Watch: champions face off in a nail-biting D1NZ Timaru final

The anatomy of a D1NZ finale is an interesting one. 

Unlike a lot of other forms of motorsport, save for perhaps drag racing, drifters only get a few runs of competitive action in. If you get knocked out, it's hard luck. But that's motorsport in a nutshell isn't it.

It brings a new level of drama to the battles that close out an event; the two drifters that earn their places often having to defeat a series of other drivers along the way — quite often knowing in the back of their head who they're most likely to come up against in the battle royale.

This all often manifests itself in fantastic showdowns; on-track fights like what we saw in Timaru a few weeks ago.

It came down to a couple of former series champs — Darren Kelly and Cole Armstrong. Despite the visual differences between their cars — Kelly's new-age R35 GT-R and Armstrong's ... um ... 'seasoned' Skyline R34 sedan — they both shared a similar power-train. 

And with both drivers competitive to the bone, it was always going to be great. Check the battle out in full above, and click here for the full event report.