Adrian Petričević ahead of DONUT 10: “We have to beat the best to prove that we are the best”
Adrian Petričević enters the final stage of the season as the reigning DONUT International Cup winner and Croatian champion, but without the lead in this year’s standings.
It is not an unfamiliar situation. Last year, he entered the final round level on points with his main rival and only secured the championship by defeating him in their direct Top 4 battle.
This year, the road to defending the title once again leads through the strongest opponents. Petričević arrives at DONUT 10 fourth in the standings and as one of five drivers who still have a mathematical chance of winning the championship.
At the previous round in Westgate City, he reached the final, but a major mistake in the first run cost him the opportunity to win. Rather than looking for excuses, Petričević accepts what happened while explaining why he would never deliberately drive below his limits, even after an opponent makes a mistake.
Before the DONUT finale, an even greater challenge awaits him - competing in the Drift Masters finale in front of a packed PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw.
At the same time, he is experiencing some of the biggest changes of his private life. Following love and marriage, a new reason to push harder than ever will soon enter his life.
The title must once again be won against the best
You ended last season as the DONUT International Cup winner and Croatian champion. This year, you arrive at the finale without the championship lead but still in contention. Is it more difficult to win a title or to prove that the first one was no coincidence?
“We did not have the championship lead last year either. Going into the finale, we were level on points with Erik, and defeating him in the Top 4 secured the championship for us.
That means we have to beat the best again this year if we want to prove that we are the best.”
Last year’s experience showed him that the championship does not have to be won from the leading position. However, every possible route to defending his title once again depends on his own result, as well as the performances of the drivers currently ahead of him.
Treating every run like a final
A mistake during the first run of the DONUT 9 final gave his opponent enough room to manage the risk and secure the victory with a safer second run.
Petričević accepts that this approach is completely understandable, but says it is not the way he knows how to drive.
When an opponent makes a major mistake in the first run, the situation allows you to take fewer risks in the second. Can you consciously drive conservatively, or do you still search for the maximum in every run?
“Of course, when one driver makes a major mistake in the first run, the other driver knows that he does not need to take maximum risks to advance.
However, that is not how I drive. I treat every run as if it were a final, and I want to extract the maximum from it to continue improving and gain experience for much bigger championships.”
For Petričević, the objective of each run is clearly not limited to advancing to the next stage of the competition. He sees every appearance on track as an opportunity to develop and prepare himself for the level of competition he will face beyond the regional scene.
Love, marriage and a new reason to win
This season has brought Petričević more than battles on track. He has also directed part of his energy towards his private life, marriage and starting a family.
How much have love, marriage and the changes in your private life affected your focus this season, and have they changed the way you view your future goals?
“This year, I have definitely dedicated more energy to the most important part of life - love, marriage and starting a family.
But a new reason to push harder than ever will soon enter this world.”
Alongside his roles as a driver, husband and public figure, Petričević is about to take on his most important role yet.
For him, becoming a father is not a reason to reduce his sporting ambitions. On the contrary, he describes it as a new source of motivation as he enters the next chapter of his career.
When a trophy becomes the expectation
Petričević’s social media presence gives him an audience few drivers on the regional scene can match. The same popularity means that his results and mistakes are analysed far more closely than those of most of his rivals.
You have a larger audience and media presence than most drivers on the grid, which means every victory and mistake receives additional attention. Does your popularity help you in competition, or does it create pressure that other drivers do not experience?
“My audience is not only bigger than that of most drivers on this grid, but also bigger than that of most drift drivers around the world.
It is much better to be the underdog. If you lose, everyone expected it. If you win, everyone is surprised and excited.
People expect a trophy from me, and if I happen not to win one, they immediately say I cannot drive. Fortunately, that rarely happens -I have left without a trophy only five times in my last 35 competitions.”
A result that would represent a successful weekend for many drivers is sometimes viewed as a failure for Petričević. His response to that pressure is not to lower expectations but to point towards the consistency he has built over the past several seasons.
The biggest stage in the world
Before DONUT 10, Petričević will compete in the Drift Masters finale at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw.
Following his appearance at the sixth round in Ferropolis, the Croatian driver will have an opportunity to perform in front of a packed stadium and fight for a place among the best drivers in the world.
After competing in Ferropolis, the Drift Masters finale at PGE Narodowy in Poland awaits you next week. What would represent genuine success for you in front of a packed stadium?
“We have managed to reach the biggest stage in the world. Simply making it through qualifying would already be an enormous success for us.
It would undoubtedly be the greatest achievement ever recorded by a Balkan driver in drifting.”
For a driver accustomed to fighting for victories in regional championships, the objective in Warsaw may sound more modest, but the level of competition gives it completely different significance.
Reaching the Top 32 at the biggest event of the Drift Masters season would confirm that results achieved in Croatia can provide the foundation for a serious step onto the international stage.
Is anyone currently driving better?
Is there anyone among this year’s DONUT title contenders who you can admit, without ego, is currently driving better than you?
“No.”
The reigning champion’s brief answer leaves little room for interpretation.
“I always risk everything”
You arrive at DONUT 10 as the reigning champion with no room left for calculation. Will we see an Adrian who waits for his opponents to make mistakes or one who is prepared to risk everything for victory?
“I always risk everything.”
That approach has brought him numerous victories and titles, but it also cost him the opportunity to score more points at DONUT 9.
There will be no room to correct mistakes at the final event. If he wants to defend his title, he will once again have to fight his way through the strongest drivers in the championship.
The dream of Drift Masters in front of a home crowd
Competing at PGE Narodowy will offer more than an opportunity to achieve a result. It will also give Petričević first-hand experience of the highest sporting and production level drifting has to offer.
If you were given the opportunity to compete in Drift Masters in front of a Croatian crowd next year, would simply taking part be enough, or do you believe you could already challenge the world’s best drivers?
“If such an opportunity arose, it would be a dream come true.
We are certainly not ready to take the throne at that level yet, but we would definitely disrupt some people’s plans.”
His answer combines ambition with realism. Petričević does not claim to be ready to immediately win the world’s biggest drifting championship, but he believes that, in front of a home crowd, he could be much more than a driver who had come merely to participate.
Two major weekends and two opportunities to prove himself
Petričević will first compete at PGE Narodowy on 11 and 12 September before returning just one week later for the DONUT season finale.
Between the world’s biggest drifting stage, the fight to defend his domestic title and the changes awaiting him in his private life, Petričević is approaching two weekends that could determine the direction of the next chapter of his career.
His message ahead of them remains simple: to prove that you are the best, you have to beat the best.
