Motorsport: Fight for top spot

Northlanders are known for showing plenty of fight in the sporting arena to get to the top.

Whangarei drifter Daniel "Fanga Dan" Woolhouse is showing plenty of fight as he clings to the top of the leaderboard in the Cody's D1NZ National Drifting Championships with one round remaining.

Over the weekend, Woolhouse's competitors closed the gap he held at the top after he failed to progress past the top 16 in Christchurch.

Hot on the heels of Woolhouse is well-known Auckland drifter "Mad" Mike Whiddett who won top points after his opponent in the final withdrew with an electrical issue.

Thankfully for Woolhouse, who had a strong start to the season by winning two of the first three rounds, he has been turning out consistent mid-pack finishes since the return of drifting in 2013.

Whiddett's win on the weekend, his second in as many rounds, was worth 104 points - closing the gap between he and Woolhouse from 53 points to 28.5. Andrew Redward is another 6.5 points back in third, setting the scene for an all-action final in Auckland next weekend.

Earlier in the weekend, Whiddett was beaten by eventual second-place getter Cody Collis in qualifying to finish fifth.

After edging out Whiddett, Collis battled his way past Robee Nelson, Chris Jackson and V8 Supercar ace Shane Van Gisbergen before meeting and beating Tauranga driver Drew to guarantee himself a spot alongside Whiddett in the final.

However, just when it looked like the ultimate upset was on the cards, the Christchurch driver was forced to forfeit his last run thanks to an electrical problem which handed the win to Whiddett.

As well as winning the round outright, "Mad Mike" Whiddett also sealed victory in the three-round BP Ultimate Triple Crown series-within-a-series at Ruapuna Park, winning a year's worth of BP Ultimate 98 octane petrol.

Woolhouse and fellow Whangarei drifter Gaz Whiter finished second and sixth in the BP Ultimate series, with Woolhouse an agonising nine points shy of the prize.

D1NZ Series

Points after round five of six:

Daniel 'Fanga Dan' Woolhouse, 426 points, 1; 'Mad Mike' Whiddett, 397.5, 2; Andrew Redward, 391, 3; Curt Whittaker, 354.5, 4; Nico Reid, 308, 5; Daynom Templeman, 305, 6.