Maxxis/Japspeed British Drift Championship Completes Third Round

As reported before in these pages, Maxxis is the title sponsor – alongside Japspeed – of the British Drift Championship, which completed 2010’s third round recently. The manufacturer says Lydden Hill, which staged Round Three, is one of the most exciting tracks in the British Drift Championship calendar, and remains a firm favourite with the drivers. The challenge was increased with the typical British summer contributing torrential rain followed by bright sunshine and then more wet conditions.

Maxxis says Round Three provided drivers with the opportunity to put the company’s MAZ1 Drift tyres through their paces. Specially developed for drift racing the tyres is designed to improve grip and durability in both wet and dry conditions, the tread is overlaid on a standard MAZ1 carcass. Lydden Hill features a technical mid-section along with a huge sweeping uphill right turn, requiring either “brutal manfoot or a slight flick for some of the less-powered cars to maintain their drift,” explains Maxxis, meaning that the tyres are put through their paces.

With the 2009 champion and two of the three top placed drivers in this year’s championship out of the running with mechanical failures (Maxxis/Japspeed Steve Biagioni, Danny Eyles and Phil Morrison) this round of the Championship was left wide open for other drivers to make their mark. Shane Lynch put in several consistent runs and a head to head battle with Mark Luney, the 2009 European Drift Championship winner, was to decide the final positions. Lynch secured first, storming into the lead in the Pro class, ahead of Morrison and Simon Perry.

The next round takes place on 10 July at Donington Park, Leicestershire.