Original subtitles

[timer ticking]

[engine turns over, revs]

-[gears shift] -[engine revving]

-[man] It's been a long road to get here. -[screams]

[woman] If you want something bad enough,

you do what you need to do and make it happen.

[shouting]

[woman] Being a woman in the motor sports industry is a challenge,

but I just want to prove everyone wrong.

[engine revving]

[man] I don't have a lot of money.

But competition, that's all that matters in this life.

[man over radio] Come back. Come back. Back, back, back.

This thing is swinging all over the freakin' place.

[man] There, stop.

-[shouting] -[cheering]

-Oh, no! -[man] I got fire!

[crowd gasps]

Oh, my God. Wow!

-Did you see my jump? -[laughing]

[Mike Hill] They've come from across the globe to chase a dream.

[tires screech]

Officially, I am the best female drifter in Europe.

[Hill] European all-stars.

[woman] Alex and I, we are known as the fastest couple in Germany.

[Hill]Brazilian renegades...

I didn't come here to play. I came here to take the title back to Brazil.

[Hill] Japanese masters...

and American outlaws.

I've always been more of like theunderground drifter...

[man] Let's go!

[Hill] Twenty-eight off-the-grid racers

and their custom-built machines.

[man] This is like The Fast and the Furious, but in real life.

[Hill]They've come for this:

a 100-acre proving ground...

[crowd shouting]

-engineered, designed to challenge them. -[cheering]

I'm here to prove who I am, as a man and as a driver.

-[man] Go, go! -[Hill] Making an impression.

To test them.

-Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God! -[man shouts]

[Hill] To push your limits.

Every time I leave the start line, I want my family to be proud of me.

[Hill] This is the most spectacular car competition on Earth.

He only knows one way!

[cheering]

[man] Whoa!

The more pressure we face, the more opportunity to be...

-a diamond. -[crowd cheering]

[Hill] This is Hyperdrive.

Absolutely, nothing compares to the spectacle you are about to see.

Racing enthusiasts from all over the world

have gathered here at this industrial complex,

which has been has been transformed

into ten of the most insane race courses ever imagined.

Where dragsters,

drifters, sleepers and outlaws

will be pitted against each other...

with the goal of crowning the ultimate underground racer.

I spent my whole life around cars,

from the autobahn to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,

and I thought I'd seen it all. I was wrong.

This is my childhood dream come true.

The twists, turns and obstacles that make up these ten tracks

will test cars and drivers in ways that have never been seen before,

and tonight, it's all about testing control.

It starts with Supernova,

where drivers will be challenged to whip their cars from reverse to drive

-in one insane motion. -[tires screech]

Lightbox: a dizzying control challenge where power meets precision,

and tires meet their death.

[tires screech]

The next obstacle, quite frankly, terrifies me.

Bis, why don't you take it?

I've been in the octagon with people that are trying to rip my head off,

but that's not nearly as intimidating as the Leveler.

A six-story monstrosity,

it's the ultimate test of courage

that will show us exactly what these drivers are made of.

They'll also face the ruthless combo of Walk on Water and Target Zone.

An engine-choking water hazard, followed immediately

by a slick surface targeting test.

[Lindsay Czarniak] We got the best of the best amateur drivers in the world.

Our first group of 12 will attack the track tonight.

They all have the same goal: to win the Hyperdrive championship.

And that is what it's all about.

This is the ultimate test of man, woman and machine.

May the best driver win. Let's get it on!

[woman over PA] Driver one, prepare for launch.

[Hill] The first ever contestant in Hyperdrive history

pulling up to the start right now.

[man over radio] All right, Fielding, get hyped. You got this.

[engine revving]

[Hill] His name is Fielding Shredder,

a 33-year-old rally instructor from Austin, Texas.

A soft-spoken guy, but don't let that fool you.

This guy isn't afraid of anything.

Fielding points to a single moment in his life

that has come to define the driver that he is today.

[man] Code: 3A4750.

[Fielding Shredder] Growing up, my dad was a pilot in the military.

Flew F-16's.

As a kid, I was honestly pretty shy, pretty timid.

But watching him being courageous changed everything.

I really appreciate and respect what he did for me growing up.

One day, he just got a headache, and about an hour later, he passed out.

I was working at a car dealership at the time.

I got the phone call from my mom, and everything stopped and stood still.

It was a major stroke. We didn't think he was going to make it.

You know, the doctors several times told us to pull the plug.

It's been eight years now.

He's still with us, but he's bedridden.

It certainly made me realize, you know,

I don't want to have a desk job at a car dealership my whole life.

I hate doing this job.

Life is short.

I need to follow my passion.

I need to take risks, and my passion is driving cars, and so I did.

I've made racing a career.

