Maxxis and Luney on top at Donington
Under: Maxxis Sport on
06 May 2011
Tyre manufacturer Maxxis was delighted when the opening round of
the 2011 Maxxis British Drift Championship at Donington (April
22-23) not only produced some very close contests, but also saw
Mark Luney and SAT/Cosworth - one of its sponsored teams using the
MA-Z1 Drift tyre - take victory in the new Super-Pro class.
After a six month break, during which almost every car competing
in this year's championship underwent a full rebuild, the series
continues to grow in popularity and is bigger than ever. To
give smaller and privateer teams the chance to maximise their
resources, there has been a change to the format with the record
entry list of some 84 drivers split into three categories -
Semi-Pro, Pro and Super-Pro - based on their driving skills and
drift experience.
The Launch Pad at Donington - one of the fastest drift courses
thanks to its flat, open layout, and a firm favourite with drivers
and spectators alike - welcomed 32 Semi-Pro class
drivers. Many new faces joined the established names
and Dannielle Murphy, who reached the Top Eight regularly last
season, not only proved to be the most consistent qualifier but
eased her way into the final, where she outwitted Mark Lappage to
take the victory and a six-point lead into round two.
In the Pro class 37 drivers demonstrated their skills, while the
top four Semi-Pro drivers were also given the chance to qualify:
Dannielle Murphy put in another strong performance to make it into
the Top 16 shootout and Rob Finn did extremely well to progress to
the final eight. However, it was Grant Laker who started out
as top Pro class qualifier and didn't put a foot wrong all day,
sealing a fine performance by overcoming Dan Hall to win round
one.
The new Super-Pro class is designed specifically for the UK's best
drifters. The top 20 Pro class finishers from 2010 were
automatically promoted to the new group, including reigning
champion Phil Morrison in the Driftworks S15 and the other four
drivers who were capable of winning the title during the final
round of the 2010 season. Those drivers who qualified in the
top four of the Pro class, including Ian Phillips and winner Grant
Laker, were also given the chance to compete in the Super-Pro
class.
Stephen Biagioni of Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed returned in the
now 500bhp
1JZ-powered Subaru and, despite only qualifying 16th, was pleased
to have the Impreza running problem-free after a winter
rebuild. Team mate Shane Lynch qualified in eighth while Mark
Luney of SATS/Cosworth and also supported by title sponsor Maxxis,
not only took the top qualifying spot with a 93-point run but, more
impressively, also set the highest average.
In the Top 16 Paul Smith in the Toyota-powered Team Japspeed S15
pulled out a well-deserved 'upset' against Phil Morrison, but then
couldn't hold off a fired up Matt Carter to progress further and
Biagioni, who is still getting to grips with the Impreza, couldn't
match the speed, smoke and pace of Luney's Supra. Shane Lynch
made the most of a spin by
Simon Perry to go into the Top Eight, where he put in a superb
performance, losing his head to head against Luney by the narrowest
of margins over no less than six runs.
While Paul Smith's S15 remains relatively unchanged for 2011, with
just suspension tweaks prior to round one, Team Japspeed has
carried out a lot of work on its other cars. The Impreza
underwent huge custom fabrication to fit the straight-six engine
mated to a stronger five-speed gearbox, along with changes to the
steering rack and hubs to give maximum lock, while
Shane Lynch's V8-powered S15 underwent a full forged rebuild and
refresh for maximum power and reliability and was fitted with a
stronger six-speed sequential gearbox.
"Our aim for round one was to get all three cars out there and
drifting to a competitive level - especially the Impreza due to the
whole new engine configuration - so to have two drivers through to
the Top Eight and all three drivers in the Top 16 is an awesome
result for the start of the season," says Team Japspeed boss Paul
McCallum.
"Now we can focus on getting back to the top of the leader board!"
In the final four Declan Munnelly's Mk2 Escort was up against the
700bhp Supra of Mark Luney and while Declan's on-the-limit driving
makes him a serious match even against cars with twice the power,
the sheer speed of Luney's Supra left him trailing. Mark
moved into the final where he clinched both runs against Matt
Carter to take the win.
Tyres certainly played an important role and the SATS/Cosworth
team praised the 'awesome MA-Z1 Drift tyre' which provided the grip
and control it enjoyed on track all weekend.
Commenting on the performance, Mark Luney said: "For the past six
months, the team and I have been working on, and developing, the
car alongside Cosworth, Maxxis and our many partners, and the
pressure was definitely on to take a top three spot. To take
top spot in both qualifying and the competition is an endorsement
of all that effort.
"Last year we used Maxxis tyres at all of the events, and they
helped us immensely to get to the podium on several
occasions. Now with Maxxis behind us as a partner, supplying
us with the MA-Z1 Drift tyre, we have repeated last year's success
at the Donington track."
Luney leads Carter by five points going into road two with Team
Japspeed's Shane Lynch and Paul Smith are in sixth and seventh
respectively. 2009 champion Stephen Biagioni is further down
the leader board, although equal on points with reigning champion
Phil Morrison.
The Maxxis British Drift Championship now moves to Kings Lynn on
May 21-23, where the finals will take place at the Norfolk Arena
under floodlights. The programme will also include the
eagerly anticipated team triple drift competition.
Full details about the Maxxis British Drift Championship are
available at www.thebritishdriftchampionship.co.uk
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