The 30-year-old from Hazelbrook was in a spin both on and off the track at Oran Park Raceway last month, pulling up just shy of a podium spot after finishing the single-round championship a respectable fourth from 19 drivers.

The result was a massive leap up the leaderboard for the Sureflo Drift Team driver, having spent much of his rubber-burning career straggling at the bottom end of the points table.

“It was just a huge step forward for us,” said Mackie.

“We certainly had a little bit of luck (that) weekend, but in the cutthroat world of drifting, everything has to work for you on the day.”

Mackie’s full-throttle performance behind the wheel of the Nissan 300ZX also skidded into the sport’s history books, marking the first time that make of car has broken through to the top eight of any major national driftng competition in the world.