The cross-pollination between drifting and circuit racing will be boosted in 2024, with the announcement that Australia’s premier national drifting championship, the Hi-Tec Drift All-Stars, will join the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series program from next year.
The Drift All Stars has been confirmed to run alongside the Super Series for at least four rounds in 2024: Queensland Raceway, Calder Park, Sydney Motorsport Park and Winton. Drift All Stars is contested by Australia’s top drifters, with names like Scott Schembri, Chris Sadler, Roger I’Anson (who also has circuit racing experience) and Ben Odgers all competing in the series.
The Hi-Tec Drift All Stars is sanctioned by the AASA, making it a natural fit on the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series program according to Benalla Auto Club General Manager, Stephen Whyte.
“We’ve already had a taste of drifting at our Hi-Tec Oils Super Series rounds – there were some drift demonstrations in our first round at Winton, and we ran a round of the Top End Drift Series at Hidden Valley,” Whyte said.
“Having a mixture of drifting and circuit racing will benefit the competitors in both groups, as we will get fans of both circuit racing and drifting attending our events and tuning into the live stream and television coverage.
“We will look to run our events into the night with the potential of circuit racing during the day and drifting into the night under lights, perhaps even alternating depending on the circuit.
“We also believe there could be opportunities for some competitor crossover – we might see some circuit racing drivers deciding to have a go at drifting and vice versa. It will strengthen the overall product.”
Hi-Tec Oils has been a long-time sponsor of drifting in Australia and CEO George Gambino is a passionate advocate for the sport.
“Drifting has become an important part of the Hi-Tec brand, but circuit racing is also a key component of our sponsorship portfolio,” Gambino said.
“By combining the spectacle of drifting with the pure sporting theatre of circuit racing, we will be combining two highly entertaining forms of motorsport under the Hi-Tec umbrella.
“The fans will be the big winners, as they will be able to watch and appreciate both drifting and circuit racing at the same events.”
