Cody Pullen-Burry topped qualifying for the opening round of the Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championship Pro-Sport Series at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The session was punctuated early on by series returnee Kieran Stewart, who hit the barrier as he exited the lower loop. Driving his Mazda MX-5, Stewart hugged the inside barriers too hard, but made contact and climbed the plastic walls.
Veteran drifter Kyle Jackaways quickly made his presence felt with his first run, which took him to the top with 71-points. The drifter from Taupiri couldn’t improve on his second run, after he half spun through the final corner.
D1NZ Pro Series regular Bruce Tannock was a surprise addition to the Pro-Sport field for round one, but unsurprisingly went straight towards the top of the order after his first run. The Achilles Radial Nissan Silvia driver launched into second with a 77-point score.
Drifting his Link ECU Nissan Silvia S15, John O’Gorman spun as he tried to make his mark on the Dunedin drift circuit. However, his second run was better, and enough to get him into the top-10 with ninth place.
Cody Pullen-Burry was another of the Pro-Sport drifter looking for a solid first run, as he rubbed the wall with his rear bumper. The subsequent scores gave the Silvia S14 driver a score of 81.5-points which cemented him at the top of the order.
Blair Gribble-Bowring equalled Pullen-Burry’s run the first time round, but slotted into second with an 71.5-point run, Pullen-Burry with an 81.5-point run in his second gave him the upper hand and the lead.
2015–’16 fifth placed drifter Ben Jenkins was an early casualty. Before he could even make the grid, the Brian Roberts Towing backed Silvia suffered a broken axle at the scrub zone. The team were quick to mend the car and get him back out for a second run.
The drama continued for Jenkins, however. His second run looked solid, and started well, but heading through the rejoin he clipped the inside wall in similar fashion to Stewart earlier.
With Jenkins’ run complete, the order was set with Pullen-Burry atop the order in qualifying, followed closely by Blair Gribble-Bowring. Seasoned driver Kyle Jackaways completed the top-three, whilst Bruce Tannock and Jared Anderson rounded out the top-five.
The D1NZ Pro-Sport Series kicks into gear December 3rd at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium. Gates open at 12pm, with Pro-Sport top-16 battles taking place at 1:15pm. The evening will be rounded out with the D1NZ Pro Series battles, which will commence at 3:30pm, and run into the evening with the Stadium SuperMoto Cup and Kartsport Dunedin crews mixing up the action.
For more information about round one of the Demon Energy D1NZ National Drifting Championshp, visit D1NZ.com
D1NZ Pro-Sport Series qualifying results:
1. Cody Pullen-Burry — 83
2. Blair Gribble-Bowring — 83
3. Kyle Jackaways — 79
4. Bruce Tannock — 77
5. Jared Anderson — 75.5
6. Tully Puckey — 70
7. Michael Thorley — 69.5
8. Taylor James — 69
9. John O’Gorman — 67
10. Jase Brown — 66.5
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