The first round of the new premier Irish Drifting Series, the Irish Drift Championship, produced a number of star performances including one by thirteen year old Prodrift Academy graduate Jack Shanahan from County Cork.

Competing in the Semi Pro division, and the concurrent Rookie Cup, Shanahan wowed the judges with some superb drives which saw him finish as second best rookie and third overall in the Semi-Pro competition.

The opening round of the IDC took place in Mondello Park, Co Kildare, the home of the Prodrift Academy, where Shanahan first learned his Drifting skills. Eighty drivers across three classes rolled into the historic Motorsport venue, vying to rise to the top of their respective divisions.Saturday was the day for Semi-Pro competition with drivers aiming not only to score points in that series but also aiming to qualify to take part in the Pro event on Sunday. Shanahan worked his way spectacularly through to the Semi-Finals before he was eliminated, overcoming some highly experienced competitors on the way. The youngster bounced back from his defeat however to win the third place run off and qualify for Sunday's event, becoming the youngest ever driver to compete in a Irish National Championship Drift event.

Jack Shanahan began his career at the Prodrift Academy where drivers as young as thirteen can experience the thrill of drifting. The Cork teenager has progressed so quickly from that first lesson that he is now widely regarded as Ireland's next big drifting star. Shanahan will be aiming to build on his first round success over the remaining IDC events and who knows, by the Final round at Mondello Park's Jap-Fest in September, he could well be challenging the Pro Class drivers.