like it could be enough for a top 32 and he still has one more run to go so if you say that would be more than likely he's conservative Ron what has he got left in the tank well we will see later on as we move it back to the start line where it's Felix Linville the Swedish driver yeah classic uh E-Class Mercedes you know we can't move for them in drifting uh so this was Henry hapless old car and then Felix dinwell letting go of his S15 and then a little Switcheroo but Harry have her get the next 15 and now he's got any class to see so does it make sense does that make sense he's out here and this car seems to work really well on this Riga circuit yeah and it's working really well so far as well right now from Felix as he fires through the first few seconds look at the speed that he's carrying nailing those outer lines and a big flick transition there as he throws it up onto the curb nice but keeps it going you can just see him battling the steering though as he tries to manage the corrections a little bit of an upset cars probably not hit with the car but he gets it across the line you know what for the first two thirds of that track that's one of the best laps I've ever seen a Riga that was phenomenal from Felix linvale and he just had a little error coming to the last Arizona on the wall but that's going to be a big score I think I mean the speed the angle the aggression through the course everything was the way you would want it to be and Lin Val I did like towards the end that he designed his own Mercedes have you ever seen an E-class compact well you have now because he absolutely buried that thing in the wall towards yet to the Run yeah look at this right on the edge of the circuit yeah right in the edge of the circle but as you say they have a compact but it's still longer than all the other cars on the grid and just an incredible machine but look at the speed that he carries you can see the wheel speed on the replay they're really high as he just switches his Focus throwing that card deep and you know what catching that curb probably just as much as you can without going off the circuit yeah look at like this this part here he just transitioned to the wall a little bit I would say gingerling would be the right word but an 83 on the board and every bit deserved the whole star of the Run was phenomenal and Felix going into second position you know what that's going to take a lot of nerves off him now because that score could be enough just to get him into top 32 action so he can throw caution to the win on the second Amanda cannot afford to throw any caution to the win this weekend is Adam salehski not the perfect start to his season mechanical issues plaguing him through the first three rounds Adam sandovski says this is the weekend do or die for getting himself up into the top 10 of the championship but you know what dude he's got to start here he's got to pull something out of the bag here in Riga this weekend because you know what you need to remind people that Adam zazlevski is one of the best drivers on this grid before you forget what can he do here at round four first runner qualifying and he's nailing it so far he's coming in really hard huge angle but it's costing them it's costing them on that intersection just runs a little bit wide but he gets straight back on and filling those air zones now and looking to go fully committed in that awesome GT86 they get it across the line and you know what not a bad place to start if you're looking to find a little bit of confidence find a little bit of form that wasn't a bad run no to settle the nerves once again for Adam zalevski you're absolutely right and I don't think it's nerves really I mean Adam Tedeschi I don't think he's an ex-european drift Masters champion I mean this is a guy that's done it all but that car has not been working correctly this year meaning that it does knock your confidence not in your ability but in your ability will the car make it through the run and at the moment it looks like it is making it through the run if they've ironed at a couple of those problems you're right missing that inner zone is probably going to hurt a big big score but everything else looks like looks like he's comfortable he's capable and the car is working the levski will be someone that uh I think we want to watch out for if he's in that angry form that he wants to prove a point he's a tough competitor to come up against when you gotta say for anyone in the top six they'd be looking at Adam zalevski as a driver that you don't want to come up against in the top 32 top 16. he's more than capable of winning this event in his own right so certainly one just like James Dean who could cause a serious upset we see the score dropping in and 83 on the board for Adam zalevsky right where he wants to be out there from him in the second one I think he's going to go out there and try and top qualifying I think he's got that that uh that one out of the way next up we have Michael Reinhardt from the Czech Republic he's a multiple check Champion he's got a thousand horsepower and he's definitely one of the craziest people I've ever met drifting he's always smiling he had I saw him on one of those uh one of those one-wheel scooter things that you know those kind of hoverboards oh yes with a knife and fork on one of them scooting by me there later on I was like this guy this is the guy I'd be worried about if I was going against he's wild he's unpredictable he's also one of the the coolest guys on the grid but he's coming in very fast into that first but I'm dropping out of that outer zone in this yeah coming in hard and it just cost him as he said he didn't get that line fully right wasn't able to fulfill that outer zone as he dials on big angle and again just not fulfilling out of zone five now as he tries to finish up the style hooks it up nicely with the wall here and just is there a better shot in drifting than that final section here in in Riga and this year looks even better with the whole grandstand behind it looks amazing Michael Reinhardt definitely buried the car into the wall halfway through the episode as advertised Michael Reinhardt does not leave the car in one piece for a heart of qualifying just drops it I mean as you said it gets around the track but is he really getting all the zones not particularly he's kind of flirting with them the line is pretty good but he's not precise this is a little bit of breaking here I think hurt him a little bit on that other Zone as well and then as he transition back again it was a little shallow I'm not saying I want Mike Reichard to push too hard because we all know what happens then but what I'm saying it's just yeah it could be a little bit more fluid um not a bad one though nothing too crazy just watch this here hits the wall a little heavier than he'd like had to readjust on the front brake just to but again look how good a driver he is and he can hit the wall just touch the front brake and bring it back online again so my garage but all the experience I'm not sure he's going to get all of the scoring here no and I mean we're being very particular as well I mean these runs are all crazy in their own right at 72 on the board drops in for Michael Reinhardt that'll put him into seventh position temporarily in the scheme of things it's not about score certainly not um but we are being critical because we want to give you guys at home the same opinion that the judges are going to give here because they're very precise and then there's no fun in them at all so they are over there just saying we want Perfection that's what we expect that's what the 100 point is going to be Manuel Vaca sits on the star line from Italy in his s54 turbo E36 940 for this car has all the power in the world sometimes the feelings are trying to track back the other way because I'll start line at the fair about but he has got all the power to take on this first form with Alana Gusto your interest very early and makes it work but drops very deep yeah makes it work early on but can't just hold it out of the zone is just so long about 100 meters and if you don't get it right from the start you're gonna have problems and Manuel vacuum now as he comes into that final outer zone just looking to fulfill that and try and pull back some of the points that he lost in the first few sections of circuit and again not the run that he would have been looking for some thinking to do as he goes back to the pits the 41 year old Italian out here having some fun in Riga but you can see very early on is he makes very big commitment very fast entry into this corner but Justin maybe holds the handbrake just that's slight little bit too long it just pulls them back into that inside lined it yeah it went a little early and again if people are watching at home and they all want to know what's going on with it so do you see these zones these boxes they ideally want the drivers to put two wheels through those right now if you've got one three wheel through it that's pretty good little deduction not major you put no wheels through it big deduction um and of course now first coin you'll see a box on the inside of the corner and they definitely don't want you to see any Wheels in that so they're almost erasing the inside of the corner saying don't go there that's not your place so you'll see on the outside of the wall there that white line they really want the car with two wheels in it and man will only really getting the two wheels in there towards the very end of the run so let's just you know to make it visually easier for everyone of course then those boxes disappear as they tornado through them with load of grip and tire smoke and you don't see the boxes anymore but Mama Lavaca will await his score from the judges for his first qualifying run what do you think Eddie what do you think scoring you know what I'm gonna say maybe 60s we don't usually do this we don't usually pickle because we aren't really watching it technically like that no I was very hired from the camera angle that we had to see the final section but yeah it wasn't perfect no but you know what it's just nice to see if we're on the same page of 57 so we're just generous we're just super enthusiastically generous I'm just happy to be here 57 on the board Manuel Lavaca uh we'll probably need to get a second run score in there to be guaranteed battle action tomorrow for the main event and that of course is the most exciting part of drift Masters when two cars go head to head but getting there in the first place could be trouble for a lot of these guys Jacob crawl is on the line now he is a two-time Polish drift Champion 800 horsepower in this e462 Jason he had a bit of a an interesting couple around here he said moments of Brilliance he said moments where he's kind of fallen off likes the track here in Riga I've watched him do some runs this morning I feel confident in his ability here that the car is working see if you translate that into a great score yes let's get ready to crawl here for Jacob as he fires it through the first section now full commitment and you can just see hooking that up really nicely really perfect line almost through the first few sections gonna keep this going one of the best runs we've seen so far here very fluid very fast flirts with the carb and it just upsets them you can see just how accurate you need to be at that hour zone five if you want to get a perfect into the final section James Dean still sitting on that 89 at leading the qualifying sessions so far but what kind of yakub crawl do now you know what not a bad run I liked it there was a lot of commitment that initiation for me was pretty much spot on he timed it lovely you see that rear wheel both Wheels in that outer zone all the way through doing a great job and watch as he transitions here it looks like you got the timing absolutely spot on as he comes through here oh just flown with the curb front wheel oh yeah inner zone no problem at all and then very difficult for a lot of drivers to get this out of zone four so all the way through here excellent from yaka Pro he's gonna score really really high transitions back to the more technical section of the course a lot of drivers struggling with this he's right on the edge just bumps that curb just a little bit and right here just a little bit earlier I think on the transition I have to kind of work the car into the handbrake but other than that there is not many mistakes on that run from yaka Pro which I think will put them right up the top of the scoreboard maybe not the top or right up at the top no I think that final little mistake there and it was only a small error but it could be the Difference Maker as we await that score to drop in will it be enough to beat James Dean's 89 it certainly is a 93 for a Jakob crawl yeah we thought it'd be up towards the top it was right up the top from our judges Jacob Pro get a knife and there you have it I told you this is the season totally unpredictable you have no idea what's going to happen because I like the run from start to finish there was a little Zoo scenario that could have been up in the 96s and sevens if you hadn't done that incredible we move on to Pavel corporinski a Polish driver who is all about top step for qualifying this guy is only going for that whether he gets her or not we'll find out but that's what he's aiming for he's not looking to just get a simple score here this could be a big one no certainly not a man who likes to leave it all out on the circuit and starts this one off in Flying Fashion the pole coming here this weekend with aspirations to take home the crown of the king of Riga and we're qualifying runs like this look at this full commitment really nice wide line set it up fine for the final section perfectly and now he looks to get deep into that final Zone buries the rear end of that car into the wall and gets himself across the line a man on a mission here is probably and we have seen him top qualifying in the past we've seen him on podiums here in drift Masters yeah I mean beautiful run I mean if there's one word to describe it it would be fluid everything was just super smooth it didn't look like he made any errors a lot of speed a lot of precision um I'm not sure if he got that in his own there but he was very close to it everywhere else to me looked absolutely spot on and I know that it's gonna be another big score here I think very fluid very fast it looks like he's totally in control of the vehicle the whole way through he looks like he could even push a little bit more if he wanted to there's no point you'd look at Power and say he's holding on here as a passenger he's he's in control of that car the whole way through and that wall were at the end very little errors it was almost like he locked in on one angle and he stayed there the whole way through is going to enjoy that expect another big score here yeah certainly a big score coming true for Pavel corporalinski it's an 83 sees him drop into fourth position yeah he missed that in her Zone Eddie that was what the JoJo says that inner Zone there's one zone there's that one zone they're gonna be hard on it our next driver up will be from Finland and you can already hear the cheers come up from the grandstand because they've closed Finland this weekend they put a sign on the door and said back Monday and they're all here in Riga Finland and they left all their shirts at home as well by the looks and things but they are here this weekend at the party it is the first uh one of our Finnish drivers hit the track 30 years of age Ford Barra powered e-91 the stage that doesn't have to make sense it works really good it means because korby is flying through the trash flying is an understatement absolutely ripping up the circuit but again another driver just going a little bit wide on that inner Zone and now gets up close and personal with the curves what about this incredible looking car and a show car in many people's eyes but look at this throws it onto the wall such an aggressive driving style and the Crowd Goes Wild yeah I mean if they had their shirts on they'd be taking them off to wave them around their head but you know what they got that out of the way earlier they get on they could come with they have the choice of pants or shirts when they made the trip they shows wisely so the thing about me again here is it's wild it's flamboyant he does miss that inner Zone we watch Corp Polinsky missed the same inner Zone he's going to hard to score a little there very well I think that's the big mistake here he almost over rotates the car on the carob watch he's out of control here he's got a stall up how he saves it I have no idea he does a great job of recovering but it is going to be a slower momentum which JoJo is going to look at and say we want that fluidity we don't want to see you stall it up of course Mika losing not only the back end of the car in Finland he lost everything from the B pillar back on the car the roof the rear window the bumper the hole that fell off the car very very tough battle in Finland for Mika Corby and his back the point prove to here Ford Barra engine as well I mean they'll put the Ford six-cylinder turbo engine in a BMW touring I mean is it just to be different I don't know what I mean this is what they had in the yard I don't know it's a crazy build but a 73 on the board for Mika Corpi puts him into eighth position right now good score and uh room to improve for a lot of these drivers also as we move along we are in Reverse Championship order so we will see if our next drivers are able to improve As you move it along it is going to be all of around it and I'm surprised to see Oliver randalu here on the Starlight considering it looked to me like he had a huge fire and an engine failure in practice yesterday but they have obviously put some work in here already I'm not sure how yet this car is going to be but but the team must have been working really really hard to get this car back on the grid and Oliver and blue with limited practice here this weekend is coming for it here in Riga he's going to throw everything at it as he fires down that straight and into that first outer zone full commitment here from the Estonian driver as randalu now trails Big angle in front of the grandson and Dave this is hawking up nice this is setting himself up to be like a really strong run deep into that final Zone full commitment as you can just see him making those slight adjustments on the steering and across the line and the Crowd Goes Wild here loving that one because I don't think they expected Oliver Angelo to be on the start line he had an awful time in practice it was a fire it looked to me like an oil fire which meant some sort of engine problem I mean we were hearing words you know this morning of he's not competing he's not here he's not going to be able to fix it well I don't know what they've done or how they've done it but he's out here and he's swinging like that is a big run with no practice you go out there Full Tilt into that course and Oliver Randy who I think is always you know one couple of moments away from a Podium at an event he's had it before we haven't you know he hasn't been up there this year but uh Randall you gotta have him on the great he brings so much excitement to this championship and that was a great that was probably the best transition we've seen all day from those two other zones towards the last wall just so fluid so committed sometimes though Dave having those problems in practice can lead a driver just to completely Focus just on trying to get the car back together 72 on the board for Oliver Rand Luke going to be delighted with that he didn't think he was even going to make it too qualifying today but here he is now put it in his first run and you know what that's a pretty big score for a guy with very limited practice absolutely as you're moving along to our next driver it's going to be uh point deluxo from Finland the two-time Finish Champion 850 horsepower advisor down ready to go is yuha here in the Finish fans again start to get up off their seats because you has another driver that can deliver on the grandest stage of them all yeah you're looking really focused here as he is as he enters fires that cap it just comes out of outside Zone one just that touch early and you just see the speed but more of a rolling burnouts time as he comes through the circuit not looking as fast as maybe some of the other drivers as he makes the transition back there walking the wall and into that final outer zone LeBron James Goes Wild as you have poitolaxo crosses that line yes good run very very you know it's a very competitive driver he's someone we've watched take down the biggest names in the game at times and you know what I feel what you have when he's in the zone for a weekend it's hard to unsettle him this is another one of those where I think that first corner is so vital and he did a good job was he all the way out he drops the wheels out of it just at the end I think it's as you said a lot of smoke a lot of wheel speed but it's not a lot of momentum and that's what the judges are looking for that visual speed you know through the track on that he pointed that thing shred tires when it goes on angle and there's a lot of power over 850 horsepower of this BMW I mean maybe it's a tactic you know not to be too gripped up on this track so you've gotta you know they're not as knife edge you can see a little bit of an error there in the car as he hits that pump which doesn't look like much from the outside but I can guarantee you in the car it's like hitting a speed bump halfway through the course yeah when you are hitting that bump at such speed while trying to keep a car on angle or change direction and you see judges enjoying that run from you have poitelaxo and az2 and az2 for him on his first run and the driver certainly capable of improving that score on his second run yeah to finish fans loving that run that's for sure look at those guys they are the wildest fans we've ever seen interesting they just can't I guarantee no matter where you go and drift in the future will be some Finnish fans there just cheering even if there's no finish people there they just love being part of the sport they add so much to the events Papa Groceries on the start line great turn of form in Finland look really comfortable in Finland in this uh BRZ 750 horsepower and he loves it he loves this track loves this venue let's see if he's gonna love this first run out of qualifying it's been an ambitious first entry though it certainly is big weight transfer entry from about Grouch as he looks to light up the circuit here in Riga and just see him fighting that Dairy now as he tries to keep that car on the correct qualifying line big early transition but he makes it work gets up onto the curve a little bit and again just having to slow that car down into that detailed Zone to try and get it onto the right line before he finishes up through that outer zone and across the line that's good I like today I liked it it was smooth it was fluid I think about grocer has turned the corner of the season I think it's something in the setup of that car the way they're running that car the last two rounds he's looked like a completely different driver and uh he's enjoying himself you got to look at some of these guys in the picture he's smiling are they happy are they enjoying their drifting because then they're the ones that are going to be doing well all weekend because they're the ones that aren't afraid of the track or fighting a lot of different Gremlins could have been a little bit close to that inner Zone other than that I like the run I think you know what I like here is the speed through the center section not a big load of handbrake and a big load of left foot break and he just kind of kept it planted and used the angle to slow the car down I like that approach yeah certainly lots of angle throughout that run and are really enjoyable and eye pleasing eye-catching run you just see flirting with that car but you know what a lot of these teams a lot of these drivers building their experience over the last number of years and really starting to catch up on the top 10 guys and you know what I think towards the latter stage of this year as you see