2017: Drift Masters era begins
Moment in drift history · EU
The European Drift Championship rebrands to Drift Masters European Championship. Mondello Park, Riga, the Netherlands and Poland become regular pro stops. Europe finally has the platform Japan and the US have had for years.
European pro drift had been organised under various series names since the early 2000s, most prominently the European Drift Championship (EDC). The 2017 rebrand to Drift Masters European Championship (DMEC) was both administrative and aesthetic: a new format, broadcast partnerships, sponsor money at the level Japan and the US had had for years.
The series anchored a calendar of European tracks, Mondello Park in Ireland, Bikernieki in Latvia, Tor Stadion Slaski in Poland, the Netherlands, Italy. European pro builds, BMW E36/E46, Nissan S15s, V8-swap teams like HGK Motorsports out of Latvia, became visible to a global audience for the first time.
Drift Masters has run continuously since the rebrand. The 2023 Poland round at Tor Stadion Slaski produced some of the most-cited tandem footage of the modern European era. The series is now the third major leg of global pro drift alongside D1GP (Japan) and Formula Drift (USA).
Cars
What happened next
- DMEC photography by Jordan Butters becomes the visible European drift aesthetic reference.
- European drivers move more freely between DMEC and Formula Drift; James Deane is the prototype.
- The 2023 Poland round produces some of the most-shared tandem footage of the era.