“Drift France Round 1 certainly set the season off with a bang!

“With the car doing double duty鈥擫uke competing in Pro and myself in Elite 鈥� it made for a challenging weekend full of highs and lows. Luke received a wildcard entry to compete at the home track of LM Autosport 86 at Val d鈥橵ienne just a few weeks before the event, which meant a huge push from the whole team to get everything dialled in for the season opener.”

“The event kicked off on Friday with media day. This included practice sessions and passenger runs for sponsors, the public, and championship officials. During testing, I was able to really push the car to its limits, although the day ended slightly early after breaking a lower arm on a rumble strip. The team worked hard that evening to repair and realign everything, getting the car ready for Saturday.

“Saturday consisted of practice and qualifying. During practice, Luke unfortunately bent the steering arm twice, but thanks to support from another driver, we were able to get back out in time for qualifying. With the Pro class running first in worsening weather conditions, Luke delivered a strong performance and secured 5th place.”

“I followed in the Elite qualifying session and managed a solid first run scoring 75 points, placing me 7th. On my second run, I pushed harder and went wider, but a slight wheel drop on clip 5 meant I matched my previous score鈥攆rustrating, as it likely cost a top 3 position.

“Sunday was race day. Luke drove a strong Top 16 battle to secure a place in the Top 8, but unfortunately had to withdraw due to a cracked rear diff plate causing an oil leak on track. Despite this, he finished an impressive 7th place in his first ever CFD event鈥攇reat job!”

“After a rapid repair, the car was ready for my Top 32 battle. However, we quickly discovered a major loss of power. Post-run checks revealed a split inlet plenum, causing a significant loss of boost across the rev range. Up against a 1000hp competitor on one of the fastest tracks of the season, it was always going to be tough. I gave it everything, but multiple corrections in the chase run ultimately cost the battle.

“Overall, Round 1 was an incredible start to the season and a true team effort under pressure. It鈥檚 shaping up to be one of the most exciting CFD seasons yet.

“As always, thank you for your continued support鈥攚e look forward to seeing you all at the next event. Round 2 is just two weeks away, featuring an all-night battle at Vesoul.”

鈥淲ell鈥� I’ve finally settled back into reality, wiped the tears away, and said goodbye to another amazing season of Drift France.

鈥淭he final took us to a brand-new circuit 鈥� and what an experience it was! The track was absolutely breathtaking: a sweeping layout with banked corners, fast inclines, and steep declines. It was quick, intense, and honestly聽terrifying聽for the first few laps!

鈥淲e kicked off the weekend strong 鈥� first lap as a feeler, then two solid push laps. Unfortunately, just as I was going out for a fourth lap, the battery voltage dropped to zero and the car lost all power. Limped it back to the pits and found the alternator had failed.

“What followed was a mad scramble: found a loaner (huge thanks to the community!), took a 2-hour drive to a nearby workshop, and just barely made it back in time for one last lap of final practice.

鈥淢ade some last-minute changes to prep for Sunday 鈥� we knew the weather was going to be bad 鈥� and tried to get some rest.”

鈥淲oke up to the heaviest rain I鈥檝e ever seen in France. The pits looked more like a lake. Gazebos were down all around us, but thankfully ours survived 鈥� albeit soaking wet.

鈥淲armed the car up and headed out for a very limited, wetter-than-wet practice session. The loan alternator held up (despite everything running: wipers, fans, lights, heaters 鈥� the lot), and we got some valuable laps in.

鈥淪traight into Top 32 battles 鈥� my opponent: FIA Swiss driver聽Jahan. First time driving with him, so I wasn鈥檛 sure what to expect. I’d seen his battles 鈥� big angles, a flashy style similar to mine 鈥� but this was our first head-to-head.

鈥淚 led the first run and felt strong through the first five clips, but pushed a bit too deep on the final hairpin and lost traction on the rumble strips 鈥� giving Jahan the upper hand.

鈥淐hasing, I threw down everything I had 鈥� close proximity and solid mirroring despite the awful conditions 鈥� but that鈥檚 where my 2025 season ended.”

鈥淲hat. A. Season! From mechanical failures to torrential rain to unforgettable battles, it鈥檚 been emotional. It鈥檚 been epic.

鈥淚鈥檓 proud to say I finished聽Top 20 overall: something our small team can truly stand tall about. I鈥檝e made lifelong friends, locked in my spot for 2026, and opened the door to potential new opportunities in France and across Europe.

鈥淢assive thank you to everyone who鈥檚 been a part of this journey 鈥� whether in the pits, on the track, or supporting from afar. You made this season unforgettable.

