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These emails are mainly about competition events, but also other drifting too.
Held at Euromarque Motorsport Park – Ruapuna Raceway, near Christchurch. These are held as often as we can find space in the track calendar, generally approx every 4-6 weeks.
Cost varies, see Have a Go Days page for details on upcoming events and entry links.
These days are not for first timers, you must have done at least 1 Drift School to enter or have other track drift experience.
Pre entry is now required for all of our events, see form with event info.
Pre-event Test Days – Before each Drift South competition day we hold a Have a Go Day at the track of the competition, within 10 days of the event for Ruapuna rounds, Friday the day before the event for Levels.
These are aimed at those competing in either class of the Drift South competition but are open to anyone who has entered a drift school or more.
The Championship class is a Drift series using different track configurations at Ruapuna Raceway, one round at Levels in Timaru and one at Teretonga in Invercargill on selected seasons.
Championship events are classified as CLUBSPORT ADVANCED – drivers require full membership of the Canterbury Car Club or any other Motorsport NZ affiliated car club and obtain a M Grade licence.
– Cars must comply with Schedule A and Schedule DR and will have a have a full homologated roll cage with side intrusions; subject to audit as per the regulations.
Non compliance may result in you not being able to compete.
Critical Safety items required include double layer race suits, or single layer race suit with approved fireproof full body undergarments, a motorsport approved helmet, and optional but highly recommended are fireproof gloves, boots and neck braces.
Our competition format sees drivers get two randomly drawn battle pairs where they are scored on the best lead and best chase and ranked in order to create the “battle tree” which is the standard top 32/16 style format where the winner moves on to the next battle.
The format for the Drift South Development Series is classified as CLUBSPORT BASIC, allowing you to run your car with minimum requirements, namely a WOF, bolted down battery and approved fire extinguisher bolted through the floor. Competition cars or road cars may be used and must meet the same Schedule & DR requirements.
Pleases remember though that scrutineering is done to Motorsport NZ rules and fails may see you needing to make urgent repairs or missing out all together. See below for more essential car and safety gear requirements.
Critical Safety items required include double layer race suits, or single layer 100% cotton minimum overalls with approved fireproof full body undergarments, a motorsport approved helmet, and optional but highly recommended are fireproof gloves, boots and neck braces.
You may enter the Development Series once before you are required to be a member of a car club such as the Canterbury Car Club.
This event is run in conjunction with and in a similar format to the Championship competition, with practice sessions run with one car on track at a time and then judged laps where your best 2 of 3 runs make a final score for rankings. Judging is a bit more lenient allowing a lap with spins or mistakes to still gain a score.
For both classes, the following document contains additional regulations relevant to all competitors:
Format, Additional Rules & Judging Guidelines 2025/26 – 2026/27 version coming soon
New from 2026 is the Drift South Winter Series.
Battle competitions run under the same driver and car requirements as the Championship class.
Control tyre by Goodride and supported by Road Tubber.
Narrower tyre to keep a level playing field through all levels of driver and car.
Ruapuna A Track V1 used to be beginner friendly, limit tyre usage, and provide even battles.
Entries for all competition events are done through the Motorsport NZ Online Entry system. See https://www.canterburycarclub.co.nz/online-entries/ for details on how to use this system.
If you are new to competing please get in touch before entering. Numbers are limited and we need to approve new drivers are ready for the level of competition they are wanting to enter.
The place to go to get on track and try drifting for the first time without the pressure of a group of drivers all on track together. See https://driftsouth.nz/driftschool for details
Please note that other than Drift Schools, your car must always comply with Motorsport NZ Schedule A. You must make sure you understand the requirements to make sure you do not get turned away. See bottom of this page for some notes on common things to look at.
Drift School:
Vehicle must have current wof & reg or pass basic safety check. Driver needs minimum 100% cotton overalls and modern solid car/motorbike helmet. Details on Drift School page
Have a Go Days:
Vehicle – Must have current wof & reg (current means you didn’t get a wof and then change parts), or meet Motorsport NZ Schedule A & Schedule DR requirements.
As per competition events, any modifications to safety items (eg seat/belts/battery/fuel system etc) much comply with Schedule A if they are modified from the factory form. See below for more details.
Driver – 100% Cotton Overalls in good condition minimum (race suit highly recommended and will be required before long). All other clothing cotton or wool. Helmet must meet Schedule A part 4.1 requirements.
Championship Competition:
Vehicle – Must meet Motorsport NZ Schedule A & Schedule DR requirements. Full cage with side intrusions.
Driver – Double layer race suit, or single layer race suit with approved long underwear. All other clothing cotton or wool. Helmet must meet Schedule A part 4.1 requirements.
