#BATTLEDRIFT 2 – Daigo vs. Baggsy

#BATTLEDRIFT is back with more power, more tire-smoke and a brand new drift showdown. It’s Daigo vs. Baggsy; Lamborghini vs. GT-R; East meets West. Jump in, hold tight and hit play!

You can watch the original #BATTLEDRIFT here.

Here is the official description from Monster Energy:

Just 18 months after it’s sensational online debut, #BATTLEDRIFT is back with more power, more tire-smoke and a brand new drift showdown. It’s Daigo vs. Baggsy; Lamborghini vs. GT-R; East meets West. Jump in, hold tight and hit play.
Leaving 14.8 million views in its online tire tracks with its debut, #BATTLEDRIFT is the brainchild of the creative team at Monster Energy, blending high horsepower, world-renowned championship winning drivers, and eye-popping visuals; aiming to break the internet using big bhp, the likes of which have never been seen before.

While the original episode took to the iconic ‘Touge’ roads of Japan, and a mountaintop village, the series’ incredible sequel goes industrial. Filmed in a raw dockside location in the south east of the United Kingdom, Daigo Saito – a drift icon hailing from Japan – returns with his screaming drift-converted 650bhp Lamborghini Murciélago to face-off against the ultimate drifting Godzilla; a 1400bhp custom built Nissan GT-R piloted by Monster Energy’s resident European tire slayer Steve “Baggsy” Biagioni.

If that wasn’t enough, #BATTLEDRIFT 2 adds a third driver into the mix. 34-year-old Californian, off-road racing sensation Casey Currie; who brings the Baja noise with his race winning 550bhp Pro2 Pro Lite race truck.

“It’s a fantastic project; and I’m excited that Monster Energy has given us the opportunity to make another episode,” explained Daigo. “We had a lot of fun filming the first edit on the mountain roads in Japan, and now the contrast of the dockside industrial setting is great.”

“The weather has been a little bit of a challenge with the rain on the first day of the shoot, and we had some technical problems with the Lamborghini, but it’s nothing we couldn’t handle. I pushed the car very hard on the second day of filming, and we have some incredible shots of Baggsy and I going door-to-door around the dockyard, and pulling a doughnut in the abandoned military fort. It’s a very cool project to work on, and it’s great to be drifting with Baggsy as the new opponent. I hope people will enjoy it as much as the first episode!”

Echoing Daigo’s enthusiasm, Baggsy added: “It’s the stuff dreams are made of being involved in a production of this size. After seeing how amazing the original #BATTLEDRIFT was, I’d never thought that I could be involved in the second episode of it. The fact that Monster Energy wanted our team to be involved with it was absolutely mega. So I was excited to even be considered in the first place.”

“Driving the GT-R was something like a top-fuel Powerboat. Because the second you put your foot on the power you were slammed back in the seat and looking at the sky – where the car is squatting so hard under acceleration. Combined with so much forward thrust it felt like the car was trying to do a wheelie all the time. It was insane – probably one of the scariest days work I’ve had, jumping straight in the car against Daigo – one of the world’s best drifters – and trying to get to grips with the beast we created. Not to mention putting on a good enough performance for the film crew!”

Wrapping things up, Casey said: “I’m blown away – Monster Energy always takes things to a different level, and having the opportunity to be involved in #BATTLEDRIFT 2 is off the hook. Getting the opportunity to drive on a set with a massive production company and amazing drivers like Daigo and Baggsy has been an incredible experience.”

Enough talk. Hit play to feast your eyes on the world premiere of #BATTLEDRIFT 2 – taking a combined 2600bhp of tire-slaying, fire-spitting power direct from the blacktop to your screen now!

You can see more about Daigo Saito here.

This video production was done in collaboration with Donut Brand Studio and was directed by Andrew Laputka. You can see more from Donut at their Facebook page.

Written by Joe Terrell

Joe is an avid writer and car enthusiast. When he's not cruising the streets alongside his friends in his Nissan Silvia S15, he's drifting on his VR racing simulator.

Joe's passion for cars is always on display. With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the automotive industry, he hopes his writing conveys his excitement and knowledge of cars and games.

Joe's work has been featured on many platforms including drivetribe.com, 180sx.club, carthrottle.com, smartdrivinggames.com, databox.com and ceoblognation.com.

When he's not behind the wheel or at his keyboard, he's likely daydreaming of his ultimate ride - the legendary Lexus LFA.