Dmitriy Illyuk scores big at #GermanDriftGP

Here he met eventual third place finisher Fredrik Øksnevad. After a clean first chase run, and contact in the second run, the judges voted Dmitriy through to the finals. The closing battle of the event witnessed Dmitriy face Finnish drifter Juha Pöytälaakso in a gloves off fight for the top podium slot. 

With the sun all but set on the horizon, it was a symphony of V8 vs. V6, backlit by just headlights and exhaust flames. With near mirror runs in the can, Juha just snagged the win. Despite having to concede the top spot, an elated Dmitriy told us: “I’m absolutely delighted – this is my first full DriftGP event of 2017, and to get a podium first time out in the series is fantastic! We wanted to compete in Sweden but had technical problems, so couldn’t make the start.

“I just made one small mistake on the last turn of the final battle, there was dry patch on the track, and it changed my grip levels mid-drift; so I think that affected the result from my point of view. I think I could have won it! Otherwise I’m really happy – the car worked so well; all the hard work and improvements we made were perfect – literally I’m so happy!”

Next up in the Drift GP series is round six at the Hungaroring in early September. Meanwhile Dmitriy is setting his sights at a further podium in Hungary in the Eastern European Drift Cup on August 26^th. Make sure you check back with us to find out how it all goes down.