鈥淗ere鈥檚 to 2026. Let鈥檚 see what鈥檚 next鈥︹��

鈥淲here do I even start? Round 5 of Drift France took us deep into another idyllic French mountain setting 鈥� Calmont. The recipe? Winding mountain roads, scorching southern sun, stunning views鈥� and mosquitos.聽Lots聽of mosquitos!鈥�

Saturday 鈥� Slippery Start

鈥淪aturday鈥檚 practice kicked off under wet conditions, which actually played in my favour thanks to plenty of previous experience in the wet. I was feeling confident and pushing the car hard 鈥� maybe a little too hard at times! The rear bumper was the first casualty, followed by a piece of the rear light, and eventually the full lens met the barrier. Whoops!

鈥淎s the day went on, the track dried up and we got back to full-speed, high-commitment drifting. It was game on!

鈥淪traight after lunch, we headed into the One-Shot battles. I drew Jeremy Germain 鈥� a super competitive match-up 鈥� and despite a power steering failure that made the car a total handful up the hill, I managed to hold it together and take the win, securing a place in Sunday鈥檚 Top 32!

鈥淭hat evening, a聽massive聽crowd of over聽7,000 fans聽met us on the hill for autographs, photos, and a few unicorn encounters. The support and energy from the crowd were unreal!鈥�

Sunday 鈥� Heat, Horsepower & Head-to-Heads

鈥淪unday was a scorcher 鈥� temperatures pushing into the mid-30s. After a short morning practice and parade lap, I faced my Top 32 battle against none other than former champion,聽Steve Lieber.

鈥淪teve laid down a near-perfect lead run with an insane smoke screen. Chasing him in the intense heat, with almost no airflow and rising intake temps, my car struggled to keep pace. I knew my lead run was decent, but not my best of the weekend.

鈥淭o my surprise, I was announced the winner! After chatting with Steve, it turned out his car had thrown a belt mid-run, forcing him to shut it down. Not the way I like to win, but a win nonetheless 鈥� on to the Top 16!鈥�

Top 16 鈥� The Battle of the Orange War Paint

鈥淣ext up:聽Ben Vavasseur. I鈥檝e driven with Ben before, but never in a competition setting. I knew he鈥檇 be fast and aggressive 鈥� I half expected some orange war paint and love taps!

鈥淏en put down a strong lead and I chased hard, staying tight throughout. Then it was my turn to lead, and honestly, I think I put in my best run of the entire weekend 鈥� hit all the clips and zones, giving Ben a clean, fast line to follow. Surprisingly, we both crossed the finish line clean 鈥� no paint traded!

鈥淭hat鈥檚 where my weekend ended, bowing out in the Top 16. But what a weekend it was!鈥�

Final Thoughts

鈥淩ound 5 at Calmont was easily one of the best Drift France events yet. Epic location, top-tier driving across the board, an electric atmosphere, and thousands of fans showing us love 鈥� it doesn鈥檛 get much better than this.

鈥淣ext up:聽The Grand Finale at Charade聽鈥� a former F1 track nestled in the mountains of Auvergne. I鈥檝e never driven it before, but I鈥檝e heard nothing but good things. Surrounded by forest, history, and fast technical corners鈥� I can鈥檛 wait.

鈥淟et鈥檚 finish 2025 strong鈥︹��

鈥淩ound 2 of the French Drift Championship was nothing short of dramatic 鈥� with a full mix of all four seasons hitting the track at Croix en Ternois! Saturday brought heavy rain (borderline torrential at times), strong winds, and unusually low temperatures聽鈥� far from the sunny French weather we’re usually greeted with.

鈥淒espite the challenging conditions, we managed to get a solid amount of practice in on Saturday, which helped set me up well for Sunday鈥檚 main event. Thanks to my strong finish in Round 1, I was able to skip the One-Shot Battle and secure a direct spot in the聽Top 32.

鈥淭his was my fourth time at Croix en Ternois, so I felt confident heading into the weekend 鈥� even with the slight layout changes made to the circuit. After a short practice session Sunday morning, the car felt dialled in and ready for battle.”

鈥淢y Top 32 match-up was against Wilson Delagrange 鈥� a driver I faced during my very first CFD event, so I was looking forward to a proper rematch. We lined up for the pre-battle grid walk, but I soon realized Wilson was nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Wilson had suffered a gearbox failure聽and couldn’t make it to the line.

鈥淲ith my team already aware, I was granted a bye run straight through to the Top 16, where I would face none other than Kevin Jozuo 鈥� current championship leader and Round 1 winner.”