the score dropping in there from Papa Groves 78 for him it's good the 78 is pretty good for a first one I mean it's it's not you're not guaranteed safety but you're not far off it you know I mean if you had a disaster in the second run you can still rely on the first a lot of these guys would like to do so Marco zakarov from the Czech Republic we all remember a couple of years ago we had a very bad fire here in Riga and almost destroyed the entire car would be hoping for fireworks this weekend not engine fires and Sakura with his load-bearing tape keeping most of the back of the car together for how hard he's been driving to practice let's see how Marco from the Czech Republic gets on here yeah the flight time check Champion coming for it here this weekend and looking really aggressive straight from the off feeling that outer zone on entry and keeping it going keeping that line absolutely clear but just comes ever so slightly shallow on outer zone four in front of the ground side but hooking it up nicely now and committing himself putting the rear end of that F-22 nice and deep into the final outer zone and gets himself across that line and styled it yeah crowd liked it I liked it I think Marco zakura likes this circuit this is where we'll always remember the best of Marco's Aqua putting it up against the James Deans and the Peter geinseks he's well capable here of doing that that car is incredibly fast 900 horsepower but not only just horsepower figures the grip level this car has is phenomenal and it works really well here sometimes on the tighter circuits like Finland it can be a disadvantage that car is so hooked up it's hard to drive but here it's looking phenomenal and Marco doing a great job here coming through that's a beautiful shot on the Drone they're absolutely love this and you gotta I think the guys at Red Bull TV for these amazing shots that you just wouldn't see years ago in drifting we're just getting this we're almost getting the feel to speed like we've never have before especially that wide angled view there of the final section nothing like it and you can just see how committed those guys need to be you see the line of smoke just following them around at that final section and an 85 for Marco's Akron Big Score 85 drops in for Marco zakro from the Czech Republic third position so he's right up there with zilevski and Dean at the top of the scoreboard right now where he would be expected to be next thing we go to Max heidrich one of the most uh dangerous drivers I think he's dangerous he's a very nice guy but he's a dangerous driver because he only goes Max everything 11 out of 10 every run we don't know if this could be 105 it could be upside down in the grass you don't know and that's what gives him that edge of excitement everybody says Max Hodges the most crazy driver on the bridge let's see if he tones it down here he goes full speed he's going full speed that's where he's at he's certainly not going to tone it down one a bit big angle big speed big commitment from Max hydridge the German driver and a fan favorite look at the angle Davis he absolutely fires through the circuit oh but dials on just a bit too much angle as he comes through that final section that final transition transition gonna cost him big I think but other than that what about that for a run but he could have driven it easier it was an easier way of doing the track he just went full speed everywhere and the best thing about Max Hydro is he goes there's an easy you would say that I'm not gonna impress anything because I do a terrible German impression but he basically says there's an easier way of doing every track but there's a cool way of doing it and that's the way I'm going to do it irregardless and I think this is probably the most thought we've seen anyone applies for the first two quarters of the track he absolutely blitzes through as full angle full smoke Full Steam every bit of power that Max heidrich has was on that track at that moment but as you said this Snappy transition just towards the end here probably I thought he was going to over rotate the car actually I thought he's going to spin here look he's on full lock stuff there and somehow he manages to make it work I'm pretty sure the angle judge here is just going to go well that's just max angle so we're gonna give it a 10 out of 10. that let's see look at that 19 out of 20 on angle it's an 87 on the board third position I think is it 10 Lost online nothing really lost on ankle in style I absolutely love it and that's Max hardrich all in all great run well if you like style there's another driver here that has a lot of it and the crowd absolutely love him because he's from Finn and his name is Timo beltola and he has got a diesel-powered Mercedes wagon with 800 horsepower hey you know how much torque this thing makes 1200 newton meters of torque that's black and white smoke coming out either end and you have no idea what's about to happen next when the crowd is already going crazy for this timu pelto uh look at this as he fires through the first section what a way to make your entry black and white smoke walking to speed pocket to angle and look at this as he comes in front of the grandstand now and pass to that oh just some slight corrections as he comes through that final section that final transition just catching a few of our drivers but timu pounds in the The Crowd Goes Wild Dave they're loving it we're loving it and guess what some of these drivers are loving it too yeah the Finnish fans absolutely ecstatic a combination of the diesel and the amount of alcohol they've had all day is just the right mixture right now for that uh Melting Pot of a grandstand and I'll tell you one thing Teemo did a great job I mean he didn't lift the throttle until at least two thirds through the course you could hear it here in the flesh he was just on the limiter from the first corner and he never lifted the whole way through you know what people say never lift you just never lift like unbelievable I think with the power he has strange small band of power in the diesel car and he just had to keep it floored and it just looks so cool look at this every because he didn't see too much black smoke because he never let off the throttle to have it actually dump at all so um impressive stuff and you know what a great line too through the course can't take that away from him he was on great angle great speed through everywhere and uh as you said just that little wobble on the transition at the end costing him a little bit but I won't think too much that's not the tank and drifting Dave because I think if you did you'd realize that it's all absolutely crazy and doesn't make any sense whatsoever it doesn't have to make sense it's got a diesel 1200 Newton meter Mercedes and we're here criticizing his accuracy on a competitive drift run and it and then that's how good he is look at the pieces of Tire just flying off an 86 on the board wow for patola from Finland that must be the highest score a diesel has ever gotten in a drift competition at this level and we're here to witness it and those guys there they made their smile there'll be sunburn tomorrow but they're smiling today the Finnish fans having an absolute blast and a team will get it all of his credentials there from the fans great score and we move on to our next driver who has oh she's a boring petrol car oh nothing's right now it is not a dual car whatsoever our next driver up is from Sweden and parties with over a thousand horsepower on a BMW of course it is um in this 2JZ E30 coming in very fast maybe too fast I think oh is he gonna go off the truck somehow stays on it yeah the Swede well able to handle it huge pace through that first section Ruby knife edge but he's made it work can he continue to make it work though through the final sections is where we've seen it fall apart for some of the drivers it's got separates an 80 from a 90. but right now Panthers Hackman doing a huge huge run fantastic job gets it across the line and our Crowd Goes absolutely wild once more dude has to be one of the fastest runs of the day I was 100 sure he was going in that wall on the first Corner because he came in like a rocket ship look at this no slowing down look how look at the edge of the track he's like ah and then he stays on it but he's too wide that's almost two wheels over that white line not a zero but it's going to be a deduction and another driver absolutely pinned through that whole section so a lot of commitment a lot of style out of angle line oh could be a little bit better here we are judging what is essentially the most crazy drifting track in the world as if it's that easy just to oh you know just go there go there do this do that yeah but realistically this any even getting around this track in a rental car which was not drifting it seems scary I struggled to walk it yesterday yeah I thought you wanted to pressure ready it was daunting yeah you came into that first corner to slow down yeah just walked on the grass and said nope missed the inner Zone a 68 on the board 18th position for pontus Hartman as uh yeah a little bit to improve on but we're seeing the scores creep up in that's what it's all about and we are seeing that a lot of the time because we're in Reverse Championship border now here's a man who unfortunately had a massive crash yesterday in practice Eric gotcha and that I mean I'm talking a chassis gone they bring a spare car with the 18 year old and they haven't used it this year but unfortunately today they are using the spare characters they're the one that was absolutely destroyed Eric said he felt a little bit sore this morning but all the safety devices in the car do in their job and it must be daunting going back into this corner at over 80 miles an hour is where it all went wrong yesterday but can you get the job done today it looks like on he certainly can he had to be one thing and that was fully committed through that first corner and any sign up backing down it could have resulted in a similar accident to what he had yesterday but no problems this time around for Eric as he tries to put yesterday behind him and focus all his attention on qualifying and get himself into that top 32 and the 18 year old gets himself across the line the Polish driver doing a really solid job there Dave and you know what not easy after what he experienced yesterday no I mean I thought that was you know I would understand if he was a little shaken and he didn't want to compete and he did I mean he had a probably 70 mile an hour to a dead stop crash I mean that's not nice for anybody not what we want to see but he came back out all The Bravery in the world put the car back on the track this morning different car remind you and he's got to go into that pits and look at that other car every time he goes in there and say that's what can go wrong and you would expect him to come out and be a little bit more timid not so much from Eric he comes out and absolutely blasts through the track yeah huge respect for Eric for what he has achieved just there I mean not just getting a run under his belt is a big win on its own yeah just drop out of a couple of zones towards the end and again it's weird because you would think the first two corners are the really tricky part here but it seems to be this transition into the wall whatever it is with the surface change there they're struggling with it and the 74 on the board for Eric gotcha from Poland 12th position and he's also you know Eric Becky's down with Eric right now Becky big crash yesterday but he's put a one score on the board he must be delighted absolutely Dave Eric my first question to you how are you after yesterday that was a big off yes it was I think I'm I'm okay the car is unfortunately not this is our spare card this is the first time I got to drive within two or three years so it's really been interesting from yesterday but I'm okay and we're pushing forward what is it like going into that first Corner again because this track is intimidating tell me what was going through your mind just then I think on this run that was pretty calm we want to get a good score to to be a little better on the next one but the first corner is beautiful the the feeling you get when you just throw the car in you press the gas and you just wait what happens it's it's amazing excellent that's a great score on the board and good luck for your next run thank you thank you thanks Becky well the one thing I wouldn't describe that first corner is it's beautiful from Sweden he is the uh he's had a couple of Swedish championships he's done pretty well across Europe 800 horsepower S14 and again look at those eyes that's just the focus and the okay mattress around that start line I feel like he's going to jump through the front of the car there let's see how he gets on he's struggling a little bit with grip versus Power here and into the first Corner looks so far like he's having no issues yeah no issues at whatsoever it seems as he tries to negotiate his way around those first few sections very committed looks quite fluid through the circuit so far it does on a little bit too much angle there and it's costing him as he comes towards Arizona five and now you can see that little error affecting him through the final section coming in and out of uh that final Zone and gets across the line if not maybe the room that he was looking for on this occasion and leaving some even some of it out there on the circuit yeah look I mean it's it's a it's a relatively safe run in the way it's a score on the board run I don't know I mean if I was driving at what would I approach it would I Swang right there and just get it you know in the mid 70s and settle the nerves and go big on the second run or do you go big on the first and risk the car and then all of a sudden you're panicked for the second so for me just lacking that bit of impact I think and just through the final sections just maybe dialing on a little bit too much angular times and as you can see here certainly not a bad one certainly not bad but um yeah some issues here and there throughout the Run there's a lot of angle here slowing down and you know he has to transition early but it's the wrong place he's right he does a good job of staying out of that wall and but it's going to put him on the wrong Arc here and again it's going to hurt a score just to give you guys some updates if you're following the championship this year we've missed a first run from oron Nielsen because he's had a mechanical issue and hoping to get out for the second and Dylan Garvey out of the competition 71 on the board for Joachim Anderson I'm just trying to keep everybody updated any lot going on in the pits we're hearing to throw our headsets we're trying to read a thousand information to you guys at home because you know our little brains are trying to a lot going on here a lot of drivers let me tell you one thing about a man who turns off his brain at the start of everyone it's yoga Korea because he is the man that got to the podium in Finland the podium Eddie came out of nowhere because he's struggling to qualify for two rounds and he was the best man on Earth that's right let's see what yoga Korea we get this weekend he's got a Mercedes engine in this car which is absolutely bananas 900 horsepower from this uh compressor engine into c92 and he's absolutely flying through the course here at Diego Korea big angle into those that are zones and he transitions back and look at this no no let up on the other this is where everyone's struggling not so much yoga prayer gets there early and to Yogo a phenomenal driver I've said it once I say it again the greatest driver Fortune has ever produced yeah certainly looking very very excited and feeling the benefits of that Podium Dave the confidence that that could do for a driver huge is he very uh for the fans he's a showman yoga career but he is just a crazy man behind the wheel and every time I watch him drive he has had crashes top qualifying run like he just brings a hundred percent every single run and I love that I love a driver that gives you that level of Goosebumps when he's on track that you're like not sure what's gonna happen next but I cannot take my eyes off and he's one of those drivers that when you're watching practice and you hear his car come in you always look right because you know he's going to do something special well that was a pretty solid run from the yoga career does a good job is it perfect maybe not but it's not far off it and uh I think the judges are gonna be looking behind them on the last corner there there's no one chasing your yoga that's later in the competition so he's having a little look might have gone I'd made a lot of smoke I'm pretty happy with that I love it 89 on the board look at that massive score for Diogo Correa into second position and I gotta say he impresses me more and more every single round uh he hasn't got a word of English so I I can't congratulate him the way I want to tell him I mean he just said and then speaking of another man with absolutely no English to talk to in debates about it is our next driver the Japanese Champion naoki Nakamura already up over the spoiler and here comes Nakamura for another lap of absolute Carnage yeah if ever there was a way to enter the circuit Nakamura explodes onto the scene here in Riga this weekend and absolutely fires that car through the circuit limited practice for Nakamura this weekend but he's making it work as he always seems to do and gets that cat around the circuit Dave have you ever seen anything like it the front quarter breaking off on Entry fever so high yeah the speed was so high the fender left and I think the spoiler spit the fender in half as it went over the car I'm not too sure what happened there watch the front fender just exit the chat as he's oh oh there we go someone forgot to put the cable tie in there the side skirt came off it comes up over the spoiler have you ever seen anything quite like it I think it comes off it goes oh the spoiler splits the side skirt and the fender look at that and he says no problem just keep going weight reduction weight reduction didn't need it didn't eat anyway mid run weight reduction for Nakamura and you know what unfazed yeah okay a lot of handbrake though I think the Judy's gonna look for that they don't want to see a lot of handbrake through the course I think Nakamura using that handbrake just to extend in certain areas uh towards zones and again children will always say that the handbrake only to be used in a deceleration zones not around the course so expect there to be um some issues there with the scoring but I'll tell you one thing I think the judges should give him like one extra point for the most dramatic entry of losing the panels and the over the top and the spoiler and yeah Nakamura huh it's you just never know he's been a great addition to the grid he gets a 71 on the board um and he's easily one of the most exciting people to watch in drifting whether it's for a good or bad reason this season it's been you'll never ignore him because he'll always bring something and a man that said this is his round but it does cheruba always goes well here Riga I met him at the parade yesterday he said yeah I'm feeling it this weekend I'm feeling it this weekend he's done practice he said it's going perfect cheruba not hitting the heights he usually did this year so I'm wondering will this be the turning point for him Eddie as he now takes to the track always qualifies quite well here we're expecting big things yes big things from mature but we know he's capable of doing it in that e92 2JZ 850 breakouts all the Lithuanian Flags in the grandstand they're ready for this one they certainly are and so is Benedictus as he leaves the line very very fast and a little bit of a onshore entry there from Benedictus it wasn't sure maybe what way he wanted to commit to it but it's managed to make it work and very fast through the circuit not the most perfect line that we've ever seen but he gets it deep now into that outer zone as he starts to fill up the arena here with smoke of those and he gets himself across the line yeah do you know what a bit of a big swag there from Benedict yeah I think he tried it too hard on the first Corner when it went into the two ottom he'd be looking at this guy in the bike here is probably going to put in a pretty good score too but see he kind of as you said initiated early but then he drops the wheel off the edge of the track so now he's got to kind of readjust from here that's scary when that happens but he does pretty well to get out of it um but again you know it's such a mixed bag this qualifying session and we talk about the championship so far this year already that it's very hard to sit there and say oh we know what's going to happen because we've got Jacob Crow on top of qualifying just ahead of Diogo Correa James Dean sitting in third position and we still have some of the top contenders to go but it's very hard anymore in top level European drift to say anything is predictable it's expected we've watched some of the biggest names in the game Dropout of qualifying we had Nakamura not qualify at the last round and then if people like Diego Correa who didn't qualify the round before getting on the podium so I think the competition level is just so high now well I think for the last number of years as well Dave a lot of drivers on the grid playing catch up trying to just get the dated get the setups right and you know they're using the information they're growing every round every season and they're starting to catch up and we're starting to see that feed into the results as the rounds progress well that is it we got Firearms here from all over Europe Lithuania Finland Poland Ireland you can see them all Flags in the grandstands it's becoming a real European Affair 79 on the board for Benedict as cheruba as he goes into 11th position the Lithuanian fans applauded but they don't cheer already they would want that to be a little bit higher yes as would Benedictus cheer by himself would we move it back to the starting line where Kevin pascalti sits the Hungarian Champion 22 year old in his e-92 LSX compressor underneath the bottom of this yeah we went to Hungary a couple years ago and he watched that as expectator here he is in the championship punt just a couple of years later Kevin Scotty an incredible rise to the rank and an incredible driver look at this entry is off the track he's on the track and he's full fields to the first corner here in Riga certainly is Full Tilt as he fires through and the line is good so far but again just another driver suffering with getting that car out to outside zone four you see big angle flicks here now just catching them just not that fluid line comes in and out of that final sixth outer zone the judges will be watching that Dave with a Keen Eye going can we duck in points for that because when he hit the walls pretty hard or he avoided hitting the wall because he went on too much iron got it just it looked like he was it was a wild run I'll be honest I mean I'm a fan I mean straight from the off you can see Wheels drops and you get fully committed though yeah I mean I love the wild one because we look as fans of drifting we want to see on the edge Full Steam drifting right we want to see nobody holding back and that's not what Kevin pascotti did there he went Full Tilt as we would say throughout the whole course but he makes errors doing it and that's the hard part you can go for the wild run but if you don't get it technically right the judges will dock you for it and look to me as he came to the wall this was all okay but this is not perfect he hits that late which means he has a late transition which means he's going in the wall here and he has to dial a big angle he Taps the wall and it's a little messy just has to kind of Tidy it up there so it's not fluid I just get a score on the board just get around but there's room to improve 69 for Kevin pascalti he will want to improve from there to follow his form from Finland in here to Riga and back to the line for Kevin pazor massive I would say event in Finland for Kevin's door like we you know saw him creep around the 32 and 16 and so on and he just absolutely went for