A Paeroa man spreading the word about the high-intensity motorsport of drifting has been called a “role model for young boys” during his visit to a local school.
Deane Young was at Netherton School on the Hauraki Plains ahead of the fourth and final round of the D1NZ Pro-Sport Series, which will be held at Baypark Stadium in Tauranga this weekend.
It’s a competition for the young guns and the rising stars of drifting in Aotearoa New Zealand, and Deane is hoping for a capacity crowd.
“I’m super excited. It’s my first time driving the track and it’s inside the stadium, concrete walls everywhere, so it’s going to be crazy,” he said. “The car looks nice now, but we’ll see what it looks like afterwards.”
The car – a Nissan Silvia S13 – has been a labour of love for Deane for the past five years.
It’s also been a costly one, with thousands of dollars being spent on developing the car as Deane’s skills in the sport have progressed.
“The car itself has changed so much over the years, and so has my driving,” he said.
“We’ve poured a fair bit of money into it to get it where it is at the moment, but to get into drifting, you don’t need to spend money. I’m just one of those ones where nothing is ever good enough, so we’re always changing and wanting more power, and as my driving style gets better, we change the car to match it.”
Deane was a student at Pārāwai School in Thames before he moved to Tauranga. He now lives in Paeroa and was at Netherton School on April 28 to show off the sport of drifting and educate pupils about “keeping it off the streets”.
Principal Brook Hill said Deane’s presence provided valuable insight for the students, who often see drifting on social media.
“He’s very humble with his achievements and he’s a really cool role model for our boys. What they’re exposed to on social media are a lot of games which can be influential.
“If they see that you can have hobbies like this, but you do it in a safe place and be encouraged, I think that is awesome.”
The students were able to sit in Deane’s drift car and ask questions before being treated to a live drifting demonstration.
Afterwards, the school erupted in applause.
“He’s one of Paeroa’s own,” Brook said, “and from the school’s perspective, we need to start tapping into the community and start getting any community members coming in and being present – particularly when they’re taking something like this, something they’re really passionate about, and doing something with it.”
“Success comes in all different shapes and sizes,” she said. “You can be an academic success, you can be a sporting success, but you can also take your passions and your hobbies and go with it and go far.”
Deane competed in two competition events in 2021 and 2022, both years finishing in seventh place out of 25 drivers.
DETAILS: The Grand Final of the 2023 Valvoline D1NZ Championship will be held on Friday and Saturday this week. For info, visit: www.d1nz.com or www.youngdrift.co.nz
