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The round six of the 2025 Drift Masters season gathered nearly fifty drivers and thousands of fans at the site of a former open-pit mine. Thus, Iron City once again became the arena of the drift masters, and there was no shortage of contenders for victory. As many as 48 male drivers and one female driver lined up to deliver the most precise runs possible, aiming for qualification into the TOP 32.
This time, the evening battles in Ferropolis required participants to score at least 86 points to advance to the next stage. Among the 32 best drivers, 100% of the Polish representatives made it through, which once again meant that five Polish drivers were seeded in the elimination bracket. Moreover, the top four of the qualifying session consisted of a Polish-Irish quartet. The winner of qualifying was Conor Shanahan with 97.5 points, followed by Piotr Więcek in second with 97 points, Jack Shanahan in third with 96.5 points, and Paweł Korpuliński in fourth with 94 points.
Paweł’s presence in the TOP 4 allowed him to take part, for the first time in his career, in the Qualifying Showdown session, where he faced Conor Shanahan. In the first run, the Polish driver chased his rival, aiming to stay as close as possible to the Irishman’s car, while in the second run he tackled the zones widely, nearly brushing the concrete barriers. However, the judges favored the experienced Irish driver, recognizing his skill in the chase position. The second duel between Jack Shanahan and Piotr Więcek did not take place, as the Polish driver did not appear at the start, resulting in an impressive bye run by the Irishman in front of the crowd. With Jack advancing to the final of the showdown, fans could enjoy a spectacular battle between the Shanahan brothers on Friday night, from which Conor emerged victorious.
Saturday’s TOP 32 battles saw Paweł Korpuliński face Dave Egan in the fifth pairing. Starting as the lead driver, Paweł immediately pulled away from his less experienced opponent, who also made an unfortunate contact with the concrete barrier. During the second run, now in the chase position, the Polish driver once again demonstrated a clean, confident drive close to his rival, leaving no doubt about who deserved to advance to the TOP 16.
Three Polish drivers made it into the Top 16, and the bracket set up a “fraternal” duel between Paweł Korpuliński and Jakub Król. In his lead run, Paweł once again passed dangerously close to the concrete walls—so close, in fact, that a light contact caused his bumper to fall off, which slightly disrupted his opponent’s line. In the second run, Korpuliński mirrored his rival’s angles and proximity, leading the judges to unanimously award him the win and advancement to the TOP 8. Joining him there were the rest of the top four qualifiers—the Shanahan brothers and Piotr Więcek—as well as Marco Zakouřil, Kevin Pesur, Lauri Heinonen, and Mika Keski-Korpi.
In the battle for a semifinal spot, Paweł Korpuliński faced Estonia’s Kevin Pesur. Once again starting as the lead driver, Paweł pulled away effectively and hit the clipping zones with surgical precision. During one of the transitions, however, Pesur got too close, tearing off Paweł’s rear bumper and losing his own front bumper in the process. After necessary repairs, the second run of the pair proceeded more calmly—Paweł maintained a light distance while chasing the Estonian, once again demonstrating great accuracy. As a result, the judges once more unanimously advanced the Polish driver to the TOP 4, which also featured Piotr Więcek, Jack Shanahan, and Conor Shanahan.
The semifinals began with a clash between Paweł Korpuliński and Conor Shanahan, the winner of Friday’s qualifying session. For the first time that day, the Polish driver started in the chase position and attacked aggressively—executing smooth transitions and filling the zones together with his rival while keeping the run clean. After switching roles, spectators both on-site and watching online witnessed another beautiful performance. Although one judge suggested a One More Time re-run, the other two decided that Conor Shanahan maintained closer proximity in his chase, which earned him a spot in the final and sent Korpuliński into the play-off battle for third place. There, his opponent was once again Piotr Więcek, who earlier had to concede to Jack Shanahan in a judges’ decision.
For the second time during this round, and once again involving Paweł, fans were treated to a Polish-vs-Polish showdown—this time with third place at stake. Piotr Więcek started as the lead driver, pulling away quickly while Paweł chased closely, maintaining precision throughout the run. In the second and final run of the day, Więcek, now in the chase position and leading the overall standings, stayed glued to Korpuliński’s car, ensuring no separation and thereby securing third place in the round’s classification. The all-Irish final between the Shanahan brothers ended with a win for Conor, which also resulted in a reshuffling of the championship leaderboard.
After the Ferropolis round, Conor Shanahan once again took the lead with 390 points, while Piotr Więcek dropped to second, trailing by just eight points. Jack Shanahan sits third with 300 points, followed by fellow Irishman James Deane in fourth with 249 points. Kevin Pesur is fifth, just one point behind, and Paweł Korpuliński occupies sixth place with 235 points.
The final round, the Red Bull Drift Masters Grand Finale, will take place on September 12–13, 2025, with PGE Narodowy once again serving as the stage for the season’s grand showdown.