it in Finland and it showed how good he could be give him the door looking to continue that he's an exporting Champion yeah he said it's just outside that top 10 Dave so a good performance here could see him jump right into contention for the championship this year so what can he do has captain pazor now looks to chase that top qualifying run can he find himself creeping into Nike as well so far so good not the most perfect of transition shoe to the final section but he makes it work and he looks to fill that out of Zone Dave and you know what a really strong one there I think that could be right up there that's great that's a great run from campus I love the fact that he's building on that confidence from Finland he's starting to feel it a little bit um I absolutely love that and the thing about Kevin pazor is that you know he's what we were talking about earlier on in qualifying someone that just needed a result to believe that they could do it and then they keep doing it right so he's one of those guys that's found his farm in Finland and that first run for me I mean that's pretty solid throughout the whole you know as we always say it's not perfect and we are looking for perfect but it's not far off and of course we are heading towards the top 10 of the championship on the first hand to qualifying after this run out this Championship is so wide open right now as a drift fan it's what you wanted you want to be there going I don't know who's going to win it as a casual you know unbiased fan you're sitting there going I don't really care who wins it I just wanted to be a close fight and it has been such a close fight this year oh look at that Kevin bizarre puts a 93 on the board to go first in qualifying we said it was brilliant and it is well if you want to get into the top 10 in the championship Dave that's exactly how you start your weekend first in qualifying so far for Kevin basor and 93 and right now he's out qualifying James Dean yeah I mean Jakob crawl was the man to beat and now it looks like Kevin pazor has gone into that TOP Step and there's some big runs out there now he's got all the potentials he's been all over the world he's a rally Champion he's done so much in his Motorsport career but does he want to win a drift Masters round well that's what he said he wanted to do right now 900 horsepower gr86 carbon fiber blue carbon fiber as he rocks through that first car and transitioning through well he's a world record holder for the fastest drift and if that's not gonna give you confidence coming into Riga then nothing will and this is setting up to be a near perfect drone from pisganski is he absolutely obliterates the circuit filling those outer zones and would you believe it Dave gets across the line with another huge run and things are really starting to heat up here in Riga oh he's so smooth around the strikes good on the other side of the pillow and that's if this guy comes out here every time it doesn't seem to phase him whether it's the fastest corner or the slowest corner and he is just such a professional driver he even from the way he carries himself in the pits he's just you know he's a professional guy he really analyzes the course and I think he doesn't push too hard I think he says get the car home get in the show and unfortunately you got to push super hard and you have to do it on that run could have had a little bit more angle I think in some areas on the track but the line is pretty solid everywhere yeah you can see just getting up on the curbs a little bit but as you say not carrying the massive angles that may hurt the score a little bit but he's getting that car right to where it needs to be deep into those zones and an 83 on the board for Cuba vijkonski and he's going to be delighted with that one he will I mean today an eighth place so far with some high scores going in it's an 83 without pushing too hard which is what his tactic would be here but a man that has to kind of throw tactics out the window and win all of the three remaining events in my opinion to guarantee himself a three back-to-back Championship run is Peter Vine SEC the United States Never Been Under This Much Pressure before he has to perform he has had engine problems yesterday they've swapped out engines from one car insurance he is not having the perfect season you can see the nitrous in the back of the car is ready to go and Peter has to attack the track here our current champion needs to fight from the back right from the off yeah when he needs exactly what he got here last year which is a 99 Point quantifying run can he match that can he improve on him when he's coming in hot here If any man can do it it's Peter weissick 46 points behind championship leader Connor Shannon and right now he's lighting up this circuit in bikini and look at this from Peter deep into that final Zone and a near perfect run once again for the Polish driver and what about that pressure on pressure is for tires wow there's not much more out there right here I think for any driver than my peter guns he came through there faster than any other driver I've ever seen going through in Riga and Peter beinsek knows that he I mean look he would like to have that cushion of being leader of the champion Championship rather but I think there's some part of him that likes this chase that likes this Chase in because if he could win the championship this year this would be the most impressive of all three because he's had engine failures he's had mechanical failures you know throttle cable snap and eliminate them in Finland now he's got to come here with three rounds left to go and prove that he is the best and that run was Sensational well look if you're Peter Vincent you're going to say if I can come home from Ray go with a win of two wins under my belt in the 2023 season not too bad with some mechanical issues that'll give him confidence going into the final two rounds and if ever there was a dangerous man with confidence it certainly is Peter vizsek and I'll tell you one thing that what I would say this is going to be a huge run I mean I'm just looking back at the replay there's not a foot wrong on this and there you have it 96 on the board for Peter of jinsek into first position and we aren't even halfway through qualifying and what about a statement like that for the rest of your Championship Contender saying what you got well the question is how do you follow it well we follow it with Dwayne McKeever and if there's one man on the grid who can outdo that score it is this man Dwayne McKeever sits on the line the only man with two podiums under his belt this season so far and he gives a nod of approval slams the door looks so calm and collected behind the wheel of that 180sx yeah likes this track says Riga you know suits his fast flamboyant style and we'll see if Dwayne McKeever now can put in a big run on the scoreboard firing into that first corner it's a nice initiation gets the car settled right on the edge of the track perfect so far from McKeever as he transitions across a little adjustment as he goes to that inner Zone but the line is spot on for McKeever as you know transition back a big speaker didn't hold it he just about can hold it very little detail early transition not as fluid as nine SEC but I'll tell you one thing it's pretty good all the same a little bit of left foot breaking and for a first run out the box another championship Contender proves that they came to party this weekend yeah very hard to find a whole lot wrong with that maybe could have had that transition a little bit earlier as he came from outer zone 5 to outer zone six but you can see very early transition here or early initiation Rider and gets into that outer zone and fulfills it very nicely look how fluid he is through that section Dave carrying a lot of speed good angle there and just maintains that through the circuit suits him down to the ground but was it as perfect as behind sex I'm not too sure I think this is where it just gets it's right up there just maybe transition just a little bit earlier yeah a little bit more but he makes it work you know it's very fine marriage we are really on the find compared to where we started in this qualifying section we seem a little critical on everyone right but you know that's our job we gotta we know what the judges want we've heard the briefings we've checked the notes so we know what they want for the perfect run and we're working back from there Peter gunzak doing as close as he could to get it perfectly you can see that front wheel lock up from Dwayne McKeever like I mean remember guys you're sitting on the front brake on Full Throttle changing gears and counter steering at the same time you could almost do with three legs and a drift card to be honest if you really wanted to control everything let's see we're doing the keeper drops in it's an 85 for Dwayne McKeever into eighth position so yeah those uh big lockups on the handbrake gonna hurt a score there ready the Irish fans won't mind they won't mind they're enjoying the sunshine back home for the sunshine for an Irish parsley they're just celebrating the weather to be honest just the fact that they're not in the rain so we will move it along to our next driver and it's a man that also has all the weight on his shoulders starting to believe that he could take home the championship this year it's you have rented and got the win in Sweden he's been very strong throughout the whole championship now right now he sits fourth in this Championship well he'll want to sit first in qualifying he's got a thousand horsepower in this gr86 and he's got all the speed in the world he'll go for this one he certainly will a win under his belt already this season and certainly Comforts such a world of experience big angle though in its cost and he's a bit of an error there for you early on in the run and it's really going to cost the score I think and I think he's gonna have to focus on his second run not what he was looking for as Uno just tries to clean it up and get it across the line get it home get himself back into the pits and just reassess himself refocus for round number two I was just thinking of listening to your analysis they already we judge these guys with such a large yardstick that I run earlier in qualifying we would have said that was okay and now when we get to these Championship contenders we're like four we know that's not going to top qualifying because we've started to see what can be done on this track a new her internet capable of it as you said making some errors there yeah well look I think if you're going to talk about guys that are in contention for the championship guys that have been on the top step of the podium you have to critique them because the margin is just so fine there's no room for error when you look at Dwayne McKee or sorry when you look at uh Peter sitting on top step with a 96 so you've got to be critical of guys like you who are you know contending for the championship they need to be up there there's very little room for error if you want it better or improve on a 96. for sure I mean the second half of the run to me looked stronger than the first and I think he can tidy that up quite considerably it's an 82 for the flying fin you are incident into 14th position he goes but he'll much rather get right off the order in the second half of qualifying and tidy up those errors which is completely capable of doing of course we now move to the first of our Shanahan brothers who are in the final in Finland had to go to Old hustle for the top step there brother V brother it was Conor that came out on top and he's currently winning the championship Jack though within contention 900 horsepower GT86 and Jack Shannon came out of his last practice when said up right let's see how ready Jack Johnson entity fires into that first one early initiation as we'd expect from these top guys right to the edge of the circle maybe a little too wide that's a lot of Anger from Jackson not sure he got that in her Zone as he runs to the outside line and if they fire back in again it's very fluid it's very fast it's got a lot of angles but it's missing some zones and a wobble on the initiation into uh on the transition rather into that last song Jackson doing a good job but is it enough to get him TOP Step In qualifying I'm not sure it is here since 2020 for Jack Shannon so it's been a while since he's tasted champagne around this Riga circuit and certainly one of those drivers who it's a knife edge track and he's a knife edge driver it'll either work absolutely perfect for him and it'll blow your mind or else it could just all fall apart now it hasn't fallen apart but it's not been the perfect run for Jack yeah I think he's he misses the inner Zone he drops up on the car don't get me wrong this is again we're nitpicking yeah this is obviously spectacular there's obviously a phenomenal run here ladies and gentlemen we're just saying we're trying to compare a championship Contender to another championship Contender and right now that didn't look to me as clean as the insects run out there and we expect big runs from Shanahan's whether it's Conor or John and I think it's fair to say nobody more critical of his own driving than Jack Shannon he expects uh you know what we expect from him which is almost Perfection every time he comes out on the circuit he is just one of the most uh exciting drivers and he jumps into seven position with an 86. between an 86 and a 90. huge it's at 10 points right now is huge it's the difference between a great a good run and a great run and that's what we had there as Jack Shanahan jumps in and now look at this the crowd started to lift as Laurie Heinen the Great Hope from Finland the man sitting second in the championship Lori has been a revelation in the championship this year in this NASCAR V8 1045 horsepower car that revs to almost 10 000 RPM and Heinen's got to get it done here from the off he certainly has Dave chasing that first win in drift Masters what a place to do it though could he find something here it is again that engine just absolutely screams as it comes through the woods here and he is on an absolute flyer Laurie Heinen showing why he is a championship Contender he's sat in second from round one that's where he sits at the halfway point of the Season deep into that final Zone and across the line wow big run big run from Laurie High a big statement to uh he won't go quietly into the night in the second half of this Championship he is fighting all the way to see if he can go to Poland to the piggy naradovia the final round of the champion in the stadium can he be the man to take home the 2023 drift Masters European Championship well he's giving him some a good chance it runs like that big run from the off lots of speed lots of thrall again some areas I think he could have gone a little wider is it gonna worry behind sex I think it'll be up there I'm not sure it's quite there phenomenal stuff look at the Acura series he takes it out to the car but he hasn't lifted the throttle since the first moment of initiation all the way through and it's with that car you can hear definitely when he's on and off throttle because it's the loudest car to go around this circuit for me here a big angle watch because I'm being out could be a little wider here that's the only critical point I would have everything else to me was pretty spot-on well managed fourth place in qualifying here last year he's been pretty impressive in the 2020 tree campaign as well it'll be qualifying first place at round two and third place at round three where will he land today though he'll be up there but I'm not sure if he's right up there the good thing about about Laurie is that he's in the game and that is definitely he's in the game for the battles tomorrow with a 90 on the board he is definitely going to be in battle action tomorrow so we have gone definitely behind Second Battle action definitely Dean in battle action definitely Heinen definitely crawl definitely Correa they're the guys I'm saying you get into the 90s I've never seen someone not qualify with a 90 or above score so they're almost halfway through qualified getting the job done one more driver to go in the first half are qualifying and it is our current Championship leader it's Connor Shannon has had very limited practice this morning having issues blowing his intake manifold completely in half in practice they've welded it all back together he said he was finishing Finland with about 600 horsepower but he's got all nine back again for this qualifying run can Connor Shannon keep his step at the top well he'll be certainly looking to do that Dave as Conor Shannon leaves a line and fires it through the first section explodes the run so far from Connor Shannon as he sets himself up he's coming for it this season he knows he has what it takes to take down the championship but he just needs a good round here to set himself up for the final two and he explodes into the wall but keeps the throttle pin as Carter Shannon gets across the line and lays down a statement it's a big run big run from Connor Shanahan I'm gonna say right now that could worry Peter if you are in fact there was not much to pick apart from that he got every single zone as you mentioned had a hard hit with the wall but he stayed in it could be the only deduction I would take from the run and Conor Shannon showed why he is first in the championship what I loved about this front was his control he knew every inch of the track that the judges wanted him to be the first corner he stayed right there look at this Justin drop a wheel stays right to the edge of that outer white line and stays in it the whole way around and as he transitions back through the course he's almost inch perfect the entire way around perfect on that inner Zone perfect again here look on the outer zone no mistake there the transition using a little bit of left foot breaking to keep the throttle on and slow the front to the car there's not much in that as you said the only error I could see on the track was that he just went a little deep in the wall towards the end but he didn't make a massive error of it he sort of bounced out of it Connor Shannon Peter Vine SEC for me right up there and there you have it 93 on the board for Connor Shanahan into second place he goes so you have biancek and Shanahan laying down early markers here yeah I think Shannon had come in here with a point to prove this weekend you gotta go back as far as 2019 before he qualified inside the top tree so he is perfectly set to improve on that and get back in the mix polls an interesting record around here Dave as well as the shortest term as king of Regan wow 24 hours there you have it yes feed from United States crazy here we're two rounds in one weekend Peter behind's like halfway through topping it up Jack Shannon the only Championship Contender kind of a falling out of there and you have rinson they need a little bit of work here to get up into the 90s but for the guys like uh Dwayne McKeever also looking at Richmond they're sitting in the 80s though it's like it's not bad they're not getting 12s here but they're doing well but we're looking at this championship fight saying behind second Shanahan laying down the marker straight away Dean is obviously the cat amongst the pigeons here and look at this down there as we go Nakamura very close to the Drop Zone there and needs to tidy things up and here are the drivers currently outside of the top 32 that are gonna have to improve their scoring to get themselves into the battle action tomorrow and we have one half of qualifying left to go that means every driver will just get one more run of the track and that will be it and right there you have it a couple of guys sitting on zeros right down the bottom of the order those guys will have to get it done in the second half of qualifying or there will be no more action for them this weekend we've got a steaming boy on the start line right now as we go back to our uh what is it it looks maybe like oil or water let's see which one it looks yeah it looks like an oil leak on the star line for Giannis versions and he's had a first run that he would rather forget a 53 on the board and he is now got a problem they can see our starting line Marshall's trying to dry up the oil and see if it's you know it's a very small leak they'll try and clean it up if it's a an engine problem he will be told to remove profit startling it looks like he has yet an oil cap I'm not too sure yeah I'm not too sure if marison wants to pop that open with the engine on but he's having a look just to see if he can fix that I mean you gotta love Mars on the start line here it's like the fastest mechanic in the world he tries to either use tape he'll use uh duct tape glue anything just to get them he wants every driver to get there but it looks to me that that oil leak is a problem on the start line they're pushing it back just to see if there's any issues and the Panic starts already we're not even into the qualifying runs for the second half here in Riga round four of the drift Masters European championship he doesn't know what's happening we don't know what's happening not what you want as a driver as you're preparing yourself for your second run when you know you have it all to do he's on the radio you can see there now to the team maybe trying to get some information but as you can see I start learning Marshall's doing as much as they can to try and get this car out for the second half of qualifying well they're gonna have time here Eddie because you can't just sit there all day they're not going to do a full service on this car on the start line and delay the whole show so it's a very quick tidy up and see if this car can run and uh you know if you're a wild card driver you're the first out in the Asiana says this is nerve-wracking stuff because you don't want to fire either you don't want to risk the car either but then you don't want to back out of the biggest moment of your drift career well it looks as though we are getting a thumbs up from the start line Marshall and perhaps we are ready to go with ianis burzens for his second run in this E36 650 brake horsepower out of this turbo powered engine and I say work to do here as he gets ready to leave the line a little bit of a distraction maybe maybe it'll work in his favor as he slams through the gears now fires it into that outer zone a little bit tangible for them starts to dial on the angle as the roar just comes through the trees here and as he breaks his way out onto the circuit just shallowing up and not getting into those deep lines in front of the grandstand but now through the final sections can you find that little bit of magic to pull a big score out of the second run of qualifying as you know what looks like it's improved from the first run there it's definitely more a Showcase of his talent and ability but when you follow Peter Vine's second Connor in here it's very it's almost inhuman to try and outdo what they've done especially as a rookie and a wild card if it does a good job he's collecting a lot of the zones Eddie I'm impressed with the second one especially with that little Panic on the start line yeah certainly a good Improvement on that first run and impressive that he can hold his composure but as you say Dave very difficult to follow Championship leaders and what they are capable of producing on the circuit it just goes to show the level of talent that the top tier guys possess they are just superhuman superhumans yeah there's something wrong with them they're not like we talk about James Dean being the machine but there's a couple of machines there at the top end of this Championship that uh they get it done every time it's an improvement for Giannis it's a 68. his right fingertips on the drop zone at 30 second position right now it'll be a nervous Wade for the Lafayette to see if that's enough from Lafayette again LSX supercharged 720 horsepower this looks like Darth Vader's weekend drift car it's a crazy looking thing but the first run is 64. I don't know if that's going to be enough for him he's 37th at the moment he's got to improve and go for it here ready this is do or die for all of these runs now yeah it needs a 68 or better to have any