Making a guest appearance at round two of the Maxxis British Drift Championship, drift star Remmo Niezen from the Netherlands piloted his V8 BMW E30 to victory, while title sponsor Maxxis’s Super-Pro championship leader Mark Luney used his MA-Z1 Drift tyres to make it on to the podium.
The Maxxis British Drift Championship recently got underway again following a six month break, and the title sponsor says the series continues to grow in popularity and is now bigger than ever. In order to give smaller teams and individual drivers the chance to maximise their resources the championship format has been tweaked and the 84 drivers competing this year have been split into three categories – Semi-Pro, Pro and Super-Pro – based on their driving skills and drift experience. Following the opening round of the 2011 series at Donington, Maxxis says it was delighted to see Mark Luney and SAT/Cosworth – one of its sponsored teams using the Maxxis MA-Z1 Drift tyre – take victory in the new Super-Pro class.
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.
Maxxis reports that Ireland’s Shane O’Sullivan has joined the Team Japspeed drifting team the brand sponsors. He will compete full time in the ProDrift Series in the RB25-powered S15 using the MA-Z1 Drift tyre. Shane Finn, who will be running the team in conjunction with the Japspeed Ireland division, said: “Paul McCallum and the Japspeed UK team have built a truly fantastic machine which we’ve seen compete successfully in Ireland in the past.
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.
Federal CEO Jamie Ma – described by company representatives as “a long-term racing enthusiast” –reportedly put his money where his mouth is recently when he toured the company’s home island in his Ferrari 430 Scuderia, shod with Federal’s UHP 595 RPM asymmetric sport tyre in sizes 225/35R19 (front) and 285/35R19 (rear). Taiwan offers varied weather and geographical conditions, and as such provided a good opportunity for the chief executive to try out Federal’s product on a UHP sportscar: “I am serious about performance,” Ma said. “That is why I prefer the 595 RPM over the original factory tyres. You will feel the difference.”
You’re only showing your age if images of vagrants or dossers spring to mind upon hearing the word ‘drifter’. These days, as any fule kno, a drifter is far more likely to be a tyre maker and dealer’s favourite customer. Drifting has long since left its home in Japan and set out to conquer the globe, and the top drifters in our part of the world compete in the Pirelli European Drift Championship. And with just one round to go, this year’s championship title is Mark Luney’s to lose. He needs just three points at Snetterton to assure him of overall victory.
Federal Tires is the sole tyre sponsor of the 2010 D1 Street Legal Drifting Series, the platform from which drivers can progress to the D1 Grand Prix International Championship. Although the series is geared towards novice drifters, the level of professionalism is high as it attracts recognized D1GP celebrities and former regulars.
Fourteen races across four categories that include East, West, Inter Series, and with the Ladies Series will take place at nine circuits across Japan, following a championship event in a special drifting track on the Tsukuba Circuit. Being a national street legal series, there are tighter restrictions on how a car can be modified, which means every car has to prove its road-worthiness by retaining the engine with which it was originally supplied. Also, a competitor wishing to be a part of the race event is required to obtain the D1SL licence.
Federal Tyres representatives are celebrating the achievements of the UK drifiting drivers it supported in 2009. “[Federal] has aligned with the right teams; secured the most talented drivers and developed the fastest tyres on the track with the best overall performance throughout the 2009 season to capitalize on the growing enthusiasm for drifting in the UK,” company representatives told Tyres & Accessories/tyrepress.com.
Federal-backed drivers include: Phil Morrison, Ben-Broke Smith (better known as Bon-bon), Dan Chapman and Richard Clarke – all of whom are experienced professionals. In 2009 they competed across the country’s three premier drifting series – European Drift Championship, Prodrift Super Series as well as JDM Allstars.
Federal Tires has released a new specialty motorsports guide that demonstrates its tyre range in terms of its street, track, and off road applications. The latest catalogue not only showcases the Taiwanese manufacturer’s complete product line; the usage each tyre is best put to is also outlined. Tyres covered in the guide include the Corsa FZ-101 for time trial events and high-level competition use, the semi-slick Corsa FZ-202, Federally G-10 for dry and damp gravel surfaces and the 595 RS-R high performance tyre for time attack, club sprint, lap dash, professional drifting and street legal competition.
With tyre manufactures increasing their interest in marketing their tyres through drifting as the sport grows in popularity, the Infinity brand is no exception. In Europe, the Moskou Drift Team has been using the company’s INF-050, supplied by Eurotyre. The Team Manager, Michael van Seggelen remarked, “We are very grateful for the support of Eurotyre and Infinity Tyres (Europe) – the tyres are very reliable and enhance the drifting effect – we would recommend them for any ultra high performance tyre experience.”
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.
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