EVENT>> D1NZ ROUND 2: PARTY AT PUKEKOHE

Round 2 of the Castrol Edge D1NZ National Drifting Championship took place at the notorious Pukekohe Park Raceway just outside of Auckland city in New Zealand.

The track is advertised as having the fastest drift corner in the world...

...With drivers entering sideways at close to 200kph. And because of these speeds it can also be very, very unforgiving. Pukekohe Raceway always brings plenty of carnage, so let's check out all the action from day one.

Drivers gathered in the early morning to hear from the organizers, track officials and judges. Pukekohe Raceway is located near a lot of residential housing which means they have to adhere to very strict noise regulations. The limit was set at 95dB and each driver was only given one warning before being sent home if they went over it again.

Here are some of the people responsible for the D1NZ Championship. On the far left we have Dan Teeboon in the blue jacket, who takes care of all safety, car scrutineering and also runs the grid to ensure the cars enter the track at the right time. Skipping a couple of people we have Brendon White in the black and grey D1NZ shirt, who is the promoter, event organizer and the man in charge. The two chaps on the far right are two of the three judges, Justin Rood and Kyle Jackways.

Justin explained the line he wanted them to take and where the clipping points were located. The long sweeping right hand corner is very wide and provides a few different driving lines.

After the briefing, the pits were full of activity as teams did everything they could to make their cars as quiet as possible.

Here is one of Team Need for Speed driver Mad Mike's exhausts. He explained to us that they have three different setups depending on the noise regulations at various tracks. They were opting for the medium one to begin with, trying to find the balance between keeping the track officials happy and giving the 26B quad rotor enough room to breathe.

Tony Whiter, Gaz Whiter's father, was hard at work replacing their exhaust system for a quieter option too. With only one noise warning, it was important that drivers and their crews made the correct changes before heading out on track.

We loved this little Toyota KE70 wagon featured in the opening shot. Competing in Pro-Am and sitting nice and low on SSR Mk IIs and SSR Formula Mesh, it's just perfect! The pilot, Todd Curtis decided the front guards needed a little more room so he began this super technical and loving procedure.

Out on track we saw Nico Reid debut his awesome looking Nissan S15 Silvia. Nico wasted no time getting used to the new car and was laying down some solid runs early on.

It's an amazing feeling as cars slide just meters away from you at over 160kph. The sweeper allows for drivers to get huge angle and still make it out the other side.

Andrew Redward was driving his Nankang Nissan S14 Silvia very well during testing. In between rounds Andrew had more work done in the steering department and the car is capable of even more lock now.

Fanga Dan Woolhouse is always a top contender at this track. His Castrol Edge Holden Commodore sounded menacing as the loud V8 reverberated loudly off the surrounding walls.

Back in the pits we spotted Troy Jenkins getting ready to head out. Troy is competing in the Pro-Am series this year in his beautiful orange colored Nissan S15 Silvia.

Pukekohe Raceway is spread out and the good photo spots are a small hike from the pits. You often see people using alternative modes of transport. Here is photographer Simon Anderson giving his legs a rest.

The drivers seemed relaxed as their teams continued to work on their cars' exhausts. Here is Mad Mike, Bruce Tannock and Cole Armstrong sharing a few stories from last season.

This Nissan C35 Laurel belongs to Darren Benjamin who stepped up from the Pro-Am series this year to the D1 Pro level. And with an impressive performance at Round One, he was certainly one to watch out for over the weekend.

This event also played host to the first round of NZ Time Attack which will follow the D1NZ series this year.

Harry Dodson in the Dodson Performance Nissan R35 GTR recorded the fastest lap time all weekend with a 1.01.687. This car is still street registered and Harry drove it to and from the track!

Scott Kreyl recorded a 1.13.675 in the Hankook/Castrol Edge Mitsubishi Evo VIII.

Hans Ruiterman, brother of top D1NZ driver Carl Ruiterman, showed he was a serious contender with a very fast 1.02.853. This will be an interesting series to watch over the coming months.

After the time attack session it was time for more D1 Pro testing.

Mad Mike has said this is his favourite track in New Zealand.

Anyone involved in motorsport will know that you can't be successful without a great team behind you. Here is JD changing tires for Bruce Tannock's Achilles Radial Nissan Silvia.

Bruce Tannock in his Silvia wasted no time smoking up those tires that JD had just fitted.

On some corners of Pukekohe Raceway there is little run off. Here Russell Silfleet had an unfortunate encounter with the tyre bundles, although he would be out on track again later that day.

After having a less than ideal first round, Curt Whittaker was driving his Nissan R34 Skyline with a lot of aggression and looked to be back on top of his game.

Pro-Am driver William Foster was achieving huge angle in this little Toyota Corolla. It's great to see these cars still being used in competition.

Cole Armstrong piloted the V Energy Nissan R34 Skyline with absolute precision all day; it looks like he has become very familiar with the new 4-door chassis quickly.

Back in the pits I spotted Mad Mike showing his international guest, Kawato-san of Total Car Produce Magic in Japan, around some of the other cars. Kawato San is a big fan of Speedhunters too!

Meanwhile Alec Bell of Kiwi-RE was making some final checks to Mad Mike's RX-7.

Kawato-san looked on as the big Work Equips spun through the gears.

Earlier in the day Nico Reid had blown a gearbox so his crew had to quickly source a replacement.

Pro-Am driver Chris Howard cracked his rear subframe and the team worked hard to replace it but unfortunately he missed qualifying. It has been a shaky start for Pro-Am driver Chris Howard as he had a nasty crash at Round One in Feilding.