Więcek Finds Redemption in Spain as Jarama Delivers Another Drift Masters Classic

Round 2 of the 2026 Drift Masters season brought the championship back to Circuito De Madrid Jarama - RACE for its second visit to Spain, and once again, the high-speed Madrid circuit delivered a day defined by mechanical heartbreak, razor-thin battles, and a redemption story one year in the making.

After being ruled out of last year’s Spanish main event following a heavy crash in the Qualifying Showdown, Piotr Więcek returned to Jarama with unfinished business. This time, he left with the top step of the podium, completing one of the standout stories of the season so far.

From the opening stages of Top 32, it was clear that Jarama was going to ask everything of the grid.

With drivers continuing to dial in grip and carry enormous pace through the layout, the speed of the battles stepped up again from Qualifying. But that commitment came at a cost. Mechanical failures became one of the defining themes of the day, with several drivers seeing strong weekends unravel before they could fully begin.

Lauri Heinonen looked set to push deep into the bracket after producing a strong opening lead run against Spanish wildcard Raman Kandratsenka, running a brand-new engine with no practice laps whatsoever. However, a supercharger belt failure left him without power in the chase, bringing his weekend to a cruel end in the Top 32 after a night of chaos trying to get the car ready.

Marco Zakouril was unable to take the start against Więcek due to second engine failure, while Yves Meyer suffered a shutdown on track against Juha Rintanen with a similar failure. Later in the day, Jack Shanahan’s impressive run came to an abrupt stop in the Top 8 after a gearbox failure ended his battle with Więcek.

Between the mechanical drama, there was no shortage of standout driving.

James Deane opened his day with a clinical performance against Kevin Piskolty, while Nikolass Bertans immediately announced himself as one of the fastest drivers in the field, knocking out Kuba Przygoński in the Top 32 before dispatching Raman Kandratsenka in the Top 16 with an exceptional chase run.

Elsewhere, Oliver Randalu, last year’s winner in Spain, kept his title defence alive in Madrid with a strong Top 32 victory over Jakub Król. Alan Hynes also produced one of the feel-good moments of the round, taking the win against Simen Olsen in his first Drift Masters event of the year and celebrating a breakthrough run into the Top 16.

Conor Shanahan, fresh from his Round 1 victory in Italy, carried his momentum into Spain with a composed Top 32 win over Diogo Correia. Mika Keski-Korpi also looked increasingly comfortable as the day progressed, first overcoming Dave Egan before beating Dawid Sposób to earn a place in the Top 8.

By the Top 16, the level had risen again.

Deane ended Espen Rohde’s charge with another controlled performance, while Bertans continued to impress by knocking out the last Spanish wildcard, Kandratsenka. Jack Shanahan overcame Juha Rintanen, and Keski-Korpi edged past Sposób in a tight battle to continue what was quickly becoming the best run of his Drift Masters career.

One of the standout battles of the round came between Więcek and Randalu. The Estonian showed incredible pace in the opening exchanges, pulling a major gap in the lead and forcing the judges to call One More Time. But in the rerun, Więcek raised the level again, matching Randalu’s speed and doing enough to push through to the Top 8.

Nasser Alharbali also continued his strong day with a major Top 16 victory over Duane McKeever, while Shanahan ended Hynes’ breakthrough run to keep his push for back-to-back wins alive.

The Top 8 produced another wave of decisive moments.

Deane faced Bertans in a battle of serious pace, with the Latvian youngster delivering one of the best chases of the day. However, Deane’s cleaner overall line saw the Irishman advance. Więcek moved through after Jack Shanahan’s gearbox failure, Conor Shanahan edged Pawel Korpulinski on a 2-1 judges’ decision, and Keski-Korpi came through a drama-filled battle with Alharbali that included contact and a 10-minute timeout.

That left a stacked Final 4: Deane vs. Więcek and Shanahan vs. Keski-Korpi.

Shanahan and Keski-Korpi both looked dialled from the outset, but a mistake from the Finnish driver in his lead run gave the reigning champion the edge and sent him through to his second final in as many rounds.

On the other side of the bracket, Deane and Więcek delivered one of the battles of the weekend. Both drivers were completely committed, the gap between them almost non-existent, and after the first set of runs the judges had no choice but to call One More Time. In the rerun, Więcek produced an incredible chase, staying pinned to Deane’s door throughout and finally earning his place in the final.

Before the final, the third-place playoff brought a major career milestone for Mika Keski-Korpi.

After a hugely impressive day through the bracket and on the high of placing third in qualifying, the Finnish driver faced James Deane for the final podium position and came out on top to secure his first-ever Drift Masters podium. It marked a breakthrough result for Keski-Korpi, who had looked increasingly assured throughout the Spanish round and fully earned his place among the weekend’s standout performers.

The final brought together two of the championship’s biggest names, as Więcek faced Shanahan for the win.

For Shanahan, it was an opportunity to make it two victories from two rounds and extend his perfect start to the 2026 season. For Więcek, it was a chance to put last year’s Spanish heartbreak firmly behind him.

This time, the Polish driver would not be denied.

After navigating one of the toughest routes through the bracket, including two One More Time battles against Randalu and Deane, Więcek defeated Shanahan in the final to claim victory at Jarama. It delivered a powerful response at the very venue where his 2025 Spanish weekend ended before the main event had even begun.

With two rounds now complete, the 2026 Drift Masters season has already delivered two unforgettable events, two heavyweight final clashes, and a championship fight beginning to take shape.

Shanahan remains firmly in the conversation after backing up his Italy win with a second-place finish in Spain, but Więcek’s victory in Madrid sends a clear message that he is right in the fight only a handful points behind. Keski-Korpi’s first podium adds another name to the growing list of drivers capable of disrupting the established order as the season builds momentum.

Next stop: Red Bull Drift Masters Ireland, taking place at Mondello Park on June 13th and 14th, as the championship heads into one of its most anticipated rounds of the year. Find out more about our next round here.