Royal Drift Series Opens the Season: Round 1 in Shanghai, June 6–7

On June 6–7, 2026, Shanghai Tianma Circuit will host Round 1 of the Royal Drift Series (RoyalDS), a new drift championship created to bring together some of the strongest drifters in the world on one platform and set a new standard for competition organisation. Tickets are available on Damai – please search for "Royal Drift Series".

Prize fund and scale

For its debut season, Royal Drift Series has established an unprecedented total prize fund of USD 1,000,000. Awards will be presented at every round to the podium finishers in both the individual and team standings. This level of support makes Royal Drift Series one of the most ambitious new drift championships in the world.

More than 40 drivers from China, Russia, Europe, Japan, and the United States will line up for the opening round in Shanghai, representing different drift schools, styles, and competitive backgrounds.

Chinese drivers

China will be represented by more than 30 drivers, including some of the country's most famous and decorated drifters. Zhang Sheng Jun is an eight-time China Drift Championship champion, D1GP China champion, and podium finisher in FD Japan rounds. Qi Wang is a two-time CDC champion and Guinness World Record holder for the longest continuous drift session. KEN is a multiple CDC and SMA champion and podium finisher, and one of the most recognisable Chinese drift drivers of the last fifteen years. Jason Ye is the world record holder for the highest-speed drift in an electric vehicle. The grid will also include participants, podium finishers, and winners of Chinese and international championships, including well-known Chinese drifters Lu Xiao, Jerry, Sam, and others.

International drivers

Strong competition for the Chinese drivers will come from Russian, European, Japanese, and American drifters. Artem Shabanov from Russia is the 2024 Russian Drift Series Grand Prix champion. Pawel Korpulinski from Poland is a Drift Masters competitor and podium finisher, one of the fastest drifters in Europe, the overall winner of two CDGP 2025 rounds, and silver medallist of the 2025 Red Bull Drift Masters final. Jarkko Jylhä from Finland is a two-time Finnish drift champion, one of the best-known representatives of the Scandinavian drift school, a Drift Masters competitor, and winner of the RoyalDS Welcome Round. Leonid Shnayder from Russia is an OIDC 2024 podium finisher, 2025 Sochi Drift Challenge champion, RDS GP round podium finisher, and founder and driver of Team Time Up. Sebastian Fontijn from the Netherlands is the 2020 OIDC champion, a Drift Masters competitor, and winner of Drift Challenge Vlissingen. Koudai Sobagiri from Japan is the 2025 D1 Grand Prix vice-champion and winner of the D1GP solo runs classification, and is regarded as one of the most technical representatives of the Japanese drift school. Maxim Grossman is a Winter Drift Battle champion and RDS GP podium finisher. Kiryl Matskevich is the 2024 RDS Europe vice-champion, 2025 ADM Drift Contest vice-champion, and winner of the drift championship in Raubichi.

For many of these drivers, Royal Drift Series will be not only a new challenge, but also an opportunity to compete in a championship built around the core principles of transparency, fairness, safety, and a high level of sporting competition.

Judging and Telemetry System

One of the key features of RoyalDS will be its judging system. The championship will use an expanded judging panel of five judges, allowing runs to be assessed as objectively as possible and reducing the influence of subjective factors.

An additional tool will be the WALLY telemetry system by Race Data Labs, which is currently used in leading global drift series and is considered one of the most advanced solutions for run analysis. For the judges, it provides an additional objective data source when making decisions controversial situations. For spectators, telemetry makes the competition more understandable and more engaging. Graphics and performance data allow viewers to see how closely a driver follows the ideal line, compare drift angles, speed, and aggression through different sections of the course. As a result, drifting becomes not only a spectacular show, but also a clear and technical motorsport discipline.

Drift Festival

Royal Drift Series is not only a sporting competition, but also a large-scale automotive festival. The Tianma Circuit layout has been prepared to deliver maximum spectacle and excellent visibility from the grandstands. The event programme will include Royal Drift Series competition runs, the Royal Car Show exhibition of exclusive cars, large screens with live broadcast coverage, an autograph session with the drivers, drift taxi rides for spectators, entertainment activities, and partner zones. Organisers expect thousands of spectators over the race weekend.

Free bilingual broadcast

For drift fans around the world, a free live broadcast will be available in English and Chinese. The broadcast will be shown on leading digital platforms in China, Europe, and the United States, allowing millions of viewers to follow the debut round of the new international championship in real time.

• 英语直播 / English broadcast: YouTube @royaldriftseries25
• 中文直播 / Chinese broadcast: 抖音 @royaldrift汽车飘移系列赛

2026 Season Calendar

The debut Royal Drift Series season will take place across five professional race circuits in different regions of China. This calendar will allow the series to reach key motorsport centres across the country and introduce the new championship to tens of thousands of spectators.

The Royal Drift Series calendar combines modern international circuits, varied track layouts, and different technical challenges for the drivers. This will make it possible to determine the true strongest driver of the season, capable of performing effectively on tracks with different characteristics. For spectators, each round will be a major standalone event combining sporting battles, automotive culture, and a festival atmosphere.

• 第1站 / Round 1: 6月6–7日 / June 6–7 – 上海，上海天马赛车场 / Shanghai, Shanghai Tianma Circuit
• 第2站 / Round 2: 7月4–5日 / July 4–5 – 天津，V1国际赛车场 / Tianjin, V1 Auto World International Speedway
• 第3站 / Round 3: 9月5–6日 / September 5–6 – 宁波，宁波国际赛道 / Ningbo, Ningbo International Speedway
• 第4站 / Round 4: 10月10–11日 / October 10–11 – 郑州，郑州国际赛车场 / Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou International Autodrome
• 第5站 / Round 5: 11月7–8日 / November 7–8 – 杭州，浙江国际赛车场 / Hangzhou, Zhejiang Circuit

See you trackside on June 6–7 at Shanghai Tianma Circuit.

Official website: royaldriftseries.com