New course announced for Red Bull Drift Shifters 2014

Kiwi 'Mad Mike' Widdett drifting during Redbull drift shifters in 2012. Photo / Supplied

Event promised to create the most unique New Zealand motorsport spectacle ever

The new 2014 Red Bull Drift Shifters course has finally been unveiled giving drivers and fans alike their first glimpse of the challenges the course will throw up for drivers on December 6 when Drift Shifters breathes life into downtown Auckland.

The 12 obstacles of the 311m by 19m Quay Street course will challenge 16 of the world's best local and international drift drivers to new levels of precision and control.

With a new competition format enabling each driver to design, and then drive, his ultimate route. This varies from judged motorsport events and traditional timed start-to-finish line formats. A fully automated points scoring system sees sensors measure speed, angle and proximity to obstacles, allowing drivers to accumulate points in real time as they battle the 70 second countdown clock.

"I'm so pumped to finally show the drivers what to expect at Red Bull Drift Shifters 2014," says "Mad" Mike Whiddett. "This year, each drivers' score will reflect heavily on their speed and angle as we scream past the VIP section. This means the drivers are going to need to give maximum commitment to obtain the high scores!"

The short competition timeframe and quick run format keeps the action fresh for the audience. Drivers enter the course via a tunnel which measures their exit speed, clocking up their first points score. From here the cars initiate a huge sideways drift that will keep fans on their feet. Sensors measure the cars sideways angle and speed from point-to-point. The closer to 90 degrees the drivers get, the more points they score.

The bottom of the course is a circular 180 degree corner which drivers will need to drift all the way around within inches of the wall to trigger the sensors and unlock maximum points. "If you are scraping here, then you are winning!" Says Whiddett.

The Red Bull Drift Shifters course on Quay St

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From here, excited fans will support their favourite driver by cheering him through his self-selected route, as he returns to his favourite areas of the course to clock up as many points as possible. A major draw card and crowd favourite from the 2012 event is the huge semi-trailer rig located in the centre of the course. The drivers can skilfully navigate their cars underneath the trailer of the truck and back around the front of the cab with inches to spare. Spectators will see courageous drivers completing one or two full circles around the truck or even figure eights to gain mega combo points.

One of the mainstays of the course are the two bollards. Both have three sensors, where drivers need to nose around 360 degrees with pin point accuracy to trigger each combo. Cars can also pass under the new Cliff Hanger obstacle - a suspended transparent container which houses the lucky VIP winners from the #DriftShifters consumer competition.

Finally, drivers need to complete their run by sliding 90 degrees into a perfect curbside park, finding themselves inside a simulated service center - all before the countdown clock stops ticking!

The course map and course video clip can be viewed here.

Which man and machine will clock the biggest and winning score of Red Bull Drift Shifters? Find out from 11am on December 6 at Auckland's Downtown Quay Street. Visit redbull.co.nz/driftshifters for details.