For years, the Falken Drift Show has been one of the standout highlights of the support programme at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. The 30,000 spectators who head to the Müllenbach Schleife on Friday evening are proof enough. Amid clouds of white smoke and the smell of shredded rubber, fans of perfectly executed drift angles loudly celebrate their idols.
This year, 30 drift specialists from nine countries competed for the favour of the expert crowd. Since the starting list included not only the ten German competitors but also five Dutch ones, the packed stands always erupted in loud cheers whenever the Dutch performers executed their show elements with such skill.
As ever, the international field was led by the four-man Falken drift team headed by Remmo Niezen. “Year after year, I love the incredible atmosphere in the packed grandstands. Everyone is enjoying themselves and creating such a great vibe – that’s what makes it so special,” says Niezen. The 59-year-old Dutchman and his team-mates Rohan Van Riel, Rick Van Goethem and Niels Visser once again brought their BMW M1, M5 and M6 models, each producing up to 800 hp, to the Eifel – all in Falken’s unmistakable blue-turquoise livery.
And speaking of horsepower: this year, the 30 drift cars combined for an extraordinary 17,722 hp, generating plenty of smoke and spectacle around the arena. The most powerful car in the field was Elias Hountondji’s BMW M2, which alone produces 1,100 hp. Elias and his brother Johannes from Schlierbach in Swabia rose to prominence as the “Red Bull Driftbrothers”, once competing in two identical BMW M4s, before Johannes was forced to retire through injury.
Elias has since switched models and, with support from BMW M GmbH, built a brand-new BMW M2. “At this year’s Falken Drift Show, I’m presenting the car to a German audience for the first time,” the 40-year-old proudly explained.
At Friday evening’s show, a total of 23 male and two female drivers thundered through the arena in BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan and Toyota machinery. In a colourful display, they showcased precise solo drifts, a variety of donuts and the premier discipline of drifting – the spectacular “twin battles”, in which two drivers race side by side through the Müllenbach Schleife at close quarters. “Drifting in front of so many enthusiastic fans who come to the Müllenbach Schleife every year just for us is simply the greatest feeling – I can’t describe it any other way,” says Denise Ritzmann.
After two all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 N cars had already added a new dimension to the line-up in 2024, Christopher Nigemeier and Felix Rosner entered two Hyundai IONIQ 6 N models this year. “Our aim is to showcase electric mobility in an exciting and accessible way for spectators.,” says Nigemeier, who, like Rosner, works full-time in development at Hyundai N in Rüsselsheim and played a key role in bringing the project to life. “Both cars produce around 650 hp and remain close to production specification, although naturally they are equipped with the required safety systems. They share the same drivetrain, but we have adjusted the power distribution so that 90 per cent goes to the rear axle to optimise drifting.” The spectators clearly approved, rewarding the duo’s performance with generous applause.