On the last weekend of July (30-31.07), the 4th round of Polish Drift Championships, which was also included in the general classification of Drift Kings International Series, was held in Slomczyn. Bartosz Ostalowski scored an extremely successful performance – he won Saturday’s qualifications and in the entire competition he took 3rd place in the PRO2 class.

It was an exciting drifting weekend! The 4th round of DMP had an international character, as the competition was combined with the Drift Kings International Series and the FIA Central European Zone Championship. Representatives of Poland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania, Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic registered in the stakes. Bartosz Ostalowski was also among the competitors.

Unfortunately, the weather was not kind. Only Saturday’s (30.07) training sessions were held in favorable conditions, but from noon on it began to rain heavily, which completely changed the situation on the track. The track was wet and very slippery, so the drivers had to show great precision in order to score flawless runs and qualify for the finals in pairs.

In qualification, the drivers had 3 runs – 1 warm-up and 2 scoring runs. The average of the two runs was taken into account in the classification. In the first classification session Bartosz Ostalowski presented himself very well. He passed all the scoring zones, and the judges awarded him 78.3 points, so he was in the lead after the first round. In the second run Ostalowski improved his score, scoring as many as 88.6 points. With a total score of 83.5 points, he won the qualification.

– I won the qualification in the rain! I am incredibly happy because I was stressed before the start. It was not known what the conditions would be and what to expect during the runs. Nevertheless, I showed two even runs and received a satisfactory number of points from the judges – concluded Bartosz Ostalowski.

The weather conditions did not change on Sunday either. It rained from the very morning, which promised that the competition in TOP16 would also take place on a slippery surface. After a short practice session and a briefing for the competitors, it was time for the fight in pairs.

Thanks to his victory in the qualifying session, Bartosz Ostalowski had byerun in TOP16 and automatic promotion to the best “eight”. His rival in TOP8 was Kamil Olbrych (Nissan Silvia S15). After two runs by the competitors, the judges ordered „one more time”. In the additional runs Bartosz presented a better line of drive and was closer to his opponent as a chaser. As a result, it was Ostalowski who advanced to TOP4.

In the semifinal, Bartosz Ostalowski’s opponent was Mateusz Suski (Nissan Silvia S15). In the first run Bartosz was the leader, and Mateusz pressed him as a chaser. After switching sides, Ostalowski lost the distance to his rival and lost this competition.

The battle for 3rd place remained. Krzysztof Koszycarz (BMW E46) stood up to fight for the podium with Bartosz Ostalowski. In the first run, when Ostalowski was the leader, after the first corner Koszycarz made a mistake and spun. Bartosz has a huge advantage before the second run. After the change of sides Ostalowski drove conservatively and he won. This put him on the podium of the DC2 class during the 4th round of Polish Drift Championships and Drift Kings International Series.

– We got it! During the finals there was no shortage of emotions, but climbing the ladder I landed on the podium. The improvements we made to the car worked, my team did very well, and there was nothing left for me to do but drive my own! I’m extremely happy because this is my first podium of the season. I hope that it starts a good streak and during the next starts I will again check in at the top! – said Bartosz Ostalowski.

The next round of Polish Drift Championship will be held at the Rabócsiring circuit in Máriapócs, Hungary, on August 26-27, 2022, and will also be combined with competition in Drift Kings International Series.

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BARTOSZ OSTAŁOWSKI

The only professional sports driver in the world who does not have both hands and drives with his feet. He has an international FIA racing license. He competes on equal terms with other drivers in the Drift Polish Championships and european leagues. He is a motivational speaker at conferences and business meetings. He tries to support people in achieving successes as well as in personal development. Bartosz runs his own YouTube channel – “Passion at the Edge”, where he tests unique, exclusive cars and talks with inspiring people about their passions. In addition, he is an artist and member of the VDMFK Publishing House, which unites people who paint with their feet and mouth