Being able to embody that spirit,

that's part of driving like I do,

and I'm convinced that's the only way for me.

-[engine revving] -[crowd cheering]

[Hill] Fielding Shredder, and yes, that's his real name,

in the launcher and ready to let it fly.

Look at that smile on his face.

Let's go down to Lindsay with his best friend

and the guy who's going to help him navigate this course.

[Czarniak] Hey, there, guys, MIchael van Shellenbeck is his spotter.

You're going to kill it, dude. Just stay calm.

Come on!

They seem very positive, but also I want to point out,

as you hear the cheering right now, you know, the fellow contenders here.

They're all sitting on the edge of their seats.

[Hill] All right, thanks, Lindsay. Rut, tell us about the car.

He's rockin' the Nissan 240SX, which is easily--

-[engine revving] -Whoa!

[Michael Bisping] Is that normal?

Should it be making that sound, and should I be so scared?

[Rutledge Wood] You have nothing to worry about.

This is a super lightweight, 500-horsepower car set up to drift.

Going straight is anything but easy in this,

and this course is designed to test control.

So if you're not on your game, this track will eat you alive.

-[Bisping] Here we go, guys. -[Hill] It's time.

[Bisping] First ever.

Keep calm. You got this. Have fun with it, too.

Have fun.

[Hill] Fielding Shredder is off!

[Michael Van Shellenbeck] Keep it tight.

-[Hill] Wow! What a takeoff. -[tires screech]

-[Shredder shouts] -[Wood] Oh! A monster drift heading

into the first turn.

[Shredder shouting]

[Hill] Coming up on the first obstacle on the course.

He's got to hit that target with the front of his car to start Supernova.

-[tires screech] -[Wood] Pulls the handbrake.

[woman over PA] Supernova engaged.

[Hill] He's gonna have to whip his car around this tight cluster of pylons.

Each one he hits will be a two-second penalty.

Can he keep it under control?

[shouting]

[Bisping] What did I just witness?

[Wood] That is a Rockford turn. You put it in reverse and cut the wheel.

Slam the brake, put it in gear and floor it.

Nice job, to the right.

[Hill] Great job through Supernova.

[Wood] Oh, he is so hot into that turn.

-[Hill] Come on, baby. -Whoa!

[Bisping shouts]

I am speechless. That is insane.

[Wood] Guys, at these speeds, one mistake and he could put his car into a wall.

Look at him drifting that corner. He is ripping it up.

[Hill] Fielding Shredder is screeching up to our second obstacle, the Lightbox.

And the clock will stop here.

All right, hold on. Wait for the pattern.

[Hill] Rut, break it down for us.

[Wood] Okay, here's how it works.

Two of these four boxes are gonna light up at random,

and Fielding is gonna have to execute one and a half turns

in each of the highlighted boxes, without hitting any of the penalty pylons.

[Hill] There's the pattern.

Just two and they're diagonal. Go for it, baby! Go, go, go!

[Hill] We hear his spotter setting him up for success here.

[Wood] Oh, look how close he is to the light tubes.

[Van Shellenbeck] Careful.

[Hill] There's one spin-and-a-half, and he's out.

[Bisping] Look at that, that is insane.

Awesome, you're killing it. Get outta there. Diagonal.

[Wood] You see Fielding pulling that big handbrake.

That allows him to lock up his rear tires, cut the steering wheel

and start his car into these drifts.

All right, get me out of here.

Look at that! And he passes.

There you go! [laughs]

[Hill] Aces the first two obstacles, no penalties as he heads to Walk on Water.

[Shredder] Oh, God.

Watch your wheel speed. Watch it right there. Watch it.

[Shredder] Whoo! Okay, a little wild. A little wild.

...or not. Just do what you want, whatever.

-[Bisping] He's out of control! -[Shredder] It's all right.

-[tires screech] -[Shredder] I'm losing it!

[Hill] That's his first big mistake.

[Wood] So tough to control all that power when you're pushing it that hard.

-[Van Shellenbeck] Careful. -Here we go. Cool it off. Light bar on.

[Hill] Fielding's gotta use those reflectors

to find the hidden path through this 50,000-gallon water hazard.

[Shredder] Oh, my God!

[Wood] That nine-foot raised path is the only safe way through,

but at this speed, he's risking flooding his engine bay.

-[Shredder] No traction whatsoever. -All right, don't miss this target.

[Hill] Now, he's on to Target Zone.

He's got to hit his target with the back half of his car.

And missed the target.

Oh, that's going to cost him.

Car's fogging, dude. Oh, God!

[Hill] Oh, listen to that. Did he flood that engine?

Did he push it too hard through Walk on Water?

-[Bisping] Here we go, second chance. -[Hill] He got it!

I did it!

You got it. Get out!

[Shredder] All right!

