Cold air, barely a few degrees above zero, wrapped Riga’s Bikernieki circuit in a thick autumn mood. The skies hung heavy and grey — the kind that soaks everything in a cinematic blue. Between breaths of smoke and the occasional ray of sunlight that broke through to warm frozen fingers, the 2025 FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup unfolded into one of the most dramatic and international editions yet.

And at the center of it all, a 20-year-old Nikolass Bertāns, who rose above a fierce all-Latvian final to claim his first-ever IDC crown. Driving a HGK Eurofighter based on BMW chassis, Bertāns outdueled 17-year-old Daniels Baumanis, while both showing skills well beyond their age.

Bertāns’ path to victory was far from easy. He fought through Karim Hany of Egypt, and a pair of Polish aces — Jakub Przygoński and Paweł Korpuliński — in the Top 8 and Top 4.

Baumanis’ own route was equally intense. After a dramatic semi-final against Nasser Alharbali from El Salvador — the young Latvian earned his place in the final showdown.

Alharbali would later face Korpuliński for third place, where the Polish driver edged out the Salvadoran to claim the final step of the podium.

With Bertāns’ win and Baumanis’ runner-up finish, Latvia also seized the Nations Cup, completing a storybook weekend on home soil.

Through the smoke, the roar, and the cold, bursts of sunlight cut through the gloom — painting warmth over the drifting scene. Those rare golden moments brought a sense of contrast to the day: the Baltic chill versus the fiery energy of the drivers and machines.

The 2025 FIA IDC in Riga showed me how passion can turn even the coldest, greyest day into something that burns bright in memory.

__ __ __

TEXT & PHOTOS:
VLADIMIR LJADOV
IG: WHEELSBYWOVKA