Round 1 Complete: Grossman Sweeps the Final Four, Qi Wang Claims the First Home Podium

Shanghai Tianma Circuit, June 7, 2026 — Round 1 of the Royal Drift Series is complete. Maksim Grossman (#44, TIMEUP) wins the Tandem Final with a perfect 3–0 record in the TOP-4 round-robin and leaves Shanghai as the championship leader.

Sunday opened with the TOP-32 tandem bracket set by Saturday's qualifying. A field of 42 drivers from 7 countries was cut to 16, then 8, until only four remained. The Final Four was a round-robin — 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss.

Grossman — flawless: three battles, three wins, nine points. First round winner of the championship season. 340,000 ¥ winner's check (TIMEUP).
Sebastian Fontijn (#76, RYDANZ 441B.W UPDRIFT) — second, two wins, his only defeat to the champion. 240,000 ¥.
Qi Wang (#99, CHAMPION SPEED SPORTS) — third: 135,000 ¥ and the first home podium of the season for a Chinese driver.
Zhang Sheng Jun (#90) — fourth.

Saturday belonged to Artêm Shabanov (#77, TIMEUP, Toyota Supra A80) — a 99-point run, Best Qualifier ahead of Pawel Korpulinski (95.5) and Jarkko Jylhä (94).

Driver standings after Round 1

Maksim Grossman (#44) — 222
Sebastian Fontijn (#76) — 191
王祺 Qi Wang (#99) — 162
张盛铧 Zhang Sheng Jun (#90) — 141
Artêm Shabanov (#77) — 135

Round 1 — Shanghai — Full Results → · Supplementary Regulations

The series' first trophies have found their owners.