[engine sputters]

Car's running rough. Oh, God.

Oh, no.

I've ingested too much water. Come on, baby. Come on.

[crowd groans]

[Bisping] Rut, what happened?

[Wood] He really shot himself in the foot at Walk on Water.

He took a risk and attacked at high speed.

But look at all that water that went gushing into his engine bay.

That is a car killer.

My car is not running right. Damn it!

[crowd groaning]

Oh, that's gonna hurt him. That could be the end of the road.

Get with it! Get with it!

[Hill] Fielding Shredder in deep trouble in his very first race.

This is the last place you want to be having engine problems.

The Leveler. The Leveler, I love this thing!

Oh, my God!

[Hill] It's time for the Leveler. The six-story monster.

A 40% incline straight into the sky.

Is it clearing up, or you can't rev?

Water temps are down, big time. Car's still running like [bleeps]

[Wood] Fielding better pray he has enough power left in that engine

to get to the top of this thing,

because the closer to the edge he goes,

the faster the Leveler will come down on the other side,

saving precious time.

[Shredder] Get with it. Come on, baby. Come on!

[Van Shellenbeck] Go, go, go. Green!

[Bisping] Here it is.

[Shredder] Oh, my gosh, you guys.

Stop at the light. Stop at the first light.

-Oh, that's far. -[Bisping] He got it!

[Hill] Whoa! Less than a car-length from the edge.

Leveler engaged.

I know why they call it Hyperdrive, because I'm about to hyperventilate.

Can someone get me a brown paper bag please?

[Bisping] I thought he was gonna go flying right off.

[Wood] I'm sure Fielding's heart rate is sky high right now.

He pushed it so close to the edge,

and now you can see that leveler is coming down fast.

[Hill] All right, the backstretch of this course is a sprint to the finish line.

Okay, go, go, go! Floor it! Get out of there!

[Wood] Sounds like the water's gone, and he's back to full power.

[Hill] He's got a few big sweeping turns

and plenty of straightaway to make up that lost time.

-[Bisping] Come on, Fielding. Oh! -[Hill] Oh, yeah, baby!

All right, watch the curve on the inside. Final corner, come on through.

[shouting]

[laughs] ...or not. Oh, God.

[whoops] Later, dude!

[Hill] Oh, my God! Down the stretch, Fielding Shredder!

-What a run! -[Bisping] Whoa!

[Hill] Five minutes and 45 seconds. Austin, Texas, is in the house!

And, yeah, boy, go ahead and get your donuts in. You deserve it.

[laughs] Good job, buddy. Good job. Very good job.

Holy [bleeps] How did I not stuff it?

I don't know how you kept that together. I do not know.

[Hill] Not a perfect run, with his engine trouble coming out of Walk on Water,

but he certainly kicked off Qualifier 1 with a wild ride.

[Bisping] Well, when we sat down and spoke to him this week,

he was all smiles, and he was very confident.

But, now, I see why. No wonder he was all smiles.

No wonder he was so confident.

This guy is the real deal.

-Good job. That was awesome. -Dude!

[Hill] Our first official time has been posted in Qualifier 1.

And here's how this is gonna go down.

Tonight, 12 drivers will take the track

in the first of four very different qualifying races.

The top three finishers will immediately advance to the Knockout Rounds.

The middle six will have another chance in Qualifier 2.

But for the bottom three, sadly, they got to go home.

[woman over PA] Track is hot. Driver two, report to the start line.

[engine turning over]

[Hill] All right, fellas, I'm really looking forward to this next guy.

He is João Barion. 31 years old from Brazil.

They call my man the Sheriff,

and he is one of the best drift drivers in his country.

[Wood] No doubt. This guy was a racing prodigy

and competing in Formula Three at age 14.

Unfortunately, he had to leave the sport when his family's business collapsed,

but over a decade later, he's his own man,

and he's back on the track doing what he was born to do.

[João Barion] I was out of racing a long time.

But realizing how short life really is...

I could no longer stay away from what I truly loved.

The competition is a chance for me to show the world

that a race driver has no age limit.

There is no age limit on a dream.

-[engine revving] -[crowd cheering]

-Whoo! -[Hill] Listen to that bad boy, yes.

That's 800 horsepower and side pipes. I love this country.

This car is about six times as powerful as your average daily driver.

Guys, this is one of the fastest cars here.

800 horsepower is a ton of power,

but it's also one of the largest, makes this car not as agile as the others.

He might struggle with some of the precision obstacles like Supernova,

but this car is gonna be a ton of fun to watch.

Let's go, Brazil! It's Brazil time!

We came to win!

That's what we're here for.

[Hill] Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

Hit that corner, baby!

João Barion in his giant '65 Mustang

coming up on the first challenge of the course.

[woman over PA] Supernova engaged.

