“It doesn’t feel real.”
Those were the words of Andy Lacause-Wright after realizing he won MB Drift’s 2024 season in points — while waiting on his final battle on the road course at Rockingham Speedway.
Lacause-Wright earned back-to-back victories in “Drift Wars, Double Tap” — a two-day competition featuring the third and fourth competitive rounds of the season — to take home the championship belt.
It was his first — and second — time making the podium in his three years of competing in MB Drift’s grassroots series.
“To get back-to-back wins is incredible,” Lacause-Wright said.
Lacause-Wright moved from Massachusetts to Conway, South Carolina, at the end of 2021 and started driving with MB Drift the following year.
“I drifted up there (Massachusetts) for about two years…no competitions, just fun events,” he said. “Came down here and it was more geared towards competitions …and I was all about it. I was really excited to get out there and see what happens — and here we are.”
Lacause-Wright earned his wins behind the wheel of a ‘95 BMW M3 with a “bone stock” LS3 engine. He recently made the swap to “try to get used to a new power level.”
Drifting isn’t the only motorsport Lacause-Wright has tried.
“I’ve always been into cars … I’ve done so much stuff in the automotive world,” he said, adding he’s tried his hand at show cars, off-roading, autocross and drag racing.
Lacause-Wright had built a ‘68 Chevrolet Camaro and was invited by a friend to attend a drift event.
“At the end of the drift event, I was like, ‘I’m gonna sell that car and I’m going to buy a drift car,’” he recalled. “It took about a year, but I finally did it — and I’m never going back to anything else, because I love drifting so much.”
Lacause-Wright says he drifts for fun and doesn’t expect to win.
“This is very unexpected for me,” he said. “I just go out there and drive and try to have the best time I can.”
This is the first weekend this year the BMW has left the track “in one piece,” Lacause-Wright joked.
“With the new power, with the new everything, comes new car blues,” he said.
The car had throttle issues during the first round at the end of April. Following the Round 2 competition in June, Lacause-Wright hit the wall during night drifting and “destroyed the front end of the car.”
He credits Full Circle Performance in Conway getting his car put back together in two weeks before his next event.
However, the car lost a wheel at Southern National Motorsports Park in Wilson County during a Catch My Drift event due to a hub bore that was cut wrong.
Like many drifters in the series, Lacause-Wright said the new paving on the road course is “amazing…absolutely incredible.”
He ran the same set of tires the entire weekend — 40-50 laps — and he planned to use them at the next CMD event.
“The pavement out here is amazing and if anyone … hasn’t been out here before, come down here,” Lacause-Wright said. “It’s like the cheapest drift event you can go to at this point because you will not run through any tires.”
Previously, tires would only last three to four laps.
Heading into the weekend, Lacause-Wright was in a five-way with Frank Evans, Tyler Williams, Jeremy Coble and Dan Stoneburner — all with 98 points — for fifth place in the point standings.
Anton Shenderov, a Belarusian native living in Charlotte, was leading the pack after placing first in Round 1 and third in Round 2. Rounding out the top drivers were Jake Little and Gray Champion tied for second, Derrick Gaskins and Nathan McDuffie tied for third and Round 2 winner Paul Smith at fourth in points.
Click here to read about Round 1.
Click here to read about Round 2.
Little and Champion placed second and third, respectively, in Round 1. None of the other aforementioned drivers made podium in the first two rounds. Drake Carter came in second in Round 2, but was not in the top 10.
“(The competition) was stiff … even from my first top 32 battle…from there it was just hard-fought battle after hard-fought battle,” Lacause-Wright said. “And I did just everything I could to not leave it in the judges’ hands.”
Drivers face off in an elimination bracket, making two-car tandem runs and taking turns with one car leading and the other following.
Lacause-Wright said he tends to struggle in the lead runs, but the chase “is kinda where I shine.”
Lacause-Wright’s first run in Round 3 was with Russ Canada of Hartwell, Georgia.
“When I seen some of his footage, I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got a real contender,’” Lacause-Wright said. “I didn’t exactly know what to expect being that I didn’t ever drive with him before, but somehow we clinched the win on that one.”
After narrowing the field to the top 16 on Saturday, the drivers were lined up along the front stretch of the road course for introductions in an opening ceremony, with local vocalist Megan Bradly performing the national anthem.
Lacause-Wright went on to best Ben Phillips, Mason Mugnolo, Dustin Walker and Max Czibere to take the Round 3 win.
Czibere, competing in the series for the second year, placed second; and Walker came in third.
On Sunday, for Round 4, Lacause-Wright had a bye for his first run and outslid Frank Evans to face Canada again, before securing wins against Smith and Corey “Shake” Mendenhall” to earn his second consecutive win.
Mendenhall placed second and Czibere third.
After the season points were tallied, Lacause-Wright was presented the championship belt by 2023 winner Nick Abbott, who swept that entire season. Abbott also served as a judge for Round 4.
Click here to read about the 2023 season championship.
Lacause-Wright was also awarded cash and prizes from sponsors totaling $7,850.
Czibere’s second- and third-place wins in the final two rounds were enough to bump him to third for the season, winning a prize package worth $1,200. He was also presented with a $500 check for the Underdog Award by Steven Larsen.
Shenderov had a strong enough lead heading into the final two rounds to land in second place for the season, winning a $3,200 prize pack.
Lacause-Wright said he plans to continue driving at MB Drift and CMD events “to get more seat time and get more comfortable and confident in competition.” If his success continues in 2025, he plans to attempt Pro Am in 2026.
“Chase your dreams guys,” Lacause-Wright says to other drivers or future drifters. “It can happen for you … You just get out there, have fun … and just do it.”
Although the competitive season is over, MB Drift still has its annual Halloween Havoc event scheduled for Oct. 19-20, which traditionally includes a trunk-or-treat for young spectators.
MB DRift will also be offering ride-alongs at the Rock’s next Crown 9 Champion Series race on Sept. 7.
See more photos from the event on the photographer’s personal Facebook page. For additional media from other photographers, visit the MB Drift Chats and Media Group on Facebook.
