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Team DSR Goes Global · USA 🇺🇸
Newly-crowned D1NZ Drift King Dave Steedman takes on the USA at Hotpit Autofest — the first D1NZ champion to light up the international stage, with Team DSR's partners along for the ride.
The Opportunity
D1NZ has announced a strategic international partnership with Hotpit Autofest, a major US-based motorsport and car-culture platform. As part of the collaboration, newly-crowned Drift King Dave Steedman travels to the States as the inaugural D1NZ representative at Hotpit Autofest — the first time a D1NZ champion competes on this international stage.
For Team DSR it's the biggest stage the team has ever stood on. And for partners, it's a rare piece of sponsorship real estate: a genuine trans-Pacific story — Kiwi underdog, home-town title, American lights — with your brand written into every chapter of it.
"Partnering with D1NZ represents a pivotal moment for Hotpit Autofest as we continue to expand our footprint."
RJ Contreras · COO, Hotpit Autofest
"Drifting has always been rooted in community and progression, and this collaboration allows us to extend those values beyond our respective regions."
James McManaway · Executive, D1NZ / Grit Motorsport
The Champion
2026 D1NZ Drift King
Crowned the 2026 D1NZ Drift King on home soil at Baypark, Dave Steedman now carries the New Zealand flag — and Team DSR's partners — onto the international stage in the USA. A home-town hero with the talent, personality and story to win over a brand-new global audience.
In His Words
"Where to start! It is still very surreal and will take some time to sink in, but it's a humbling feeling to be one of the few New Zealand Drift Kings of D1NZ. The talent pool of drivers in this country is unreal, and coming into the Final at our home round at Baypark Stadium, Connor Halligan was a shoe-in for the Championship title. But when he rolled his car in spectacularly scary fashion in the Top 16, I knew it was all down to me to bring it home.
I had a very difficult battle tree ahead of me but I really wasn't thinking about the Championship implications, just enjoying the battles and taking them one step at a time. I really was just having a fun time, which is the whole reason we pour everything into our sport. From my Top 8 battle with Scotty D on, I was suffering an engine misfire which was frustrating, but I tried to stay calm and we did what we could to mitigate that. I somehow managed to push through to the Finals, and that is where the magic happened!!
Team DSR has been dreaming of an Adam vs. Dave Final showdown, and what better time and place!! We threw down hard and put on as best of a show as we could, Adam ultimately taking the round win, and my 2nd place finish securing the Championship. It really was a fairytale ending for us, and I am so incredibly grateful to be able to share that moment with our families, friends and amazing crew!"
Dave Steedman · 2026 D1NZ Drift King
The championship Team DSR just won featured in a primetime 1News special — the kind of national broadcast reach that puts partner brands in front of all of New Zealand.
Why It Matters for Partners
A D1NZ champion competing in the USA opens partner brands to new markets, new audiences and a genuine trans-Pacific story — Kiwi underdog under the American lights.
The journey — the build-up, the travel, the bright lights and the competition — fuels premium content across Team DSR, D1NZ and Hotpit channels alike, on both sides of the Pacific.
Nobody has sponsored a D1NZ champion in America before, because no D1NZ champion has raced there before. Partners who back the campaign own that first forever.
The USA campaign runs alongside the title defence at home — one season, two stages, and a content arc that starts in Tauranga and ends under stadium lights in the States.