Sport news For the second successive edition in Latvia, a burgeoning market for the drifting discipline, a total of 45 drivers, representing 32 different countries and five continents will take part with 11 countries also contesting the Nations Cup, which runs in parallel to the individual competition. Leading the 45-driver strong entry list is the defending FIA Motorsport Games gold medal winner Jakub Przygoński in his 900hp Toyota GR86. Representing Poland and nominated by the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (PZM), Przygoński, a former Dakar Rally regular, began his drifting career in 2008 and set a Guinness World Record for the fastest drift (at 217 km/h) in 2013. Representing the spiritual home of drifting Japan, will be Hokuto Matsuyama, piloting his Toyota A90 Supra. A Toyota test driver, Matsuyama is the 2022 Formula Drift Japan champion and has been a regular D1GP contender over the years. He is also known for his precision and consistency, which are key elements in the drifting discipline. Sure to be in the mix are double Polish Drift champion Paweł Korpuliński, multiple Ukrainian drifting champion and 2019 FIA Motorsport Games drifting gold medallist Dmytro Illyuk and the experienced Lithuanian competitor Andrius Vasiliauskas, while reigning Hungarian Pro Drift champion Tamás Magyar and triple MSUK Pro Drift champion Lwi Edwards add to the exceptional talent on display in Latvia. Another driver with FIA Motorsport Games experience, in the 2019 edition, is Swedish driver Christian Erlandsson who is the 2024 Swedish championship runner-up. All eyes will be on local driver, Nikolass Bertāns, affectionately known as ‘Nik Nak’ in his HGK Eurofighter who will be looking to go one better than he did in 2021 – the last time the FIA IDC was held, also on Latvian soil. Bertāns took the fight to eventual winner James Deane at the tender age of 15 and has since amassed title in Latvia, Lithuania and the Baltic and North European Zone regions. With Drifting – the only FIA-sanctioned discipline where results are not determined by the stopwatch – one of the fastest growing forms of motor sport, particular emphasis has been placed on developing nations with a view to expanding the participation and diversity of the sport. New for the 2025 edition, FIA Member Clubs acting as National Sporting Authorities in their respective countries were able to nominate competitors for the FIA IDC. The change in the sporting regulations by the FIA was made with a view to increasing the diversity of the entry list and encouraging the growth of drifting as one of the most accessible motor sport disciplines in the world through continued engagement from its Member Clubs. One such Member Club is the Icelandic Motorsports Association (AKÍS) who will send a driver to the FIA IDC for the first time, with recently crowned double Icelandic Drift champion Hrafnkell Runarsson aiming to showcase the equally vast growth of the discipline in his country. Other new additions to the grid are Uzbekistan and Austria. Farrukh Urunov is no stranger to international competition, having represented Uzbekistan at the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games in the Karting Endurance discipline, while Daniel Brandner has become something of a fan favourite across the European drifting scene. Representing Mozambique is Zanil Satar, a seasoned veteran of FIA drifting competitions who has previously competed in both the IDC and the FIA Motorsport Games. First held in its spiritual home in 2017, the inaugural FIA IDC event at the famous Odaiba district of Tokyo, Japan kickstarted an annual gathering of the biggest stars in drifting to compete on the global stage. Local driver Masato Kawabata was the first winner. Since then, the FIA IDC returned to Tokyo in 2018 and visited Tsukuba in 2019 (both won by Georgy Chivchyan) before expanding to a truly intercontinental competition when it visited Latvia for the first time in 2021 (won by James Deane). With Riga developing into one of the strongest venues in Europe, it is perhaps only fitting that the FIA IDC makes its return to Biķernieki with its exclusive “Long wall” configuration for the fifth edition of the Cup. Proof of the growing popularity of Drifting and the FIA IDC is the expanding entry list for the 2025 edition, which reaches record levels of drivers. A total of 45 drivers representing 32 countries are set to take part, with Ukraine, Norway, Latvia, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Finland and Hungary all fielding more than one driver each and therefore competing for the Nations Cup Title. The weekend kicks off on Thursday October 2 with the first of two practice sessions before competitive action begins in earnest with the Qualifications on Friday October 3. A dedicated Tandem practice session follows on Saturday October 4, warming up the Drivers qualified for the Final Top 32 runs, after which the winner will be determined. The Nations Cup title will be determined by the combination of the 2 highest scores in Qualifications and Top 32 positions from their respective pool of drivers. Solo runs are judged on a number of elements, including driving skill, speed, angle and accuracy in hitting ‘zones’ or “boxes” drawn by the Judges, which the front or rear wheels of the car must slide through. Tandem runs ‘battles’ are judged on each car taking turns in the lead on the prescribed course, while remaining as close to the other car as possible, without making contact. A majority vote at the end of the battle is required to progress to the next round. Qualifications and the Top 32 battles will be livestreamed on the FIA IDC YouTube channel . FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup Intercontinental Drifting Cup Drift All fia sport SEASON 2025 Sport Circuit 1SportFIA Intercontinental Drifting CupCircuitAll fia sportSEASON 2025Intercontinental Drifting CupDrift01 Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 11:30am Wednesday, October 1, 2025 - 11:30am