Tyre requirements – Fronts free as long as they’re road legal treaded. Rears – radial tyres only, max width 265, minimum treadwear 280, no more than $300rrp.
Development Series Competition:
Vehicle – Must have current wof & reg (current means you didn’t get a wof and then change parts), or meet Motorsport NZ Schedule A & Schedule DR requirements.
Even if road legal, it does also mean that if you change things from factory, especially safety items such as seat/harness and battery mounting, they do need to meet Motorsport rules. Please ask if you are unsure.
Driver – Either double layer race overalls, or single layer race/100% Cotton Overalls with cotton/wool/race long underwear. All other clothing cotton or wool. Helmet must meet Schedule A part 4.1 requirements.
Tyre requirements – same as Championship
Entry for each competition round will cost you $20pp with kids under 16 free.
Please drive safely and keep the skids for the track only. Drunkenness and skidding in the car park will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave immediately.
If you want to have a go, come to one of our drift schools and do it properly.
* Security and Video surveillance will be in place in the car parks
Canterbury Car Club membership application: CLICK HERE
M Grade licence application form: CLICK HERE
Vehicle Requirements, both of the following must be met:
Schedule DR – Drift specific rules: CLICK HERE
Schedule A – Driver & vehicle safety: PART 1 PART 2
Vehicle common issues:
A lot of people don’t realise that a decent standard of car is required and that you need to meet Motorsport NZ’s Schedule A and Schedule DR to get on track, even on test days.
HTTP://MANUAL.MOTORSPORT.ORG.NZ/
If you’ve competed before you should know what is required but just because you’ve passed scrutineering once doesn’t mean your car is mint. They can’t check everything every time.
For newer drivers, there are way too many things to tell you, please do some research and ask if you are unsure.
Current wof does make a few things easier so keep them current if you can. car must be presented in the state it passed the wof in. ie don’t get a wof and then change seats etc
First thing to do before you come to an event is a basic bolt check. Jack up each corner and check things are actually tight, drift is hard on cars so you’ll often find worn bushes and steering joints etc that weren’t a problem last week.
Once you’re getting your car checked at an event, attitude is important. If the scrutineers suggest something needs fixing, don’t argue with them, they are probably right.
“But it didn’t fail last round” isn’t an excuse, they can’t check every part of your car at every event.
Some other basic things to check that are common:
Battery, bolt it down properly. If in the factory location, clamp it down tight with an original type bracket (not strap/cable tie).
If not in the factory location there are many extra things to do:
– Bracket must be held to the floor using 4x bolt/nyloc/panel washers. It must have reinforcement in all directions, and be fully sealed from cabin with a vent tube if acid battery.
All bolts used must have a marked tensile strength of 8.8 or greater. Threaded rod can not show this so is not permitted.
If the battery is not sealed it must be sealed from the cabin with a box or firewall.
Seat/seatbelts, seat and harness mounting are super important, check the manual or ask. Bolts for anything non factory must be marked as 8.8 tensile or higher tensile (factory bolts are not ok when you change your seat).
If you change away from the factory seat/belt it MUST meet all rules for seat and harness mounting, no matter whether you have a wof or not.
Race harness must be in date as per MSNZ requirements (FIA harnesses can be extended 5 years past date if in good condition).
Steering lock, must be gone if no wof.
Oil catch can, under 2L engine – 1L+ catch can, over 2L engine – 2L+ catch can. or if factory breather hoses you dont need one. system must be fully sealed either way.
Got an engine that breathes a lot – be sure to check your catch can regularly.
Exhaust/screamer, must exit outside the bodywork past the mid point of the car. And must still meet noise requirements.
Screamer pipes exiting in and around the engine bay are not permitted at any time. All exhaust outlets must exit the bodywork past the mid point of the car (no diff dumps etc)
Headlights, the tidy body rule suggests you need either a headlight or tidy replacement to fill the hole.
Fuel cells, seal the boot 100% from the cabin. spill collar is required even if you have no boot floor.
Wheels/tyres, technically must fit entirely within the bodywork and not be stretched to the point the may come debeaded.
Door trims, you need them unless door entirely gutted and no sharp edges remain.
Bumpers – required unless you destroy them on the day.
Bonnet vents, mesh openings. you need the plastic scuttle trim too to stop oil etc getting between the bonnet and windscreen area.
Put some tape on your positive battery terminal.
Tow hooks are required front and rear, painted a bright colour. Often the factory ones are useless so you may need to build something accessible (without removing panels) and strong. TOW stickers required.
Harnesses must run the number of straps it is approved for.
Roll cage foam – anywhere you could hit the bars, put proper race foam on there.
If you’ve built a car with a new cage, you need to get it checked over BEFORE coming to your first event.