The usual Friday Night Drifts would play host to qualifying for the final round of Keep It Reet Drift Collective at Calder Park this July. The Tri-State series hosted by Drifting SA, Drift League and Keep it Reet drew a sensational crowd to Calder Park where the championship was decided.

The wet and wild Friday night took more than one casualty as drivers looked to push the limits early on, sliding as close to walls and other drivers as humanly possible. Matt Harvey would enter the event leading the championship but it would need to be a strong performance to keep Dale Campaign behind him as they prepared to go door to door in their matching Nissan Silvia S13’s.

Will Argoon would make a dramatic statement coming in fourth place for Friday nights qualifying, absolutely sending his naturally aspirated AU falcon into the mix, clearly coming in clutch on nothing but will power and Aussie spirit.

Saturday’s layout would involve a high speed entry from the Thunderdome’s banked start finish straight before heading down into the infield to complete the circuit in front of the crowd. There was contact a-plenty as drivers navigated the high speed approach to the first turn, however, a masterclass performance in the very first matchup of the top 16 between Matt Harvey and Brendan O'Grady told us that Harvey was willing to risk it all to take home the championship.

When it came to the top four it would be Marcus McCathie taking it to championship leader Harvey. McCathie would trigger a re-run after jumping the start in their first battle. On their second attempt Harvey would place his S13 perfectly, kissing the wall and securing his place in the finale. In a decisive battle, Sam Mudge would take the top four victory over Dale Campaign. With overarching championship implications for Campaign, all eyes were on Harvey as day turned to night for the final runs of the event.

The battle for third would see tragedy strike as Campaigns S13 cut out mid run. Swapping to the backup car it would be KE70 vs KE70 as McCathie slid his active aero bootlid to victory and third place overall.

The first run of the finale would see Harvey lead as Mudge failed to close the gap on the high speed entry into turn 1. Setting the bar incredibly high, Harvey would go on to drive with near perfect precision for the next three runs, hitting every mark and pushing outrageously close to Calder’s infamous concrete walls in a dominant display which would win him both the round and the championship.

Thank you to all the Clubs, Staff, Volunteers, Drivers and of course spectators and sponsors for helping achieve the first year of this series. We hope to continue it with your support!

Full Drift Collective Championship standings are available on Keep It Reet socials and you can catch up on the full event recap on YouTube.

Images: Noah Thorley Images