[Hill] Getting ready to do that Rockford turn.

[Wood] Got to get the car straight, that's the hardest part.

[Bisping] Spin it, baby.

[shouting]

[Wood] Oh, my gosh, you guys. He was inches from that penalty pylon.

So tough to control a car like this.

The force he is bringing and the power in each of these turns.

You can watch that supercharge V8

just bounce off the rev limiter on his dash.

You can see when it lights up red.

That means he's pushing the engine to its absolute limit.

[Hill] Just barely squeezed this beast through Supernova,

and Lightbox is even tighter. This will be no small task.

He's right on the heels of Fielding Shredder's pace,

waiting for his randomized pattern.

Pay attention to the pattern.

[Hill] His best friend and spotter Nando dialing him in there.

These guys built this car together from the ground up.

I need you to go faster!

Come on!

-[Bisping] Pulls the brake. -[Hill] Got to do that 540.

-[Bisping] Let's go, Sheriff. -[Hill] All right, Looking good.

-There we go. -[Bisping] Nailed it.

Come on! Go!

Which one is next?

[Nando Campos] Three.

[Hill] Perfectly executed that first box. Let's see what he does in the second.

[Wood] That front right tire is practically glued to the pavement.

João is showing incredible control over that huge car!

[Hill] And he's cleared the precision obstacles

with all the pylons still standing. No penalties.

[shouts] Go!

[Hill] That Mustang tearing towards Walk on Water next.

We've already seen how devastating this obstacle can be in Fielding's run.

Let's see if the water cools me down.

Be careful of the water!

[Wood] João's actually added aluminum plates

to the bottom of his car to keep the water out of his engine bay.

Let's see if it makes a difference.

[Hill chuckles] Whoa!

[Campos] Give it some water, dude.

[Hill] Super aggressive.

[Wood] Taking a risk here. Putting a ton of faith in those modifications.

[Hill] Now he's got to hit the target. And here he goes.

-[Bisping] Ah! Look at that! -[Hill] That was beautiful!

[Bisping] That was perfect!

[tires screeching]

[cheering]

[Hill] Hitting that target on the first attempt should separate him from Fielding.

[Campos] Go, go, go!

[Bisping] He's setting the bar pretty high so far.

This is awesome! The Sheriff has come to town, you guys.

[Hill] Well, that engine's sounding good as he's headed over to the Leveler.

Seems like those aluminum plates paid off for him, Rut,

and he's crushing Fielding's pace right now.

What do you think his approach will be here for the Leveler?

[Wood] He's got a heavy car.

If he can get close to the edge, the Leveler will swing down fast.

Six stories straight into the air, a 40% incline.

[Hill] Here he goes.

[Campos] Careful! Careful! Careful!

[Bisping] See? I'm telling you. See?

[Hill] Nine feet from the edge. That's three feet closer than Fielding's.

[Bisping] I told you.

[Wood] Guys, this is where the car makes all the difference.

This is pure American muscle. 800 horsepower lets him tear up that ramp,

and that 3,000-pound car brings it down fast.

Let's go, man!

[Wood] Go!

[Hill] João Barion coming into the final straightaways.

[Campos] That's it, my man! Let's go!

[Hill] Way ahead of our leader and sending a message

to the rest of the field in Qualifier 1.

[Barion shouts]

[Campos] Go!

[Bisping] Coming down on the home straight.

[Hill] Maybe he can break five minutes. He's gonna finish in first!

Here he comes! Down the stretch he comes!

[Bisping] Here he is!

-[Hill] Joao Barion! -[shouting]

[laughing]

[Hill] Unbelievable!

We're the top now. Fastest time so far.

[shouts]

[Wood] That was nuts.

[Hill] And with that, Brazil's João Barion, aka the Sheriff,

sets a new bar in Qualifier 1.

What a run.

[Wood] When he came around drifting the last turn,

-can I level with you guys? -Please.

I peed just a little. Just like the tiniest bit.

[laughing]

[shouts]

João, what is your reaction to that run?

[laughing] I loved that.

It's an amazing course.

It's like, really, really nice.

And, Orlando, you got your best friend over here, right?

But how was that communication that you had with him tonight?

It's not just the communication tonight.

It's what we did together, to be here, to build this car and everything.

So, we are here to work, no?

-We did good. -[laughing]

[woman over PA] Track is hot.

[Hill] After a jaw-dropping performance by João Barion,

the bar for Qualifier 1 had been raised.

And the next drivers to the line were eager

to show that they had the skill to match or exceed it.

-Close the door. -[engine turns over]

[Hill] First up, in his custom-built Corvette Grand Sport,

62-year-old Michael Pettiford from Colorado,

the most decorated amateur racer in American history.

I've won more SCCA amateur divisional national championships

than anyone in history.