hopes of getting into that top 32. what can he do on the second run Christian burn cops see absolutely fires that Pontiac LSX back out onto the circuit but Boyd as he comes misses that inner Zone and of course we've seen a lot of drivers penalized quite heavily from our judges getting the line wrong and that's actually the circuit because he looks to try and put it together through the final ball run and get it home yeah not that the biggest budget team on the grid I mean I'm actually looking directly below me right now I have his dad glued to the screen I can see him uh willing his son around the track but unfortunately it looks at me like that car just not hooking up properly on that first Corner he's kind of barely drifting until halfway through the zone and uh missing a couple of zones along the way I think the inner zone for me Eddie on my right saying he just misses that when he stays wide yeah he kind of touches it with the front bumper but touches a day but maybe not perfect and if you're trying to get yourself into the show I think that's where we got to be so critical of these drivers is that you know what it's not a bad run he's not too far off it but is it going to be enough to get him true I'm not so sure well I just love the fact that these cars are so lightweight and there's so much speed on this track that you can actually see the doors Flex in on that second corner there's that much airflow going against the car uh crazy to watch on this thing I mean it's hard to even it doesn't even look like a Pontiac Trans Am anymore 69 on the board does get into the top 32. yeah Creeps in Creeps in but just about I think with a lot of zeros on the board towards the mid-pack that's where it's going to get worrying for these guys yeah I think for the first two drivers you got to go well we've got another 58 drivers to go so so um you know he makes great food can he make great runs it is going to be Edgars krugeres keeping everybody fed here behind the scenes but look at that head he looks like he's a little bit what am I gonna do he said he was a little nervous coming into this one well his first score on the board wasn't good enough it was a 46 so r47 so he's got to improve here yeah and can he do just that well he's going to come at it nice and hard straight from the off here full commitment and this is already looking like a big Improvement on his first run just gets a little bit wrong though as he comes by every zone four and this is where now it's just it starts to fall apart it's so difficult as soon as these drivers get off the off the correct qualifying line things just become so much more challenging for them to try and find it again and you know what Dave I don't know if that's going to be enough yeah I mean Eddie we hate to say it but we're not you know we're watching enough runs and enough scores here to say that if you missed two zones on the track it's with the level of driver that's here I mean we've got the best of the best here this weekend and you know if you're eliminating what 20 yard drivers at a competition you know and you look at the standard and we've got probably 30 national champions on this grid any mistake any error this is a big one he's in the middle of the track he's nowhere near the other Zone and it messes him up quite significantly I can see this uh knocking him out of competition yeah and you know what I think it goes back to we spoke about the the the changes in grip level from the first three zones to the the final three zones and I think that's what's catching a lot of our more inexperienced drivers this weekend and you can see looking very strong on through the first few sections but then just as they come in front of the grandstand just falling off you can see a 60 on the second run unfortunately not enough desert island then I could pick a good Drifter or a good cook I take a good cook so you know he's he's more useful outside of the event than a lot of these drivers are because I can tell you about James Dean not a great man around the kitchen I'll just say put it along terrain is auslings from Lafayette first one is a 61 Eddie we're starting to see a pattern here you got to get up there in the 70s and 80s to be securing a position here let's see if he can improve yeah and it gets so top heavy and condensed in those mid sections the score is very close together so those two runs the scores on both runs will be so critical for any drivers that are on similar scores now Rockin Arenas ozolins do this time around looking good as he kicks up dirt no question was he fully into that Elder Zone this time around but again just getting that transition a little bit Wayward catching him off and uh will that be the Difference Maker but you know what Dave I'm looking at that one going you that car pretty much where it needed to be a lot of the way around that circuit yeah and again I hate being so critical of everyone here because you know we want to give everyone at home you know an honest opinion of what's in and what's out and how the sport works and what's good and what's bad and getting around this track in any way shape or form is phenomenal well I think that's it Dave it's you're in or you're out that's exactly what we're calling it at the moment these drivers they're in or they're out and if they're not doing enough to get in well we're gonna have to be critical about it yeah and again to even just drive around the track sideways it's phenomenal here in Riga it's the toughest track of the Year for me I think it's there's no driver here that will say oh it's just you know easy just go around the track at 80 miles an hour full steam Full Throttle big walls everything I don't think there's any point on the circuit where you can just relax you know you get through the difficult sections then you're faced with a huge concrete wall for about 100 meters yeah because it gets in a 70s so he's in for the minute in 30th position I just feel you know we now know that you're gonna have to score probably over a 70 or you're not going to get into the I mean even 70 might not you have to get out of your comfort zone you got push harder than you've ever pushed before you've got to find something special now this duck has just strapped himself in for the ride Ayo Vida underline he's revving himself up yeah he's going to take another quack at it yep we're back so uh it is going to be Ayo Veda to take off the line and Dennis Gold's BMW and he had not the best the first runs so he's got to improve from there he got 36 on the crossroad this is much better from the start yeah much better and uh it's gonna need to be but can you keep going at this yeah a bit of a straight in there it just grabs a little bit of front end grip on the E36 but he gets it back on angle just floats out to AutoZone five now as he sets himself up to come through the final section huge improve for Dave on the first run will it be enough though to break into the 70s let's hope for his sake that it is yeah it's it's hard to say no because it's hard to know the difference between a 65 and a 75 that's where the judges are really being Tactical for us casual normal people not looking at the exact way there it is tough to say but it does a lot better it's definitely going to be higher score than his first run more of what we want to see Eddie is them you know pushing harder but also showing how good they are because when we see some bad runs and doesn't understand there just watch there on the replay and that's gonna cost a minute watch the front just let's go because you know you have so much grip in the back of the car and starts to push the front yeah and it looks like a much bigger error from that angle well so I wonder will that be the difference I think it's going to be close Dave I think he's going to be there there boats but I'm not sure I'm worried for him yeah I think this is going to be borderline and from my perspective now I wouldn't like to be sitting that close to the Drop Zone and um it look it's going to be a big improvement from his first run but he evaded the understeer there you look at 65 not enough and that's not a bad run not a terrible run that's not enough no and I think it just comes down to that one error um just as he comes in front of the grandstand so very unfortunate that next driver on the line is Andreas vasilowska's new machine this weekend but only a 55 in his first run but then it's a brand new car he's adapting he's learning you can see he's getting focused because he knows it's got to be a big score or he's going home and it may be a beautiful car but the judges do not judge you aesthetically here only you're driving well the 55 on the first run but certainly a wealth experience and a man very capable of learning from each run that he puts down on the circuit the 70s certainly not beyond the Realms of a possibility for Andrews Vasilios because as he Roars through the circuit on a bit of a shallow Line it's gonna hurt that score but you know what for a lot of this for my money I think that's a good run from Andreas and I think he's going to be right on the verge of qualification there with that one yeah I think the thing is we love seeing these new chassis and drifting and he just bring us the sport forward it brings um it you know it modernizes what we're watching here and again it takes a big risk though because you're you're building a chassis that no one has really tested to this level so from address's point of view to even qualify here in a new car would be amazing but you does a much better job on this second run than on the first and you know what we know Andreas is one of the best drivers that will ever hit a circuit in Europe but under a little pressure here you can see a lot of the guys in the A90 supers as well suffering a little bit just trying to dial in these new chassis and uh the Lithuanian doing a good job there looks good missed a couple of zones though that's the problem and the judges well they don't care how new your car is how much you've won in the past they're just judging everyone the same it's a 71 puts them into 28th position Lithuanian will have a nervous way to see if that is enough to get him into the rest of the show you can see the Shawna heads in the pits there frantically working on the car so I'm not sure what is going on there with uh Conor Shanahan's car we'll get some updates on that doesn't really matter he's got a 93 on the board so it's the time to have the problems knick knack up next it is Nicholas Burton's from Lafia 18 years of age 620 horsepower v8 not the perfect one had a bit of understeer elimination in the first he loves this track though expect that monster right here yeah but it's gonna have to be an improvement because that 7-2 leaves him down the order so some work to do for Nicholas I see looks to improve on and he's doing a good job here so far today a bit of a dab of the handbrake there as he transitions from Amazon Tree to uh to uh sorry inside Zone tree to episode four next just time to come away from that wide line through the final section here and if it gets back into it and gets himself onto the wall and across the line so you know what there's good and bad they're on there for her you know he's a guy that I always mentioned comes alive in the Twin balance he's a really unbelievable Chase driver to watch he's just raw entertainment but in qualifying you've got to get the job done as well and it does make some errors here as you notice any various shootly he does hand break his way to some corn into some of those zones which is supposed to be a full throttle Zone watch the rear wheel locks up there and it does get the Zone but it's not how you're supposed to get the Zone it's only a top the judges May Let It Go without a huge deduction but they are going to look at all that look at lifted the front wheel clean off the ground as he comes through and it's not a bad run from there from Nicholas Burton's knick knack knows this track Like the back of his hand even though he is so young you can see the suspension working overtime there in that E36 just so bouncy love that last round yeah very few but he drops out of the Zone a little bit and yeah I hate being so critical I want to just celebrate it all but you know what at 18 years of age you've got to say let's not be critical what a talent behind the wheels the future is bright when you look at drivers like that it does improve the score a 78 Dave 20th position I think he's going to drop down from there but you know what hopefully safe for competition yeah these guys are more worried about getting their actual driving license around this age than they are getting drift runs yeah we've got an extra filter just out the front of Ali maxheed's car if I'm not mistaken it is indeed uh breaking it down I've got a little Valley machines yeah it's one of the smileiest guys in the world representing Kuwait and the Middle East here in the European Championship well it's time to try and make that car dance out on circuit for Ally mcshib what can you do now with the second run 64 on the first run looking to improve on that goes very deep oh Dave no that's very close to the wall very close to the wall did a Tango when he needed to do a waltz and it's cost him massively went left foot in right foot out left foot in the wall um it looks to me like he just caught a little bit of the debris at the end of the error Zone a little bit of rough like it wasn't as grippy there and he went on way too much angle and Ali macchi is going to know very quickly um that guy there on the scooter is quick right he's quicker on the scooter than most of these guys are on the track it looked to me watch this as he goes wide on yeah I think he just goes a little too wide towards the end tiles on a little bit too much angle just around here and at this point he knows I've left the transition far too late yeah look watch goes right here to the track not much grip there and he knows I'm not going to make this transition work he locks up the brakes and oh he gets away with that one that was a nervy one yeah that could have been a lot worse for Ally mcsheet um you know look he's bowing out a competition and uh but yeah look I think he's got he's going away with the car intact which is a bonus I think he'll be highly competitive at the after party though the moves this man has he's gonna throw a couple of donuts over the crowd as well why not when you're here he probably knows this is not enough to get him into the show and actually we love to see him here in competition and definitely not a representation his scoring of his talent but that's Riga baby it takes everyone down a peg or two of their confidence and we move back to the Star Line it is James of the machine Dean but he thought he got all the work done on the first run because he got himself in the 90s we're trying 89 almost in the 90s now he's got to go for a 96 if he wants the top qualifying so it's got to be the perfect run from James the machine Dean as he sets himself up really early on a big massive flick into the first corner and he does get together somebody drops a little bit outside but has to hit the left for break to correct a small bit right back on track though from here on in as James Dean fires through the course they watched the fluidity through here big angle in that Euro Fighters he takes it out to the curb and smashes back towards the wall that is a beautiful transition but has to slow the car down quite dramatically there to get back on it and it's not the perfect run from James with Dean as we expect who is going to score high but maybe not enough to worry Shanahan or Peter veg yeah I'm not sure that's an improvement on the first run very early into that final outer zone for James uncharacteristic usually very accurate and you can see had to really back out of it to keep that car from going deep into the wall and to make that line work that final section so long and you gotta get that entry perfect if you're gonna just absolutely Blitz it and unfortunately for James just uh as we say I think he's you know what the funny thing is I think he's overdriving a little bit he's firing the car through the course yeah I don't think he's too concerned about qualifying because with an 89 I think he knows he's qualified but I think he's trying to do the perfect run and sometimes when you push that little too hard it unsettles you a little bit and it looked to me like if you watch here this flick back towards the wall like this is absolutely perfect but it just sort of gets in a little too deep and has to correct on it so at 90 on the board still for James Dean I mean we're criticizing what is exceptional runs but for me if I was to put it against uh Peter bjinsic I could see where that six points difference is and James Dean's in the show tomorrow no issues there for James Dean from our perspective but again we're being so critical because we want to see that 100 Point run we certainly do now as we go back to the start line it is Timor lipsky Timor lipsky and the carbon Kevlar Supra had a bit of an issue on the first run had a big issue coming down towards the wall that Toby tired of this car is so beautiful full hdk carbon fiber and look at they say that first car he's definitely got no lack of a commitment into that for a scorer and this is much nicer now from Taylor to get to see fires through the course getting that inner Zone can you get out of the Arizona just about this is where he made a big error the last time not so much this time perfect now that last transition can he get it done he's a little early on the handbrake he's got to massage the car back in towards the wall does a good job like to see it and Timor lipsky doing a great job of getting that car across the line but it's 16 years of age it's ridiculous it's crazy yeah and you know what I think he's right up there with this one I don't I think he's well got himself into the game here for tomorrow's battle action huge run there not much to take away from it in terms of Errors I think you'll never guess who actually uh built this too jazzy I will actually because it's written right in front of me yeah James Dean and the crew building the engine for this and uh it looks like it's working pretty good well what would you expect from DNM Sports producing incredible engines and uh I'll tell you one thing what I like about this run is just how much angle he pulls here knowing he made a mistake on the first run of the second the same position and this time he does a really good job could have been a little closer to the wall on the first half of Arizona six but ever since that moment's on I mean James Dean James gets in very early he gets in very late yeah 78 season up into 21st position Dave yeah kind of mid-pack big jump up from his first run see the line really good style and angle really good just not enough to jump up even higher and uh look at this guy he's gonna he's in for a wild ride on the back of uh Christian song race car Christian from Estonia call this car the Bad Bunny The Bad Bunny yeah okay I could argue looks pretty bad to me and it is 800 horsepower Dodge NASCAR powered uh he is got a 58 in this restaurant sorry he's in the tuxedo let it all hang out into the first corner he goes yeah let them hang out and keep it and honor those white lights perfect so far from Christian sound right he's got a problem there in the center section oh big problem something went wrong with the car a downshift or something didn't happen it just looked like the car showed power on the transition and it sent him into a violent spin then towards the end of Alps 50 inside the corner there on the way in and I'm not sure I'm pretty sure that will be the end of his weekend Eddie yeah disappointed for him Dave because that was shaping up to be quite a good run up until that point building what happened look at the car just completely shut off or something didn't happen there's no power and then all of a suddenly transitions he handbrakes and it just all goes wrong and he keeps himself out of the wall thankfully but um yeah just one two and not remember that's one to erase from the Old ST SD card in your brain right just say never happened I don't know what you're talking about yeah put it to the back of your mind hopefully we will see the Estonian back in Germany in a few weeks time look at this how close he gets to the inside of the track there is even more dangerous but yeah it didn't go the way he wanted it to and it can go wrong in a heartbeat here yes it certainly can and what can be seeming like a near perfect run can turn to a zero very very quickly yeah yeah we've got James Dean walking around the paddock he's got the job done at 90 on the board he probably would have been liked a little higher up there towards the you know the top of qualifying but qualifying you know I'll be all honest qualifying is great and a lot of people talk about it it's a zero for Christian summary confirmed qualifying is great and everything until you get to the battles because then everyone forgets about qualifying right so let's be honest qualifying is a good statement of intent but it's not the whole story and the whole story is who's gonna be lifting those trophies tomorrow and James Dean's definitely focused on that Max Miller's on the line great first run for Max Miller he got a 77 but he sits in 23rd he'd like to improve it looks very strong on this truck we've talked about it one that layer around the track has cost him a lot of points let's see if he can tidy it up yeah I'd be looking to correct those errors from the first run and you can see that splitter just waving there oh big entry dials on can he keep this one going he can but a huge error there for Max Miller and end of Ron really Dave I can't imagine the judge is going to be too impressed with that huge angle very aggressive and uh that's 77 seems as though it is going to be what Max Miller will need to rely on the drop zone at 70 now so creeping very close towards that score he could see himself with a very difficult top 32 battle if he finds himself in the competition tomorrow yeah I'll tell you one thing I don't know why he attempted there was like the craziest snap to this section that's tough enough to do it with very slight angle but to do with mega angle is not going to work so as he transitions back he just absolutely throws the car and he was lucky he actually held it at this point because he's into all the marbles there on the edge of the track and he just kind of oh yeah he knows himself he went what did I do I made a big mistake and if I know Max Miller he's still smiling and he's saying you know what we'll get him again we'll get him again I don't know what I did so uh yeah you have to rely on his first score 77 not a bad score I know he's in the show Dave and that's the important thing but he does have a number of drivers still yet to take their second run he was sitting outside that top 32 which we'll be looking to uh you know get themselves into the show tomorrow so I don't know could be a nervous wait as things progress but right now he seems safe enough with that score of 77 on the board so max Miller with a zero on that second run confirmed by the judges sits in 23rd position I don't know do you think it'd be enough a bit mice it might you know what I think it will but I think he's gonna be facing the likes of Peter or Conor uh tomorrow's another day yeah you get the rough on the smooth if you qualify lower you're in the show but then you're probably against someone who's got a 196 or something in qualifying so we move on to the start line let's feed smarter from Switzerland I came second in the FIA drifting World Cup we've got a thousand to ten horsepower moving for a GT86 to an A90 super this year and it's coming in very fast here I'm not sure it's gonna be able to hold this he does hold it through the first corner he certainly does Dave holds it very well through the first section put a bit wider on outside zone two but no problems as he comes past three and four and in front of the grand side holds huge angle but it costs him as he misses outside zone five now happy to finish can he do it and start room knows it's all starting to fall apart here for Eves Meyer as it just starts to creep away from him out of his fingertips he had it all there Dave