In a season which has taken Japspeed across the whole of the UK it’s safe to say BDC Round 6 proved to be the ultimate end to a dramatic 2011 season. Just nine months ago Team Japspeed’s Subaru Impreza underwent a full 1JZ conversion which massively altered its handling and performance. It’s taken months of hard work and continued development, but driver Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni has shown exactly what it’s capable of taking second place at the BDC final against Mark Luney.
Alongside Steve’s second place, the two Japspeed S15s of Shane Lynch and Paul Smith put in an equally impressive performance, taking first and second place in the Super-Pro qualifying as well as Shane heading through to the final eight battles. ‘This truly was an amazing end to a cracking season’ explained Japspeed manager Paul McCallum. ‘We have known all year that we have three championship-winning cars, and Steve’s second place means we’ve had a different Japspeed driver on the past three BDC podiums – simply awesome work from the whole team’.
Steve’s second place was achieved after winning against David Waterworth, BDC leader Matt Carter and Ian Phillips before facing Mark Luney in the final. Despite having almost 500bhp less than Mark, Steve took it right to the wire in the final, missing out by just a single point at the end of it. Steve’s result combined with both Shane and Paul making the Top 16 also meant Team Japspeed took home the Round 6 Constructors trophy, a hugely-deserved award for the whole team who work super hard at every round.
Adding to Japspeed’s already spectacular result was invited driver and Rallycross Champion Liam Doran. Having drifted for the first time earlier in the year at a BDC qualifying event, Japspeed were so impressed with Liam’s performance he was given a seat in the S14 team car at Round 6 and naturally Liam didn’t disappoint. ‘Liam is a seriously exciting driver to watch in Rallycross, and one of the best in recent years’ adds Paul. ‘His committed driving style makes him perfect for drifting, and to reach the final sixteen on his first ever BDC outing is truly fantastic – watch this space, there’s plenty more to come.’
2011 has been a truly exceptional year for Japspeed and with every car now performing faultlessly the team can now focus solely on the upcoming 2012 championship. Japspeed would like to thank all of their sponsors for their continued support along with everyone who has supported and helped us throughout the year.