I've won 44 of them.

I'm here to win.

I don't go anyplace to finish second ever.

Count on that.

[Hill] Here we go.

He tore out of the gate with four decades of experience behind the wheel.

[Wood] Think of the amount of races.

This guy knows pressure, and he knows how to deliver.

He is prepared and ready for this competition.

Oh! He got the angle all wrong.

[Hill] Took out five pylons.

At two seconds each, that's a ten-second time penalty.

And now that rearview mirror is just hanging off there.

-He's not looking in the rearview mirror. -[Michael Pettiford] Damn.

Okay, you're still going, though.

[Hill] Clearly frustrated by the catastrophe at Supernova.

[man] Three, two, Mike, go, go, go.

[Hill] Michael couldn't crack the code at Lightbox.

[Bisping] Where's he going?

Mike, I'm sorry, you're in one. You're in the wrong one.

[Bisping] This is so bad.

-[thuds] -[crowd gasps]

[Wood] Misjudged just how tight that box is.

[Hill] And it turned out Michael needed that rearview mirror after all.

[Pettiford] I think I've got damage to the car.

Can you at least take solace in the fact that you came out here,

you did this course, that is arguably the most difficult one ever?

I'm alive.

Okay.

I'm thankful for that.

[Hill] Driver four was Florida's Ed Michalak.

A Marine Corps vet driving the mother of all muscle cars,

a '69 Chevy Camaro.

Go, go, go! All the way through Supernova.

[Hill] The question was, could he control his 3,000-pound vintage dream car

through the precision obstacles?

[shouting]

[Wood] Way off-line on his approach.

Can't see [bleeps]

Stay calm.

Can he turn the tide here at like box?

He's out of control a little bit there?

That's going to cost him.

Dude, this blows.

[Hill] Next up was Aaron Parker from California,

a guy who works four jobs to support his foster siblings

and keep his racing dreams alive.

He brought something that no one else did, a rotary engine.

That's right. This thing is gonna be screaming, buddy.

Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

He made it through Supernova clean

and completed his first 540 perfectly at Lightbox,

You're good. Go on to number three.

[Hill] But he under rotated at the second.

[Aaron Parker] No. Come on.

Hold on. You didn't get enough rotation in there.

-I didn't? -No, you gotta go back.

[Hill] And after doubling back to complete the obstacle,

in his rush to correct the mistake, he lost more than just time.

[all] Whoa!

I think you lost your bumper back there.

And a little bit of my soul.

[Hill] Driver number six was Atsushi Taniguchi,

a racer known as "The Drift Sensei."

[Bisping] This guy's gonna go balls-out the whole way.

[Hill] He's going in, baby.

Atsushi tore out of the gate and made easy work of the course's early obstacles,

showing why he's a legend in Japan.

-Oh! There it is! -[Bisping] He got it!

[Wood] Putting on a clinic here.

[Bisping] Come on, baby. Come on.

[Hill] And when he pulled up to the Leveler,

Atsushi looked like a lock for the top three.

[man] Good.

Go with power!

-[Bisping] That's a slow start. -[tires screeching]

[Hill] Uh-oh! What's happening there?

[man] Go forward!

[Wood] You have to attack this obstacle with power, or you are dead in the water.

[Hill] And now we'll have to wait for the Leveler to reset.

[Bisping] Remember, the clock is ticking this whole time.

[man] We're gonna hold you there. Number 7, it's not reset!

[all] Whoa!

Oh, my gosh!

-[Bisping] What? -[Hill] Whoa!

[Bisping] What's happening, Rut? What just happened?

-[Wood] He just hit the safety ramp there. -[winces]

[Wood] He charged it before the Leveler reset. Oh, my goodness!

Something's wrong with my car.

[Hill] Running such a great race, until that.

Oh, my God, this was the final obstacle though...

If you can move forward, let's do that.

[Hill] Look at this. His spotter telling him to go again as the Leveler resets.

[Bisping] That is insane.

Go, go, go, go!

[Wood] Oh, my gosh, you guys.

[Hill] He's going again.

-[Bisping] Look at this. He doesn't care. -[man shouts]

[Wood] Unbelievable.

[Hill] So, Atsushi somehow wheels his way to the top of that Leveler,

but now sits two seconds off of a qualifying pace.

Can he keep his car in one piece after that nasty crash?

[man] Come on! Come on!

[Hill] It's all gonna come down to the back stretch.

[Bisping] Let's go.

[man] Go!

[Hill] He's gonna have to push it to make the top three.

[Wood] This is all the high speed part. He's just gotta link it all together now.

The hood is about to open!

[Hill] Looks like that hood might open.

I'm trying to keep it closed!

You have no choice, just let it open!

-[Hill] Can he hold it together here? -[shouting]

[man] Go!

