2019-07-20
Benediktas Cirba won Gera Dovana Drift event in Palanga
The track in Palanga is challenging for all drifters from Lithuania – some are afraid of it, some love it. But drift fans are guaranteed to get an astonishing view every year, because close calls when powerful drift cars slightly kiss the barriers happen on almost every run.
This year the Drift king of Palanga is Benediktas Cirba, driving a BMW 3 series E46. He scored more than others in qualifying stage and did not create any doubt in twin (tsuiso) runs. His main competitor Andrius Vasiliauskas with 1000 bhp BMW 3 (E92) had a technical accident – in a twin run against Valdas Vindzigelskis his car’s carbon fibre driveshaft teared up all over the track and his evening was finished.
A guest from Estonia Mikhel Norman Tults was second. He had no chance in final run against Benediktas – the Estonian’s BMW E30, as he told later, was “almost without brakes”.
Vindzigelskis got the third place and Giedrius Zabulionis was fourth.
Last year’s drift event in Palanga ended before finals – Gediminas Ivanauskas crashed his Nissan 200SX into barriers and damaged them so hard that they could not be repaired soon, so stewards took a decision to end the drift event. This year Gediminas crashed the same barrier as well, but it did not affect his performance – he finished the qualification run, but was kicked out in Top32 twin run.
The event’s winner Benediktas Cirba has won 2 of 3 Lithuania’s drift championship Pro league events this year and is leader of 2019 season.