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Success For Smith At Silverstone- Round 5

Team Japspeed Battle It Out At Trax!

The build up for Round 5 of the Maxxis British Drift Championship at Silverstone for Trax was tense for driver Shane ‘O Sullivan. The Skyline engine in his S15 was causing problems and true to last-minute-motorsport form, the guys worked around the clock! The sickly engine was hauled out in night before the event and mapped in the early hours before the event started! It was hardcore dedication and while they may have been tired, they pulled it off!

The practice sessions allowed the drivers to get a feel for the fast paced Silverstone circuit. Once everyone had been on track, the BDC Super Pro drivers all lined up at the Maxxis truck for the ever popular autograph signing session. Once the announcement that autograph signing was underway, the BDC pit area was a sea of people all hunting down the signature of their favourite driver.

In this event, we were joined by the Speedhunters team that consisted of Formula D drivers Fredric Aasbo and Darren “D-Mac” McNamara. They would be the men to watch and beat, they have strong pedigree and very capable cars but the Team Japspeed drivers had no fear.

Once autographs had been signed, it was time to get back trackside for qualification. Only for rain to come down in the vital qualifying sessions! It made for a perilous time on track, with many drivers slipping off the preferred line, or indeed the track altogether. The Japspeed drivers remained composed and dug deep to put the points on the table, all four qualified for the main event later in the day. Everyone gathered around the BDC pit area to hear the results and the drivers took a moment to prepare for the main event!

Before the circuit became engulfed in thick tyre smoke, the BDC Super Pro Drivers were led around in a parade for the spectators to enjoy!

The man of the weekend was none other than Paul “Smokey” Smith. Paul has looked strong all season and maintained great consistency. This weekend was arguably his toughest challenge yet with an uphill battle to the podium.

Paul faced a testing run with a battle against team-mate Baggsy to begin, quickly followed by the always competitive Mark Luney in the SATS Supra.


Then without a moment to breathe, he was pitted against Ireland’s D-Mac in a tough duel that went to “OMT” before Paul was announced a worthy victor. Then in the final, Smokey had to line up against the Norwegian Hammer Fredric Aasbo! This was a true world-class battle which was as fast and as close as it gets! The judges agreed as they needed a further OMT to be able to separate them! It was over to the podium to hear the results.

After a fiercely difficult draw and run to the podium, Paul Smith stood his ground and performed outstandingly! Grabbing a worthy and highly credible 2nd place. While Simon Perry took 3rd place and Fredric Aasbo completed the double with two 1st places in two years at Silverstone! The Trax event was hugely popular, with over 16,000 attending to see the Maxxis British Drift Championship in all its glory and to witness Smiths brilliant run. Be sure to catch up with us at Knockhill as we hope to continue our great run of form!