[Hill] He's coming hot.

[Wood] He's gonna be close at the line. He's seconds off a qualifying pace.

[man] Push the pedal! Push!

[crowd cheering]

[Hill] Atsushi Taniguchi somehow cracks the top three,

knocking Aaron Parker into the fourth spot and out of qualifying position.

[Wood] What a lap. I mean, talk about getting through adversity.

My man went airborne, risked it all, put his car on the line,

and he still came out with an incredible lap.

You ever been airborne in a car?

Yes, it is not as much fun as it looks.

-It looks a lot of fun. -[Wood] No.

-Did you see my jump? -[laughing]

[Hill] As we take a look at our updated leaderboard,

Atsushi Taniguchi managing to snag the second spot,

despite that near disaster at the Leveler.

And someone who will be watching these runs closely is Fielding Shredder,

currently sitting in third place.

If any of the next six drivers can beat his time of 5:45,

he'll be bumped from that coveted qualifying position.

[woman over PA] Current qualifying time 5:45.

Driver seven, report to the start line.

[man] She's putting her helmet on now. 10-4.

[Hill] Our next driver is 27-year-old Texas native Brittany Williams.

Now she's relatively new to the sport of drifting.

But, fellas, I'm told this young lady is a natural.

[Bisping] She's been drifting now for about two-and-a-half years.

Doing really well.

She's actually ranked number four out of 34 racers on the Lone Star Drift.

Very positive outlook on life. She owes that to her mother.

Brittany says it's the lessons she learned during a difficult childhood

-that still fuel her on the track. -[engine revs]

[Brittany Williams] I am still learning every time I get behind the wheel.

I'm still actually pretty novice compared to some of the other drivers out there.

But, what I've noticed is that if I focus on just enjoying myself, I do better.

Growing up as a kid, there was a point where we were homeless.

But my mom, she was able to make sure that we were always positive,

despite going through that level of hardship.

And so that's what I try to focus on when I drive.

My goal is always just to have as much fun as possible in everything that I'm doing,

and honestly, that's kind of a win-win.

[cheering]

Good, you've practiced this a hundred times.

Just drive through it.

Just like any other day.

[Hill] And that's the guy who will be helping her navigate through this course,

Brittany's husband and spotter-- Kevin Williams. Rut, what's she driving?

[Wood] So, she's in a 2008 Nissan 350Z.

It's about 270 horsepower.

That's not nearly as much power as the other cars we've seen tonight,

so she'll be under pressure to excel in the precision obstacles.

[Hill] All right, Brittany Williams, from Texas, ready for launch.

I love you. Good luck.You got this.

Love you, too.

[Hill] Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

-[cheering] -[shouting]

[Wood] The first obstacle's gonna be critical, guys.

We're gonna learn a lot about what Brittany and her car have to offer

right here at the start.

[woman over PA] Supernova engaged.

[Wood] She can't afford to take any penalties.

-[Williams] Am I lined up? -Straighten it out.

Oh. Got it.

[Hill] Spin it.

[shouting]

So close to hitting that penalty pylon.

-[Kevin Williams] Yeah, go! -Go, go, go!

[Hill] Not the cleanest Rockford turn we've seen,

but she's out of there with no time penalties

as she heads to the Lightbox.

[Wood] She's gotta absolutely floor it on every one of these straightaways.

-[shouting] -[Hill] Whoa!

[Bisping] Look at that! Look at that!

-[bleeps] you! -[laughs]

A lot of confidence, you got to love that personality right there.

All right, pay attention to the boxes. When that first one hits green, you go.

[Williams] I'm gonna go on the first one.

[Kevin] There you go.

[Hill] Now she's entering Lightbox without seeing the entire pattern.

That could actually save her more time as long as she doesn't mess it up.

[Wood] There you go, going for a clutch kick.

[Hill] Look at that spin. Look at that smoke!

Diagonal. Diagonal!

[Bisping] Such precision on the drifts.

[Wood] See how it's all in one fluid motion

and she's able to get into that spin easily?

That's perfection.

Yeah!

[Hill] Yeah, she's having fun!

That is the best one so far.

That is the best Lightbox, I think, in my opinion.

She's sending a message here.

[Hill] Nailing those 540s at Lightbox now has her on a qualifying pace,

as she heads over to Walk on Water.

So, let me ask you about her car. What will that do to her?

[Wood] This is a converted street car,

so her engine is prepared for the elements.

She is going to bring it right here.

-[Hill] Look at that. -[Bisping] Flying through that.

[Wood] That's the advantage of having a streetcar instead of a true race car.

Oh, God! It's coming through the window!

It's fine, let it come through the window. Who cares? Get wet.

[Bisping] It's okay. You'll dry off.

[Hill] Coming out of Walk on Water, this target's gonna be critical.