but he started to lose it you know what there was so much intent I mean it came in fast really fast like he just fired into that first corner and that car hooked and went and I was thinking you know what this could be the run and but it all fell apart as he transitioned to the center section of the course he just wanted too much angle he lost the rear end a little bit he almost kind of over rotated the car a bit more than he wanted to and he did well to recover from it like this is perfect to this point but watch this transition it's very Snappy and it starts to oh look it's the curb that's what does it he gets out to the car but I was wondering what happened it just unsettles the car must be there those carbs are unforgiving here and it washes up on the curb and the car slides a little bit further so it means that he has to kind of jump on the inside of the track miss the outer zone and it just because this line is so early for him he's almost falling out before he gets there he does get back there eventually but um how cool is it to see these 890s in competition amazing 64 and a 64. not enough reviews Meijer from Switzerland he's out of the competition and I'm a little disappointed because these are my favorite cars on the grid well not just yet we have another one well the good news is Dave you have one more opportunity to see one getting into the top 32 and it is Joshua Reynolds yeah 58 on the first run Dave so you know what he's got some work to do here he's gonna get himself into the game tomorrow for those battles but he hasn't exactly what he needs in front of him which is a clear track and one run to get it done here comes Joshua Reynolds and so far so good can you avoid the curbs let's see here just the line not perfect not what you need when you need a big score and Joshua Reynolds not the Run he was looking for just not hooking up property for him this time around gets himself over to the wall but looks quite slow Dave as well oh and a big hit with the wall towards the end as well which is not going to help us go I take it again similar to the last one it's the curb going up on the curb on outer zone two watch this as he initiates it's all going pretty good at this point gets right to where he needs to be and then watch the rear wheels as he transitions this is where I think it all goes wrong he transitions very late the wheels go up on the curb it unsetters the car so he's way off that inside Zone which means he's going early for the next Zone and it just kind of puts him off all of these zones so uh not the perfect one little hand break there again the Joe just want to see Full Throttle there and if this is okay here I think he just as you said he just has to try and Salvage something towards the end and I think the real nail in the car for me is just right at the very end of the Run he hits the wall a little harder than he would like watch this bang and then straightens the car up and that's going to hurt his car that goes real deep and he actually hits the rear wheel off the wall and that's another mistake towards the end so it's kind of hard to score and uh do you know what I've been willing these two guys on all the way through competition because I love seeing these newer chassis get through but unfortunately both A90 Supras on that team are going to exit the competition in qualifying on a very stacked great and we're Dan Becky who's in the pits with James Dean James getting a 90 on the board and he must be happy to be back here in Riga he loves it here Becky and it looks like he's informed it does absolutely look like that Dave now James Dean an 89 in the first run a 90 in the second I'm going to ask you which was your favorite run out of those two yeah uh definitely my first run I think was personally better it felt cleaner more in the zones I was really happy and I felt like we got scored a little harshly but it is drifting it's what we do so on the second one I was like okay what do I need to do so I threw it into the corner in my second run uh like I made more mistakes throughout the run I was Messier on the wall and I was in the car like okay I'm driving hard but I'm making mistakes and it scored higher so personally I feel like the first run scored higher they feel like the second run scored higher I'm just a driver I'm trying my best trying to put on a show for everyone watching and uh yeah bring on the battles tomorrow now you had a great battle of Peter here a couple of years ago it was actually last year sorry are you hoping to get into a final with Peter to have some retribution it would be nice obviously uh we're after qualifying quite low or I don't know where we are but we're somewhere in the show so we have to see what way the bracket Falls and uh yeah there's so many drivers pushing really hard and doing a great job here so we just have to see who we're up against try our best and hope that the weather is good absolutely thank you so much James back to you guys there you go such a machine he can judge himself when he's in the car and I love that because he's uh basically you know he felt one was was more fluid but the judges to me it looked like they're rewarding that risk of going for something a little crazier they don't mind having a little wobble here and there as long as you're going for it anyways in the second run we go back to the starting line so our next driver off the line it is going to be Tobias kushgan into the first Corner we go we got to see her on the first one he went off the track can he keep it on the track in the second run well keep it on the track and hopefully you'll have a better score than that zero but he needs something big here needs to try and get himself into the top 32 looking to be hooking it up much nicer this time around for it Tobias as he goes into that final section now it could be a little bit deeper into the wall but it starts to bring it in there get a little bit closer towards the end of the run and certainly a huge Improvement on the first attempt of qualifying yeah I like that run actually very smooth very fluid could have been a little further into the zones but you know when you come from first run you're on a zero I can imagine pressure of all you know the travel and how much you know effort time and your team have put into getting you there you don't want to go home with 2-0 so it's a risky one to go that aggressive and I think he does a good job of balancing the car throughout the whole run he's going to put a score on the board how high that score is again hard for us to say well it's going to need to be 70s Dave if he's going to get himself into the show tomorrow was it good enough for a 70 I certainly think it's close enough I don't see a whole lot wrong with it with me it's safe enough for him but he's you know hitting all his markers well we end up backwards in the grass on the first one I think the second one is definitely you got it you can't go you know full you know no caution into the second you've got to be clever and put a score on the board I think he's done exactly that clever move from Tobias there in his uh 760 horsepower e92 the Polish driver I think will be happy if he can creep in here and he does and he doesn't just creep in he's in 24th with a 74 so we're starting to look at that drop zone now sitting at a 71 so 71 is where the drop zone is right now Renaissance Christian broadcast dropped out of that top 32 at the moment but Ernest has another run to go we go back to the Star Line and matcha yakovich is up there and he almost looked to me like he was going to be the top qualifier the last time but he made a big error going into the wall again yeah well he's going to know that it was only a small error that needs to be corrected he was good everywhere except that final section so just hope for pretty much same as before only fixed that error and so far so good for Jack Richard I See Fire through the circuit works for a really nice line could be a little bit deeper in some of those zones but you know what as I say he's getting to those outer marks he's hitting up not looking to set the world on fire here but just get himself into the show move up that order no problems this time around gets it safely across the line Dave and I think he's going to be in the game with that one yeah it dropped a wheel on the first corner I thought it might have been all over I mean it's tough to get out dig yourself out of the dart there but he did well and he actually had a better first half of the run on his first qualifying run but this is far smoother on the second looks like he got rid of those Mischief problems and that speed into that first corner is just outrageous if you you stand up there like we did Eddie I just stuck by it it actually doesn't make sense how they're coming through that corner at that speed he does a good job as they come through here and the transition for me was pretty solid and what I like about it is going right into the zone right really really deep which is what the judges want to see and and the last section here almost like a pinball machine he goes from the curb to the wall in one fluid motion which I really enjoyed and right look at this back wheel just touches the curve and as he transitions all one motion towards the wall no wobbles and beautiful shots here in rigas the grand Slants packed all the way around the circuit the Sun's shining and the tire smoke in the air it's what it's all about in drift Masters European championship and Eddie we're having a great time but you know what Dave we're having a great time because we don't have to drive it exactly yeah 74 on the board for uh Racha garakovich it's 24th position he's up in the game he's just about in the game a lot of guys sitting in the mid 70s now it's going to be interesting to see which go forward to the competition Henry Harper look at this blessing himself on the line because this car hasn't played ball all the way through the competition he's had mechanical failure on the first run he sits on a zero he looks cool as hell because the car is amazing let's see if he can put a rocket together come on Henry let's get this thing done yeah no stopping Henry here if he just can have a better look with this car not playing ball with him so far this weekend but look at this Dave lighten up the circuit oh get some close and personal with the curves that error as he tried to go from outer zone one to outer zone two and it's all just falling apart so unfortunate for Henry hamper here this weekend just could not get that car singing and unfortunately we're not getting to see just what he's capable of behind an awesome S15 we know the potential that Henry has and this is not it and even though the car to me probably my favorite looking car on the grid or one of my favorite looking cars on the grid it's going to be devastating for him he shakes the head he knows something weird going on with that car I'm not sure what it is and it looked almost uncontrollable on the lap yeah those Chrome Graphics really really cool on the car and uh real Adam LZ Vibes coming from it but uh you know what it's uh it's one thing having a cool looking car if you can't make it look he hops the car but when the car lands back down again it gets a bunch of understeer because the front wheels have a grip yet or and they just stuck he knew himself yeah I think it's all over that stage unfortunately anyways grabbing for everything about the cage there just to try and get it back on again double zeros horrible way to exit the competition for Henry hambam we know how good he is so not what we wanted to see uh we are awaiting our next driver onto grid we've lost a couple in the practice sessions Kayla cured one of those as well we lost with an engine fan or David Garvey uh sorry Dylan Garvey rather having an engine fader as well and it looks like Lauren Nielsen also having issues with the car one of our higher ranked drivers in the championship so harsh out there David karkausik though he's got Troubles of his own he's got a zero from the first one went off the track and now he's got it all to do on this run certainly does Dave we built him up with the first run and he wasn't able to produce it but we know Under Pressure he can find something really special the county find it here as he drops a wheel deep drop as you can see how aggressive that fall off the track is through that first section but karakashik on face but it keeps the throttle pinned misses outside zone four and tries to find recovery here now through the final sections if you can find qualifying he's a danger for any driver in the top 10 if they were develop against them in the top 32 but will he get that score that all-important score in the 70s that he needs Dave I don't know some big errors there from the Polish driver yeah you can see actually on the back we how deep he went into that AutoZone and the bumper said I think I'm just going to watch the rest of the competition from down here it's a good view down there for the bumper watch this as he goes off the edge of the track here boom that's a big wheel drop and if you if you look at it he did really well to continue from there because I thought that would have been the end of the run but it does unsettling and uh for karkaushik as he does get through the circuit it's not the perfect run and I'm I'm inclined to agree Eddie those errors there throughout a lot of handbrake look how high the front wheel came off the ground on the transition he's on a wheelie mode through the middle of the track there which is absolutely crazy and nice fluid transition but again drops just a little outside the zone so I'm not sure it's not bad it's not great it's kind of in the middle let's see uh look at the height the wheel is off the ground that's insane I think the problem for kakashik here is he's given the judges a good excuse to darken points and that's not what you want when you're battling to try and you know get yourself into the show um yeah I mean you know even the Layman can watch her at 67 not enough for Taffy karkoshi showing just how difficult this Riga circuit is because someone of his caliber to not qualify Henry hamper to not qualify this shows how tough it is here now Alexander kosov sits on the start line from the Ukraine and Casa have well you know what did a pretty okay job at a 67 on the first round but it's not enough here he's gonna have to go way up into at least 70s to get himself in the show certainly Dave he's gonna have to go somewhere where he hasn't been before and he's gonna have to just fully commit now as he comes through this section nice first half of the run very fast very fluid so far from Alexander but look at this grabs a whole load of curb there kicks up a lot of dust and really unsettles the run for him can he finish it off though in style the 67 on that first run not enough to see him into tomorrow's action so I don't think that's gonna be enough either I think that's a massive error I think it's huge Dave huge yeah he went up on the curb and he just he sort of like a skateboarder who's grind he was on the rail there for a while and he couldn't get off and I think that the curb I mean they say curves as I said they're like small walls like you go up on them the whole car is completely unsettled you touch one curb on this track you're going to be lucky to get away with it and if you see from this angle you're going to see how much of a mistake that he made here he went through this too fast he goes out towards the edge of the curb locks up back wheels go way up on the curb and he almost over rotates the car to a point where he barely can get back across the track and that's impressive that he actually didn't lose the car there but look at that that is dramatic scenes as he bounces down off the car of rallycross style but this transition here is well violent that is behind the wheel I mean to even keep that going is impressive how he managed to avoid going into the spin but yeah look at this the question is is it an over rotation but no it's not really kind of gets back on it again but he manages to maintain some momentum there as well Dave which I think is quite impressive I can hear Kevin I can't physically hear him but I can hear him in my head is a chaseable I was just gonna say it's not chaseable that's the problem it's unchastable he's stopped to about 20 miles an hour on the car up so yeah I think if if you're uh if you're kind of Shanahan or if you're a James Dean following that at 100 miles an hour I think you're going nowhere but into the side of his car so uh look at the toaster tow truck on the front of the car look at the speed they're going the tow strap is just flowing in the air it's a zero and it's an unchaseable line I would imagine from the judges yeah and two wheels up over the curb into the grass so yeah you ain't gonna follow him in there and if you do you'll be in a big crash so you don't want to do that so moving on along we go to norbert's damage and normal damage has a 68 from his first run he's in 40th position another driver on the ropes Here Eddie needs something to happen yeah I think it's about making it happen now for a lot of these drivers you know you got to grab the ball by the horns can zamich do that drops a little bit off the circuit as well with that rear wheel but just about keeps it going here as he puts foot to floor one more time fills outer zone four and you know what in front of the ground sound this is looking pretty good again just could be a little bit tidier around some of these outer zones Dave and chasing a spot in the top 32 you've got to be better than that I don't know it's one of those ones it's a nail biter for me yeah I mean I'm looking back at the James Dean score because I'm just thinking is that element of commitment because he has that it couldn't have gone in any harder if you tried he was absolutely to the edge of the circuit just putting a wheel over there does kind of get back on top of things after that it looks like he's dropping a wheel there but it's just Full Throttle commitment to the curbs it's all what the judges seem to think is great but there's some wobbles in there there's some moments where you're like look at this up on the curb does a good job there it's bits of Tire flying everywhere bits of body work flying everywhere it's exciting I'll give it that it certainly got flare that's for sure lots of flair lots of excitement would like it misses that zone realistically if you think about it he just kind of barely touches it and this is pretty good so he misses one Zone on the track and he drops the wheel what does that mean who knows it's is it going to be enough to get him in the show that's all we really worry about at the moment it's a 76 it's enough to get him in the show see that the style and angle being rewarded the line letting him down so it goes to show when you look at that scoring system put a lot of style and angle into your run the line can wave or here and there you can miss his Zone and you can still get yourself into the top 32. a man that needs to also do that is Christian erlinson in this BRZ the Swede outside the top uh 32 is the 37th at the moment is 69 and again do or die gotta go for it here he certainly does and going for it is just what he is doing huge speed now as he fires that 86 into the first Corner lots of smoke lots of speed and huge angle super impressive we're on here so far from Christian artists oh he almost flips the car Dave almost flips the car huge contact with the Curve there and that was violent he gives the thumbs up the crowd go wild as both his rear tires past him on the Main Street that could have been much worse God that was washing machine stuff there as he went in and absolutely took off into the grass I don't know how it felt for him but my brain went into overload yeah that's what happened there I think crazy both of us thought we were going to see that car rolling in the track that was a big hit yeah that was really close I I'm I'm interested to see the the replay of this because that just looked it looked to me we've seen Cara's flipper before and it looked to me like that was uh that was going on its roof thankfully for him that it didn't but I've never seen a car db'd both rear tires in the one moment either I think that's the first for me he went in deep up over the curb there and what's on the other side of that curve is not a fun place it's just dirt and muck and it's a big drop off and that's what you saw and you know what Dave thankfully he's okay but you can see the disappointment on his face because he came here looking for a good weekend he's not founded he's not had it but here look at this up onto the curb and that is so violent it lifts the car off the ground violently I mean I hope we can see this from the opposite angle but you can see the tire made it further down the track that he did this is the angle we want to see hold on to your house this is going to get bumpy real fast as he blows the tire on the curb digs in oh that car goes all four wheels in the air and barely barely avoids a flip that's not a fun time no that is not a fun time and you know what he's gonna feel that tomorrow even with all that safety equipment that is just my favorite thing is he tries to continue the run inside he actually adjusts on the steering wheel look how violent this is about to get all four wheels are going to come off the ground here look at this hits it boom car goes in the air spins like a top and he's actually counter steering at this point to try and get himself going again but he hasn't got a tire left on the back of the car oh I Gotta Love Christian erinson He Never Say Die attitude there and but he'll be happy there wasn't worse Damage Done to that car yeah worst damage to the car and himself that really could have been uh that really could have been scary it was scary and you know what I feel I feel as though he deserves the score from the judges purely because of how crazy that was but if you're gonna get a zero for spinning you might as well have the most dramatic spin in the history drifting and that I think was the most dramatic Ora Nielsen and now Christian erlesson have the dramatic spin award every year and you can see pieces of the car just flying over a rock just flies it's like he's in space just gravity has been defied and the crowd absolutely loving it giving Christian a big round of applause such an amazing bunch of people here in uh in Lafayette true drift fans Eddie most of them finish Irish polish and Latvian and Lithuanian and you can see Becky making her way down there and I'm wondering if Christian's Brain still spinning around in his head uh because that was pretty dramatic I'll tell you one thing from my perspective he's very lucky to be walking away with that Becky is down with now Christian taking a big hit there Becky how is he oh is he okay Christian big deep breath yeah that was a biggie and you got out of it clean are you okay yeah I'm okay and disappointed on myself but yeah what was it like coming through how far did you know you've gone in deep before it was about to turn we were very lucky that it didn't flip so I'm delighted for you that you're still in one piece here yeah I don't know what to say but I don't hear but I need to come out too soon before and I tried so much I can but I little too much a little too much but you're here you've got a you've got a couple D beads but you're okay that's the main thing go have a sit down we'll see you next time thanks Becky and I mean the judges said you gotta go out there and drive the wheels off the car but he took that very literally and just took both rear tires off the car so gonna be a bit of a clean up here Ed as they uh the old sweepy boys there get things ready to go and they've got the Ghostbusters stuff here the air stuff so they're ready for this they know what's going to happen you can see Christian he's devastated I mean absolutely we can have a bit of fun we're trying to keep things light-hearted here obviously you know it's a it's a fun sport but we know how much it means to each one of these drivers and they I just don't want to be leaving in this condition the one thing I would say is he left trying his absolute hardest to get the perfect one he didn't do a safe run there that was going all out first yeah well I mean