From rally beginnings at age 14 to becoming a top-tier champion in the UK Drift Pro Championships, Lwi Edwards has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting talents in professional drifting. Known for his high-speed, 140+ mph entries and thrilling 360-degree drifts, Lwi’s career has been marked by skill, and a drive for success that has taken him from national competitions to the global stage.
About Lwi
From the age of 2 yrs old it became apparent that Lwi had an unhealthy attraction to anything that had wheels, his first word was ‘car’ and his first car was a ride on electric powered Alfa Romeo spider which he would drive around the local village until the battery went flat. His obsession continued with electric cars, pedal go-karts and RC cars but competition did not come until his early teens.
The start of rallying
At 14 years old the options are limited but coming from a Rallying background he decided to compete in the Junior Formula 1000 Rally Championship.
It took 6 weeks from finding a suitable car, a fully prepared Peugeot 107, passing all required MSA tests, production car auto tests before sitting on the start line of his first full stage rally in Crail, Scotland.
Things moved quite quickly from his first rally, finding his feet in 2016, gaining confidence, then entering every round of the Junior rally championship in 2017 on some challenging stages around the country.
Classic Sprints/Autotests
In between the Junior rallying, Lwi would drive his own classic car, a rally prepared 1974 Fiat 128 at Autotests and sprints to gain further experience and car control. However, it was noticed that, although the cars he rallied were front wheel drive, Lwi had an attraction to the handbrake whenever he could pull it, reverse entries were not unusual on some circuits, even picked up nickname of Lwi ‘handbrake’ Edwards!
The start of drifting
In 2017 for his 16th birthday, he was treated to a 1-to-1 day with leading UK drift academy Learn2drift and instantly things changed … he found his happy place … Drifting.
In 2018, he was invited to join the L2D team to train up to competition level, rallying put on hold. With backing from Allitalia Ltd Wrexham, an entry drift car was built; BMW 2.8 Compact. With the training and guidance from L2D he progressed into competition almost immediately. Competing in a few rounds of the King of the Ring UK series in Essex Arena, taking a podium on the very last event of 2018, still aged just 16 years old.
The 2019 season kicked off with incredible momentum for Lwi as he stepped up to compete in the highest levels of UK and Irish drifting. Building on his natural talent and fearless commitment, he took on both the Drift Games Championship in Ireland and the British Drift Championship in the UK. With support from his family and Allitalia Ltd., a more powerful car was custom-built to take on this new challenge. Right from the start, Lwi was consistently qualifying in the top 10 and competing head-to-head with seasoned drivers.
A full on attack at both the Irish Drift Games National Championships and the British Drift Championship funded solely by Family and Allitalia Ltd with some product help from a small selection of partners has proved to exceed all expectations.
Taking the championship wins
In the 2019 Drift Games National Championship, after four rounds of intense competition, Lwi achieved an impressive 6th place overall. His exceptional skill and performance throughout the season earned him the prestigious “Future Talent” award, recognising him as one of the brightest emerging talents in the drift racing scene.
British Drift Championship : But it was in the UK that Young Blood, Lwi Edwards really showed his true colours in the British Drift Championship Pro-Am class (BDC 2019) and took the overall Championship win by 1 point at the last round!
2019 has been a test of Lwi’s ability, running a relatively low spec car in top level championships and his natural driving ability has carried him to the top of one championship and close to another. He has more than proved that he can battle with the best and the future in drifting is looking strong. Still only 17yrs old and his first year in competition and he has succeeded in leaping up to the highest level Pro Class.
In 2020, Lwi competed in the Pro Class of the British Drift Championship and the Extreme Class of the Irish Drift Championship. Determined to rise to the top, he approached the season with a goal to build on his achievements and ultimately move toward the European drift circuit. Plans were also in place for Lwi to attempt wildcard entries at select European rounds in 2020, setting his sights on the international stage.
In the 2023 season, after a challenging season competing against top pro drivers, Lwi clinched the prestigious MSUK Drift Pro Championship title in dominant style, securing the victory even before the final round! This remarkable achievement underscored his skill and consistency.
Going international
In 2024, Lwi has defended his MSUK Drift Pro Championship title securing another win. But the success of 2024 didn’t end there, Lwi has gone to Valencia for the FIA Motorsport Games to represent the UK in drifting. Watch his battle against the gold medalist, Kuba Przygonski.