It’s been a busy few weeks for us here at Japspeed; with the weekend playing host to Round 4 of the 2013 Maxxis British Drift Championship we had our work cut out to ensure that the drivers, cars and the rest of the team were prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
With Formula D superstar Ryan Tuerck flying over from America to compete in our 2JZ powered Lexus IS200 it only added to the pressure on the team, so a pre-event test day was arranged for both Ryan and Japspeed driver Shane Lynch at Bovingdon Airfield to give them some time to get to grips with the cars.
For Ryan it was his first time driving a right hand drive vehicle, but with the speed that he adapted to it you’d never have known.
Shane and Ryan had a whale of a time unleashing the cars in a pressure free environment, destroying plenty of Maxxis MA-Z1 tyres in the process. Brett was also present to lend a hand, although unfortunately he was unable to practice with the guys as the Subaru was being mapped at the time for the weekend’s main event.
After a successful day of testing it was on to Lydden Hill, one of our favourite venues on the BDC calendar.
Practice kicked off on Saturday morning and for Shane, Paul Smith and Brett Castle it was a chance to get themselves reacquainted with a circuit they have driven many times.
For Ryan however, he had just a few runs to learn a circuit in a somewhat unfamiliar car.
With just three chances in qualifying with which to nail a perfect run the pressure was on.
It was crucial that they listened in the drivers briefing and followed the judges instructions to the letter. Deviating from the required criteria would result in being punished in terms of points and the possibility of missing out on that all important Top 16 placing.
Shortly after, it was time for the guys to head out for qualifying.
The nerves started setting in and tensions were high for both Paul and Ryan…
…although Shane was his usual chilled out self.
Thankfully, the guys listened carefully to what was required of them by the judges and managed to make it count when it mattered, with Shane, Paul and Ryan all bringing their cars home in fantastic style along with a big haul of points from the judges.
Unfortunately for Brett the Subaru refused to play ball and, due to a number of mechanical and electrical issues, it was decided to retire the car before any lasting damage was done.
Once the dust had settled it was time for the judges to announce the results.
There were a lot of tense faces amongst the crowd but there was also a lot of nervous anticipation.
Thankfully for the guys they received the good news they were hoping for as it was announced that Shane, Paul and Ryan had bagged 4th, 5th and 11th (respectively).
Come Sunday and it was time for the Top 16 battles. First up was reigning champion Paul Smith against current championship leader David Waterworth. In his lead run an unfortunate error from Paul on the downhill section of the track saw him understeer slightly into the left hander which resulted in him having to make a big correction, costing him points.
In his chase run Paul managed to stick with David but unfortunately the damage was done and Paul was eliminated at this stage.
Next up was Shane against Wayne Keeber. Shane easily took the advantage in the first run but unfortunately encountered a fueling issue right at the end of his second run, gifting the victory to Wayne.
Ryan’s first battle saw him pitched against Ireland’s Wesley Keating. Unfortunately for Ryan he mis-shifted at precisely the wrong moment during his chase run, missing 3rd gear and gifting the win to Wesley.
In his lead run things were fairly even between both drivers, with Wes’ advantage from the first run giving him the overall advantage and thus eliminating Ryan from the Top 16.
Unfortunately it was another case of what could have been for the drivers and the team and it was disappointing to see the drivers eliminated in the Top 16 stage.
However, we had an absolute blast meeting our fans, signing autographs, having photographs taken and making new friends along with seeing how Ryan adapted to our Lexus!
Our next team outing is at Trax on September 8th in front of tens of thousands of spectators – we can’t wait!