we talk about pushing hard and you know we talk about the fine margins here on this circuit it's so fast the speed that he carried through that section but the thing about it is Christian knew himself how hard he needed to push just to get a score into the 70s on this circuit and I think that for me just shows the level that these guys need to be at one small mistake and it could be all over very very quickly yeah we've got a track uh safety officer down there Jana sploosh he's seen plenty of crashes here over the years and you can see her once again he just floated off the edge of the track boom and it's just so close to going over and I've never seen the two tires on a car just fly off the car I mean look how close this is to a flip right here up it goes all four wheels and it's only the edge of the front rim that keeps that car from flipping over and I'm sure that happened much more I would say dramatically within the car which is I love this Christian track he's counter steering and pulling the handbrake to try and get going again and he's driving off the track Eddie he's not even waiting for the recovery truck [Applause] and revving the car for the audience here well that's where would you see it where would you see it we can't hear enough to think because Christian artist has driven the car off the track with no rear tire but half a rear tire you know what disappointed but he could get back to the pits and maybe just assess the damage in the car and maybe just take a moment to himself and you know what I think he's like let him get the show back on the road as well here but couldn't find out is like whoa what just happened what's just happened yeah there he's probably having a quick look at the screens going well I don't want to do that so quickly and you can see here Clint value this is a beautiful car by the way very well set up looks amazing but Clint needs to improve he had a zero in his first run a mechanical failure ready if you remember correctly um so Clint has to get a clean run of the track here he certainly does Dave a zero on that first run as you mentioned means he has it all to do and you know what he hit the spotters a little bit on the radio letting them know what's just happened so that's gonna play in the back of his mind as well and you know all of these factors can really make a difference to uh how a driver feels as we finish the cleanup here the car may be off the circuit as you say clean up yeah four just a little bit of sweeping very good at it mind you here in Lafayette just blown on all on his friend they're looking he's just absolutely blinded him yeah come on now we got the Ghostbusters there ready to just uh dispel all of the dust off the track I think the sweep each other off the track now there no no prisoners there and as quick a job as they can do I think the great thing there is there's obviously no oil spill or any damage like that so it makes it a just a little bit of gravel just to get rid of having probably too much time to think on the start line I think so I think you know what he'd be he'd be better served reversing back going and just warm in the tires maybe one more time and just taking a moment to himself just to refocus because it could be a long time a long wait sitting on that start line trying to uh keep yourself focused keep yourself motivated and just saying hey I'm having a good time still not the weekend he wanted but um it's what he got and I think he's done well to Come Away with a car in one piece in my opinion I think so look you're gonna have bad weekends in Motorsport it could have been a whole lot worse I think he'll take that away with him you know the car well it's not necessarily in one piece it could have been way worse it could have been structurally a lot worse after uh after that the incident a little bit of statement going on here just to get the banners back up there you can see he's uh he's quick on the draw with the staple gun one of the fastest we have fastest in the West and a little just inspection of the track here just make sure everything is okay because obviously we want the you know we want to keep the show moving but we also want the conditions to be perfect for all of our drivers that there's no difference on the track so looks like we are getting ready to send clean fire out now and this has been a long wait for him sitting on a zero mechanical failure is in the car not sure what's gone wrong or right with the car and now he has to go out and get it all done the Dutch driver will be under extreme pressure here to get the job done needs if I'm not mistaken right now definitely a 72 or higher to see himself into the top 32. it's a big ask right yeah big Oscar going from a zero to 71. it's uh and you know what a minimum of 71 because that's just to get yourself into the game the fans here enjoying every minute even cheering our Marshals clearing up the tracks you've got a lot of people here they're hyped just for sweeping it's gonna be a wild weekend here in Riga the Party Central and Clinton takes off the line through the gear as he goes all on the line now has to get a 72 or higher he's out of the show and that's a good start to the outside Zone he goes excellent on the first Corner as he transitions a little early but he's got it right and then inside though is pretty perfect not making the same mistake as Christian Eros and this is good he's got it push white this is great stuff from Infinity he's nearly there gets back to the wall and puts it to the edge of the track and this is the Clinton who we expected to see this season in drift Masters getting the job done and I think that's put him in the show and that Dave is how it's done huge huge run from Clinton or just when he needed it and right now the circuit not even visible from the tower but the amount of smoke that he created you'd love to see it Ed you'd love to see a good comeback story and that's what we got there from Clinton yeah absolutely after spending so much time sitting on the start line wondering what was happening out on the circuit a lot of time to think about it knew he had to pull out something really impressive to try and get him himself into the show where is he going to land that's the only question we have left what I loved about it was it wasn't a safe run it was a full-on gangster run to get himself in the show yeah anything but safe anything bought safe and he knew it needed to be needed to be fully committed huge angle you can see here gets up onto the curb but doesn't let it affect the line as we've seen happen to a lot of other drivers here and this car looks pretty cool too to be fair it's got some Style but this bit for me the transition back very fluid Snappy in there earlier than most people have been it's an 89 for Clinton goes from last place all the way into seventh place with just one run and I think this qualifying session is starting to heat up heating up is just what it is doing and we move back to the start line with a 16 year old Israeli ate Sada sits waiting for his second run 16 years of age can we just take a moment ladies and gentlemen to realize there is a child about to go into a corner at 90 miles an hour sideways in an 800 horsepower car and it's real life here we go attain though needs to up his game he's in 29th position at the moment with a 74 and he's going for this one he certainly is going for it huge huge speed carry through that first section as he smokes out the arena hard on the gas goes and the 16 year old Israeli showing that he is not just a one-hit wonder a huge run on the first attempt and he looks to be trying to improve on that this time around going fully aggressive into the wall and across the line he goes 74 on that first run from the Israeli youngster yeah I think it might improve here already I think that's a phenomenal run you can you can see the commitment these guys are putting in because they've watched some of the other drivers and gone okay sorry at safe run well that's not going to cut it here at drift monsters I need to be exceptional and to be honest I think that's one of the better runs he's put in all year the JoJo's gonna like that one yeah Georges may like it we'll like it the fans certainly enjoyed it but when all said and done the judges or they may enjoy the Run they need to critique it they need to be what I love about an ash about us yeah but I love the variety right now you're seeing you know Israeli youngsters kuwaitis you're seeing people coming all the way from Japan to competing the drift Masters European Championship you've got every National Champion worth their soul to cross the whole of Europe all in the one mix so when we're being super critical and you see these guys not getting big scores you've got to remember this is the top level of this sport this is the absolute Pinnacle the Superhuman level so even a good run here is a great run anywhere else and you have to remember for a lot of these drivers from coming from their national championships it's a huge step up in class and an easy scored by it tasted uh 20th position for the youngster he's going to be absolutely thrilled with that Dave a huge huge run yeah I'm not sure what time of the day or night in Israel is right now but I can imagine a lot of people celebrating watching it and look at this you can just see the Casual nature here of Connor Shannon and James Dean just chilling out two neighbors watching it up just like you guys at home they watch it the same way you do they just have to do a little bit more work for about 10 minutes of the show and then they're just back to relax and again and they're kind of happy I think they got some good scores and especially James Dean has finished up for the day Felix linvaldo 83 on his first run in this E-Class Mercedes he's only started driving this car at the last round in Finland it looks like he's gelling with an Eddie can he go higher well he'd be certainly looking to go higher he's certainly jailed with the car looks very comfortable it's such a fast car which is surprising for how big the chassis is and here he comes Felix linval look into Cloud out the beaker Stadium here as Felix on a really strong run there but gets caught up with the curb very deep into that outer zone and that will be the end almost that run manages to keep it going but a huge error for Felix but he knows he's got that 80 tree to keep him safe into the top 32 tomorrow I'm not sure it's going to improve on the first one you know an interesting fact daddy do you like a couple facts I like my facts Dave this car only 20 kilos more in weight than his S15 so that is how little of that Mercedes is left in there it's completely lightweight all carbon fiber and fiberglass pounds but he beated the tire that's what happened that's why the Run was over he went up on that curb and he lost that tire we've watched that happen to so many drivers over the years here because the tire pressure has dropped really low these guys are putting the tires down to like 10 12 PSI just to have that as much surface area as possible watch this you'll see a little bang as he goes up onto the corner and he loses that rear tire so as he transitions back he's kind of watch this look at the rear of the car as he goes up on the curb watch that rear tire boom off it goes on to the rim so basically doesn't have full grip from that point on and he does a good job of actually finishing the run with one rear tire yeah it does a very good job of finishing their own let's see if we can see it here oh we have a tire and then we got no tire there's no tire left on the car so it comes off so uh yeah those we don't even want to call them small curbs they're big curbs and it's a 66 with one tire towards the end of the run which is not bad but an 83 from his first road is gonna have to do a Medi because he doesn't have any runs left in the bag a man who does though is Adam zalevski and we talked about this at the time to make that move he's in 15th position at the moment with an 83 it's probably strong enough to get him into the battles but he'll definitely want to be right up there you can expect Adam Sandler sitting on the line right now going I want to Top This qualifying session I want my name and everyone's lips and I've got to do it by going hard but that's it he wants to be the kid on the Block he wants more and with big runs like this he's certainly gonna get people to remember in his name and talking about it one more time perfect through the first three zones for Adam zalevski now as he looks to finish at the style huge angle as he fires it across the outside zone five one final transition perfect again from the Polish youngster as he looks to fill this final outside Zone full commitment takes it to the wall takes it across the line as zalevsky came to play that's a big one that's a big one from Adam zaleski he's laid down a marker there definitely a big Improvement on his first run and what I love about that is the confidence is back Adam said he's throwing it towards the wall big piece signed to the judges says that's what I'm all about and the confidence is back and it can be easily knocked in the sport when you have a couple of bad rounds of mechanical failures but solevski came back to play this weekend the issue seemed to be behind them and that was absolutely pinpoint perfect through the first corner is there much left out there on that track that's the question I'm not so sure if there is Dave it was a really from look from my point of view anyway it was a really impressive run very few Corrections very few errors that I could pick at and you know carried a lot of speed lots of angle and really what more can you want or what more can you ask for me what I like about it is look no handbrake here coming to the other Zone he's not slowing down a lot he's not doing huge amounts of left foot breaking he's on Full Throttle all the way through and this is one of the most fluid transitions to the wall we've seen he came into the first part of the Zone better than anyone I've seen today and I'm just gonna put it out there expect a pretty big score here 89 on the board for Adam zalevski and you can see where he's losing it it's on style and that's the angle some of the driving that he just did through the track they said it was a little bit shallow he was perfect on the line but not enough angle and the drive and the judges give me a little nod there saying the day if you're not talking rubbish you might even understand what's going on for once which is always rare we go back to the start line man there's never short of angle it's Michael Reinhard from the Czech Republic but his first run a 72 he sits exactly on the Drop Zone in 30 second position I don't think that's safe enough and he's got to improve he certainly does Dave and you know what he'll be expecting himself you're not going to be comfortable being right on the Drop Zone like that he's more used to being way up the order and he certainly has the stuff to do in there with Michael Reinhardt could find something special this run he's coming for it big speed full commitment as he fills those outer zones now to the final section nice transition back across and into that fine louder Zone as Michael Reinhard put on a clinic there I can't see anything on the cameras he's just smoked the whole place out and Michael Reinhardt you can see even the Finnish fans are cheering for Michael Reinhardt from the Czech Republic because they know how much entertainment he brings to this Championship well that was a big do or die Ronnie went right to the edge of the circuit and from where I'm sitting at he did a much better job than the first one I'm just reading his notes Here Dave and I'm shocked that he has only ever managed two top eights in drift Masters which is astonishing for a driver of his of his talent and he only shows the competitive nature of this Championship I mean a top eight a drift Masters is like winning two finals of a national championship that's the way I would look at it I mean it's a huge step up even drivers come to this championship and say if I got a top 16 I'm happy with the weekend so it goes to show that nobody's taking any of these tasks slightly as Michael Reinhardt puts in a phenomenal it goes so fast into this wall run at the end I mean I thought he was going straight in the wall and as advertised the tire killer does exactly that on his second running qualifying and 86 from Michael Reinhardt puts him up into 11th position you can see that he stayed just off screen he could say to look at his own score on the screen and he almost jumped straight out of the car with excitement he was so happy with that one and Michael Reinhardt always full of emotion and he lets his driving do the talking and he uh very much one of our favorite drivers on the Graven so is this Manuel Vaca from Italy the highest ranked driver from Italy well he's not the highest ranked driver at the moment in qualifying because he sits outside the top 32 with a 57 another driver that has to go higher than a 72 here or he's going home let's see what Mama could do here he comes 940 break horsepower at his disposal trying to find a spot in the top 32 for tomorrow's battles can he do with the Italian here looking good so far through those first three zones now and keeping this run alive tired of the foot breaks there's he just makes that transition from oh not a huge error there from Manuel vodka prevents him getting into that final outer zone and it was shaping up to be such a strong run Dave it looked like there was so much grip in the car that when he transitioned it just didn't it just stopped in the middle very unusual right like he was on big angle and as he transitioned the car just went nope I just went immediately to grip status in the middle and the judges are going to watch that say that's not what you want to see right the car very gripped up a lot of left foot breaking as it comes through this early sections of the course here and it's just as he comes down to the last Corner into that wall run look at this get a little understeer there starts to see the car unwind a little bit and watch this as he transitions here the car does not transition look boom just stops in the middle and he has to force the transition with the handbrake but then he's on the inside of the track bleeding away all the points there I don't think that's going to be enough Eddie I'm going to put it out there and say no I think that's too big a mistake Dave yeah an error like that at this level is just not going to cut it and Manuel will be furious but I don't think he knows what's happened but it's a 55 he's in 50th position and it's out of the competition and he will be devastated with that one and look from a big point of view uh where I'm at is that I mean one error now seems to be enough Eddie to get you out of competition when we go back to the start like a man that had no errors in his first run he's sitting fourth in qualifying with a 93 is Jakob crawl so he can go For Broke here it doesn't matter he's already in the top 32. he can go all the way if he wants now to try and get himself into at the top step so what he's got giant SEC 96 so he's got to get three more points find three more points out there easier said than done though at this level as Jakob crawl he knows he can do it he knows he can go higher in the 90s he could we see yaka pro top qualifying he's going to throw this one with everything he's got into that first corner he certainly is Dave the great thing now for crawl is that the pressure's off this one just for fun and just for pride and maybe an opportunity to take it top stab in the podium but he's not going to do it after missing inside Zone tree and get wild and Reckless as he comes to the wreck the second half of the circuit I may be trying to push himself to a point where he'd never been before but Jakob crawl is safe with that first score of 93 and you know what he is in the show tomorrow and a driver that looks very very happy well he's definitely trying to go for the fastest run of the day I know I thought he was going to take off off the circuit there he drops in the first Corner he's wider than anyone else here watch he's super wide he stays late in it drops a wheel if I'm not mistaken just towards the end yes and then he's going way too fast he misses this inner Zone and this is the wrong line he's almost gonna end up in what we would Now call a Christian Ireland situation he goes up onto the curb very heavy fires the stones and then he stays in it but I think that's a guy who's trying to score a hundred Point run that it does oh like a big bump to the back of the car as he comes up over the car but he's going for it like there's nothing else to do there except go for the top qualified I said you've got a 93 and you you know if you're going to improve on that you've got to push the limits of what yourself and the car are capable of and that's exactly what he tried to do and uh it's still not a bad run it's just one of those where too much right just tried a little too much especially on the first corner I think it it wasn't perfect and uh you can see here manual back I mean the speed he carried through the second Corner was was just ridiculous because we're standing uh in the in the tower just in front of that corner and it almost I feel that a racing car could go through there faster than some of these guys are going through there without drifting you know you said this to me yesterday Dave and I'm trying to agree with you they come true at such a pace that uh yeah I don't think uh I'm not sure there's too many track cars that could could get you that that section any quicker no so we're going out back to the start line it's a guy that could surprise us here and go top qualifying because the 83 on the first run I don't think he was happy with that I think the Polish driver great civil driver he's got a thousand laps this week on this track online I think he's ready for a big one here look at that entry it's absolutely perfect yeah huge entry from corporinsky now as he looks to try and improve on that score of 83 from the first run fires are true the first couple of sections and it's pinpoint accurate here he's coming for it this time around Dave he's coming for top spot and qualifying can you get the transition right here as he comes through the final two sections he certainly counts deep into the outer zone now and puts foot to floor and he fires across the line that was a huge huge run for powerful again not much for us to criticize there any we talk about being overly critical sometimes he does a crazy 360 720 1080 on the way out there for the fans and the fans here absolutely loving it her Sun's gone down it's got a little cooler at the temperature here on track and corporinsky taking advantage of a little less grip on the track to go wider than most have been before and core Polinsky looked to me like he was on Rails you know if he were to show someone that the smoothest run of this track that is pretty much what he's just done there yeah very good example of it and of course the Shadows now starting to creep out onto the circuit as well which would make things just that little bit more tricky for our final few drivers as if it wasn't tricky enough right we now make it a little spot of sunshine here and there and the track temperatures cooling down which the drivers prefer and look at this a 91 from pavao core polinski puts him into fifth position we have a lot of drivers now sitting in the 90s and I'm you know I'm getting pumped up I think we're going to see someone challenge Peter here for a 96 very soon will it be Mika keskey Corby well the Finnish fans in attendance certainly think so as they start to stomp their feet and wave their Flags in the grandstand here in Riga that keeps catching four weeks off that Ford Bar a six-cylinder turbo which is just a ridiculous engine to put in a touring BMW and he's coming out everyone's coming out of the blocks way faster than they were in the first run yeah so sits in 31st position so he's right on the edge of the drop zone so caspi carpi fires the speed that he carries through that first section is just unmatchable from a lot of the drivers on the grid and he's really coming to put it all on the line here huge huge transition there as he dials