Kiwi driver 'Mad Mike' Whiddett has won the 2018 Formula Drift Japan Championship in Okayama, one of the most prestigious titles in drifting.
The 37-year-old has dominated all season, leading from the opening round before capping his campaign in style on Sunday (NZ time).
"To win a championship here in Japan - the motherland of drifting - is absolutely insane," he said.
"The trophy is testament to the hard work of everyone involved in putting this programme together. It's a huge task and there's so much work that goes on behind the scenes.
"This is by far the biggest result we've had to date, and true testament to Kawato-san and Team Magic with Red Bull."
Whiddett won the opening two events in Suzuka in May and Ebisu in July, but failed to fire in the third round in Fuji as his Mazda RX-7 struggled with mechanical issues.
He followed that with second in the penultimate event in Okuibuki, and held a 22-point lead over Shinji Minowa heading into the final round.
There was plenty of drama in the final eight in Okayama as Minowa was eliminated in the quarter-final, meaning Whiddett was announced as the unofficial 2018 Formula Drift Japan champion on points.
But that was reversed when a protest was lodged and carried as his opponent Ng Sheng Nian missed a gear shift on the entry to his lead lap, and his momentary drop in speed had caused Minowa to fault.
Both Whiddett and Minowa advanced to the next round, but all the Kiwi had to do was win his battle against Kazuya Iizuka.
He lost the final against Scotland's Andrew Gray but secured the overall title based on points.
Newshub.