鈥淚 pushed hard in the chase run, but carried a bit too much speed into the hairpin, forcing me to adjust my line to avoid contact 鈥� unfortunately giving Kevin the clear advantage. On my lead run, I gave it a solid effort, but it wasn鈥檛 my strongest of the weekend. I missed some key proximity in the clipping zones, which handed Kevin a deserved win.

鈥淜evin continued on to win the round, further solidifying his position at the top of the championship standings. I鈥檓 sitting just 13 spots behind, which keeps us very much in the mix heading into Round 3 next month at Val d鈥橝rgenton鈥攐ne of my favorite tracks on the calendar!鈥�

What鈥檚 Next? Andorra Bound!

鈥淎fter all the highs and drama of Round 2 at Croix-en-Ternois, we鈥檙e not slowing down 鈥� next stop: Andorra!

鈥淲e鈥檝e been specially invited by the amazing team at Eurocrew Spain聽to take part in their weekend festival, and we couldn鈥檛 be more excited. It鈥檚 always a privilege to receive an invite like this, and we can鈥檛 wait to represent on an international stage.

鈥淭his event is shaping up to be something truly unique. The circuit is tucked away in the Pyrenees Mountains, offering a backdrop straight out of a fantasy film 鈥� think聽Lord of the Rings聽meets full-throttle drift!聽

鈥淲ith only a few minor tweaks to make on the car, we鈥檙e just about ready to hit the road and put聽on a serious show for the Spanish fans. This will be a perfect opportunity to connect with a whole new crowd and give them a taste of the action we bring to the French Championship!

鈥淟et鈥檚 bring the smoke to the mountains!聽

鈥淢assive thanks聽to my team, partners, and everyone supporting me through this season. We鈥檙e learning, improving, and pushing every round. See you all in Val d鈥橝rgenton!鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e just about recovered from round 1 of Drift France, Just…

鈥淪o, the season kicked off this weekend in spectacular style with a new tight and technical track with varying surfaces and cambers that was challenging.

鈥淧ractice started well on Saturday, settling in with four or five good, solid laps; I needed to go in a higher gear as I felt I was at the top of the limiter in 3rd, but 4^th聽was a bit too long for the slower sections. However, the next lap out, I pushed a little harder on the entry and washed聽slightly wider, this then led to contact from the chase car, bending a few arms on the back.

鈥淎fter 30 mins or so in the pits, it was back straight again and tracked up best as possible with tape measures and toe plates, straight back out for practice.

鈥淭his time I pushed for 4^th聽gear and picked up the pace considerably, unfortunately this then broke the differential. With my one-shot battle in the next two hours, it was a quick scramble round the pits to see if we could locate a spare from someone to borrow while we stripped the current one down to assess the damage.

鈥淟uckily, it turned out the impact had just broke the welds on the planetary gears and needed a quick re-weld to get her back out again, unfortunately this was end of practice and meant straight into battles.

鈥淚 put in a solid chase run, although it could have been closer with more aggression (perhaps the recent breakage was still in the back of my mind). I came to lead and I decided to play it safe and stick to 3^rd gear; I ran a good, solid line, making all the clipping points and zones and made it round to the finish line to then realise my chase driver was nowhere to be seen… I then get the ecstatic message on the radio that he had spun behind me in the hairpin, giving me the massive advantage: a win to me!”

鈥淢oving on to day 2, with the new format of the championship there is no more qualifying, a one-shot battle secures your spot into the top 32 unless you fall within the top 24 standings from the previous round, luckily (or unluckily) for me after I won my one-shot battle it meant I was straight in the top 32 for my first battle against a previous championship winner.

鈥淎 small amount of practice in the morning created another problem: the alternator plug had snapped and the car wasn’t receiving any power. This could have been a killer to the engine if it wasn’t picked up straight away after my 1^st聽practice lap, luckily it was a quick fix and meant I could get straight back out in time for the main event.

鈥淚 went into the top 32 knowing that who I was up against was in the top 3 drivers of the championship, previously winning the championship鈥� I was to give it my all.

鈥淚 put on the best chase I could, with him gaining a gap off the start line, playing catch-up through the hairpin, I managed to starting closing the gap. The final two corners, I got slightly lost in his smoke screen and dropped 2 wheels off the track, giving him the advantage.聽

鈥淚n the lead I drove the fastest lead I could, but his pace soon caught me up. After a solid lead and my error in chase I bowed out of competition here, He did however go on to take the 2^nd聽place podium on the day putting me in 17^th in the championship now, so overall a good first round!”