on big angle there and finds the wall through the final section and caspi Corby putting on a show for the fans it's a great run it's a super run he's sitting at 31st at the moment with a 73 so he needed to improve I think that transition as you mentioned Eddie it was entertaining but it was probably a little bit of an error here I'm almost over rotated the car but he did incredibly well to save it and I just can't believe how accurate everybody's getting at this first corner at this speed and the corner is very slight it's not a you know a really smooth corner it's an interesting one when you walk and you realize it's kind of more of a slight curve than a corner and they still have to get to the edge of that end so it's amazing to see them do it and you can see up on the current from Caskey Scorpion and as he comes through the course this is all smooth it's all perfect but that transition he was lucky to hold on to as he comes through here watch it snappy the car gets as he loads it up fires it back this stuck to me like he was almost on over rotation look at the wobble on the front wheel as he tries to get control and he does get controlling it back out to the wall so a good run from kesky Corby for me a much big Improvement and there for the judges to 85 on the board from Mika keske Corp he goes into 15th position I think he's going to be safe for that for battle action tomorrow The Finnish fans here absolutely delighted and they won't put a shirt on until they're going home on the plane on Monday that's for sure ready so I don't know for a randomly now on the start line and ran to do I can't believe he's even out here because I saw that car with no engine in it about three hours ago and here he is so he got his first run off at 72 he's now on the Drop Zone in 30 seconds position got him improved because I think this this drop zone is going to get a little bit more worrying as we go along yes will I expect to see something big here from Oliver ranjo as you say on that drop zone so we need something special he needs to improve on the score of 72 so far so good looks just a little bit wide as he comes by that inner zone now needs to finish it perfect here it needs to be pinpoint accurate No Room for any more mistakes from Randa Luke he's going to keep himself inside the top 32 and keep himself in the on for a spot in tomorrow's action Rand Lou gets himself across the line and again a 360 to celebrate as he crosses that Finish Line Dave he did have an engine about three hours ago and now he's doing 360s in front of the grandstands want to roller coaster drifting games and we were we were hearing word no Olive around to do and all of a sudden we got Oliver andalu at 90 miles an hour coming into the first Corner absolutely lit and putting on a pretty good run was it perfect I'm not saying it was but it was definitely I think better than his first I'm not a judge and we're not judges and we watch this just like you guys do at home we try and make our estimations we watch it very much from an entertainment point of view and almost from a casual point of view right but the judges watch it from a very technical point of view they are watching every score and for us to talk and try and calculate like them it's kind of impossible at least that's the excuse I give for not knowing what's going on most of the time and then the judges are watching this very much from a run by run basis and they've also watched all of practice and then given that feedback to the drivers and their spotters so there's a lot going on before you see these judging decisions come in and it's an 83 for Oliver on to do and The Crowd Goes Wild as he jumps into 18th position that looks to me Eddie that could be a safe one yeah he's certainly safe where he is now Dave uh nice and firmly into that top 32 and some breeding space for him now as randu goes back to the pits and you know what decompresses after a hectic 24 hours but he is in the game we move it back to the start line I'm gonna say some crazy stuff here that you might not believe it's just been told to be my headset there is a different engine in this car from the first qualifying run to the second qualifying run for a Hoffman and full he missed the first run by just a few minutes because they were putting a full engine in this car between the last run of practice and this second one wow incredible work from Columbia's team to get this car back out he's going flying into that first car that's too fast can he hold it he can hold it that's definitely the highest speed we've seen in there so far yeah a huge speed carried by Colombia through the first action he's keeping it going Dave he wants to finish this run without lifting it out that truck but he has done and he's just knocked off that transition uh correctly and it's starting to fall away from him here just through the final sections but one of it that that's an incredible uh piece of information shows what these teams are capable of put a thousand horsepower engine in the car what was that an hour and a half and then also he went super easy on it as well you know just to make sure that it was all working correctly he just went in absolutely full tilt with with a brand new engine in the car I mean you're talking like months and months and months to build an engine like this or change an engine or whatever and they're doing it in mere hours here I think an hour and a half from the last run of practice the second one to qualify maybe two hours they put a whole new engine in that car and they've had to plug in and tune it up and everything that is wild now has it been enough for Olivia it's like you mentioned any super through the first half of the course but he just that transition towards the end was a little sloppy and that's where I'm a little worried that it's gonna hurt a score at this point here yeah you can just see where that starts to go wrong for him but I have to say it was pretty impressive up until that point so I think it's going to come down to how um how much weight the George is going to put on that Dave yeah the only driver on the grid competing in a full season in Europe and in the USA at the same time this year so a very hectic schedule for Alex solovnia from the Ukraine and 79 he gets in the show he's in it for the moment in 24th position so it might the work might have all paid off Ed yeah it looks as though it was all worth it so far as we go back to the start line where you have pointed laxo sits [Music] yeah you had now looking I mean the thing is right his first one was 82 so I think this is enough I think at this point to get him into the show um but what I'd like to see is you had go for the big 90 plus one I think that's where we want to see this go and can the Finn do it if the bandwagon starts up in the grandstand U.S very close to the edge of the track this is some speed these guys are carrying into that first corner it's definitely fine right now that's One Direction fires through the course Full Steam full smoke full angle as well as he comes through just a little shy on that Arizona as he transitions back to the wall and that flirts with the edge of the tractor that last outer zone point the lockstone putting down a heater here already and that's another big run from the flying fin yeah absolutely Dave using every inch of the tire mark here on the beaker nerky circus and uh you know what like you say safe with that first run but you want to see these drivers just push to the the limits push the boundaries that little bit more every time they come out on circuit and that's exactly what he uh Point laxo has done on this occasion isn't it crazy to see the grandstands absolutely packed for qualifying cheering every run every driver losing their minds and we are in qualifying this is the of the two days the lesser of the exciting days and tomorrow's the main event it's the battles can you imagine you know what's even crazier that's exactly what was happening during practice earlier on today it was cheers in practice the fans that come out to these drift Masters events it's just Goosebumps stuff for us Finland was amazing and now we come to Riga sold out we then head to Germany and then Poland the biggest drift event of all time in the history of the world we're going to the biggest stadium in Poland the pig in a little bit tickets are flying out we could pack out that Stadium imagine 50 000 fans for one drift event in a stadium sounds like it's not even real life so we gotta see what the score is there yeah jump up for yuha 88 on the board 11th position so far gotta say love the run love the commitment judges love the two that guy definitely loved it he was he's loving everything at the moment there is no taking this man down from how much fun he's having and as I said a lot of flags not a lot of shirts that's the Finish way at the moment and we go back to the Star Line pavao gross ready to hit today he had a good first run 78 not bad he's 28th position at the moment he'd like to improve he had a bit of a hit with the wall here two years ago he seems to have gotten over those you know Gremlins in that GT86 or BRZ whatever you want to call it the same thing and now he's going to take to the track to try and get himself I guaranteed mid-pack or high level run here yeah look he wants to get himself with the yard a little bit give himself an easier run tomorrow drops a wheel though very wide on that first outer zone as he fully commits himself but George's will be taking it that now can he get the rest of the line right he certainly can so far big trans weight transfer as he just fires that car on a huge angle to try and slow it down it seems to have hurt the speed the character Davis he uh comes through that final section now it was a very aggressive on the edge run there from Pavel Grouch yeah conditions perfect on the circuit now but you've got half the track in the shade and half the track in the Sun so it's you know it's difficult that way you also have zero wind out here as well so a lot of the smoke just lingering within the circuit and he's on three wheels at 85 miles an hour there Eddie just to let everyone know at home that that's not a normal thing to do with your weekends and he's out there doing this and he made it work he got around it's an error but it's not a massive one and I like the fact that he's uh he stayed in it and I think that first corner you have no option you just have to hope the car comes out the other side of it does a good job for the rest of the run and Pavo girls get right to the edge of the curbs there as you can see pushing that car as far and as wide as he can and um yeah great driver real good addition to the grid and a very technical driver too car as well that he looks super cool super clean doesn't improve much though stays pretty much where he is in 24th position so a little Improvement there for Pavel gross and here comes the tape the magic tape of course uh Merced on the star line he uh I mean he goes for about 20 rolls of this every weekend I think more this car has more taped than car at this point you thought Kevlar could take a hit well this this uh masking tape so Marco's akron's Car falling apart in the burnout box it's taken that many hits today the back of the car is fully uh there you go look at that does it look pretty maybe get some black tape it might look a little better I think yeah I think they used up all the black tape on the rear end of this vehicle Dave I think that's the problem they've run out of black tape there they've moved down to the the primer Gray as you can see cable ties are tape two ways to uh ensure that your car is fixed and ready to go and ready to take on the circuit here in Riga for drift Masters round four look how that car is just so badly because it's hit some things we're not gonna We're Not Gonna shy away from it Marco's Acro may have hit some things and uh the car is a structural tape now it's a load bearing tape so he's got a lot of horsepower though and a lot of grip as Marco zakro for the check Republic takes to the circuit wants to get a big score here he got an 85 and look at that pace he's coming up there on full angle as well zacharo's coming for it here a little shy of that other zone right on that inner Zone very good stuff from Zachary so far barely can see the back of the car with the amount of smoke train he's creating as he transitions back down towards the one's smoothness he loves this track Michael Zachary always does a great job here he's buried in the wall now the car is on fire the back of the car is completely on fire as he comes across the Finish Line not sure if the tires are on fire or the car is on fire but it looked to me like the tires went on fire and as he rolls back towards the Marshall everything's fine everything is for no the car is still very much on fire so the Marshals are in behind the car fire extinguishers going off quick reactions from the marshals there that looks to be like some tire rubber gun on some exhaust there and he's in the car jumping around celebrating while the car is on fire just needs to calm down a little bit he's out here celebrating he was high-fiving the marshals who just put the fire out in his car and that was a huge run I don't even know what's going on anymore I don't even want to yeah Marco's aquarel delighted with the car on fire never seen a man happier to have his kayak Open Flame but we always say that he's been on fire all weekend it seems to take that quite literally yeah and uh the car I think that was the tire rubber and maybe a lot of tape maybe the tape went on fire could have been the tape there was a lot of tape on that car and you can see look at this on the last Corner the car hits the wall and then all of a sudden boom it's on fire at the back of the car and this is not the first time Marco's Acro has been on fire in Riga and it's burning as it goes up on the wall what is even happening right now the whole tire is on fire if that's not full of style points it's about to go back to 1988. I was expecting Doc Brown to run out on the track halfway through the run and say Marty you're back that was incredible unbelievable and then he just celebrated as they put the fire out on his car so you know I don't think he needs a spotter I think he needs a therapist I think he just needs to calm down a little bit Marco Zachary are doing a great job and he's right up the order in seventh position well we promised some massive fireworks and we got some and then we're gonna calm things down with Max hydration just always does a simple run he doesn't do anything too dramatic and I think his parents named him Max knowing what was to come and max power is probably what we're gonna see here at Max angle and Max hold on to your hat because he doesn't know how to drive this track anything other than Full Steam hydridge with an 87 on his first run can go for it here you certainly can yeah he can push the limits a little bit further this time around and hydrange using every last bit of tarmac and just fire through the circuit so fast as he comes down to in front of the grandson big big angle as he transitions across the circuit up onto the curb and you know what we expected fireworks and that's exactly what we're getting from Hydra maybe not be pretty but it's certainly entertaining as he catches himself across the line if ever there was a driver whose driving style doesn't match his personality because he's like the Karma's most polite guy behind well I think they've had it but behind the wheel he is an absolute headcase I think Max hiders is always going to hit something on the track if he's lucky they just hit the curb and he still kept it together it was absolutely full steam from the off from Max Hydra she was uh he did not come off the rev limiter he just used the left foot break all the way through this first section look at this beautiful shot as he comes through on Full Steam top of fourth gear huge wheel speed right to the edge of the curb but this is where he just went that little bit too wide push that bit further than he should bounces the car up on the curb and events is on almost every car but the second one was where it did the damage I think if he hadn't we could have been someone it could have been a run that worried the top guys in qualifying right now because right here look he goes right to the edge of the circuit too wide bounces up on the curb lucky he doesn't DB the tire and look at this it's going to be really sore on this wheel oh look at the suspension just smash up into the car as he lands back down on the car of these amazing Phantom shots he is decked coming down off that curve and 82 for Max heidrich we're having fun here qualifying at drift Masters round four or enriga the party has already started definitely in the grandstand and now it started in the tower and on the track we've got some broken up cars in it we might need some more tape as the crowd lifts up in anticipation for the man that's half Fast and Furious half Thomas the Tank Engine you don't know which way he's gonna go it's timu Portola in the 1200 Newton meter diesel-powered Mercedes and here we go choo choo ready into the first corner and he is already sitting on an 86. expect a big exciting run here just look at this thing as Teemu puts foot to the floor battle to the metal as he just absolutely smokes that we can't even see him on the camera here the speed just fires through that outer zone big weight transfer as he just throws that car across the track look at this for entertaining driving from timu belt to that what about this for a run as the puffs of black smoke mixed with the smoke from the tires a 360 across the line for good measure and there is a man having four never mind the qualifying line it's all about the party here in Riga this weekend he can't even see where he's up on the roof of the car now and the grandstand has erupted and it's only qualified this is what it's all about the Finnish fans jumping on top of each other on the ground set nobody can see absolutely anything for a black and white smoke and regret the party has definitely begun as Teemo gets up on top of a look at the black smoke pouring out of the front even how he sees that of this car surely it hampers your vision but it's still put in a good run it wasn't I don't think maybe as good as this first but it's just so fun to watch well that is certainly as if the crowd needed waking up but that is certainly woking them up because this place is absolutely pumping after that run what a show man what an Entertainer and what about that for a run I don't know if it'll set the scoreboard on like Dave I've seen just offered I've seen some stuff I guess I don't even know what happened on that just look at that image of what is happening there it's a full 90 degree white smoke at the back black smoke at the front there's people with the shorts off in the grandstand behind them just look how casual he looks behind the wheel incredible at the end of all that he sits in 14th position and the show man he's left on the recovery truck at the last round he'd be hoping to leave at the podium this time around and the Finnish fans absolutely loving this I just don't know anymore Dave I just do not know we go back to the start line oh how do you follow that I don't know yeah well it's going to be a man that definitely wants to improve his score Pontius Harmon sitting outside the top 32 the Swede he's got all the pace he's got all the experience can he get it done here we don't want to see any of our drivers go home but at this moment in time it's got to be a much higher score than he's achieved on his first round Herman goes into that corner nice initiation flirt with the edge of the track not a lot of angles so far dials it on leads the corner fires back and look at that switch off Direction in from upon this arm and now they're starting to hook this up drivers really getting into the groove as part of this arm and sends it perfectly now can he get this they're struggling with this not taunted sermon he's not struggling when it takes it right out to the wall very smooth run and it looks like the Swede feeling the track now and the crowd giving their appreciation huge huge run from Panthers Hartman very fast through the circuit tape notably fast and you know what not too many mistakes to pick at Rider I think right from the off he gets that car set up on that outer line very nicely here should be a bit more positive but I want to see the hundred Point run that's what I want to see well you know you got to assume that these guys are coming out to try and top qualify knocked the cone Off the Wall that's why I love it always a bonus point from Dave Golden Buzzer cone Off the Wall straight into the top 16. straight into the top 15 he took the cone off the wall with spoiler we've had spoilers peeling we've had spoilers split and we've had cones knocked over at spoilers and we've had Cara's nerdy flip that's true and 90 on the board for Kuba pushkonski and I've got to believe without that little wobble into the wall Eddie that could have been our top qualifying run I I'm inclined to agree with you that because that's what it was shaping up to be well the man that does sit on top step of qualifying so far is sitting now on the start Finish Line well all you can do is go for the hundred now all he can do is aim for the hundred Peter weinzak chasing down the pack and he is definitely the shark in the water in this Championship as he sits outside the top five but he's got to win everything to get the third championship in a row and this has to be the biggest run of his life here in Riga as he goes to the edge of the circuit he's faster than anyone else through there and this is absolutely rocket ship stuff from Peter Pan it's like as he fires through the course a Full Throttle a full angle full commitment to the wall if your insects going for it here this could be the perfect run of the Riga circuit as he takes it to the wall buries the taillights in it and that is Exceptional from a man who wants this Championship nothing short of outrageous from Peter visic there absolutely mind-boggling crazy insane run and you know what if ever there was a man to improve on a 99 Point run from last year well you know what it's not progress this year if you don't beat it or match it at least no I'm not a judge Eddie but I don't know what more you could do there it had everything I'm looking at it going what could you do better like that was faster than anyone else through the first Corner full angle full commitment got all the zones and to me this was the PS to resist on this transition on Full Throttle and he almost went 90 degrees to the next wall I mean yeah I'm not sure if he lifted once on the whole run incredible stuff from Peter look at the smoke Trail just follows the car evenly trip the whole run incredible stuff well Peter Waits his score from the judges it'll pop on the screen and he'll see it himself look at the angle he pulls to the curve into the detail Zone Full Throttle and I mean is there more out there because I'm not sure what the judges I mean the judges are going to have their own opinions here but from where Ed and I are sitting there's not much more there is there what a phenomenal run Goosebumps on the arms that's what Peter giantset gives you when he goes through that track and he awaits his scores from the judges they're having a good settle on this one it looks like they're locked in where will be inside go he's already in first it's a 98th in qualifying for a Peter of the einsek and Becky is down on track with him but Becky that's the best run I've ever seen of this track in my life incredible run day Peter you came in there into the roundabout at almost 90 degrees was there a second where you thought am I gonna catch this yeah exactly like when I when I transitioned to the last corner I was like I think we it would be good but uh it's so enjoyable to be here always this track those funds thank you guys for joining us it's always a pleasure and uh yeah I cannot wait for tomorrow we are in that's the most important we will have a good score probably and good points after qualification so I'm very happy about it but now what we need to focus is the strategy for tomorrow and yeah we are in so that's great one question that the guys are