[Williams] Door!

[Hill] Man! Nice!

-[Kevin] She got it! Go, go, go! -Go, go, go!

-[Hill] What a run! What a run! -[cheering]

Her line through that target was a thing of beauty.

Great execution with those slick tires coming out of Walk on Water.

[Wood] And her engine is humming. No water damage.

That's going to separate her from Fielding.

[Williams] Hell, yeah!

[Hill] There it is.

Brittany Williams' mistake-free run has her 15 seconds ahead

of fellow Texan Fielding Shredder and in prime position to qualify.

Go, go, go...

[Hill] Does she have enough power to make it up the Leveler?

[man shouting]

[Hill] She's up, but a full 15 feet from the edge.

How much is that gonna cost, Rut?

[Wood] I think she's okay. Other drivers have made it farther,

but remember, because this once was a street car, it's still got things

like an air conditioner weighing it down.

It's heavier, and that's actually an advantage on the Leveler.

[Hill] The only other clean run to this point on the course has been João Barion.

Top three in her sights if she can keep it under control.

[Bisping] Come on, baby. Come on.

[Wood] Come on, Brittany.

Get it. Get it. Get it.

[Hill] Tight turn coming up here.

[Kevin] Go, go, go, go!

[shouting]

-[Bisping] Wow! -[Hill] Here she comes, down the stretch.

Brittany Williams from Texas

bringing it home across the line,

right here, right now, on Hyperdrive.

She's in second place.

Hell, yeah! Perfect, baby! Perfect!

[Hill] Under powered, but who cares when you can drive like this?

Absolutely flawless.

How do you like them apples?

[shouting]

And the mic drop! No way!

Drops the mic, drives off, that's all she wrote.

[Wood] Ladies and gentlemen, that is Hyperdrive right there.

-Hell, yeah! Killed it. -Killed it!

Why she did it with the microphone?

That was pretty dang clever.

-It's kinda like she handled it... -Okay, I understand.

Our french baguettes.

[laughing]

[Hill] And with that amazing run,

Brittany Williams has a firm hold on second place,

separating herself from the pack

and bumping Fielding Shredder from his qualifying spot.

Meaning Atsushi Taniguchi's time of 5:45.1 is now the time to beat.

[woman over PA] Driver eight, prepare for launch.

[Hill] After Brittany Williams' razor sharp performance,

the final wave of drivers look to follow her roadmap,

confident that a mistake-free run could vault them into the top three

and earn them a spot in the Knockout Rounds.

First up, in his '93 Nissan with a BMW engine and an old tractor turbo

was the Frenchman Axel Francois.

I'm from Manosque, France.

A very small community.

I think there are people all over the world

that have more talent,

more money...

but my goal is,

from my small place,

to give as much as I can.

[Hill] He tore out of the gate

and made it through Supernova and Lightbox like a pro.

[French accent] Perfect.

[Hill] And appeared to be making a run for first as he came to Walk on Water.

[Bisping] No! No way, look at this.

[Axel Francois] I can't see anything.

[Hill] Look at the steam fogging up his windshield.

[Wood] Axel's car is so stripped down,

there's nothing to protect the cold water from hitting his engine.

Hot engine plus cold water equals steam bath.

[Francois] Oh, no, no, no, no!

[Hill] Ooh! He can't see.

-Ooh! -Oh!

Where's the target?

Right in front of you.

I had no choice but to keep going.

But I lost a lot of time.

Come on! Go!

[Hill] Despite having almost no visibility...

He got it!

[Wood] Bonsoir, mon ami.

[Hill] ...Axel soldiered on...

He's still got a chance to finish inside the top three!

It's gonna be close at the line!

[Bisping] Wow!

[Hill] But came up short after a valiant effort.

With the pressure mounting, Florida's Sara Haro pulled to the line.

A 22-year-old truck driver who can drive anything on wheels.

[Sara Haro] I'm new to drifting, and I think people underestimate that.

Are you ready?

I'm ready.

But who doesn't love an underdog?

[Bisping] Let's go.

[Hill] Just started racing about eight months ago.

-Good job. Wow! -[Wood] Yeah, girl.

That was awesome. She hit that with a lot of speed.

[Hill] She put together a spectacular run.

-[Wood] Sara making a push for third. -[Bisping] There she goes!

[Hill] Crossing the line at 5:45,

beating out Atsushi Taniguchi by 500ths of a second.

You killed it! Good job!

[tires screeching]

[Hill] However, an early mistake at Supernova...

[shouting]

resulted in a two-second time penalty,

and she dropped from third all the way to fifth place,

showing just how slim the margin for error is on this Qualifier 1 course.

The next racer to throw his hat in the ring

was Kentucky dentist Brent Pursifull,

who bored through the course in his supercharged '72 Firebird.

