This Easter weekend (22-23 April) sees the 2011 Maxxis British Drift Championship get underway at Donington Park, with new regulations in place designed to make racing more competitive. Teams competing this year on Maxxis’ MA-Z1 Drift tyre will include Paul Cheshire’s 650bhp G35 Skyline and the tyre brand’s own sponsored SATS Cosworth Supra, driven by Mark Luney.
Towards the end of April a new high performance tyre will be added to the line-up of Maxxis products available in the UK. Called the ZR9, the UHP tyre will be released in size 195/50 VR15 and is designed for and targeted at asphalt track racing. Describing the new tyre, Maxxis explains that the ZR9 features a “directional tread pattern design with low void ratio for impressive handling” and large shoulder blocks that aid cornering and lateral stability, plus central V-shaped grooves that disperse water efficiently for strong wet traction.
The 2010 Maxxis British Drift Championship reached a thrilling climax at Knockhill, Scotland over the weekend of September 25-26. It proved a stern test of vehicles and drivers, with BDC newcomer Phil Morrison eventually emerging victorious in his 700 bhp S15, shod with Federal 595 RS-R high performance tyres, making it a day to remember for both Phil and his Team Driftworks.
Maxxis-sponsored Formula D champion Chris Forsberg was at TRAX on 5 September, where he took the wheel of Team Japspeed’s 450bhp Nissan S15 to demonstrate his skills in a series of high speed stunts. The American drift star flew in specially to take part in “the Ultimate Performance Car Event”, making his UK debut with demonstrations in the TRAX Action Arena. Forsberg signed autographs on the Maxxis stand and treated eight lucky fans to a passenger ride around Silverstone.
Maxxis’ MA-Z1 Drift tyre has been on show this month in the third and fourth rounds of the British Drift Championship that also bears the brand’s name as title sponsor. The company said the tyre has delivered consistent performance in the changeable weather it has encountered. Through a day of alternating torrential showers and bright sunshine the MA-Z1 Drift’s performance at Lydden Hill, Kent, during round three helped Team Japspeed driver Shane Lynch take victory and with it the championship lead in the pro class. After round four, last year’s European Drift Champion Mark Luney stormed into the lead.
The Maxxis British Drift Championship travels to Donington Park this coming Saturday (10 July) for round four of the series. Tyre manufacturer Maxxis will be there to see the top drivers reassert themselves after weather and car troubles made life difficult for many competitors during the previous round at Lydden Hill.
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 has chosen to focus on the popular but still emerging motorsport of drifting in its sporting tyre supply. In US and European drifting this season, the brand has successfully supplied winning drivers in four popular series with the MA-Z1 Drift tyres, also sponsoring the competitors: in the UK and Ireland, Steve Biagioni of Team Japspeed has taken the British Drift Championship, Mark “Buff” Luney has claimed the European Drift Championship (EDC) and Dean Kearney has won the Prodrift Super Series. In the US, Chris Forsberg has won the Formula Drift championship.
Maxxis has been heavily involved in the spectacular sport of drifting in the UK this year, so it must be gratifying for the manufacturer to have experienced the success of Steve Biagioni from Maxxis-sponsored Team Japspeed, who was crowned British Drift Champion for 2009.
Round Four of the British Drift Championship belonged firmly to Team Japspeed as its drivers, Danny Eyles, Shane Lynch and Steve Biagioni took to the podium having drifted successfully around the Norfolk Arena.
Maxxis has announced that its speciality drifting and track racing tyre, the MA-Z1 Drift, is now in stock in an expanded range of sizes. The tyre has been praised by Maxxis-sponsored professional drift driver Declan Hicks, who declared the difference between the specialist drift tyre and standard road tyres to be “quite astounding”. E-marked and fully street legal, it is now available in the following sizes:
•195/45 R16 MAZ1 DRIFT 84V XL
•195/50 R15 MAZ1 DRIFT 86V XL
•205/40 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 84W XL
•225/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 92W XL
•225/45 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 94W XL
•235/35 ZR19 MAZ1 DRIFT 91W XL
•235/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 95W XL
•245/40 ZR17 MAZ1 DRIFT 95W XL
•245/40 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 97W XL
•255/35 ZR18 MAZ1 DRIFT 94W XL
British Drift Championship driver, Chris Bradbury is now sponsored by Marangoni for 2008. Recently the driver lauded the Italian manufacturer’s Mythos line of high performance tyres. “The Mythos is an unbelievably good drift/grip tyre and in five years of drifting it’s the only tyre I have ever run on that gives consistent, high levels of linear grip at any temperature, without delamination, chunking or any other malfunction to the tyre. They will run evenly, right down to the core. Truly awesome.”
“We have been extremely pleased, not only with the performance of the tyres, but with the opportunity to show our brand to a new and enthusiastic audience. Brand recognition and consumer awareness can only be enhanced by our participation in this fast growing field of motorsport,” said Derek Carruthers, Marangoni (Car Tyre Division) Global Sales & Marketing Director.
Falken tyres has announced that the brand will be series sponsors of the British Drift Championship 2008 season. Already hugely popular in Japan and the United States, the sport is set to take the UK by storm, according to company representatives. Jon Limmer, Falken Brand Manager, commented: “Falken are so pleased to have this exciting opportunity to be involved in grass roots motorsports in the UK. Falken has a huge following in the drift community worldwide and we are delighted to be able to offer our support to Paul and his team.”
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