just talking about up there did you lift at all throughout those first four Clips I I will need to see the videos but I think it was a little bit of a try to live here and there but uh it was enjoyable it was it was the run that I enjoyed the most so mainly on a full throttle and yeah oh my God it's all for you guys thank you thank you very happy Peter there in first position well there you have it Peter fiance well I'll tell you one thing 98 in qualifying what a statement to the rest of the grid Peter's back he's ready and I would not like to be going up against him tomorrow because he looks like he is on rocket ship like that car is so faster and he the conference he has now going into tomorrow knowing the heat today but we're not finished yet we have some guys that would like to do a 99 or 100 but I don't think that's going to be beaten today well I'll tell you one man who's gonna argue but it's probably Dwayne McKeever look it'll take something special but we have guys that are special that are superstars on the grid that are more capable of and these guys do not like leaving here without top staff on not uh qualifying here we go with Dwayne McKeever the man from North here to take charge and hopefully take home that top spot but already just not as perfect as Peter walks through those sections doing a good job though has that 85 from the first round he'd be looking to bump that score up into the 90s McKeever huge angle but just gets laid into that final Zone as he now just tucks into that wall gets the throttle pin and gets himself home two runs in the back but how do you top that 98 I mean he's trying to go he's trying and he's absolutely left the entire arena in a cloud of smoke as the fights go crazy probably the loudest car here on anti-leggers Dwayne mckeevers those foot on a show but what really stood out to me is that Dwayne has an 85 from his first run and that's only good enough for 24th position and the judging quite harsh here in drift Masters he does drop out of that Arizona the first Corner as you mentioned Eddie but you know what he's at that point I think he's over driving a little bit here I think he's trying to go for that 94-5 plus run and to me this transition here is just outrageous he's on 90 degrees here and then there's just kind of no pulling back towards the last wall because it's such an amount of angle to come back from we saw the insect pull it off but you pull that move off you know one out of ten times if you're at their level look at this 90 degrees he goes to this curb huge angle but as he transitions too early needs the big handbrake Dragon didn't have that fluidity that Peter had to get to the wall well you mentioned about the 85 seeing him so far down the order interestingly enough and this includes a 99 Point run last year eight points separating the top 10 guys in qualifying and 85 and on the first run and 85 on the second run so no improvement for Dwayne McKeever and 21st position is where he's going to sit going into tomorrow which would mean he could have a difficult day ahead of him if he wants to take home the title of king of Riga yeah I think the interesting thing to know here if you're keeping a tab on the scores all our Championship contenders are in the battles tomorrow that's that's the story for qualifying some higher some lower some may meet each other very early in the competition but one that definitely want to jump off out of the way is you how rich and it needs to improve here early initiation from you how the car pitches into that first Corner much more accurate here than he was on his first run fires through the course going to be very calculated on his approach here as he tries to make the perfect run happen through the zones that's really nice on the outside as he comes to the wall Very fluid from the finished driver as we expect from him to be inch perfect around here it's not as risky it's not as wild but it's definitely going to get the job done and get him into the show confidently for tomorrow yeah confidently for tomorrow but interestingly enough if he doesn't improve on that first run going into the tomorrow's battle actually could be facing none other than Championship leader Connor Shanahan so not what you I would be looking forward to but you know what Conor would be not relishing that opportunity in top 32 either so very interesting to see where some of these Championship contenders as you said they are right up at the top of the order and some of them right down at the bottom of the packing order well I mean it could be a good thing too because if you take a down your Championship Contender you know early in the top 32 you're the man you're going forward you're taking all the points you know so there's just you could look at it you know one way or the other double-edged sword but you got to beat them at some point and if you meet them early you're going to get a big advantage on them later in the competition so there's gonna be a lot of storylines playing out tomorrow as we go through that top 32. you harinson doing a good job on his qualifying run there taking it to the edge of the track and a lot of fluidity I mean you has driving style for me is always so so inch perfect so calculated he doesn't take major risks but then tomorrow I think he might have to because there's no way this track is and this this lineup is just going to be about smooth driving I think he's going to have to go for it well look he's coming he's in the hunt for the championship if you want to take that Championship Dave you've got to take some risks and now is the point where you got to do it halfway point in the championship two rounds left after tomorrow and these guys will have very little opportunities to gain some points if there's a big deficit between them and whoever is leading the championship so I don't know you he's gonna have to take some risks tomorrow I think so one way or another yeah well I think it's going to be risky for all of our drivers as we move on to the final three drivers in our qualifying session and what I love about this is it's so well stacked at the moment went to see who takes home the top Step at the moment Peter vians again 81 for you Harrington puts him into 27th and 81 is 27 that's crazy Peter bjornsec is our current leader Kevin pazor in second Eric gotcha in third Jacob in fourth so Connor Shanahan and all of the other Championship contenders sitting outside of the top four right now except for the insect so they can make a big move here but it's going to need some incredibly big runs from our final three drivers in qualifying and they will be Jack Johnson and Laurie Heinen and Connor Shanahan two shanahans in the top three will they remain there when we get to the end of tomorrow's competition more of the insects start to climb up through the ranks we are waiting just for the smoke to clear a little bit we almost needed the breeze already we almost needed a moment before these next Free Runs because these are huge when it comes to where they settle tomorrow the obviously Giants sitting in first position if you get close to that first position then you're not going to see if you're insects through the competition for a long time that'll be in the moment that'll be in the mind of Jack Shanahan and Connor Shannon and Laurie Heinen they want to stay away from beinsek in this particular form and to do that they've got to either beat a score or match it or be very close to it in this next run yeah well it's crazy for Jack Shanna in here to be sitting so far down the order even with that score that huge score 85 I believe on his first runs qualified second here last year wasn't able to turn it into a into a win but he'd be looking to just try and reset get himself up the order here brother Connor Shanahan sitting in fifth position after their first runs so a lot of room for improvement here but I always feel like this track but it's very much suited to Jackson Shanahan's style of driving it's so knife edge and he's such a knife edge style driver that the slightest error at all and things can go very badly wrong from here we go he leaves the line ready to take on this circuit for the second half of qualifying Jack Shanahan right up there in the championship this one though for a top spot can he compete with that 98. huge transition there as he fires that character towards Arizona five perfect on the transition as he fails now the final Zone fourth to floor goes Shanahan as he crosses the line Dave Jack Shannon on an absolute Clinic there yeah that's going to be one to contend with it there's not much again you could take away from that run he even had a little bit more style and Flair than Peter through the first two corners was he as deep maybe not but that was big angle from China in the G36 as he transitioned from one side of the course to the other that was as good as you could expect from him at this level and I'm not going to be I'm not going to be surprised if that's right up there with Peter's run there's not much else you can ask from him to get that course on the fluidity into that last Corner the pace he carries to the wall and the Precision to the wall was probably even better than Peter's but the overall Pace maybe not the same so very hard to know which way the judges are gonna go but that was absolutely perfect from Shannon as he goes through so a wheel drop on outer zone one so the judge is saying they spotted that wheel drop so it's gonna hurt his score a little bit and I think that might be the Difference Maker here because everywhere else was pretty solid look I've left for a break slime in the left foot Breakers he's Full Throttle to the curb Shannon doing a great job there of showing why he is in third position in the championship right now I'll be honest when I say they are 92 for Jack Shannon walk it could have been without that wheel drop on outer zone one but it would have definitely worried Peter veynseck yeah well that was right at the end of The Zone as well David looked to be anyway from where we were standing so you know what and we talk about the margins here it's so fine here in Riga and Jack Shannon improves on that score but only can manage sixth position crazy as we go yeah 92 for 16. our final two drivers of the day yeah now we get this delay now every time because there's zero win there's zero anything moving through the circuit so we've got this Cloud forming that we have to wait first here and the Finnish fans have absolutely erupted in the grandstand because Laurie Heine has coming to the line and they are going bananas in the grandstand I have never heard a noise like this in Riga there must be 2 000 of them up there going absolutely bananas because Laurie is about to take to the track now Laurie Heinen has qualified High here before he's sitting on that start line waiting for the smoke to clear his championship also very much on the line he needs to get himself up the order he's got a 90 from his first run he sits in 11th position so all he can do here is go for the big run the 99 the 100 is it there is it there between Laurie Heinen and Connor Shannon because if it is vianset goes back in his box and starts working again well look at those eyes Dave the eyes of focused man he's managed fourth position here and qualifying back in 2021 can he go higher this time around he looks absolutely pumped up for this one and the crowd are pumped up they cannot wait to see him but look at all the smoke just sitting over the circuit not a drop of uh or not a drop away I'm trying to sound to let a drop of wind in the sky and what we have here is Finnish people I mean they're doing so much waving the flags they might actually push the Smoke Off The Track but Laurie has to wait for that smoke cloud to clear because it's almost like a bowl here at the moment would it know where to go so all that smoke sitting on the track it's starting to dissipate the tension is rising as Laurie Heinen puts the visor on and says this could be it could he do it 99 100 do you think we could see it I think he's going to go close if I just have a feeling there's just a feeling in the air here this evening in Riga and I'm not sure what's more perfect than a Vian Tech run I'm not sure what more is out there that run he did earlier on I think is as good as we're gonna see so if you want to go higher than that you've got to risk it you've got to go to a place that you've never been before and do something you've never done before and Heinen's been asked the question there's no nothing to lose here he's in the show either way well we are about to find out as he leaves the line and a big flick entry from Laurie Heinen as he comes rumbling through the jungle here in Riga full commitment and fully perfect so fire can he keep this going look at the line here from Laurie Heinen as he fires that car on to angle out to the outer zone five perfect and big angle as he comes into the wall and down in front of his home fans or the fans right around and across the line goes Laurie Heinen Roars from the grandstand and what more can you do Dave well I'll tell you what for me it screamed through the run but I'm just wondering when you look at the pace difference Laurie Heinen doing a lot of left foot breaking through the course to keep that car moving the insect was Full Throttle he was full commitment and Heinen doing a phenomenal job it is a great run there's no denying it but does he risk as much as Ryan said no does he go in as much angle as behind SEC no does he risk as much as behind SEC no but it is a phenomenal run either way and Laurie does a phenomenal he's got the whole grandstand cheer in his name right now they want him to take everybody down and they know this is almost the turning point in the season you're in the fourth round you know I mean you're getting into the business end the second half of the season this is the time to get into form and start looking quite unbeatable and it is a mental game between these top four or five drivers they're psyching each other out they're basically trying to say to each other you're not beating me here you're not going to get the better of me and when we've got battles lined up tomorrow it's going to be fireworks in Riga as we await the score for Lori Heinen to flash up on our screens it's the second last run of the day here in qualifying as the smoke lingers Enrique it's a 93 for Heinen he's coming for blood tomorrow and he's back in the game Heinen's second in the championship third in qualifying as it stands and the grandstand nearly just fell over Becky can you even hear what's going on anymore with these Finnish fans [Applause] [Music] could be your track to get you right in number one yeah this definitely hasn't been my track but uh this year the car is next level so I I'm gonna be next level you know all these all these fans here for you and they are cheering your name how does that make you feel it must be incredible listen to them it gives me the chills like I'm speechless what can you say look at them say anything and finish to them right now yeah and there you have it guys incredible job thank you Becky I'll tell you one thing um the only thing quiet about the Finnish people is Laurie Heinen himself his car and the fan base are the loudest I've ever heard and Lori Heinen's in the game ready to go into tomorrow he sits third in qualifying at the moment and he sits uh with one man left on the start line it's her current Championship leader Connor Shanahan now that's a lot of pressure on Connor Shanahan right now he's just watched his brother put in a huge run he's watched Laurie Heinen put in a huge run and he's watched the einsek put in a huge run can he go out there and prove that he can stay at the top of this Championship but Connor shine is a confident young man but he's gonna have to be exceptional here he's going to have to go for the most perfect runny can because a 93 on the first run and he's in sixth position with a 93. it's going to put him in a mixed bag for the battles tomorrow we'll see that at the end of qualifying where it Stacks everyone up and we can all sit there tonight and go wow what are we going to witness tomorrow but Shannon is our last driver to go today the fans are ready to see if Connor Shannon has the stuff to go out and do it because that's that's what you got to do moments like this you've got to prove to everybody watching at home to everybody here in attendance to the drivers that are all trying to take you down that you have the stuff to take this championship and Shanahan comes off the line and through the gears up to 85 miles an hour fires early in this little GTA 6 out to the edge of the track so far so good Shannon on the perfect line transitioning back to the curve this is what we hate to see from Connor shine if he fires out on the left foot break transitioning back perfect so far as he goes to the edge of the circuit again massive angle but it's enough that the judges are putting it where he wanted where the judges want him to be on the edge of the circuit ferries the car into the wall and qualifying is done and dusted for round four of the drift Masters European Championship enough to avoid the sharks in the water when the grid comes out not too sure already yeah I mean look huge run huge run from Shanahan and uh hard to know is it an improvement on that 93 from the first run is it enough to improve on what has been gone before him from Kevin Passover Laurie Heinen and Eric coxyle Jacob crawl as well in there in that top five I gotta say we're talking about Championship contenders a lot of guys in there putting big runs in that you know what could take the whole king of Riga title tomorrow miss the championship completely again could even be in the championship yeah look forget about qualifying Dave I think we have a very exciting day ahead of us tomorrow a lot of names really performing and coming you know just coming out here this weekend looking so confident down in that circuit not just comfortable confident as well in their own ability in the ability of their cars and I think we are starting to see a championship here that is such depth and strength and depth within the field then it's going to be a problem for the for the bigger names in the championship for sure well all their problems become our happiness because we're going to see it all unfold for our entertainment tomorrow here in Lafayette as Connor Shannon awaits his score from the judges to see where he lands in qualifying will it be enough to worry Peter veynseck a feeling for me is that it might not be and Peter gunzak might have that perfect run but we'll see it's only our opinion our opinion counts for absolutely nothing except it's only an opinion but the judge is locking in those scores for Connor Shannon it'll be up there it's going to be up there definitely I think if he can score a 91 here David would put him into second position based on the higher second run so maybe not an improvement on his first run but just improving on the lower ranked runs of the other drivers ahead of him but if you want to be going higher than that for sure and it comes in 94 for Connor Shannon puts him into second place just behind the isek and Becky is down with Connor now at 94 Becky the fight is on tomorrow it absolutely is Dave nicely done Connor but I was just talking to him here and you thought it wasn't going to come together for you for just a second there can you tell us what happened yeah I was shouting to my spider before we left the line and I watched Peter's 98 it was an incredible run so massive congrats to him or taking the win a qualifying so we kind of said okay we knew that everybody in front of us had a 93 so I said okay let's get above anointing and slide into second Dan I left the Starland and I was like okay let's just try push it but unfortunately coming through outer zone tree I had a boost cut I had to shallow up the angle loads to get to outer zone four but I'm happy and it's nice to be driving on this comfort zone where I'm confident with the car it hasn't been the best morning but it's been a good day and I need to focus and make sure I leave here tomorrow with a good result coming off the back of that win uh in Finland there you feel and carry on that lead to the end of the season yeah for sure we always gotta pretend that we're confident in a way but you know everybody is pushing and I'm sure Peter is really hungry to get back in the race but I'm ready to give it my best that's all I can offer every time I get in this car is just give it everything but so many things need to align for a perfect weekend you know Finland was the dream weekend for us it was a tricky start to the championship but I'm glad that we're back in the race and I want to prove that I'm more hungrier than anybody else to win this Championship that's the goal and if I can leave here tomorrow by still leading or they're still in the fight I will give it everything Until the End excellent Connor well done there you have it guys uh hungry Connor Shanahan no we're all hungry for tomorrow because it's gonna be a wild day here rotary Crown the king of Riga for 2033 we also crowned the winner of round four we also see where the championship Stacks up and I cannot wait to see where this grid has landed us for tomorrow where this top 32 grid lines the Irish Flags around and there you have it Peter bianstein got an almost perfect 98 Connor Shannon biting on his heels with a 94 Kevin bizarre what a run in third position for him Lori Heinen keeping the Finnish fans alive at a 93. Eric gotcha after a 70 mile an hour crash out yesterday he is in fifth position yakim Pro Jack Shannon and paval core polinski ran out the top eight and James Dean ninth within 90. just showing how competitive this event has been so far you don't want to miss it tomorrow zalevski back in the mix 12 position with an 89 right behind Kuba pushkonski and here are the rest of your drivers that have made it through to the top 32 some massive names in there I can't wait to see because he was absolutely Sensational here and right on the Drop Zone look at that with a 78 is the local hero knick-knack uh he just about Creeps in and these are the guys that did not make it into our top 32 and a lot of big names sitting outside of he just sitting with a beer in their hand tomorrow watching the action unfold and it goes to show that this is the harshest championship in the world where you have so many talented drivers not making it into our top 32. but those that have are ready for a big day tomorrow Championship on the line hope streams and Ambitions on the line and here is how things are going to stack up in Riga well top 32 is going to be one of the biggest of the year one of the most stressful of the year and I haven't seen it you haven't seen it you at home haven't seen it this could decide the entire Championship the top 32 will be probably one of the most hotly contested we've ever seen because so many drivers know that round four is the make or break round the first three rounds of it a bit random we've had three different winners and we will actually you know what we'll do we'll put it up on social media later on you guys will be able to see it we don't have it right now but I'll tell you what wait for it because it's going to be wild Eddie it's been an awesome day here in Riga I hope you've enjoyed being back in the hot seat it's been wild but tomorrow's definitely going to be wild you know what I need to get home I need to get some rest and just recharge the batteries because that was one hell of a uh re-entry into drifting and drift commentary because that was absolutely crazy wild and I'm just so excited for tomorrow absolutely well tomorrow we are back live here in Riga for all the action you don't want to miss it it's exclusively live on Red Bull TV it's the only place you can you can watch it and from us here in the tower we'll see you bright and early for the maddest event of the year it's king of Riga we'll see you tomorrow [Music] thank you foreign [Music] [Music]

Channel: Drift Masters European Championship

Views: 406,135

Keywords: Drift Masters, DMEC, Drift Masters European Championship, DMEC 2023, Drifting, Drift, Motorsport

Id: 2EkvAC1LEXY

Length: 221min 44sec (13304 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 29 2023