HOMETOWN HERO STEEDMAN CROWNED DRIFT KING IN ANZAC WEEKEND THRILLER

Tauranga’s Dave Steedman comes from behind to win the 2026 D1NZ Pro Championship at home — beating his own teammate in the Grand Final to seal the crown

In a championship finale that delivered everything promised and more, Dave Steedman has been crowned the 2026 D1NZ Drift King — winning on home soil at Mercury Baypark Arena in front of a walk-up crowd that voted with its feet on a clear ANZAC weekend evening.

Steedman went into Round 5 trailing championship leader Connor Halligan by 26 points. He didn’t just survive the night — he dominated it. The championship swung in the Top 16, when Taupo’s Halligan clipped the wall, flipped onto his roof and slid down the track in a shower of sparks — eliminated on the spot. From that moment, Steedman cut through the draw without fault: accounting for Scott Dinsdale in the Top 8 and then out-going Drift King Luke Fink in the Top 4, before lining up a Grand Final few could have scripted.

Waiting in the final was Adam Davies — Steedman’s own teammate and close friend. The two traded blows in a genuine see-saw battle that had the crowd on its feet. Steedman prevailed; Baypark erupted.

Clear skies, calm air, and a cool ANZAC evening made for a picture-perfect backdrop. Despite the pressures of a tight economic climate, the crowd that poured through the gates was bigger than expected — a genuine walk-up response from a region that turned out to watch one of their own make history.

“Teamwork makes the dream work — and this team is the best.”

— Dave Steedman, 2026 D1NZ Drift King

A visibly emotional Steedman, speaking moments after the championship was confirmed, was generous with his first words:

“I’m gonna struggle for words here. The sponsors that make this happen — MIMICO, Rex and Adam, NAPA, NMT Shipping, my own business Vehicle Service Center — without those partnerships, we wouldn’t be doing this. It’s a crazy, very expensive sport. And as we’ve seen tonight, teamwork makes the dream work. I’ve come into battle after battle and just said ‘see what happens and have fun.’ And that’s what I’ve had today — a massive amount of fun. To come out with the trophy was the icing on the cake. I honestly was not expecting this.”

2026 D1NZ PRO SERIES — FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1st — CHAMPION   Dave Steedman   —   410 pts

2nd   Connor Halligan   —   394 pts

3rd   Ben Jenkins   —   264 pts

4th   Luke Fink   —   242 pts

5th   Scott Dinsdale   —   240 pts

ROUND 5 BAYPARK — PRO BATTLE RESULTS

Grand Final: Dave Steedman def. Adam Davies

3rd Place: Luke Fink

Top 8: Steedman def. Scott Dinsdale

Top 16 (championship-deciding): Steedman def. Connor Halligan

PRO SPORT SERIES — BLAKE MYLES CLAIMS THE CROWN

Blake Myles claimed the 2026 D1NZ Pro Sport Championship with a commanding 534-point tally, finishing well clear of Riley McKeown (334 pts) and Sheldon Kneale (260 pts). Like Steedman, Myles credited the people around him as the real story.

“It has been pretty smooth — and that’s thanks to the support from my team and my fiancée Michaela. Without them, this isn’t possible. This is such a team sport. I get all the praise for winning, but I can’t keep my car out on track without my pit crew and team. That’s the secret. And that feeling — it feels pretty good.”

— Blake Myles, 2026 D1NZ Pro Sport Champion

The 2026 season was one of the most expansive in D1NZ’s history — five rounds spanning Teretonga Park in Invercargill to Pukekohe Park, and including Pro Drifting’s first ever visit to the East Coast at Gisborne’s H BlackBee Drift Park, before the championship was settled under the lights at Baypark.

D1NZ is the world’s longest-running national drifting series, sanctioned by Motorsport New Zealand and broadcast on Sky TV, YouTube via Oversteer TV, and Fox Sports.