Maxxis sweeps podium at Teesside in BDC

The Maxxis British Drift Championship completed the first half of its season at the Teesside Autodrome, and the title sponsor’s MAZ1 Drift tyres were used to great effect by the pace-setters; the Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed and SATS Motorsport took the top three places in the Super Pro class, while the former team claimed an unexpected victory in the Team Triple Drift Event. Meanwhile the BDC will be represented by the Infinity Tyres and distributor Bond International sponsored Acorn Motorsport Division (AMD) at ‘Drift Experience’ when it visits the Santa Pod Raceway on 26 July.

Team Japspeed driver Shane O’Sullivan clinched his second victory in three appearances, while team mate Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni took third spot, picking up some valuable championship points, and SATS Motorsport’s Mark Luney completed the podium for Maxxis by claiming second place.

Billed as “Return to the Thunderdrome”, this was the second visit to the Teesside Autodrome for the Maxxis British Drift Championship, though the venue used a completely new track layout to keep the drivers on their toes and provide a fitting challenge.  Practice turned out to be something of a lottery as the weather changed from rainy to windy and sunny by the hour and many struggled to master the tricky conditions. 

Team Japspeed overcame a dramatic start to the three-day event as Paul Smith walked away unscathed from a high-speed accident during a pre-qualifying practice session when his S15 left the track. During the twin battles O’Sullivan looked to be in a league of his own, Luney was on top form and Biagioni almost swapped paint with rivals.

In the Team Triple Drift Team Japspeed, not the favourite for the event, demonstrated its determination to lift the trophy by qualifying second. The huge crowd showed its appreciation of smoke and symmetry as the drivers worked their way around the circuit in strict formation, pushing close to the clip points while remaining on each others’ doors – exactly what triple drifting is all about.

Going into round four at Lydden Hill in Kent on 11-12 August, Maxxis points out that the top five in the Super Pro class standings are all using Maxxis tyres. Shane O’Sullivan has a nine point lead over Steve Moore, Steve Biagioni is just a point adrift in third and Paul Smith and Mark Luney are lying fourth and fifth respectively. SATS Motorsport leads the constructors’ title race with Team Japspeed in third.

Infinity and Bond to drift onto Santa Pod

Infinity Tyres, together with UK distributor Bond International and its sponsored drift team Acorn Motorsport Division (AMD), has announced its participation at Drift Experience – a diversion to drift racing competition held at Santa Pod Raceway, near Northampton, on 26 July. Infinity and AMD say they have put together an exciting and informative tyre dealer event where visitors to Santa Pod will be able to experience all three of AMD’s hand-built Nissan S13s on display.

The day’s events will commence with a short presentation explaining the skill of drifting, followed by an introduction to AMD’s top level drifting team, led by its manager, Scott Brandon, together with drivers Ian Waddington and Mark Lappage. Guests will then be raring to get out to the track to discover for themselves what drifting is all about, accompanied by the AMD and Infinity Tyres team.

Scott Brandon, team principle at Acorn Motorsport Division said that Drift Experience is “a great opportunity for us to show our friends at Infinity what Drifting truly entails up close and personal and entertain their guests both in and out of the car. In addition it allows us to spend more time testing the car and ensuring the set up is perfect for future events.” Brandon also said that to experience a real drift track in a full-blown race car “is an experience many would die for and we have no doubts that it will be a highly entertaining day for all those lucky enough to attend.”

Clive Mansfield, Infinity Europe Sales Manager, said that Drift Experience, “will really showcase the sport of drifting and will, no doubt, provide Infinity customers with a great opportunity to push our tyres to the limit.”

Steve Tidmarsh, Bond International finance director, said that Bond is “very much looking forward to participating in this great event because the connection between the race track and tyres has always been one very much enjoyed by dealers and their staff. It gives them the opportunity to be a ‘Jeremy Clarkson’ for the day and also endorses the product they sell.

“The event has proven very successful – within one working day all allotted places were taken with the same number of partners stacking up on a reserve list. The pull of a sport still in its infancy is immense and, coupled with the high awareness of the Infinity brand in the U.K., this event can only enhance the brand reputation even further.”