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BATTLEDRIFT 2 Is An All-Out Murcielago Vs GT-R Drift War

By Sanjoy Alexander

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY - MARCH 10: The Lamborghini sign is seen on a car, presented in front of the headquarters during the Audi annual news conference on March 10, 2009 in Ingolstadt, Germany. Volkswagen's Audi brand expects it may suffer a decline in vehicle sales in 2009 after posting 13 straight years of record volumes. The Audi Group expects that, following a marked downturn in the global economy in 2009, markets will stabilise in 2010. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
INGOLSTADT, GERMANY - MARCH 10: The Lamborghini sign is seen on a car, presented in front of the headquarters during the Audi annual news conference on March 10, 2009 in Ingolstadt, Germany. Volkswagen's Audi brand expects it may suffer a decline in vehicle sales in 2009 after posting 13 straight years of record volumes. The Audi Group expects that, following a marked downturn in the global economy in 2009, markets will stabilise in 2010. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images) /
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Monster Energy’s sequel to 2015’s BATTLEDRIFT is sheer drifting insanity. But the shaky camerawork and too many jump cuts make BATTLEDRIFT2 less fun to watch than its predecessor.

In 2015, Monster Energy brought together Vaughn Gittin Jr. in his 550 hp V8 Ford Mustang RTR and Daigo Saito in his 650 hp V12 Drift Lamborghini Murcielago to create the BATTLEDRIFT video that has clocked 15 million views so far. Now, they have roped in Steve Biagioni in a Nissan GT-R drift machine to battle Daigo’s tail-happy Lambo. So how did it turn out?

First up, the action has shifted from Japan to England and once again, the very sight of the purpose-built Drift Lamborghini going on with its business of shredding tires and kicking up a storm of smoke is reason enough to watch this video.

The bull looks like it was born to do this and for a moment or more, we actually forget that it’s a mid-engined supercar right there, giving the front-engined GT-R a run for its money. The Nissan doesn’t disappoint either. Complete with Liberty Walk widebody kits and massive spoilers, both drift kings duke it out big time during the 5-minute clip.

And those with eagle eyes will catch the Nissan GT-R’s rear bumpers hanging loose in one of the shots. Scroll to 3:30 and pause to see the mangled bumper at the rear, proving that the filming wasn’t devoid of incident. Going by the kind of action and stunt driving that a video like this demands, it comes as no surprise that the cars took a severe beating.

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BATTLEDRIFT 1 still remains our favorite. You can check that one out again, right below.

The video has got the fast-paced shooting and editing style of Monster Energy’s previous outings. But this time around, the jump cuts and the shaky camerawork deprive the viewer of the spectacle and awe that the first instalment of BATTLEDRIFT had. While the first part had shots of longer duration along with steady camerawork for most of its runtime, BATTLEDRIFT 2 flickers, sputters and quivers all the way from the beginning to the final frame. (I had a nasty headache after back-to-back viewings.)

BATTLEDRIFT 2 isn’t on the same level as its predecessor. Doesn’t mean that it isn’t a thrilling one-time watch.

The action has been dialed up a lot in BATTLEDRIFT 2 and the makers have even thrown in a souped-up Jeep (a 550 hp Pro2 Pro Lite race truck, piloted by Casey Currie) to add to the hardware that’s tearing up the dockside industrial area scenery. Still, to be blunt and honest, the sequel isn’t as epic as the original.

It’s got the madness and insanity of two amazing purpose-built drift machines going all-out bonkers on the canvas, spitting fire and erupting sparks as they lay out layers and layers of rubber amidst clouds of smoke, accompanied by endless roars of their massive engines. No complaints and questions on that part.

Next: Watch A Lamborghini Diablo Attempting To Drift

However, had they shot and edited it along the same lines of the previous edition of BATTLEDRIFT, Monster Energy‘s new video would have been worthy of the “Bigger and Better” tag. Unfortunately, they didn’t.

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