Drake shows up briefly in Episode 2 but doesn't become important until Episode 4, where he's established as a ruthless pilot who takes orders from Gallagher, Death Metal's leader.
His backstory unfolds gradually. Drake's parents brought him into the Death Metal Empire as a kid along with two Gilraptors—one white, one red. Growing up around Zoids gave him a natural talent for piloting them, especially the white one. When things went south, the white Gilraptor sacrificed itself to save Drake, leaving him with only the red one. With nowhere else to go, he joined Death Metal permanently.
For years, Drake treated the red Gilraptor as just a weapon, not a partner. That changes in Episode 46 when he's cornered: beat Arashi's Wild Liger or get fed to the Death Rex. Drake pushes his Gilraptor to its absolute limit during the fight, destroying the Death Metal key in the process. Suddenly his Zoid is free—no longer bound to Death Metal. But instead of running, it stays with him and keeps fighting. That's when Drake finally gets it: they were never just master and machine. The Gilraptor gives him a Zoid Key, unlocking a Wild Blast, and Drake leaves Death Metal for good.
After that, he turns on Gallagher and the other Four Kings, eventually joining Team Freedom once the dust settles.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