I got this, lovee.

Awesome, baby!

[Hill] With his wife Nicole guiding the way,

he put together a clean run through all the obstacles.

Come on, mother fricker, let's ride!

Come on home to me, baby.

[Hill] But he didn't carry enough speed through the course

and put himself in danger of being eliminated

when he landed in the eighth spot.

Golly-gee-willikers.

[Hill] The second to last driver of the night

was 34-year-old San Francisco native Faruk Kugay,

a pizza delivery man who spends all of his money on drifting and racing.

I've worked so many jobs to keep this dream alive.

The blood, sweat and tears that have gone into building my driving skills.

It's knocked me down, and I'm here to prove who I am,

both as a man and as a driver.

[Hill] He flew through the front half of the course

and pushed his car to the limit at every turn.

This is sketchy! Whoo!

Until a tactical master stroke at Walk on Water.

[Wood] He's taking this slower than the other stripped down race cars,

betting that a dry engine will be a fast engine down the stretch.

[man] Go, go, go!

[Hill] That bet paid off as he tore across the line.

-Oh, goodness! -[man] Wow!

[Hill] Faruk Kugay at 5:35, knocking Atsushi Taniguchi out of the top three,

and for the moment, holding a bid for the knockout round.

Good job, bubba.

And, so, with 11 racers down, João Barion and Brittany Williams

have punched their ticket to the Knockout Rounds

and will be skipping the rest of our qualifying races.

On the other side of things, Michael Pettiford and Ed Michalak

have been officially eliminated from the competition.

It's been a great first night so far

as we get set for our final driver in Qualifier 1.

[woman over PA] Driver 12 to the start line.

Driver 12 to the start line.

[Hill] All right, fellas, there she is,

the last driver to attack this Goliath of a course.

Her name is Stacey Lee May and what a story she has.

Twenty-two years old, from Soweto, South Africa,

her father sold his tow truck so they could travel here for this competition.

Good luck.

[Bisping] First time out of her country. First time in America.

-First time on a plane. -[chattering]

[Hill] She's already a legendary competitor back in her hometown

in a radical sport called spinning.

One of our executive producers and fellow South African

paid her a visit to find out why she's called "the Queen of Smoke."

My name is Stacey Lee May.

I'm from Johannesburg, South Africa.

This is the community where I grew up in.

It's basically part of Soweto.

The crime is a bit high. The drug rate is high,

and, like, not a lot of people can afford to live the way most people live.

I was bullied a lot at school because I was always younger.

People used to put me in the dustbin and beat me around

and take my money and just like, they were so mean.

I had no self-confidence at all.

My dad thought that car spinning would help change that,

and ever since then, we've been spinning, and it's just been amazing.

Stacey. Hi, looking for Stacey.

Where's the the Smoke Queen?

"The Smoke Queen"!

Finally! Hi!

[Stacey Lee May] This is so amazing.

Oh, my gosh. So good to see you!

-You! Oh, my gosh. -[laughing]

Meeting Charlize, it felt like I'm dreaming.

This is really bad-ass. Wow!

But then I realized that this is actually happening. It's reality.

[woman] I'm super proud. I can't believe this. It's like a dream.

And then she went over to speak to my dad,

My mom just burst into tears.

And, then she went over to speak to my dad,

and she just started speaking Afrikaans.

It's incredible that you're right for this opportunity.

And I know that you have given up so much...

My wife can't believe it.

It's tough being a parent.

I want in. I want in the car for a little bit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

-[father] Yeah, yeah, yeah. -[Charlize Theron] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay, let's do it. Let's do it.

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

[Theron shouts]

[May laughs] Spinning is like a mosquito.

Once it bites you, you just have that itch to do it over and over and over again.

[screams] Yeah, baby!

Whoa! Oh, my God!

[May] I get this amazing feeling when I'm driving my car,

because then it feels like I'm in control. It's like I'm on top of the world.

I'm the driver of my own destiny. I can do anything.

[shouts]

[Hill] You know her mom and her siblings are thinking about her right now

-and Soweto, South Africa. -[crowd chanting]

[Wood] She is hoping that this is the kind of thing that can open the doors

to her being a professional drifter one day.

[Hill] Let's go down to Lindsay with her father.

Okay, Dad, how are you feeling right now?

I'm over-anxious. [laughs]

I can't help it.

It's my baby's first race in America,

and I still can't believe that we're here.

Tell me when to go, Daddy.

[Hill] Well, as it stands, Faruk Kugay currently sits in the third position

so Stacey will be gunning for him.

And she also knows that Brent's time of 6:07 is the cut line.

[engine revving]

Stacey Lee May. Let's see what she's got.

Come on, Stacey.

Come on, girl! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!

[theme music playing]