DRIFTING - King of the track thanks to mechanic dad's hard work

Garry Whiter's competitive drifting season might have ended at Pukekohe in May with a cooked engine and disappointment if it wasn't for his father Tony.
Thanks to the mechanical know how of his dad, Garry came away from the meeting as the D1NZ Drift King champion - a title that had eluded him for more than two years.
"I was second last year and the year before as well, so I was sick of being the bridesmaid so finally doing it, felt pretty good and I've got my old man to thank for that," Garry said.
The Dargaville driver was odds on to benefit from 2007 champion Carl Ruiterman's early exit from the final round when engine failure almost cost him the opportunity.
"I ended up winning the day on two cylinders mainly because my old man is a mechanic and he somehow kept it going, although the car was buggered after that," he said. Tony was positioned at the start-finish line pouring two or three litres of water into the engine to keep it cool at the beginning of each race.
"I just fed water into it... if I hadn't done that there's no way the engine would've survived but he drove his butt off and I kept the thing going," Tony said.
Afterwards they discovered the number-four cylinder casing had cracked from top to bottom.
Tony has supported the 21-year-old's passion for drifting right from the start.
"He's done so much for me, he now knows all the tricks involved in running a drift car, so I wouldn't go to an event without him," Garry said.
Now the focus for Tony and Garry - Gaz to his mates - is building the new car for next season.
The Drift King title has earned Garry recognition in the sport and in terms of sponsorship that means the ability to continue racing competitively on an apprentice builder's wages.
"I just got given a $10,000 racing PPG dog (gear) box for my new car by my sponsor after spending $15,000 on the engine and new suspension, so there's hardly a standard arm left in the car," he said.
The new car is an upgrade of the Silvia S14.5 they ran this this year but Tony said it will be better, faster and more reliable.
The sport continues to grow worldwide but here in New Zealand, its growth has been threatened by a political split within the sport.
D1NZ's rival, the New Zealand Drift series, is sponsored by Toyo Tyres, who sponsor Whiter, meaning he may have little choice in which series he competes this season.
"It's not good for the sport here, New Zealand's too small to have two series, but the two guys who are organising them both don't like each other so the rest of us are just waiting to see how things turn out," Garry said.
Unlike another former Northland D1NZ champion, Jairus Wharerau, Garry is not tempted to try his luck in the United States, although he has been approached by an American company.
"There's plenty holding me here at the moment .. I'm really happy with how things are going here right now, with the sponsors I've got, and I'm looking forward to getting my new car finished and getting it back on the track," he said.