Drift Masters – Season Opener at Vallelunga Circuit near Rome

The 2026 Drift Masters season officially got underway on May 1–2 at Italy’s Vallelunga Circuit, located just outside Rome. A total of 41 drivers from around the world arrived for the opening round of this year’s championship battle. Although the venue was originally scheduled to host the series last year, the event was cancelled, making this season its long-awaited Drift Masters debut.

Named after Piero Taruffi, the Vallelunga Circuit was originally built in 1951 as a 1.77-kilometre dirt oval. Today, the track is well known among GT and Formula 4 fans, and the past weekend proved it is also a perfect stage for top-level drifting competition.

The event began with qualifying for the TOP32 bracket. Drivers needed at least 78.5 points to secure a place in the main competition. With 41 competitors on the grid, only seven drivers were eliminated at this stage. Fortunately for Polish fans, all six Polish drivers successfully advanced.

Duane McKeever topped qualifying with 95.5 points. The exact same score was achieved by fellow Irishman Conor Shanahan and Poland’s Piotr Więcek, who completed the top three. Paweł Korpuliński finished qualifying in 12th place with 91.5 points.

The TOP32 stage immediately produced an all-Polish battle, as Paweł Korpuliński faced Jakub Król – the reigning Polish Drift Champion and successor to Paweł, who claimed the national title in both 2023 and 2024. In the opening run, Król applied heavy pressure while chasing, but Korpuliński remained composed and created a gap in the final zone. During the second run, Paweł delivered an aggressive and precise chase, staying close to his opponent throughout the course and confidently securing his place in the TOP16.

Next up for the 31-year-old Pole was Finland’s Mika Keski-Korpi. Starting as the lead driver, Korpuliński quickly showed superior pace, leaving the Finn struggling to keep up. In the return run, Paweł impressed once again, sticking closely to Keski-Korpi’s car despite the Finnish machine having over 100 horsepower more. The judges had no doubts and awarded the Pole a deserved place in the TOP8.

In the quarter-finals, Korpuliński faced Latvian driver Nikolass Bertans. During the first run, Paweł maintained a clean and controlled line while Bertans, despite his aggressive approach, made several small mistakes. Switching positions brought a similarly strong performance from the Polish driver, who chased confidently and consistently. The judges unanimously advanced Korpuliński to the TOP4.

Joining him in the semi-finals were fellow Pole Piotr Więcek and two Irish stars – Conor Shanahan and James Deane. Once again, Korpuliński proved that his skillset combined with his new car allows him to compete with some of the biggest names in world drifting.

His semi-final opponent was James Deane. The Irishman began with a near-perfect chase run, staying tightly attached to Korpuliński’s Nissan. In the second run, Paweł clipped several markers, creating separation between the cars. That mistake ultimately gave Deane the advantage and a place in the final.

As a result, fans witnessed an all-Irish final and an all-Polish battle for third place. In the consolation final, Korpuliński started as the chasing driver behind Piotr Więcek. After lightly touching a marker, a small gap appeared between the two cars. In the second run, Paweł delivered a strong lead performance, but Więcek managed to maintain a much closer proximity throughout the course. Following the judges’ decision, the Toyota Supra MK5 driver secured third place on the podium.

The final victory went to reigning Drift Masters champion Conor Shanahan, who claimed a well-deserved win and took the lead in the championship standings with 107 points. James Deane finished second with 89 points, while Piotr Więcek secured third place with 82 points. Paweł Korpuliński ended the opening weekend in fourth place, collecting 64 championship points.

The next round of the 2026 Drift Masters season will take place on May 16–17 at Circuito de Madrid Jarama – RACE, the venue that hosted last year’s season opener.